Chapter 50

Richard was finally in prison. The man who had murdered my brother was going to rot behind bars for the rest of his life, assuming Mathias or I didn't decide to dispose of him there. I had a promise to keep to my mother. But the fact that Richard had tried to murder Amelia changed everything. If it wasn't for the fact that I didn't know how she would react if she ever found out that I murdered him, I would already have given the order. But something told me that Mathias would finish the job regardless.

My mother was happy. As happy as a parent who lost a child could be. I should have been celebrating, but my mind was elsewhere.

Everytime it grew quiet around me, the storm inside me resumed.

She wasn't with me, but she was everywhere.

I knew where she was at all times. And yet I couldn't go near her. She had made that clear. I was to give her space if I had any chance of making it work between us. But it had been four days by now and I was growing anxious.

I had decided to go pay Richard a visit. I needed closure, I needed to see that bastard behind bars. He was hunched down when I walked in, his legs wide open, his arms dangling between them, his head bent down. He was only a fraction of the man he used to be. He looked like he had aged ten years in the span of a few days. He lifted his head when he heard me, surprise and relief bringing some life to his miserable face.

"Rick? Is that really you?"

He stood up and walked towards me. I had managed to get a smaller visitation room with him, with just us and one guard in the room.

"I am so glad to see you." He said as he offered me a hand.

For once, I didn't take it. I kept my hands in my suit pocket, otherwise I knew they would go straight to his neck. I don't know if I would be able to stop myself.

"I wish I could say the same" I added as he seemed confused.

"You don't…you don't believe all these things they are saying about me do you?" he looked horrified, as if I had betrayed him.

"What am I to believe Richard? There are videos of you killing that man. They are everywhere."

"I know that, but it's not what it looks like."

A smile drew on my face as my shoulders tensed further. He was really going to try to lie his way out of this.

"Is it not you in those videos Richard?"

"Yes…yes, it is. But it's not what it seems. I didn't mean to…it…that man, he stole from me. I was trying to get my property back. It was really self-defense."

I chuckled. Anger burned through me and before I knew it, my hand was at his throat, as I violently pushed him until his back hit the wall. The guard I had paid off did not budge.

"He was unarmed, you son of a bitch. He was unarmed and because he saw your face you fucking killed him in cold blood."

"What? Rick, what the fuck?"

"Yeah, what the fuck is right," I said, squeezing his neck tighter as his face turned plum, his eyes wide. He was fighting me, to no avail. The guard finally came next to me, as a silent ask that I let go.

I wasn't going to kill the bastard. I would much prefer to watch him rot in here. I let him go, and he fell to the ground, coughing aggressively, his hands around his neck.

"Why? Who are you?" he managed to ask between coughs.

"Your worst nightmare. I will enjoy seeing you spend the rest of your miserable fucking life in here, with no one, and left with nothing. There is no escaping this Richard. You are done for."

"What's it to you? Who the fuck are you?"

I slowly squatted down on the floor to face his terrified gaze. He couldn't pull himself back up.

"That man you murdered? He was my brother."

I watched as realization drew on his face.

"Rick, I didn't know."

"You didn't have to. It didn't matter."

"Was it you? Did you take my daughter?"

I slowly got up. I was tempted to kick him, remove Amelia from his thought. But I had done what I had come there to do. To confront this murderer, and let him know who was behind his incarceration.

"Take care Richard. I hope you burn in hell."

"This is not over asshole!" he screamed as he tried to get himself up.

"You will either die here Richard, or, if you somehow manage to set yourself free, you will die out there, simply because, I will kill you. I would love for you to give me the opportunity."

"Fuck you! Fuck you!" he screamed as he struggled to get himself up. The guard put himself in between us.

I looked into Richard's eyes one more time. He put on a brave act, but it was terror I saw in his gaze. And his fear brought me peace. I turned around to leave.

"Oh, before I forget" I added as I turned around. "A little souvenir from Mathias."

I removed the small diamond from my pockets and threw it at him. Richard painfully bent to pick up the diamond that fell right at his feet. His hand was shacking, under the intrigued gaze of the guard.

Richard started to breath heavily as he looked at the shiny stone in silence. I turned back around and left the room, as I heard the guard and Richard struggle for possession of the stone. I had given that gem to him for payment, with the condition that he pry it from Richard's hands, and he gladly took the deal.

As soon as I made it to the parking lot, I checked my phone. Nothing. She hadn't answered my calls or my texts. I took a deep breath to avoid the panic that threatened to consume me at the thought of losing her. I was quickly losing hope. But I wouldn't stop fighting.