PECULIAR (✓)

28. The End?

Cassius POV

It turns out Alettra's information was very helpful, the detectives spent a whole day with her going over everything she saw and heard. Even they were impressed by just how much she remembered, including the layout of his new house. The treasure chest Alettra saw also interested me, Victor has never lost his cool before so there must be something very important in there. I just want this whole thing to be over.

Especially right now, sitting across from this son of a bitch in the club is causing my blood pressure to skyrocketed.

His smug face begging to be punched, but when he starts talking about Alettra to another gang member, my blood boils. "I'm telling you, you should have seen the bookworm, she looked ridiculously hot." I can see Nicole, Victor's ex, feels the same as me as she glares at Victor, with her eyes dilated. Alettra told me Nicole stopped doing the hard core drugs.

The way he talks about her is making me nauseous. He even goes into detail on how he managed to get her back to his house after their date and how good she was - an obvious lie, of course. It still angers me though.

Before my fury could break through my facade, the masses of armed police burst through the doors of the VIP floor. I look around and see everyone getting arrested and read the Miranda act. Feeling something cold clamp down on my wrists, I turn around hastily, but play along when I see it's the detective handling the investigation arresting me. They must have found something big if they acted so quickly. I watch as I hear Victor's arrest.

"Mr Victor Warrens, you are being arrested for the dealing of Class A drugs and murders of seven victims including Cyrus Ardent. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will and can be used against you in a court of law..."

I try to hide the smile at the look of shock and fear in Victor's eyes especially as he hears Cyrus' name. I let the detective lead me to the police van, fighting back a little, to ensure I don't look suspicious.

As I sit in the holding cell, I'm unable to process everything that's happened. It should be over, but it doesn't feel like it is through. I should be happy, but...

My train of thoughts gets disturbed as the door opens revealing the detective, we walk down to the interrogation room and wonder if Alettra knows about anything that's happened. As we sit, the detective breaks out into a grin, "We got him Corporal Ardent." I look at his tattoo on his arm showing him as a fellow soldier and nod, still unable to process everything. Apparently, Victor liked to record his victims and get other people in the gang to help. He would then use the recording to blackmail the other members so they could never leave.

All those recordings and documents were found in his treasure chest. If I hadn't said it before, Alettra Reddy is the best thing that ever happened to me. I'm able to leave, and I just feel numb, without knowing I end up in front of Alettra's apartment building. I need to hold her so badly, right now.

Before I realise what's going on I feel some tears falling down my cheeks, stilling me. Why would I be crying? Everything is fine now. I can carry on with life now. Cyrus got his justice, right? Cyrus is... Still gone. The heavy tears fall quicker, unable to compose myself, I walk away from Alettra's apartment. I don't want her seeing me like this. Heading home, I look around on the walls, seeing pictures of a happy Cyrus. The Cyrus that wasn't hooked on drugs and didn't hate me. He wanted to leave. He was going to leave, but that bastard didn't let him. He killed him.

Cyrus was only 18. The look on his face when I told him I didn't care what happened to him that day, haunts me. Heartbroken. I was his only member of the family left and I abandoned him, left him out to the wolves. My little brother.

I hadn't even gone to his grave since his funeral, his grave next to our parents. I bet they would be disappointed with me, I failed as a son and as a brother. I remember how they would scold me if I didn't look after him when we were younger. I remember telling him how to fight at the gym when I was 15. He used to look up to me, but then I left him for the Army. I came back when our grandparents died, but he was vexed about everything and I couldn't blame him. He had been dealt tough cards, and he used drugs to cope.

I hear the doorbell, and call out asking who it was. "It's me, Sweetheart. Could you open the door please." My guardian angel, always there for me when I needed her, but I couldn't stop the thoughts telling me I didn't deserve her. Didn't deserve the comfort and warmth she filled me with, or her graceful smile and kind eyes.

"Alettra, now is not really a good time," my heart aching as I say the words I immediately want to take back. "I heard what happened Cassius, I just wanted to check on you. If you want me to leave I will though."

Unable to take the pain spreading through my body and head, I wipe my tears and open the door. Alettra's face softens as she takes in my presence. She has her hair up in a ponytail and Harry Potter in her one of her hands. Her small hand playing with the sleeves of my red hoodie she's wearing, she holds her arms out when she sees my red eyes. I pick her up, greedy for her and take her upstairs. It's been too long of a day, I just want to sleep.

As I put her down she grabs my face and looks into my eyes, and smiles gently. "You don't want to talk right now do you?" I shake my head, grateful. Pulling on my shirt she asks if she can undress me and get me ready for bed. I nod too tired to move. My eyes are too heavy, she changes me quietly and pulls me into bed. "Do you want me to read to you or just hold you?" I agree with the latter.

While she holds me, I put my head on her chest and cry due to her gentle actions. She just strokes my hair and whispers comforting words into my ears. I knock out to sleep at some point but even her presence doesn't stop my nightmares. Cyrus was still dead. I was right about this not being over.

Far from it.