Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 140742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
“I can watch it for you,” Hamilton suggests, but I shake my head.
Mallory walks into the bar and heads straight to Josslyn. I watch as she pushes her hair away from her face gently and brings her face closer. I stop breathing.
“Finn, I’m serious. I can watch it,” Hamilton says, his voice a little wary.
Mallory backs away suddenly and looks toward the door. She looks at Josslyn one more time before she starts walking in that direction. The next frame cuts to my sister walking out of the room she’d been in with both hands over her mouth. She crouches and lands on her knees as if in fathomless pain.
How she went through with all of this is beyond me. My sister could barely get a scratch without crying like she was dying, so for her to have her teeth knocked out … it just makes all of this more sick and twisted. The last thing shown is John carrying Josslyn out of Onyx with Mallory beside them. They both stop walking and glance to the left at the same time, and then start walking faster until they disappear from the frame. I set the phone down and stare at the blank screen.
“You took Joss to the hospital the day after this?” I ask Damian, my flat voice reflecting the numbness I feel inside.
“Yeah, they said she hadn’t been…” he says, letting his words trail off.
“Jesus,” Hamilton says on an exhale.
“You understand why I didn’t want to send this to Josslyn,” Leo says across from us as he takes back his phone.
“She doesn’t need to see that,” I respond.
The unknown would be too much for her. It’s enough to haunt me for the rest of my days, especially after my sister insinuated she did something to her while she was unconscious.
“Do you have enough to prove what John did without this video?” Damian asks Leo.
“I believe so.”
“Whatever happens, his life is over,” I say with conviction.
He’s either going to jail or he’s going to die. I don’t care what his reasons were for being involved in the fire. I don’t care if my sister paid him a shitload of money or bribed him or whatever the fuck happened.
The details don’t matter. He was there that night, he helped take an unconscious Josslyn home, and he helped my sister and held Josslyn hostage. As long as I’m breathing, there’s no way John will walk around as a free man.
“The only way Joss would ever see this is if Mallory survives, since they’d need it in court,” Damian says to me.
I swallow hard and nod. Mallory’s in critical condition. The bullet damaged some organs, so they’re not sure she’ll survive. After seeing this footage, I don’t know if I have it in me to let her.
65
JOSSLYN
1 month later
Amyriad of emotions flitter through me when I get the call about Mallory’s death, before I’m overcome with sadness. Painful sobs press down in my chest, and I make myself go to the bathroom and shut the door. I turn on the shower but before I can even start taking off my clothes, I double over and start to cry. My only hope is that the water drowns out the sounds. The last thing I want is for Finn to hear about this and worry more than he already has been.
I don’t even understand why I feel this way. It’s not like Mallory had a chance at a regular life after everything she did. It’s not like I wanted her to have one. But still. Death is so final. How will Finn feel about all of this? I try not to think about his mother, but it’s impossible. Finn says he hates her and that he’ll never forgive her for what she did, and I get it. I’m not her biggest fan right now, but a part of me understands why she did it.
It wasn’t like she thought Mallory was roaming around freely. She’d sent her to a mental institution overseas in hopes that she would get better. I’m sure she didn’t think Mal would have her phone on her at all times or that she’d break free and end up back in the place she swore she wanted to get away from. Nevertheless, her actions cost her greatly.
Her son wants nothing to do with her and her husband is planning to file for divorce—something a Barlow never does. It’s not like she had a great relationship with Finn or her husband to begin with, but it’s got to hurt, and now her daughter is gone for good. That thought sticks with me as I shower and dress again. Is she gone for good?
I know John is. I got the call from Scarlet a couple of weeks ago saying they found his body a few days after he’d been hit with a handful of lawsuits. Scarlet didn’t go into details and I didn’t ask for any, but it sounded like he’d committed suicide. Normally, that’s a triggering subject for me, but I can’t bring myself to think about him much, let alone care. It’s not like I knew him, but he’d also been helpful with the whole Mallory thing.