Page 46 of Burn For Me

“Please, I’ll get you dinner and a beer. Just leave the boys alone.”

“That piece of shit needs to be taught a lesson. He skipped school! This behavior is your fault. You’re too soft on him.”

There was a loud crack, and my mother yelped.

“I had to take that call at work and then waste my time meeting with the principal.”

“That’s my fault, he had an appointment, but I didn’t get the school called in time.”

“Stupid bitch.”

I sucked in a slow breath as the sinking feeling that had accompanied so many nights as this one rang in my ears. Asher’s eyes filled with tears, and I slid my arm around his body and pressed his face into my chest, trying to comfort him and praying that he’d remain quiet a little longer.

The vibration of the heavy boots had me clenching my eyes shut as he stomped across the room. “The little fucker ran off and took Asher with him.”

“Please, Phil, leave the boys alone. They were scared,” my mother pleaded.

“That’s because Derek is weak, and you encourage it.”

A small scream made me dare to look over my shoulder at the two sets of feet that were toe-to-toe.

“He’s gonna end up a faggot. No son of mine will be a weak little queer.”

A loud smack made my body jerk a moment before my mom landed hard on the wooden floor. The side of her face was bright red and matched the dark bruise and open gash that was dripping blood. Our eyes locked, and I thought we were dead, but she didn’t say anything.

“Phil! Stop, no,” my mom yelled as she was dragged out of the room. I watched her slippers disappear around the corner. Tears filled my eyes, but there was no point in crying. Crying only made things worse. This could all be over if she would just leave. I’d begged her multiple times to pack, and we’d go somewhere, anywhere she wanted, but she always refused.

Asher sniffled into my T-shirt.

“It’s going to be okay. I’ll protect you. You’re my brother, so I’ll always protect you,” I whispered into Asher’s ear as something crashed in the bedroom.

“I love you,” Asher mumbled, his small shaking fists clung to my shirt.

I covered his ears as best as I could as the sound of the bed slammed into the wall, and the loud animal grunting noises started.

I softly hummed the Spiderman theme song in his ear as we clung to one another until the snoring started. It was the only time I took a deep breath, the only time I felt like I could breathe at all. Even then, I slept with one eye open and my clothes on, ready to run.

The sunset had been stunning tonight. A bright fireball orange with a pink hue made it look like it was a slow-moving fire. The brilliance was so pure that it warmed my cold heart to stare at it.

I nibbled on the stale bag of cheese puffs as I waited for it to be dark enough for me to make my move. The puff didn’t crunch the way it was supposed to as I popped another one into my mouth. I’d missed these miniature cheesy snacks of pure heaven. I held another up before slipping it into my mouth, so many little things I’d missed while locked up. It was a marvel that they tasted the same, yet I was thankful because I could count on one hand the number of things that hadn’t changed.

This beachfront view was truly stunning, another thing I thought I’d never see again. My eyes fell on a couple casually walking along the edge of the water. They had a dog following along with them, playing with a stick, and I wondered what that would be like to have that kind of companionship. To be so relaxed, to be in love, and to have something normal.

I looked around the public picnic area that was situated a half-mile away from my target. I’d managed to keep my anger at a simmer so far. But the thought of what my normal life could’ve been if Jason and the others hadn’t entered my room that night was like a lighter creating a flame.

I watched as the water lapped onto the beach and washed away the footprints, leaving it unmarred, like humans had never been. I wished my memories were as easy to erase, but unfortunately, the tide never came in far enough to wipe mine away.

As the last of the setting sun disappeared on the horizon, I pushed open the truck door, the old hinges complaining with a loud squeak. I was going to need to fix that. It would never do to stalk someone only to be given away by a complaining door hinge. I grabbed my trusty duffel bag off the seat and made sure the black hood of my hoodie was hiding my face. There weren’t any cameras that I could see, but one could never be too careful.

I stayed close to the edge of the tree line that fed out onto the beach. I wasn’t a fan of stumbling across something in the bush that I didn’t want to meet in the dark—human or otherwise.

Kneeling down as I reached my destination, my eyes searched for any sign of Jason and found him sitting on the back deck. The subtle glow of the little decorative lights hanging from the pergola gave off just enough light to show the man as he sat there drinking a beer. He put the bottle to his lips, and a small part of me hoped it tasted good because it would be his last. The next closest cottage was a good quarter mile down the beach, giving this place tons of privacy from prying eyes.

By the time Jason got up and went inside the small cabin, my knees and hips were locked in place from kneeling so long. I was kind of sad that this pretty little spot would be destroyed. I was tempted to drag him out into the woods to save the white cabin structure, but I wasn’t one to change course once I had a good plan in place.

Hand clenched around the duffel like it might try and run, I slipped from the cover of the trees to jog across the grassy backyard. The deck was surprisingly quiet and only gave out a small groan as I made my way to the top. Grabbing the glass door, I gave it a tug and froze as it moved. Body ridged and senses on high alert, I searched the darkness inside, my eyes able to make out the furniture, but there didn’t seem to be anything out of place.

Something wasn’t right. The person I saw on the video at the doctor’s house was a man that was in panic mode. If a person were that scared, he wouldn’t forget to lock the door, especially if he feared for his life. I was tempted to leave, to rethink the strategy, but that seemed like a waste of time. I knew the man was inside, and I hadn’t seen anyone leave from the front or the back unless he crawled out a window on the far side.