Page 23 of Genesis

And the man she chose.

God.

I never could have imagined her with someone new, but it would have been easier if it were a stranger, or would it? At least I’ve known she had someone who loved her, who would treat her right, give her the kind of life I couldn’t. I realized monsters don’t get a happily ever after. It’s the good guys who win in the end.

Believe me, though. Time has made me see things that way. I was not so understanding when it happened.

Time has changed a lot. My appearance has grown meaner, rougher. It’s transformed who I am on the inside, too. The more days that passed after things went south with us, the more sins I committed.

I put distance between her and me when she made her choice all those years ago. Of course, I still kept an eye on her from afar. I would watch her sometimes, sitting outside the flower shop where she works, but I never went inside.

I let her enjoy her life and I sank deeper into mine. In this type of world, unless you’re six feet under, there is no peace. I’ve done things over these last few years that can’t be forgiven.

In the back of my mind, I’ve always known who I am. Known who I wanted to be, and I went after it.

Chapter Twelve

Danny

2003

“He knows you’re leaving?” I ask Johnny as we head a few streets over to the place Johnny’s been staying since we were thirteen.

“No,” he says. “David doesn’t even know I’m eighteen now.”

I smirk. “This’ll be a shock then. One less check he’ll be getting a month.”

“Yeah,” Johnny agrees quietly. “David’s sick. I think he messes with the little girls that come through.”

“What?” I ask, looking over at him.

Johnny nods with a disgusted look on his face.

I look out the window, my blood turning icy at the thought of a man taking advantage of little girls. Nobody fucks with kids.

“Maybe we should teach him a lesson?” I say, rubbing my chin before taking a sip of my beer.

I look over at Johnny who lifts a brow. “Been wanting to do that,” he says. “I’ve shoved him around a bit, but there’s only so much I can do without getting kicked out.”

I rest my bottle on my knee. “We’ll take him for a walk on the Delaware, yeah?”

Johnny licks his bottom lip, twisting his hand around the wheel. At eighteen, Johnny’s pretty good at sweeping things up. I’m not the only person watching Moretti and his crew closely. Johnny pays attention to how they don’t get caught and he makes sure we do the same.

We pull up to the curb and I look over at the blue house Johnny’s been living in.

The sky is as gray as the moon and the leaves tumble on the sidewalk, chasing one another like a cat and mouse. “Pop the trunk,” I say as I open the car door. Johnny does and I grab a black hoodie, sliding it over my head. I run my hand through my hair and Johnny shuts his car door.

“He here?” I ask.

Johnny looks toward the side of the house and nods before sliding his hands into his black hoodie.

“Kids should be at school,” he says.

“All right,” I reply. “Good.”

We head up to the front porch. I look in the neighbor’s yard, seeing a dog on a thick chain curled up by a doghouse. No car in the driveway. Same with the ones to the left of us.

“What does he like to do?” I ask Johnny.

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