Run from his Shotgun

Chapter Thirty One- Vengeance

The children joyously charged through the concrete grounds, racing around each other as if they had inhaled rocket fuel. They were crazy, I concluded, shaking my head. I'd taught them math and literacy this morning and they were acting like I'd caged them for hours on end with no respite. I understood their qualms about trigonometry but we were doing poetry in literacy-that should have been exciting enough for them, right?

Anna had disagreed with me when she caught sight of my planning. "How do you get them to stay awake?" She wondered, grimacing at the task sheet I'd devised.

"With my awesome method of teaching, thank you very much," I replied as I snatched the paper back. "Besides, it's not all down to me. We follow a curriculum program so we plan based off on that."

"Still, your planning is enough to cure my insomnia. Hey, you could go international with it, become one of those life changing ads you get on YouTube that they swear no one else has ever come across!"

Dryly, I replied, "One thing's for sure, I'd definitely earn a hell of a lot more money. But not everything's about that so I'll stick with what I'm doing, thanks."

It rained today but at least that meant some respite because the last few weeks had been scorching. Anna mentioned climate change every time I complained about how hot it was. I agreed, which she then took as my affirmation in attending a climate change protest.

"I think I'll just quietly protest in the sanctuary of my house."

Anna narrowed her eyes accusingly, "You said you were going to drive electric. And switch to climate conscious brands."

"One thing at a time, Anna. I've just moved to a new city and that's enough change to last me for a few months."

It was a year later now, after all the events that had taken place. A year after my abduction and Ben's death. I'd badly needed a change and despite how much I loved Vancouver, it was agreed that I needed to move on with my life. So, I packed up my things, hoping for a fresh start and settled in Seattle. It was perfectly situated for me, close enough to Mum and Dad's place in Vancouver whenever the need called for it. Danny also was situated in the same city; he was about forty minutes away from me and was around pretty often.

A year ago, after that unexpected impromptu meeting with the bikers in that tucked away diner in the secluded area of town, EC had sprung into action. It didn't take long after that to track the Nines down. We found out all the information we needed after that; names of the notorious leaders, places, significant events and when the links were made, we were all looking for the ultimate ringleader. The one right at the top of the chain, who'd orchestrated everything. 

The mafia Don. Marcel Rotolo.

 He was untouchable. Even for EC. With links in all the right places, he'd been untraceable all this time. Jago vowed to formulate a plan to lure him out. The rest of EC stood by him, motivated by Ben's death, despite that he'd died trying to save me.

I'd tried to bury that fact deep inside me, but once in a while it poured out. It made me all the more determined to make the most of what I had. He was buried in Vancouver and I'd visited his grave as much as I could when I went back. It felt unreal, even now, that someone like Ben had just gone and all that was left were a handful of memories, the best of which were when I first got to know him.

I later came to know he was leaving a pregnant girlfriend behind. He'd never mentioned her to me, but Jonno confided the news to me, and I went to meet her a month before I moved away. She was a sweet girl, but different to what I'd expected. Bluntly honest, and passionate in what she believed in, she had no problem speaking her mind. I'd never thought of Ben falling in love with such a fiery personality, but Sophie was that and more. She had a strength inside her I could only crave to possess.