Morphine (Complete)

𝟒𝟑

"Girlfriend, you have a knack for ruining me, don't you?"

She pulled back as if his touch stung. Slowly, she traced the side of her arm with her hand, then clasped the end of her wrist with painted nails. He noticed everything about her. He noticed her eyes, dark and glorious. And he noticed how they were tormented, like her soul was being pried of them with blackened claws and the grip of death.

She just allowed a small smile, his small prize for finding her. He drank up every drop.

"Did you find Garcia?"

Mykel's eyes snapped up to Riccard's. Brows pulled into a frown, Mykel shook his head. Remembering why he was there, Mykel subconsciously tugged Rannia's body closer to his and stepped inside, letting the guards close the vault behind them. There was not the same hissing sound as when it had opened.

"I couldn't find anyone. There were a few casualties, but they were all from the trampling crowd. Garcia knows what he's doing. They're not just here for fun."

"I suspected not," Riccard replied, stepping aside so their mother could rush forward and embrace Mykel.

"Mother, please--" Mykel hushed her, softly patting her shoulder as she sobbed into his suit.

"My baby, my baby boy," Romina cried into his lapel. The man's eyes softened a bit and she hugged her back for a moment.

"You can let go now," he told her.

As Rannia watched the scene between mother and son, her heart pulled. Twisting, gripping, and sinking rotting rose thorns directly into the chest she so fervently protected.

Was she ready to take this from the world?

After some persuasion, Romina was pried from her eldest son's arms and stood between Riccard and Amy. Freed from her hold, the half-man, half-beast crossed his arms and cleared his throat for attention.

"Is Father here?" Mykel asked.

Romina sighed and shook her head gently. "No, he had business to attend to," she said.

"And he's been gone for over a day?"

"Yes."

"I see." Mykel paused for a moment, eyes narrowed in thought. He passed a glance towards the people surrounding him: his family, a bad choice he could not bring himself to regret, and a handful of guards.

He didn't trust them.

"Guards, under my order, leave us and scout out the building."

The guards didn't move.

"I said, go," he repeated calmly, only to be met with silence and the spiking of Rannia's heart rate when she realized what she'd created.

There is no hiding now, you idiot. Now face the flames.

"Why aren't you listening?" Mykel demanded angrily, turning to face the immobile guards, fixing his focus on their stiff faces. No reaction. They were waiting for something--

Now. Spark the flame.

"It's funny what money can do, isn't it?"

Mykel turned to face the person who'd spoken. While his brain spun, and his body turned, his heart dropped.

It was something in her stance. An unstable glint in her eyes as her gait shifted uneasily between her legs and her lips tilted into a small smile. The smile was not for him. It was for herself. It was punishment for ever thinking this would go well.

"Rannia, what is this?" Mykel asked, glancing with disbelief between her and the guards, now standing at attention and readily awaiting her next order.

"Rannia, dear?" Romina spoke up shakily from behind them. Rannia tilted her head back to the wide-eyed woman. Romina tried to move forward, but one of her daughters caught her arm.

"Mom, stop," Amy whispered. Her eyes flickered towards Rannia. "Yeah, but Rannia. You're kidding, right?" She offered the girl a smile. The shaking girl.

Rannia was trembling.

"Shut up," Rannia muttered. Her eyes flickered back towards the guards. It hadn't seemed so real then, had it? When she was handing the cash to the guards and whispering her short instructions in their ears. When she'd vowed to herself on another restless night that she'd end what had torn her family apart. Had it? Had it now? Even though no one was talking, Rannia brought her hands to her ears and covered them, squeezing her eyes shut. "All of you just shut the fuck up!"

"Love--?" Mykel tried to say, but Rannia whirled on him with the most furious look he'd ever seen, rendering even him-- not a human, but a monster, quiet to her silent, deadly, croaking torture.

"Don't call me that. Please," she begged, eyes weakening. "Fuck! No." She shook her head, running a hand through it, pulling at the soft strands. "You had no idea, none of you did. Do you have any idea what you've done? You're all idiots! All of you! You!" She pointed at Amy, then Lucy, then Riccard, then Carter, then Romina, then... "You!" She spat out at each person. "Want to know where your dad is, huh?" She barked out a maniacal laugh. It wasn't her anymore. This wasn't her.

But it wasn't Garcia either.

"He's in my fucking basement! Know how hilarious that is? Oh my God, just look at your faces." She continued her uncontrollable laughter, and everyone listened as each half sob broke from her lungs. With every struggling noise that escaped her mouth, another part of her chest withered away.

You were wrong, so wrong. You had a heart. And you what? Ignored it?

Now watch it die.

Like the flip of a switch, she sobered completely, smile falling off her face. An entirely masked expression took over; neither sad, happy, nor mad. It was simply neutral, entirely empty.

The white sheet hiding the massacre behind. 

Then she spoke.

"Guards."

---

(a/n: hello, darlings. I've been putting off publishing this because I...I both don't want this book to end, and I also know I won't please everyone with the ending... But, I promised no more tragedy. Maybe my perception of tragedy is warped, but I didn't make this one too bad

I think--

There are maybe three more chapters left. I love you all so much. Stay safe <3)

Pussy out.