Julia has lived on Nova Island for six years. After the trauma she experienced there, she decided to go home. It's been ten years since her last visit to the small seaside town. She didn't expect to see her arch-enemy sitting in her parents' living...
When I wake up, I feel pain in my face, and my broken arm is hurting as well. Taking a deep breath, I wiggle my wrists and find that the cuffs aren't as tightly put on as I thought. I pull my good hand out from behind my back and then cradle my broken one.
Skyler looks at me. "Help is going to come soon, Julia. When it does, I don't see it ending well for anyone, especially your brothers."
I know.
I feel bad that my brothers are going to get themselves killed because they are on the wrong side.
The door opens, and I see Veronica standing next to Mom.
What's she doing here?
"Mom," I whisper.
The woman throws her head back and laughs along with Veronica. "I told you she would think that." She takes a few steps and stands in front of me. "I'm not your mother, sweetheart. She can't do this to her only child."
What does she mean by an only child? I have brothers.
"Liam and Antwon are my brothers. I'm not an only child."
She grabs my face with her hand. "They are my kids. My sister, your mother, took them from me when I was younger. I couldn't raise my kids because I wasn't in the right frame of mind to raise them. As they got older, your mother made sure that I wasn't able to contact them. When you got home, I ensured my kids were as far away from your family as possible. Your parents were happy to see their daughter at home." She lets go of my face. "The boys know everything about your family and don't like what I've told them. That's why they aren't afraid to hurt you."
"Who are you?" I ask.
"My name is Natalia Smith. That's all you're getting from me." She steps away from me. "I would say it's great to meet you, niece. To be truthful, it isn't so great." She looks at my cradled hand and says, "So, my boys were a bit rough with you, weren't they?"
"Yes," I choke out.
"Good, now I know whose side they're on." She moves over to Skyler and kneels in front of her. "Someone's been looking all over the country for you. Now, he's going to get you." Her eyes land on her pregnant stomach. "Uh, Uh, that's not good. I'm going to take care of that thing in your stomach."
Veronica walks over to the shelf with surgical tools on it. She grabs a knife and walks over to Natalia with it.
Natalia takes the knife from her and smiles. "Thanks, Veronica. You can leave. I don't want you to see this."
Veronica walks up the steel steps and walks out of the room.
Skyler looks at me with pleading eyes to help her. She mouths. "Help,"
Cradling my arm, I stand up and quietly walk over to the surgical tools on the steel shelves. I find a knife and pull it off the shelf. Putting it behind my back, I head over to where they are on the floor.
Skyler has her arms wrapped around her stomach. "Please, don't do this." She sobs. Her eyes look around the room as she pleads for her child's life.
When I get behind Natalia, I pull the knife out from behind my back and then drag the knife across one side of her throat to the next.
Blood starts pouring out, and she falls to the ground. Her eyes are open, and she looks at me.
I place my hand on her face and close her eyes. Looking at the camera in the room, I yell. "You're next, bitch. Tell my cousins that I can't wait to see their faces when I kill them." Moving back over to Skyler, I check on her. "Sky,"
She looked at me, tears falling down her face. "Thank you, Julia. My husband and I are indebted to you."
"No, you're not, Sky." I brush her blonde hair out of her face. "Are you okay?"
"I will be. When my husband gets here."
The door to the room opens, and a group of people walk in with guns aimed at me. "Sky, if they kill me. Tell Cole that I love him."
She grabs my hand. "Julia, you're going to do that yourself."
Liam and Antwon move toward me with 9mm guns in their hands. They raise it at me.
Looking at them, I say. "Now, Mommy dearest is dead. What are you going to do?"
Liam puts his finger on the trigger. "Your Mom isn't going to be happy when she hears that her daughter killed her sister and then her fake son, aka nephew, killed her only child."
The warehouse door is kicked in, and a group of men storm the building.
Liam grabs me and holds the gun to my head. At the same time, Antwon grabs Skyler and makes her stand on her feet.
Cole looks at my brother's and says. "Liam, Antwon, you better let those girls go, or the authorities will be cleaning your blood off these walls."
Antwon laughs. "You're not going to do that, Cole. We've been friends since our Cousin took off."
"Cousin?" Cole says. "What are you talking about?"
"Julia here isn't our sister. She's our cousin." Liam says, pointing at his mother, he says. "Natalia is our mother, and your girlfriend here just killed her. We're going to return the favour."
I'm not going to go down without a fight.
I look at Cole one last time. He took in his blonde hair that flopped onto his face when he bent down, and his blue eyes made me see the world through his eyes and body. The one thing I never got to explore. I mouth. "I love you, Cole." Before I force my arms back and elbow Liam in the stomach.
He loosens his hold on me and leans forward, trying to regain his breath. Raising the gun at me, he says. "Say goodbye, bitch."
Looking him in the eyes, I say, "Fuck You."
He pulls the trigger, and the bullet hits me in the side.
I go down, and then everything happens quickly. Guns go off everywhere, and I see Skyler huddle in a corner. Getting herself away from the action.
Cole runs over to me and lifts my body. He cradles me. "You're going to be okay, Julia."
I smile weakly at him. "I know. You're here with me, and that makes everything better." Reaching up, I place my hand on his face. "Cole," he looks at me, and I whisper. "I love you."
He presses a kiss on the forehead. "I love you, too, Julia."
I start coughing, and there's a metallic taste in my mouth. Spitting it out, I see blood.
It's not how things are supposed to end for me.
Cole's grip on me tightens. "Julia, you can't leave me. I won't let you."
"I'm going to stay here with you forever, Cole. You're not going to lose me." I look into his eyes, and then my eyes get heavy, and I drift off.
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