Grim Judgment

by Jennifer Reinfried

  His passion to help the ones he cared about truly moved her, bringing forth a sense of determination. Emma knew she was to blame for much of what had happened, but like Duncan said, it couldn’t be altered. The only thing that mattered was how they were going to change their futures.

  “All right,” she said. “I’m in. What do you need me to do?”

  Chapter Twenty Three

  NOW

  2016

  “Dad?” Jaxon’s voice startled me when I answered the call on my cell. The number had shown up “unavailable,” so at first, I had assumed it was Vance.

  “Jax,” I breathed. “Oh, my God, Jaxon, are you all right?” I pushed away from the airport bar I’d been sitting at, Bloody Mary half finished.

  “Dad...Dad, I’m so sorry.” He sounded so weak, so alone and terrified, that my heart burst. I held myself up with one hand against a nearby wall, my suitcase on the floor by my side.

  “Where are you?”

  “Outside of Boston somewhere. I...I don’t know what’s happening to me.” He was crying, and I found my own eyes leaking from the sides as I listened to him weep.

  “I’ll come to you. Tell me where to go, Jax.”

  “I don’t know,” he nearly wailed. “I’m so scared. My mind hurts. I think I killed some people, but I can’t remember.”

  “Please, Jax.” I slid down the wall, not caring who watched me. I hid my wet face with one hand. “Please. I’ll go anywhere, just tell me how to find you.”

  “I think I saw a sign for Salem a bit ago. Salem, Massachusetts.”

  “Are you driving?”

  “No. Walking. My feet hurt.”

  “Jaxon, oh, God. I’m coming to you. Please, get to a motel and stay there, stay safe. Do not leave. Can you do that? Do you have money?”

  “I still have my wallet. I think there’s cash in there.”

  “Okay. Okay, good.” I rose to my feet, unsteady. “I’m finding a flight now.”

  Part of me really wanted to go to Duncan, a really, really big part of me. I knew Shawn was there, and that they had a way to stop Jaxon, who had completely snapped. The attack in Boston had killed nearly a hundred and seventy people. I’d seen the reports in the news about Vance’s employees he had tortured and hung on display, using the Grim logo I’d seen at Thanksgiving as his sign. I knew there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop him from hurting people, or hell, from hurting me. But he was my son. So when I received the phone call from him as I sat in the airport, waiting for my flight to Salt Lake City, I knew the time for my cowardice was at an end.

  I had to help Jaxon.

  I had to help my son.

  —-

  I finally reached Boston after one hell of an expensive flight and nearly sprinted off of the plane, pushing people out of my way, uncaring of their protests and curses. I didn’t even stop to pick up my suitcase, just burst out of the airport after renting the first car offered to me. I ran down a short aisle of parked cars, then another, my frantic eyes searching and finally finding the blue Toyota Corolla.

  The drive to Salem was difficult. Night had already fallen. I struggled to maintain the speed limit, but edged the speedometer higher and higher until I was doing nearly ninety. As the road and its surroundings flew by, I tried to calm myself. Another message had been on my phone from Jaxon, who had still sounded upset, but said he was safe and was eager to see me. I won’t lie, I cried the entire twenty-three minutes. My face was still wet as I pulled up to the address my son had given me. Blinking, I glanced around in confusion. It was a golf course.

  Exiting my vehicle, I surveyed the dark building along with its short gate that kept trespassers out.

  “Jaxon?” I called hesitantly. There was no reply. What the fuck is going on? Did I get the address wrong? I hastily pulled the saved voicemail and listened to it again, but the numbers were exact. Maybe he decided to hide here. After all, if the police were onto him from the attacks in Boston, maybe he didn’t want to use his identity anywhere. Duh, Bruce, of course.

  I moved away from my car and stepped up to the gate. It was about my height, and I was up and over it in a matter of moments, not caring if there were cameras watching. No one would watch them until the morning, so, for now, I was safe.

  “Jax? Jaxon?” I called out as I walked along the closest holes, but still couldn’t find him. Frustrated, I sat on the green of hole three and closed my eyes. If he was nearby, I’d be able to find him quicker by transfer.

