Burning Ember

Chapter 25-Hale

Sitting here, locked away from the one thing I want most in the world is more unbearable than I could have imagined. Though the image of Gabriel's beaten in face made it slightly worth it, but it still didn't negate the fact that I left her exposed to him. I promised I would be there for her, and I got my ass thrown in jail. So fucking stupid. I let him bait me, even if he deserved what I gave him and so much more, I still let him bait me.

One thing is for fucking certain, Gabriel is going to die.

My court hearing is tomorrow, and I'm hoping they will go easy on me, but I don't think it's likely especially since I have had previous charges for the same type of thing. My only hope is that they will take the situation into account. But like I said, not likely. All I have to do is sit here and reflect on all the choices that led me here while I listen to the groans and rattling bars from other inmates.

I keep Ember's face and her beautiful smile in the forefront of my mind. It's the only thing that gets me by while I wait. After Scilla's death, I thought that I was incapable of loving anyone. The thought was just too far-fetched, and I was too messed up. She took a part of me with her that I will never get back. I thought it was my heart, but that wasn't true. It was my innocence. Though I had killed for the military, I had never taken a life because I wanted to. Then after she died, was murdered, all I could think about was finding the bastards responsible and cutting their throats.

Spencer was at a loss; he didn't know how to help me. No one did. Then, him and his keyboard magic set to work and got me my first lead. It was more than the police had ever found and I wondered if they even tried. Doubtful. Just another rape and murder that would go unpunished because they were too fucking lazy to do the work. We found out from surveillance footage from several different sources around the bar that night, that there were three of them. One of men had a tattoo on his hand, an identifier. The tattoo was of a triangle with an eye in the middle, not very original if you ask me, but it led me straight to him.

Snagged him when he was headed into his house after a long night out. Two in the morning, everyone was sleeping, no witnesses. After beating him unconscious, I took him out to my boat. It was the only place I could think of that no one would hear his fucking screams with what I was about to do to him. I had thought about what I would do to these men every waking moment since they killed her. Torturing him was only the beginning. I needed the other names. I couldn't say I didn't enjoy it though. All of the anger I had roiling about inside me was unleashed upon him. Taking pleasure in his pleas and yelps of pain when I sliced into his skin, ripped his nails from their beds, bashed in his kneecaps, and flayed that fucking tattoo right off his hand.

He was forthcoming, fairly quick I might add, but he needed to suffer, and suffer he did. From the names he gave me, he indicated the one who had ultimately killed her, so I saved him for last. He took a while to get, since both his buddies disappeared, he went into hiding. No one can hide from me for long, though. I kept him going for a few days after I found him, letting him rest before I set into him again. It was satisfying—watching him bleed out losing the part of him that made him a man. But even though I avenged Scilla, I was still angry. It still didn't bring her back or fill the hole that she left.

I couldn't imagine what losing Ember would do to me. The rampage of pure violence it would incite. Unable to stop the images of what he could be doing to her, or how she could be suffering at his hands, I paced in my cell, my hands gripping my hair. Ember was so pure and kind, in that way she reminded me of Scilla. However, unlike Scilla, I wasn't going to lose her, not if I could help it.

Though I had been lucky to not get caught so far, even with Spencer's help, I knew there would be a day when my vigilante ways would catch up with me, or I would end up making a mistake somewhere, like I had when I lost control with Gabriel. But if that happened, I would have no shot at getting back to Ember. Sitting here in jail made me think of what it would do to her and my mother. I couldn't take the thought of them thinking I was a monster. I was the one who put the monsters down, but I would give it up for Ember. I wouldn't risk what we had and what we could have together. I had done my part, served up my vengeance, and now I would give it up before it had a chance to come back for me.