Sara

16

Sara fell backwards off the bench as Darius turned, stepping over the bench and striding toward Cant and Michaelson. Michaelson looked at his nails idly as Sara pushed herself up into a sitting position, staring as her brother-in-law stopped beside Cant.

Pulling a plastic shiv out of his pocket, Darius smiled grimly down at the drug lord. Cant went pale as he seemed to realize what was going on and he glanced appealingly at Michaelson. "What's going on?"

Michaelson shrugged. "Thank you, by the way, for that splendid information concerning your business operations, Uncle. Don't worry, I'll make sure the business continues to run smoothly after your death."

"What?" Cant demanded, eyes widening, as Darius continued to leer down at him. He glanced wildly from the hitman to his nephew, and then his eyes found Sara, staring open-mouthed at the scene before her. "Help me!" he demanded.

Michaelson turned, his eyes stopping on Sara. "Oh, little Miss Kiss and Tell! I'd hoped I'd be seeing you again. I just didn't think it'd be this soon."

"You," Sara snarled. "You shot up the pharmacy."

Michaelson faked surprise. "Did I? No, Miss Sara, I did not. I was occupied that day, but I did want to. So I sent someone else. Your brother-in-law was able to give me direction to where you worked. I wanted to surprise you after the surprise you gave me the night before." He rubbed his thigh absently, a slight wince on his face, and Sara allowed herself a small feeling of satisfaction.

"Are we doing this?" Darius growled.

"Yes," Michaelson answered, turning away from Sara. "Cameras are down, the guard outside received a healthy bribe to keep his nose out of our business. But I didn't think your sister-in-law was going to be your visitor."

"She wasn't," Darius said. "But it doesn't matter. Everything else is ready."

"Right," Michaelson replied. "Uncle, this is Darius, one of the best in his business. He will make sure you die today."

"I've never done anything to you!" Cant gasped. "And I've always been good to you, Eugene! I set you up in this business, I put you where you are today!"

"Yeah, well," Michaelson said with a shrug. "You've been providing the kids of this area with drugs for a long time. I think it's time you stepped down, gave someone else a chance."

"Besides," Darius snarled. "You killed my brother."

"I've never killed anyone," Cant contradicted defiantly. "Never! You know that, Eugene." He glanced at his nephew.

Sara felt her mouth drop. Cedric...he's talking about Cedric.

"But your drugs did," Darius said, anger filling his voice and his features. Sara was frozen, seeing her own rage imprinted on her brother-in-law's face. "If your men hadn't sold him crack cocaine, he wouldn't have overdosed and died!"

"He would have just bought it from someone else," Cant pointed out. "You know that! I didn't personally sell the drugs to your brother, I don't even know who you're talking about!"

"He was my brother!" Darius seethed. "My little brother, and your drugs killed him!"

Sara swallowed. Leah had told her about Darius' little brother, Cedric, who had overdosed in high school. He had been two years younger than Darius, a junior when he had taken that fatal dose of crack cocaine. The shock of his death had weakened and eventually killed Darius' mother, who already was suffering from cancer, leaving just him and his father, alone and left to cope with two deaths.

Like Sara and her mother, left to live with Leah's death after only a couple years of her father being dead.

But I'm only going to kill Darius for killing Leah, Sara pointed out to herself. To get revenge for Cedric, Darius killed an innocent person first. We're not the same. We're complete opposites. What I'm doing is justice, is right. I'm only killing the guilty person. Unlike him.

Cant eyed Darius carefully. "The drugs won't stop, once Eugene takes over," he said quietly. "You know that, Darius. I'm sorry about your brother, but killing me won't bring him back, won't stop children from overdosing. You're too smart not to realize that."

Darius growled. "Killing you gets revenge, justice, for Cedric, closure for me and my dad. That's all I care about."

"Also," Michaelson said, almost lazily. "I never said I was going to keep the business the same. I might, ah, change a few things."

Cant seemed to know the game was up. There were no cards left to play, no aces left up his sleeve. He glanced around and his eyes landed on Sara.

"Please," he groaned. "Help me."

"She won't do a thing," Darius said dismissively, not even glancing back at her. "She understands revenge, don't you, Sara?"

"I'd say," Michaelson muttered, gently touching his thigh reminiscently. "Sara, you agree that the wrongful death of a sibling should go punished, correct? Even if the punishment is illegal?" He rounded on her. "Otherwise, what would you be doing here?"

Darius is doing what you're doing, the little voice in her mind prodded at her. Is it right or wrong?

This is justice, Sara argued. What I'm doing is justice.

This isn't justice, this is revenge! There's a difference, Sara!

And Sara thought she heard Leah's voice mixing with the one inside her mind.

No! Sara internally screamed. No, Darius must pay for killing you, Leah. If the state won't make him pay, then I will!

That's not what I wanted, Leah seemed to say, before fading away from Sara's mind.

Darius turned, the shiv in his hand. Sara noticed the torn orange fabric wrapped around the handle, as if to avoid fingerprints. Michaelson watched, detached, as Darius thrust the shiv into Cant's throat.

Blood spurted out, coating the weapon as Cant gasped and gurgled. He fell backward, the only thing holding him up being the handcuffs around his wrists. His body dangled in midair, limp and bleeding profusely from the wound in his neck.

Sara wanted to scream at the gruesome sight, but the sound couldn't escape her throat. Darius grunted in satisfaction and Michaelson nodded, looking a bit cheerful. "Well, my uncle's dead and the business falls to me," he said. "You'll get a generous cut for this, Darius. And, of course, the best lawyer to make sure you don't suffer the fall for this."

"For Cedric," Darius murmured, seeming not to have heard Michaelson. "For Mom."

Michaelson patted him absently on the shoulder. "Now, how should we deal with your sister-in-law here?"