  Sure enough, I landed in my son’s body. He was sitting outside the building, in a chair on the patio. Our eyes were wet, and our hands shook from the chill of the evening. I jumped back into myself and took off running.

  I saw him shortly after. His back was to me as I came up behind him. “Jax!” I panted.

  When he turned around, my heart melted. He was smiling, and his eyes were wide. He lurched to his feet and ran up toward me, pulling me into the tightest hug. I held him just as hard, crying into his hair, and then I felt my left arm snap in two.

  —-

  My consciousness swam forward, and I could tell I was restrained to a chair before even opening my eyes. I breathed deep as the pain in my arm came to the surface once again, sharp and severe. He broke my arm, I thought. My own son broke my arm. I opened my eyes.

  Jaxon stood before me, arms crossed, his hair longer than it had been at Thanksgiving last year. It reminded me of June. It always did, even though none of her DNA flowed through him. My heart began to chug along faster as I stared into his cold, hate-filled gaze.

  “How could you?” His voice was as icy as the irises that matched mine.

  “Jax. Jax, what are you doing?”

  “I happened across this list,” he said, his voice cold. “Of Vance employees.”

  My insides plummeted.

  “Son, I—”

  “You couldn’t imagine the shock I felt when I saw my own dad’s name under Head of Finance. The pain, the betrayal. The hate.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I knew working for Vance hadn’t been the best idea, but I never killed anyone, simply moved money around. But in this moment, that didn’t matter. Simply being connected to Vance had been enough for my son to lure me here and snap my arm. I sat in the chair he’d restrained me to, sweat forming on my forehead, pain shooting through my left side, watching him as he slowly began to advance on me.

  “Dad, did you know that Shawn is Grim?”

  “I...I did. I was told after Alex’s death. None of us knew until then.” My voice trembled in time with my heart’s beats. He was closer now. I didn’t know what he was going to do to me.

  “So then you know that Shawn had been trying to take Vance out, right?”

  “Again, after Alex’s death. When I found that out, I decided to go into hiding until Duncan was able to neutralize you. I knew you’d be upset if you—”

  “Found out you were connected to the crime boss that was directly linked to Julie and Cassie’s deaths?” Jaxon yelled. “Upset? You have no idea how that made me feel!” He clenched his fists and a small blast of energy pushed me back a good five feet, the legs of the chair scraping along the floor. It felt like my entire body had been punched with one huge fist, and I struggled to breathe as Jaxon took a deep breath, eyes squeezed shut.

  “I didn’t know,” I lied between breaths.

  “Of course you did.”

  “Vance didn’t tell me everything. I was in charge of his money, not his damned employees! Or his weapons, or drugs, or anything else!” I was leaning forward, my voice rising. “All I did was work with his finances. Hell, I’ve only met the man in person twice.” Another lie.

  “If it wasn’t for Vance, Julie and Cassie would still be alive,” Jaxon snarled. He began to advance on me again, slowly, menacingly.

  “I know,” I said. “And if it weren’t for Henry getting Cassie involved, she’d still be alive. And if it weren’t for Alex snapping, she’d still be alive.” I watched him warily, but his expression o
f barely bottled up rage didn’t change. “It was an unfortunate string of events, but you can’t—”

  “Alex wouldn't have been his right hand man if Vance didn’t exist. Henry wouldn’t have been working for him and turned on him if he didn’t exist. And I’m gonna find him and make sure he doesn’t exist any longer.” The grin that slid across my son’s face terrified me, was one that I would never forget. He had stopped just in front of me, so I had to crane my neck up as he looked down on me.

  “Jax,” I said. “Please. I had nothing to do with the infiltration. If I had known, I would have stopped it.”

  “Doesn’t matter, Dad. Vance would have done it regardless.”

  I knew this was true, but had to keep trying to sway him. “You don’t know that.”

  He laughed. “Yes I do. We almost killed him. Who wouldn’t at least attempt revenge?” He lowered his voice. “I know I would.”

