Chapter 13:-
Teddy turns around to look at Matty, but stops dead when he sees Rachel walk out of the shadows beside Matty. "Rachel?"
Matty kept his gun trained on Teddy but glanced sideways to see Rachel emerging beside him. "Hello Papa," she said sarcastically. She looked at Matty, "Where's Taylor?"
Matty nodded his head to where Taylor lay, she went to him, and collapsed by his seemingly lifeless body, tears ran unheeded from her eyes. "You shot Taylor?" she asked Teddy.
Teddy eyes grew wide with disbelief, "You, and that dumb-fuck?"
Rachel picked up one of Taylor's guns, "Yeah, me and Taylor. For fifteen years and you, you never even noticed." She pointed Taylor's gun at Teddy.
"Well, he's dead now," Teddy sneered at her. "And you're coming home with me now." Teddy's anger seethed from him in a tangible stream.
"No, Teddy I'm not," she looked at Matty, who nodded at her. "I'm going home with Matty."
"I don't think so," Teddy's lips curled in a snarling sneer. "I own you. I bought you from your whore of a mother. You belong to me!"
"I never belonged to you. I don't belong to anyone anymore," she looked over at Taylor's lifeless body. "Least of all, to a lying sack of shit like you. And just so you know," she turned back to face Teddy. "Before I kill you I just want you to know, I'm carrying Taylor's baby!"
Both Teddy and Matty looked at her, Teddy in total disbelief, Matty in complete surprise.
"No!" Teddy shouted.
She saw Teddy reach for the handgun, but before he could get one shot off, Rachel began firing, followed by Matty. They both pumped six shots into him, not stopping till he hit the floor.
Matty and Rachel looked around them – everyone was dead. Rachel went to Scarpa; she knelt down and closed his eyes, wiping tears from her eyes. Matty came behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
They heard a groan, and both spun around to see Taylor struggling to sit up. Rachel shot across the floor to his side. Matty helped him to sit up, Rachel behind him, arms wrapped tightly around his torso. "Baby, you hurt bad?"
"Hmmm, hurts. He dead?" Taylor nodded in Teddy's direction.
"Yeah, he's dead. Stupid fuck!" she said. "Matty, you ok?"
"I'm ok. I can't believe Chris is dead. Fuck, Marbles too, probably. Fuck! Fuck!" Matty looked utterly defeated. All three of them looked shell-shocked.
Somehow, they all stumbled out to the car and back to the motel, where Rachel patched Taylor up as best she could; although he'd still need a hospital sometime soon.
They made their way to the airport and waited for the plane to take them back to Brooklyn. Matty took Rachel's hand in his and pressed her palm to his lips, "Honey, I'm sorry about all this. But it's gonna be different now it's just the three of us – four of us." She felt tears against her hand.
On the plane, Matty sat in complete silence all the way back. Rachel cuddled up to Taylor, hardly daring to believe she thought she'd lost him, in those few moments she thought he was dead, she'd wished she was too. Taylor had his good arm wrapped around her tight.
When they landed in Brooklyn, Matty went to see his Pop's to give him the money. Benny said he was wrong about Teddy – about everything. He tells Matty he can 'come in' now if he wants. Matty tells his Pop, "You know there was a time I'd have given anything to hear that," he opened the door. "But not now," he closed the door behind him.
Outside the sun was shining brightly. Taylor and Rachel were leaning on Matty's Cadillac, kissing like a pair of teenagers when Matty came out. He smiled when he saw them. "Everything OK?" Taylor asked him.
Matty threw the keys to the caddie on the front seat, "I am now. Come on, let's go."
The three of them climbed into Taylor's trusty old Dodge and he drove them, one-handed, off to start over. Fresh Beginnings.
THE END.
Sequel: Fresh Beginnings.