Furious Hearts

chapter thirty five

The evening sun was slowly vanishing in the mysterious unseen horizon. The beautiful iridescent of reds pinks and oranges reflected to form a cluster on the grave's glass and marble headstone inscribed in shiny black bold letters.

Mona Lisa Kenfrey Marshall.
A mother and friend.
We loved you but the Lord loved your gentle soul, more.

Bull. Utter bullshit! Mona had taken an undeserving bullet from the animal that was Murray. He would burn in eternal blaze for handing her mother to death on a silver platter. Why did the damned police shoot him? How could they make it so swift for a murderous criminal. Someone who'd enhanced the cold insatiable ravenous claws of death to snatch her mother. He shouldn't have gone down so easily. He should have been left to live so that he'd serve the rest of his miserable life in prison. They should have let him live with bloody hands that took the life of the anchorage and foundation of many, that was Mona Marshall.

The people who'd gone to pay their last respects began to walk away in small groups or individually. They were walking back to their expensive vehicles ready to drive back to their perfect little lives like nothing unusual had occurred. Like Mona Marshall, who'd donated generously at their charities, who'd welcomed them in her home for mimosas, who'd used her connections to aid them in their problems- hadn't died. Like dear Mona wasn't lying cold in a little dark hole like a wretched worm. The pretentious mourners simply turned their back on her with acceptance and finality. It was that easy for them. She was of no use to them anymore.
She now was nothing but a fading memory to them. She was but the woman who supported their good causes. She was just another legendary business woman that came, saw, made a mark and left.

Gina's bitter thoughts were interrupted by a soft hand on her shoulder.

"Be strong honey, she'd want you to be." Sue's soft consolation brushed past her ears and drifted away with the swift motion of the wind. But she nodded anyway.

She'd never expected them to understand. Mona wouldn't want her to be strong, she'd never wanted her to be a hardened cold human being. She'd wanted her to remain as the sweet and tender naive child she once was. Mona wouldn't press a hand on her shoulder and utter empty reassurances. Instead she'd pull her in a warm motherly embrace and tell her to cry.

A good cry is healthy for the soul.

She would say and then she'd even cry with her, humming a folklore that she never got to learn because she'd never even once thought that death would snatch her mother so soon. She thought they had time.

"G, we have to go." It was Vanda's velvety announcement. The other woman nodded. "We'll_"

"I'm not asking you to stay. You can go." Came her impassive interruption. She knew all of them were hurting due to the loss, Vanda's quiet cry said it all. But none of them felt what she was going through. Matter of factly she felt nothing.

She was dead.

She slowly sunk to her knees and flattened her palms on the cold marble. It was the only thing that felt like her. Absolute ice. She felt nothing like all those empty dutiful condolences people gave her.

I know how you feel.

I understand.

One of them was audacious enough to say that she could imagine. She couldn't! No one could! From the corner of her eyes she caught a glimpse of a sobbing Vanda being led away by Nick. She felt the presence of her sister who'd become mute since morning, fade as she left with Calvin. And finally she was al_

Someone sat beside her but didn't say anything. She didn't consider him a human being on his own because he was always there like a shadow lurking behind her, waiting for her to bend so he could bend with her. Like a guardian angel, ready to save her over and over again. Like he was one with her. He was the only one who understood that the last thing she needed were vacuous reassurances.

The cemetery was now empty with only the two of them and her mother's undoubtedly spirit hovering over them. A halfhearted smile crept onto her lips at the thought. She scooted closer to him and he automatically engulfed her in a tight embrace. He'd never told her he'd be there for her. He was there for her. With her.

"Thank you."

She heard him heave a sigh of something akin to relief and she understood. He'd seen his worry when she'd gone completely quiet and almost out of her mind with grief. She felt him kiss atop of her head and she snuggled closer.

***

Her eyes fixated to them through the dark tinted window. Her black hat slanted to cover her forehead while her eyes were buried behind the black sunglasses. Not to protect her from the sun though, but from being seen. It wasn't time yet to storm their already wobbly world. But it was coming soon and nothing could stop her.

Her head tilted to the side as she watched them cuddle up near the grave, where she'd be sending her soon. Her red lipstick smeared lips curled up in a sadistic smirk as her fingers caressed the cool metal of the shiny grey pistol. She contemplated manoeuvring it up taking an accurate aim and blowing the woman's brains out but she thought against it. That would be so easy, the woman deserved better. She was a hard nut to crack therefore, a bigger hammer was required.

She'd wait until they thought they were safe, then she'd strike so hard that nothing would be salvaged. She'd always loved the element of surprise.

The interrupting ringing made her divert her gaze to the phone lying on the dashboard. The name that flashed on the screen excited her to the core.

"Yes." It came out an excited squeal.

"I want you to stop what we started. It's enough."

The smile faded and its place was a stoic expression. "I'll have you know that you finished what you started. I on the other hand haven't." She sighed dramatically then continued. "Also, I foreshadowed you cowering at some point but not this soon. Not when the game just commenced. And definitely not when it's my turn to play."

"I'm your boss. When I say that's the end it means it is the end. Don't test me girl."

She laughed devilishly before humming as if in thought. Her next words came as cold as the snow in Himalayas. "I will test you but I won't sit around awaiting the results, instead I will be playing darts with them. Load. Aim. Shoot!"

The other side remained silent.

"Hello?"

Nothing.

"Hello?"

crack!

A bullet hit the side mirror of her sleek black Mercedes. It wasn't loud so the shooter had silenced the gun.

"I'll aim straight into your skull next time. I made you, I can decide to end you too. No matter how smart a student becomes the knowledge of the teacher is always insurmountable."

There was a cynical laughter from the other side but it died down abruptly and immediately replaced by a humourless glacial threatening tone.

"I'll hung up now, then you'll take your pretty eyes off them and drive away like the sorrowful mourner that you are. I'm watching you."

She clenched her jaws so hard they hurt. Her fist throttled the phone with enough strength to crack the screen. Her other hand turned white from clenching the steering too tightly. An angry growl escaped her lips and her fiery eyes averted to the still cuddling couple in the far distance inside the cemetery. Angrily, she tossed the phone over the dashboard and turned the key into ignition.

"I'll see you around Marshall."

With that she reversed and drove closer to the exit where a fleet of cars still congested as they tried to manoeuvre out of the driveway, indicating just what the popular kind Mona was.

"I have a feeling you'll be back here pretty soon folks." She muttered to herself twisting her neck in daunting sadism causing her tensed veins to make a violent cracking sound.

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