  It came out of my mouth before I even thought about it: “Then we’ll do it together.” I was grasping at straws. Jaxon had already busted my arm. Who knew what else he’d do to me?

  I saw Jaxon pause and tilt his head to the side, and unwanted relief began to replace the paranoia inside of me. I say unwanted because I had no reason yet to believe he wasn’t going to hurt me.

  “What?” His brows furrowed, and he lifted two fingers to his temple, as if he suddenly had a headache.

  “Let’s go after Vance together.” I strained against the ropes that he’d used to bind me to the chair, the rough lines scratching my bare wrists. “You, me, and Shawn. As a family.”

  “You’d do that?” Jaxon backed a step away, and my heart jumped. “Betray him?”

  “Of course I would. You’re my son. I’ll go after anyone who hurts you.” I meant this. I so, so meant this.

  “Dad, I...” He frowned, and some anger returned to his face. “No you wouldn’t.”

  “I would. You know damn well I’d do anything for you. Anything. I can try to find out where he’s hiding. He didn’t tell me, but I’m sure other employees might if I asked.” My heart beat so fast it felt like it was a single, long vibration, and I was short of breath. I needed my pills, needed them badly, but I didn’t complain.

  Jaxon considered me for a moment, then, in a sudden flicker of change, he smiled. “Together? You and me?”

  I noticed he didn’t say Shawn, but I didn’t care. “Yes. Father and son. We’ll bring Vance to his knees.”

  “And kill him.”

  “And kill him,” I agreed without hesitation.

  “Father and son...”

  “You and me.”

  Jaxon’s smile warmed and grew, and he stepped forward. “Dad,” he said. “Promise me you’ll let me be the one. To kill him.” He knelt down next to me and began to untie my right hand.

  “I will,” I said, finally letting relief wash over me.

  He freed me and moved to release my left arm, gingerly tugging at the ropes that bound me. I gritted my teeth against the pain as his motions jostled the broken bones. I found myself wondering if he’d ever apologize for hurting me before realizing it didn’t matter: the second I was safe from him, I was going to run and never, ever look back. He’s my son, I know, but I knew as unstable as he was, there’d be nothing stopping him from hurting me again, even if it was unjust.

  My hands now free, Jaxon moved to untie my feet.

  So close, I thought. I looked at the back of my son’s head and briefly considered hitting him as hard as I could, in hopes of knocking him out, but the risk of what he’d do to me if I failed was too great, and I stayed still while he worked.

  “I want to tear his limbs from his body,” Jaxon was saying. “For Julie. For Cassie. For shooting Shawn.” My right foot was free, and he moved to my left.

  “You deserve to,” I said. The pain in my arm was beginning to make me feel woozy, and I shook my head as if it would clear it. “I’ll take you to his bunker, and you can do whatever you see fit.”

  I felt Jaxon pause, my foot nearly free. A terrifying silence stretched all around us. I looked down at him, and he met my gaze.

  “What did you say?”

  “You can do whatever you want to him.” Nervousness crept over me again. I contemplated reaching down with my good arm and untying myself the rest of the way, but Jaxon was blocking my access.

  “No. Before that.”

  “I’ll...” Horror filled my mind as I realized what I had said.

  “You told me you didn’t know where he was, Dad.” Jaxon looked away from me, down at the floor, then, with a heavy sigh, stood. My left leg was still half bound to the chair, and this time, I reached down and began to tug at the restraints myself, anxiety and fear building inside of me, making my heart move faster still.

  “Jaxon.”

  “You fucking liar. Coward.” Hey, he got two of them.

  “No, listen to me. I want to help you.”

  “Fuck you, asshole.” Ah, there’s the third.

  “Please, son.” My breathing had increased. I pulled my right foot free finally and stood, good hand held out in front of me.

  “You’re not my father,” Jaxon said. “I’m not your son.”

  That hurt more than my busted arm. I looked away. “Please,” I whispered.

