Page 79 of Claymore
“That apology means nothing to me, Ray. You wouldn’t even be saying anything if your precious girlfriend didn’t fuck you over. Where the hell is she?” I asked, hearing bikes pull up out front.
“I have no fucking idea. She took my money, my drugs, and she’s probably riding off into the sunset as we speak. I guess the Kings were right when they said pussy would be the death of me. Damn, was she good.”
“You fucking disgust me.”
“Do I?”
“Who the fuck is she? What’s her real name, Ray? Answer me!” I demanded.
“You may remember her, Ella. Her name’s Dani. Dani Garcia.”
My eyes widened, my heart sinking into my stomach when I finally realized where I’d heard that name before.I didn’t even recognize you.I thought about that little run-in at the bar and how much it confused me to know that Ray opened his arms to anyone, much less a total stranger. I knew now that she wasn’t a stranger at all. She was like family.
“I’m not gonna pretend I’m getting out of here. I’m also not gonna pretend I give a damn about anything anymore. I’ve run my course, little sis. It may not mean anything to you, but I do love you. Now, you gonna finish the job, or what?” he asked, eyeing the knife in my shaky hands.
I raised it up high, wielding it like a toy sword in a child’s hands, just as the front door burst open. In came Claymore with his gun drawn, staring back at me.
“Do it, Ella. Fucking do it!” Ray said.
The tears streamed down my face, falling onto my lips and I tasted them. My mind reeled, my body numb, and every bad thing Ray had ever done flashed across my mind.
“Come on, Ella. Do it! Fucking kill me!”
Ray taunted me, even in his last moments, even as he realized that there was no way he’d ever get out of here.
“Ella, give me the knife,” Claymore said.
“Claymore…”
“Give it to me. Listen, I need you to wait outside, okay? This is not something you need to do. This is not something you need to see. Please, I can take it from here.” Claymore looked me in the eye.
“Boyfriend’s always here to save the goddamn day, huh? I thought I killed you,” Ray said.
“I’m still standing, Ray. Can’t say the same for you,” Claymore said.
I walked right out the front door, passing the living room, imagining my mother and father curled up there, enjoying their last night together. The hysterical cry consumed me as I fell to my knees on the porch, begging my body to stop hurting so badly. I looked up to see Ripper standing there with Ronnie by his side. There was a familiar glint in her eyes like she empathized with me, like she’d known pain like this before.
She rushed to my side, helping me to my feet, walking me back to the truck.
“W-what are you both doing here?” I asked Ronnie.
“Claymore needed backup and after seeing you yesterday, I needed to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m not okay.”
“I know, Ella. I’m so sorry.”
She wrapped her arms around me, squeezing tightly, and I cried until every ounce of pain I felt slowly dissipated. My body eventually grew numb as the tears stopped flowing and Ronnie helped me into the passenger seat of the truck. I glanced back at the house that brought me so much despair and my heart throbbed like it never did before.I’m sorry, Mom. Dad. I love you both. I’m sorry it had to be this way.
Chapter Nineteen
Claymore
I bent down over Ray’s limp body, watching him flash me a bright smile as the blood stained his teeth. I hit him hard once with the barrel of my gun, but all he did was cackle.
“I promised myself I’d kill you one day. We’ve all fought about who had the chance to deliver the final blow. Looks like it’s my lucky day,” I spat.
He coughed hard, blood spewing from his mouth while I pinned him down. He tried to fight back, slamming his head into mine, grasping for my gun, but I sunk my boot into the wounds on his abdomen. He cried out loudly, groaning and grunting with every last ounce of energy he had left.
