ALEC
Whipping onto my street, I slammed on the accelerator. When I spotted Oliver’s car parked at the bottom of my driveway, I clutched the steering wheel and sped up the driveway to the garage, blinded by rage.
How could Mom do this? How could she fucking do this?!
I hopped out of the car, and Oliver grabbed my shoulder.
“Can we talk?”
“Later.”
“Please, dude,” he reasoned. “You ignored me all practice.”
After leaning over the center console, I grabbed the gun that I had shoved into the glove box and stuffed it into the inside of my jacket. Adrenaline rushed through my system the more I thought about that bitch.
“Get the fuck out of my way, Oliver,” I growled, slamming my door and pushing past him.
He stumbled back, his gaze on my jacket, then hurried after me into the garage. “Alec.”
“Go home.”
“Dude, was that a gun?” he asked. “What’re you doing with that?”
“Taking care of a problem,” I gritted out. “Now, leave.”
“The only person home is your mom,” he said in confusion.
“I know.”
“The fuck? This isn’t you, Wolfe.” He stepped in front of me as soon as I entered the house and grabbed my shoulder. “The hell are you doing with a gun? You planning to kill her? For what? Because I slept with her? I already apologized for it. If you want to take it out on anyone, take it out on me.”
I shoved him to the side so hard that when he slammed into the wall, picture frames fell onto the ground at my feet. Images of all the happy days we used to have together as a family on vacation stared up at me. All that happiness, and Mom had still betrayed me.
“Get the fuck out of here, Oliver. And don’t come back.”
Before he could rip me back again, I stormed through the house and to the living room. Fury rushed through me the more and more I thought about the video.
How could Mom do this to me? How could she betray me? Betray Maddie?
What the fuck is wrong with her?!
“Mom!” I shouted in the living room. “Where the fuck are you?”
“Alec?” she hummed, skipping down the staircase with a huge grin. “Dinner’s almost ready. I just have to—” When she stepped onto the last stair and saw the gun in my hand, she stopped and shuffled back against the railing. “What are you doing with that?”
“Get down here,” I growled, gesturing with the gun for her to walk forward.
Mom raised her hands and slowly walked toward me.
Oliver grabbed my shoulder from behind. “Come on, Alec. Think about this.”
As if Mom hadn’t seen Oliver before now, she glanced over at him, eyes widening even more. “Oliver, what are you doing here? You should be at home. I’m having dinner with my family tonight.”
“What? Were you two planning on meeting up?” I growled, moving the gun between him and her. “Did Oliver show up when he shouldn’t have? Is he only a little late-night fuck buddy for you, Mom?!”
Oliver raised his hands and stepped back. “The fuck, dude? Don’t point that at me! I already told you that I cut it off with her. But she won’t stop texting me and asking me to come over. We haven’t done anything together since you found out.”
I nodded aggressively. “Hmm, is that right, Mom? Did you want to get rid of him too? Is that why you kidnapped him after Maddie uncovered the truth about you and him? Were you pissed at her for that?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.
“Did you use Oliver to get closer to Maddie?” I snarled.
“Sweetheart, you’re scaring me,” Mom said, faking surprise. “You’re talking nonsense.”
“Stop fucking stalling!” I shouted. “Did you fucking use Oliver to get closer to Maddie?!”
The innocence dropped from Mom’s face, her perfect facade wavering. “No.”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not lying, Alec. I told you why I was with him.”
“Stop fucking lying to me!” I shouted. “That’s all you’ve done my entire life!”
“Put the gun down, Alec.”
“No. I want answers.”
“Answers? Why don’t you tell me why you’re pointing a gun at your mother?”
“I have a gun pointed at my mother because I’m going to do to her what she tried to do to Maddie,” I said through gritted teeth, stepping toward her. “I’m going to shoot her dead because she ordered the mob to kill the woman I love.”
“What?” Oliver said to my left.
My arms shook, but I kept the gun pointed at Mom. “Admit it!”
Mom stayed quiet for a long, long time, and then she dropped her gaze to the ground. “Alec, you don’t understand. It was the only way I could get us all back together. She was pulling you away from me. I told you that I’d do anything to get my family back. Let’s talk about—”
“You ordered the hit on Maddie?” Oliver whispered, almost to himself.
“There isn’t shit to talk about, Mom!” I shouted, finger hovering over the trigger.
If I killed her, if I fucking killed her … all my dreams would be dust. I’d be sentenced to prison for the rest of my life, and I would leave Maddie all alone in this world and in this shitty town without protection.
“Put the gun down, Alec,” Mom said. “I know you, sweetheart. You won’t shoot—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Oliver snatched the gun from my trembling hand, aimed it at Mom’s head, and pulled the trigger three times in quick succession.