asked.
Melissa wondered if he was talking to Trent or her.
“Seriously. I cannot believe you had this kind of talent. You are one brave fuck, you know that?”
He was talking to her.
“I hired these guys to do one simple fucking task in the middle of nowhere. But no, you gotta fuck that up.”
He advanced on her. As Layton walked past Trent he lowered his weapon and fired two more quick rounds into the corpse.
Melissa looked around her husband and saw Vicky standing back by the Lincoln with the ten-year-old girl. Relief at seeing the little girl alive coursed through her.
“If all you wanted was a divorce so you could be with your whore, there are better ways to go about it.”
Layton closed the four foot gap between them and backhanded her so hard she hit the ground with almost as much force as the blow. Blood flowed freely from a new wound on her face. She wondered if having a baby was more painful because the pain she felt at that moment was more than at any other time in her life. A part of her brain wanted to shut down, turn off.
Wouldn’t it be so nice to just sleep for a while?
His rough hands grabbed her and lifted her to a sitting position.
“Stand up!” Layton shouted.
Melissa got up and leaned against a tree.
“All this,” she paused to catch her breath, her face a mask of pain. “All this for the ring. Are you for real?”
“Not just the ring. Life insurance you stupid bitch. One million dollars on your life. But the only clause is I can’t kill you and it can’t be suicide. That’s what these inbreeds were for. I gave them everything. All the tools they’d need. The planning, the restaurant and even the detour idea. Everything, but they’re too stupid to fucking do it right. And now they’re all dead.”
“Why is my trunk open then?” Melissa said as she looked at her Cadillac. It was completely covered in flames now.
“The ring was extra. Knowing you were retrieving the ring from your sister this weekend was the catalyst. When I had decided to kill you, I needed to nail down a time. After the good news of the ring, I knew this was my opportunity.”
“So what now?” Melissa asked. She needed to attack him. Since he couldn’t kill her, she could try to kill him. But her energy was gone, depleted.
The flames that licked at the two vehicles in the front of the restaurant illuminated the side of Layton’s face in a way that his expression of anger turned him into what appeared to be a man risen from hell.
“What now you ask? There is no what now. You will die here, tonight. I will leave this place, collect the insurance, cry fake tears at your funeral and then go golfing. That’s what now, you piece of shit.”
He grabbed her shoulder. It was brute strength against her weakened adrenaline-depleted body. She was no match.
Layton dragged her out of the bush and onto the gravel clearing toward the Lincoln Navigator.
“I’ll get that stupid Vicky to do it for me. You can be killed by my new bitch and then I’ll rat her out …”
Melissa saw the driver’s gun on the ground two feet away. The one she had dropped when the van exploded and thrust her into the bush.
Melissa twisted, turned and thrust toward the gun. Layton’s grip was lost as she landed perfectly beside the weapon. Continuing in the roll, Melissa snatched it, slid her finger past the trigger guard and brought it up to shoot. Layton recovered and was about to reach for her again when his eyes widened at the sight of what she had in her hand.
“What the fuck?” he asked.
She pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened.
She pulled again and again.
Layton smiled. “You are a dangerous one. I had no idea. Where did that come from, I wonder?”
It riled her to hear him talk like that. He always did it. I wonder where my wallet is? I wonder why our neighbor does that? All the time, pondering
Melissa wondered if he was talking to Trent or her.
“Seriously. I cannot believe you had this kind of talent. You are one brave fuck, you know that?”
He was talking to her.
“I hired these guys to do one simple fucking task in the middle of nowhere. But no, you gotta fuck that up.”
He advanced on her. As Layton walked past Trent he lowered his weapon and fired two more quick rounds into the corpse.
Melissa looked around her husband and saw Vicky standing back by the Lincoln with the ten-year-old girl. Relief at seeing the little girl alive coursed through her.
“If all you wanted was a divorce so you could be with your whore, there are better ways to go about it.”
Layton closed the four foot gap between them and backhanded her so hard she hit the ground with almost as much force as the blow. Blood flowed freely from a new wound on her face. She wondered if having a baby was more painful because the pain she felt at that moment was more than at any other time in her life. A part of her brain wanted to shut down, turn off.
Wouldn’t it be so nice to just sleep for a while?
His rough hands grabbed her and lifted her to a sitting position.
“Stand up!” Layton shouted.
Melissa got up and leaned against a tree.
“All this,” she paused to catch her breath, her face a mask of pain. “All this for the ring. Are you for real?”
“Not just the ring. Life insurance you stupid bitch. One million dollars on your life. But the only clause is I can’t kill you and it can’t be suicide. That’s what these inbreeds were for. I gave them everything. All the tools they’d need. The planning, the restaurant and even the detour idea. Everything, but they’re too stupid to fucking do it right. And now they’re all dead.”
“Why is my trunk open then?” Melissa said as she looked at her Cadillac. It was completely covered in flames now.
“The ring was extra. Knowing you were retrieving the ring from your sister this weekend was the catalyst. When I had decided to kill you, I needed to nail down a time. After the good news of the ring, I knew this was my opportunity.”
“So what now?” Melissa asked. She needed to attack him. Since he couldn’t kill her, she could try to kill him. But her energy was gone, depleted.
The flames that licked at the two vehicles in the front of the restaurant illuminated the side of Layton’s face in a way that his expression of anger turned him into what appeared to be a man risen from hell.
“What now you ask? There is no what now. You will die here, tonight. I will leave this place, collect the insurance, cry fake tears at your funeral and then go golfing. That’s what now, you piece of shit.”
He grabbed her shoulder. It was brute strength against her weakened adrenaline-depleted body. She was no match.
Layton dragged her out of the bush and onto the gravel clearing toward the Lincoln Navigator.
“I’ll get that stupid Vicky to do it for me. You can be killed by my new bitch and then I’ll rat her out …”
Melissa saw the driver’s gun on the ground two feet away. The one she had dropped when the van exploded and thrust her into the bush.
Melissa twisted, turned and thrust toward the gun. Layton’s grip was lost as she landed perfectly beside the weapon. Continuing in the roll, Melissa snatched it, slid her finger past the trigger guard and brought it up to shoot. Layton recovered and was about to reach for her again when his eyes widened at the sight of what she had in her hand.
“What the fuck?” he asked.
She pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened.
She pulled again and again.
Layton smiled. “You are a dangerous one. I had no idea. Where did that come from, I wonder?”
It riled her to hear him talk like that. He always did it. I wonder where my wallet is? I wonder why our neighbor does that? All the time, pondering
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