  Jaxon didn’t reply. My heart sped up even more, and a pressure formed in the middle of my chest. I clutched at it.

  “I need my pills, Jaxon,” I said as I began to wheeze.

  “Oh?” He cocked his head and looked at me with a blank face.

  “Please.” The pressure became overwhelming, and I gasped for air, falling to my knees on the rough floor. My bad arm hung limply at my side, dangling, shooting pain that I now ignored as I struggled to breathe.

  Jaxon knelt down in front of me, and I looked into his face. For a while, I remembered being unable to look at my son, as he reminded me too much of June, of Lab 14, and I’d fill with hate whenever I was reminded of what she did to the both of us. But as time passed, I eventually realized that looking at Jaxon was helping me, was curing me of the anger I had inside for her, and replacing it with a love so fierce for my son that I never wanted to look away from him as he grew into the young man he now was. I untangled my clenched fingers from the front of my shirt and reached toward Jaxon. He didn’t move away, and I put my hand against his cheek. “I love you,” I grunted, still having trouble finding enough air for my lungs.

  “Because you’re weak,” Jaxon replied. I toppled backward, landing on my backside, my good arm barely able to catch me and keep me upright. “You really think your pills will stop what I’m doing to your heart?” He stood.

  I felt my eyes widen further than I thought possible. The pressure in my chest grew until I nearly fell onto my back. “This...this is you?” I asked.

  “Of course. Crazy how easily the heart is manipulated, huh?”

  With that, a pain so great burst into my chest, I forgot about my arm completely. I heard snapping and tearing sounds, and felt a wetness splatter my face and legs as I fell backward. The back of my head slammed against the floor and I saw bright spots. My vision darkened. I tried to speak but couldn’t. I reached up to clutch my chest again and the side of my hand bumped into something solid.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  I struggled to lift my head and saw through wide eyes a mass of dark red and brown all over my shirt. A large, gaping hole sat where my chest had been. Bright white rib bones pierced up and through me, twisted grotesquely. Slimy organs spilled haphazardly out of the wound. I could see my own heart. It twitched slowly. The last thing I did was look at my son standing over me with a look of triumph on his face, no trace of remorse, and then, I died.

  Chapter Twenty Four

  NOW

  2016

  “Jump in the lake. In your underwear.” Emma stared at Duncan, who stared back.

  “Fuck no,” he said.

  “Jump in the lake in nothing but your underwear.”
r />   “No.”

  “Do it. Now.”

  Duncan squinted at her.

  “Jump in the lake.”

  His body twitched. “Nope. Not gonna happen. You guys do not want to see that.”

  “Duncan,” Emma moved toward him and stood close, inches away. “Can you jump in the lake for me? In only your underwear?”

  “Sure,” he grinned. “Wait.”

  “Just your underwear.” Emma gazed up into his eyes, which took on confusion and doubt.

  “I really want to.” Duncan’s head tilted to one side, but he didn’t move his gaze from hers. He started to pull at the bottom of his shirt, started to lift it over his shoulders, when Emma spoke again.

  “Stop it. Please.”

  He stopped. “But the lake.”

  She turned and looked at Aaron helplessly. “How do I reverse it?”

  “How should I know?” he asked.

  “Duncan,” she said. “You don’t have to. Please, don’t.”

  “Mkay.” He let go of his shirt, but didn’t look fully convinced.

  “Is this really safe?” Emma asked him.

  “I think so,” Duncan scratched his beard as he looked at her.

  “Have him make animal sounds!” Mari shouted from a few feet away. She stood a few yards away from the pair, close to the side of the cabin, along with Shawn, Aaron, Lucas, and Isaac. At first, she hadn’t wanted to join their little test that morning, but arrived shortly after they began, bearing cups of hot chocolate for the three Synths, leaving Isaac empty handed. He didn’t seem to mind, his smiling eyes on Emma.

  “I could use a backrub,” he joked.

  “Give Isaac a backrub,” Emma said to Duncan with a grin.

  “I mean, I could. That’s not really something I’d care to do, though. No offense, Isaac.”