Noah intervenes. “Faith!” he screams. “Enough.”
“I’m just getting started.”
“No,” he pleads. “This has to stop.” He steps to Ben and reaches into his pocket, grabbing a key. He twists the key into the lock that binds the chains together, freeing Ben. “Stand up,” he directs Ben, guiding him to his feet.
“Thank you,” Ben whispers.
“Don’t thank me yet.” Noah throws his arm around Ben’s neck and drags him to the center of the room. “You have thirty seconds to confess or Faith is going to put a bullet in your brain.”
“Wha—what?” Ben stutters.
I reach into the back of my jeans and pull out a handgun then aim it squarely at Ben. “He’s right. I’m done playing games.”
“I’m sorry,” Ben screams then soon after begins to sob. “I’m sorry.”
“Everybody’s sorry. Nobody ever means it.” I shake the gun at him and lower my finger to the trigger. “Prove it to me.”
“Please don’t kill me,” he pleads through a stream of tears, his entire face glowing blood red.
“You have no idea what you took away from me.” I point the gun at Noah. “What you took away from him. Nothing would make me happier than to put a bullet through your brain.”
“I know I hurt you and I’m sorry.”
Noah tightens his grip on Ben’s throat. Ben tries to fight back, clawing his fingers against Noah’s arm.
“If you don’t want to die, then you’re going to have to give me something. Anything. Start with why you did it!”
“Time’s running out, Benjamin,” Noah whispers into his ear.
Ben finally hits his breaking point and the world goes silent. His voice shatters everything as he’s about to confess. “Luke killed my sister!”
My finger bounces on the trigger, prepared to fire. “Shut up,” I demand, fighting back a flood of tears. This is a new low, and I’m not in headspace to let him piss all over Luke’s name. “Shut the hell up.”
“I’m sorry,” he pleads. “But it’s the truth.”
“I said shut up!” I step closer and push the gun against his chest.
“No,” Noah says and pushes Ben against the wall. “Let him talk.”
“He’s lying.” I point the gun back at him.
Ben shakes his head. “No, I’m not. She was driving home from work and she was killed in a hit and run. I saw him fleeing the scene, but it took me a few months to work up the courage to—”
“The courage for what?”
“I was so angry,” he cries. “But I know what I did was wrong. So, yes, I killed him.” He breaks out into a fit of uncontrollable tears and slides down the wall until his head is cradled in his lap. “So if you’re going to kill me, just fucking do it.”
My lips quiver and the hand holding the gun shakes. I chew on my lip and wipe away the first of many tears. Noah places a palm on my shoulder and pulls me back, leading me out of the room.
As soon as I hear the door shut, I shatter into a million pieces. I’m too weak to stand, but too broken to sit so I throw myself against the wall, burying my face so Noah can’t see. “What the hell is he talking about?” I ask, torn between sadness and rage.
“I didn’t know,” he speaks softly, unsure of himself. “A few months before he died, Luke took my car for the night. He brought it home wrecked, but said he had hit a deer. He was high or drunk or both. It’s why I didn’t report it to my insurance. He had the car fixed a few days later, as if nothing had happened. I always had my suspicions, but never wanted to believe them.”
My vision is blurry—from the tears—when I turn to him. “It’s true then?”
“Probably.”
“You didn’t think to ask him why he did it?”
“He killed Luke. I wasn’t interested in the details.” His tongue rolls across his dry, cracked lips. “I just waited for the perfect opportunity to grab him.”
I wipe my sticky eyes with the back of my palms. “I’m ending this right now.”
Noah beats me to the door and grabs the knob, holding
“I’m just getting started.”
“No,” he pleads. “This has to stop.” He steps to Ben and reaches into his pocket, grabbing a key. He twists the key into the lock that binds the chains together, freeing Ben. “Stand up,” he directs Ben, guiding him to his feet.
“Thank you,” Ben whispers.
“Don’t thank me yet.” Noah throws his arm around Ben’s neck and drags him to the center of the room. “You have thirty seconds to confess or Faith is going to put a bullet in your brain.”
“Wha—what?” Ben stutters.
I reach into the back of my jeans and pull out a handgun then aim it squarely at Ben. “He’s right. I’m done playing games.”
“I’m sorry,” Ben screams then soon after begins to sob. “I’m sorry.”
“Everybody’s sorry. Nobody ever means it.” I shake the gun at him and lower my finger to the trigger. “Prove it to me.”
“Please don’t kill me,” he pleads through a stream of tears, his entire face glowing blood red.
“You have no idea what you took away from me.” I point the gun at Noah. “What you took away from him. Nothing would make me happier than to put a bullet through your brain.”
“I know I hurt you and I’m sorry.”
Noah tightens his grip on Ben’s throat. Ben tries to fight back, clawing his fingers against Noah’s arm.
“If you don’t want to die, then you’re going to have to give me something. Anything. Start with why you did it!”
“Time’s running out, Benjamin,” Noah whispers into his ear.
Ben finally hits his breaking point and the world goes silent. His voice shatters everything as he’s about to confess. “Luke killed my sister!”
My finger bounces on the trigger, prepared to fire. “Shut up,” I demand, fighting back a flood of tears. This is a new low, and I’m not in headspace to let him piss all over Luke’s name. “Shut the hell up.”
“I’m sorry,” he pleads. “But it’s the truth.”
“I said shut up!” I step closer and push the gun against his chest.
“No,” Noah says and pushes Ben against the wall. “Let him talk.”
“He’s lying.” I point the gun back at him.
Ben shakes his head. “No, I’m not. She was driving home from work and she was killed in a hit and run. I saw him fleeing the scene, but it took me a few months to work up the courage to—”
“The courage for what?”
“I was so angry,” he cries. “But I know what I did was wrong. So, yes, I killed him.” He breaks out into a fit of uncontrollable tears and slides down the wall until his head is cradled in his lap. “So if you’re going to kill me, just fucking do it.”
My lips quiver and the hand holding the gun shakes. I chew on my lip and wipe away the first of many tears. Noah places a palm on my shoulder and pulls me back, leading me out of the room.
As soon as I hear the door shut, I shatter into a million pieces. I’m too weak to stand, but too broken to sit so I throw myself against the wall, burying my face so Noah can’t see. “What the hell is he talking about?” I ask, torn between sadness and rage.
“I didn’t know,” he speaks softly, unsure of himself. “A few months before he died, Luke took my car for the night. He brought it home wrecked, but said he had hit a deer. He was high or drunk or both. It’s why I didn’t report it to my insurance. He had the car fixed a few days later, as if nothing had happened. I always had my suspicions, but never wanted to believe them.”
My vision is blurry—from the tears—when I turn to him. “It’s true then?”
“Probably.”
“You didn’t think to ask him why he did it?”
“He killed Luke. I wasn’t interested in the details.” His tongue rolls across his dry, cracked lips. “I just waited for the perfect opportunity to grab him.”
I wipe my sticky eyes with the back of my palms. “I’m ending this right now.”
Noah beats me to the door and grabs the knob, holding
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