Chapter 36
Ashley
This whole time, I’ve thought I was responsible for my family’s death. All the lies and secrets come surging back to me as I remain here numb to everything around me. People are talking around me, I can hear their muffled voices, but I have one thing on my mind. Revenge.
All the years, I’ve blamed myself for them dying, when reality is hitting me in the face. I peer at Rush and his body is shaking with rage. His black eyes are brimmed with fury and revenge, just like how I feel. His eyes finally meet mine and I grant him a short nod. He stands up and I do the same. We need to get out of here and take care of this.
I run to my car, Rush is right on my heels. Nolan is yelling at me, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop. If I do, then they win. I won’t let them win anymore. Rush is just closing the passenger side door when I reverse out of the parking spot. Nolan is running right behind us, but I throw the car in first, flinging dirt and rocks up behind me. I glance in my rearview mirror and see him screaming, but I can’t hear what he’s saying anymore. Once we’re out of sight, Rush’s phone starts ringing in his pocket. He pulls it out and checks to see who it is.
“It’s Nolan. Do you want me to answer it?” Rush asks.
“Not right now,” I answer, shaking my head. “How did we not see this?” I ask.
“I don’t know. They kept us in the dark for so long, I took their word at what they said. Why wouldn’t I? They’ve never lied to me before.” Rush answers.
“Where are they?” I ask.
Rush pulls out his phone from his pocket again and brings up a location app. I raise an eyebrow at him as he clicks a few buttons and a green dot appears. My mouth turns dry when I see where the blinking light is.
“No fucking way,” I whisper.
“Yeah, that’s where they are.” Rush answers.
“Then we have the element of surprise on our side. They think we don’t know what happened, and now we do. We will take them down for the last time.”
About an hour later, Rush and I pull up to the chain linked fence, closing off the Palisades Del Rey community from the rest of the world. I survey our surrounding and there’s no one in sight. I leave my car idling in the quiet morning and get out. Rush follows, and we walk the perimeter of the fence. Nothing appears to be out of place. The wind picks up, creating a dust storm. I cover my face from the assaulting dirt stinging my eyes and nose. Rush does the same.
“Have they moved?” I ask into the wind.
“No,” Rush shouts back. “It’s saying they’re right inside.”
I walk further down the fence until I find a good spot to climb over. I just want to take a peek around first, then come back later. I start to climb when I feel a hand on my boot. I look down and Rush is shaking his head at me. The wind is still whipping, and I can’t hear what he’s saying. I jump back down and face him.
“Ashley, this doesn’t feel right. Let’s call Nolan and return when we have back up.” he shouts into the wind.
“Rush, you can do whatever you want. I’m going in and doing some recon. I don’t fucking need anyone to back me up. Those assholes stole my life, they stole my family. I’m not waiting around anymore.” I yell back.
I turn back around facing the fence and start to climb again. Once I reach the top, I pause and look down. Rush is contemplating if he wants to go with me. He looks torn at doing things the safe way or my way. Eventually, my way wins out, and he starts climbing. I go down the other side and wait for him to join me.
“Rush, you don’t have to go with me. I can manage this on my own.” I tell him.
“Fuck too, I’m not letting you go into this alone. Let’s take a quick look around, then go and make a plan.”
We move quickly and quietly through the houses. The night Shaun kidnapped me comes flashing back and I slow down. The wind has finally died down and my stomach's tightening with dread the further we get away from the fence. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.
“They’re close.” Rush whispers, looking at his phone.
I look over his shoulder at the app and sure enough, the green dot is about three hundred yards away. I look up to see what we’re close by when I spot the area my family was killed in. There are no cars around.
“What the hell?” I demand.
I jog toward the track and memories flash in my mind. Once I reach the path, I can’t keep the sorrow at bay. I pause at the turn my mom and Austin were standing in on that fateful night. The smell of gasoline and dirt invade my nose and I lose myself in the memory. Everything and everyone fade away.