Taking charge

Taking charge
Raelynn's POV

“This needs to end,” Kieran’s voice snarled. Malcom was already leading Caelum back towards the car, but I couldn’t move.

My eyes never strayed from the lifeless corpse dressed like me… No… not just “like” me, those were my clothes. I recognized the slightly worn band t-shirt and high waisted shorts. The paint stains from when I’d repainted the fence were still splattered on the right side.

“The other bodies….” I whispered, finally tearing my gaze from the dead woman.

“Get up,” Kieran hissed. “We need to leave now.”

“Stop,” I growled. “Don’t that do,” my leg flared with pain as I forced myself back onto my own two feet. “The other bodies like looked this, didn’t they?”

Kieran’s blue eyes appeared a shade darker today, “Yes.”

“And you think didn’t to tell me?” I wanted to tear my own hair out with every word that leaves my lips out of order.

“What good would it have done?” he threw his hands in the air. “What would it have changed, Rae?”

At my silence, he began again, “I’ll answer for you; Nothing. It would have done fucking nothing. You knowing would have only stressed you out and there wasn’t shit you could do about it.”

“I to deserved know,” I stepped closer to him. “That,” my teeth ground together as I focused on slowing my speech, “Woman is wearing my clothes, which means that someone has into my space broken,” I stabbed at my chest, feeling the anger that had been building inside of me, simmering, slowly bubble over, “Taken my things, and someone murdered with the intent for me to see it. That is my damn business god, Key. Mine.”

“Everything I’ve done has been to protect you,” Kieran hissed.

“Well look what good that did,” it was my turn to throw my hands in the air, forgetting all about my lack of balance. I nearly fell, but Kieran caught me in a flash.

“I’m sorry,” he grits out as though those two words pained him to say. “I don’t know shit about how to handle these types of things, and I thought if I could get ahead of it, you wouldn’t have to find out.”

The tension that had coiled in my chest loosened, but the anger continued to simmer just beneath the surface.

“Please hide don’t things from me anymore,” I whispered as he stood me upright. “I’m tired of always being in the dark.” My voice cracked, and I hated it.

My life never felt like mine. I was always living for someone else. For my mother, for Cae, but it always left so much to be desired. Kieran was the first person who ever forced me to live for myself… so it hurts that much more that he kept something like this from me.

The sound of sirens echoed in the distance, and Kieran’s hands left my body, “We need to leave.”

“Police won’t the want a statement?”

Kieran scoffed, “Since you want all of the nitty gritty details, Bambi,” his eyes darkened, “Your father is the one responding to this call and for shits and giggles, he will arrest me so that you’re alone. Do you get what I am saying?”

“Okay,” I relented. In the back of my mind, I could tell he was leaving vital information out.

Malcom put the car in drive the moment I was inside, “Where are we heading?”

“Take them to your place for now,” Kieran murmured, leaning against the open window, “I’ve got some shit to handle.”

“Wait,” my brows furrowed, “You aren’t coming.”

He shook his head, “I’ll come by later.”

“Key,” I called out, but he’d stepped away from the car, and Malcom was already driving out of the cemetery.

“He’s doing this for your own good, Rae,” Malcom tried, compassion in his voice, but I couldn’t help to feel like this was just another secret he was trying so desperately to hide.

“Did you know?”

Tears flooded my eyes at his silence.

“Home take me .”

“I’m taking you to my place,” Malcom muttered, not sparing me a glance.

“I swear to God, Malcom, if you don’t home take me, I will out of this vehicle jump.”

“Please don’t do that,” his silver eyes widened, meeting mine in the rearview.

My fingers inched towards the handle. I was tired of playing these games. I’ve had a target on my back for weeks and everyone around me knew but me. Bile crept up my throat, and yet the bitterness of it was less than that of the betrayal I felt.

“Fine. God damnit,” Malcom spat. “Kieran is going to kill me.”

Ten minutes later, we pulled up to my house. As I expected, my father’s cruiser was gone, as was Veronica’s vehicle. Her mom had vanished over the past few weeks, and I was starting to wonder if that wasn’t a coincidence too.

“Do not tell Kieran you dropped me off,” I hissed. “Take Cae and keep him safe.”

“Do you want me dead?!” his frantic eyes locked on mine.

“I’ll deal with you myself if a single hair is on his head harmed.”

“You two were made for each other,” he muttered under his breath. “Fine, but when Kieran finds out, all hell is going to break loose.”

“I think it’s too late for that.”

Turning towards Cae, I raised my hands, focusing on slowing down my movements. ASL was easier to use than my own voice right now.

‘I need you to go with Malcom,’ I pinned him with a serious look. ‘Please listen to what he says. I will see you later, okay?’

‘What are you going to do?’ his teary eyes looked terrified, and I wanted whoever left that body to pay. We were already grieving the loss of Johnny…

‘I don’t know,’ I replied honestly. ‘But whatever this is, I’m going to get to the bottom of it, and I can’t do that if you’re not safe.’

He nodded, and I quickly wrapped my arms around him. His chest shook, and I felt the dampness of his tears against my shoulder.

My eyes met Malcom’s in the mirror, a silent reminder that he was a dead man if anything happened to Cae. If Kieran trusted him, then I would too.

“What are you going to do Rae?”

“I’m going to figure out who the hell is trying to get my attention and put an end to it,” I got out of the car, limping my way inside.

It took me what felt like a lifetime to get up the steps, but once in my room, I began tearing the place apart.

After five minutes, I found the first tiny camera. Then another… and three more. Five cameras were strategically placed around my room. I felt crazed as I ripped the wires from the tiny devices, smashing them with the end of my crutches.

“What do you want from me?” I screamed, collapsing to the ground. “I am nobody,” I choked out, feeling hot tears stream down my face. “I have nothing to offer you.”

Not even ten seconds later, my phone vibrated.

Ares: Meet me at the warehouse on 22nd street. 

I stared at the screen for ten minutes before finally standing. I made my way down the steps and into my father's office, where I knew he kept a pistol in the bottom drawer of his desk.

Tucking it into my waistband, I grabbed the keys to my mother's SUV.