Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 121578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 608(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121578 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 608(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)
“So you’re not unaware.”
“Margot, I didn’t kill my own father just because he beat me when I was a kid.” No, if I wanted a pound of flesh, I would’ve whipped him raw and left him bleeding the way he did to me so many times. I hesitate, the words crawling up my throat like splinters. “It was the things he did to Jezzie, and the other children on the farm after I left, that made me slit his throat.”
My entire body feels like it’s balanced on the tip of a knife as I wait for her to deflect the conversation away from her and ask me for more details.
She studies my face but doesn’t say a word.
I blow out a relieved breath.
“It’s not just what he did to Hoyt,” she continues, breaking the silence. “If I thought he’d been rehabilitated when he was released, I might have left him alone. Maybe.”
I don’t think even she believes that.
“But once I saw him casually strolling by the elementary school, checking out the kids…” Her voice shakes with disgust. “I knew he hadn’t changed one bit.”
I let out a disgusted snort. “Pedophiles rarely do.”
“I couldn’t stand it if another kid had their life forever altered because of him. Ruining a child’s life and future is unforgivable. I don’t care what the Bible or anyone else says. There’s no justification for it. Ever.”
“Agree.” I run my hand over my chest, considering how to phrase my next question. “You don’t have to tell me everything. But who did you take care of while I was away?”
How long had she been planning that one? The whole time we were having our “lessons,” she was plotting to kill a man? Shouldn’t my dark, barren soul have sensed her murderous intentions?
Her eyes gloss over with tears, and she ducks her head. “I told you babies are the hardest. Sometimes, it’s natural causes and there’s nothing anyone can do about that. Or accidents—they’re sad, but normal. Other times…” She swallows hard and takes a deep breath. “Do you remember the night you came over and I was too upset for ‘lessons,’ so you took me out to dinner instead?”
“Yeah.” Upset isn’t how I’d describe her. Despondent and lifeless would be more accurate.
She explains the vicious beating that ended her client’s pregnancy only a few weeks before the baby was due.
Acid rolls through my stomach. An ex-brother did something similar to Serena—a club girl at the time. Only none of us knew the full extent of what that piece of shit put her through until well after we’d buried him for other offenses against the club. Before we put him down, I learned about the horrible shit he’d done to his wife, and that had been heavy on my mind when we took the vote to strip his patch and put him in the ground. It still haunts me that we shared a patch with Shadow and none of us knew what a monster he really was.
“When I found out this was the second time she’d lost a baby because of him…” Margot shrugs. “That’s when I knew he had to go.”
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, my voice full of raw frustration. “I wish you’d told me. I would’ve helped you…or something.”
“It was a delicate situation.” She runs her gaze over me, her lips tugging into a half smile. “You don’t blend in well. You’re very…recognizable.”
“What are you talking about?” I run my hands over my hair, probably forcing it to stick up in every direction. “I’m a tall, blond-ish white dude. There’re hundreds of guys walking around that look like me.”
“No.” She reaches up, curling her fingers around my wrist and tugging my hand away from my hair. “You’re quite striking and memorable.”
That warm, shivery sensation I only get when Margot’s hands are on me tingles along my spine. “You’re only saying that ’cause you kinda like me,” I tease.
“I more than like you.” She peers up at me with shiny eyes. “I don’t want…I don’t want to lose you,” she finishes in a whisper.
The vulnerability in her voice and expression cracks me wide open. “I’m not going anywhere.”
How could I ever leave her now? Margot’s already my dream woman. That she dabbles in a little murder now and then? Just icing on the Margot cake.
CHAPTER SIX
Jigsaw
The stillness wakes me the next morning. I’m not used to waking up in a place this quiet. No rumble of bikes. No background noise of brothers shouting or girls moaning. No strumming of Shelby’s guitar somewhere in the background.
Just silence, broken by the occasional creak of the old house, the soft hum of the refrigerator, or birds chirping outside the window.
It’s…peaceful.
How can I feel peace after everything she confessed last night?
Margot sleeps curled up on her side, her face turned toward me, her breathing soft and even. She looks so small, so damn fragile, it’s hard to reconcile this woman with the one who calmly admitted to planning and executing four murders.