Chapter 35

35

Iona

I paced back and forth in front of the window, looking out every so often. It was freezing up here this time of year. This cabin had been in my family for generations. It was a big open concept cabin. My family rarely used it anymore, so the bedrooms were used for storage, and the living room area now hosted the only bed, giving it a studio feel. My mother typically rented the space out during the summer. It belonged to my great grandfather on my mom’s side. We used to come here every summer as kids, and every summer, I wanted to drown my sister in the lake out back.

She loved to get a rise out of me, then play victim when I lashed out. One time, our parents went into town, and she locked me out of the cabin for over an hour. I sat out there in nothing but my bathing suit until our parents came back. When they saw me sitting on the porch, they asked what I was doing outside. I told them Meena locked me out. Ironically, when my father turned the door handle, the door opened right up.

Meena thought it was funny to make me seem like a liar until I punched her dead in her shit. That day, we fought all over the cabin, tearing shit up. I was smaller than she was, but I beat her ass for thinking she could play with me like that.

I actually hated this place. Bringing Tyrion here last year was my way of trying to create a better memory of it.

Leaving the widow, I walked over to the bathroom where Summer was being held. Opening the door, I found her crouched in the corner with her knees to her chest, crying. I placed the gun on the counter and stooped down to her.

“I’m really sorry about this, baby,” I said softly.

“Leave me alone! I hate you!”

“You don’t mean that.”

“Yes, I do. My daddy says it’s bad to lie, and I don’t lie.”

“Your daddy said a lot of things he didn’t mean. He lied too. He said he loved me, and then he left me for your mama.”

She shook her head. “Daddy said he wanted you to be happy, but he wasn’t the person to make you happy. He said he had to be with his family.”

“We were a family, Summer. Me, you, and your daddy. We were happy, remember that?”

“I want to be happy with my mommy and daddy.”

I frowned. “Well, we can’t always get what we want.”

I stood and grabbed the gun before leaving the bathroom and closing the door. Pulling out my burner phone, I called Tyrion again.

“Where are you?” I asked as soon as he answered.

“I’m coming.”

“Well, come a little faster, love. I’m getting impatient.”

“Oh, you have patience, Iona. Enough to put cameras in my house so you can watch me. Yeah, I know about that. Your mother told me about everything. The cameras, you and your family history of mental issues. How could you keep that a secret?”

“Would you have been with me if you knew?” He was quiet. “Exactly.”

“I asked you to marry me, Iona. You would have possibly had my child. How the fuck were you going to explain their mental issues if they developed at some point? What kind of life would they have had if you went on pretending that shit didn’t exist?”

“I never pretended it didn’t exist. I know firsthand how that shit plays out as a child.”

“Yet you didn’t give me the courtesy of knowing what I was potentially up against. But you love me?”

“I do love you. All I’ve ever done was love you, Tyrion. I made my entire existence about you and that little girl since I met you, and it wasn’t enough for you.”

“I’m not doing this. That’s bullshit, and you know it, just like I do.”

He hung up in my face. I fought the urge to throw my phone as I gripped it. Closing my eyes, I counted down from ten to calm my nerves. When I opened them, I dialed my mother’s number. She answered, sniffling.

“Hello?”

“You just had to run your mouth, Christina.”

“Iona? Where are you?”

“None of your business!”

“You’ve really done it this time. It’s all over the fucking news. What were you thinking? I begged you. I begged you to let me help you, and look what you did! You’re going to jail.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You really think you’re gonna get away with this? Is this obsession with Tyrion really worth losing your freedom over?”

“You just don’t understand. You’ve never understood. I love him, Mama. And if I can’t have him, nobody is gonna have him.”

“Tell me where you are. I can come get you, and you can surrender. They might take it easy on you if you give up now—”

“Bye, Christina.”

I hung up on her and walked over to where Evenie was knocked out on the bed. I chuckled to myself. I must have hit that bitch pretty hard. It took every ounce of strength to lift her dead weight from the ground and put her in the trunk of my car. Placing my finger under her nose, I checked to ensure she was still breathing. She didn’t get to go out like that. I wanted her to suffer first.

“You have no idea the plans I have for you,” I whispered, moving the hair from her face with the gun. “It’s gonna be so much fun watching you beg for your life.”

I looked around the cabin, taking in the space.

“Tyrion and I had so much fun here last year. I brought him here for our anniversary, and boy, did we have a good time. You know, I watched you two on camera. If I hadn’t been so mad, that might have turned me on. Your husband used to make love to me like that.” I giggled to myself as I ran my fingers over the blanket on the bed. “He made love to me several times that weekend, right on this very bed. And on the couch. The countertop. The shower. Basically, every surface in here. I know you know how much of an animal he can be at times. Maybe I’ll let you watch us one final time. Let’s see how you like that.”

It was pissing me off that this bitch was still asleep while I was talking to her.

“Wake up!” I yelled, slapping her.

She lay there, unresponsive. I huffed as I went to sit in a chair.

I guessed this was now a waiting game.