Please Note* Incidents in this chapter took place before the timeline of this book. This Bonus chapter is about the boating accident and how it happened in Castle's POV

*~*

CASTLE

Sundays were fun. It was also a family day out for the Montgomerys. Dad, Aster, and all my other siblings spent time together every Sunday without fail. We would have barbecues, a day out at the beach, but today we were going on a boating trip, not far away from the property.

Dad said it was a good way to communicate and bond together as a family.

I agreed with him.

This particular Sunday was different, though. For Christopher and Aster Montgomery, it was going to be Doomsday.

I sat in my study, going through the documents, making sure things were perfect.

Planning a murder is easy, executing it is not. And the execution is what I was worried about. One wrong move and things would take a different turn.

Theo knew what he was supposed to do. I had his full support, and that's all I wanted. Just my brother on my side to clean up the mess.

I watched from the French window. Devin and Daya were near the patio, helping Winston stock beverages in the icebox, laughing and joking, oblivious to the shit that was about to go down.

These were my players. The most important ones and they had no idea about it.

The door to my study opened, and Chandler walked inside. He had an annoyed expression plastered on his face.

"Do you need something, Buddy?" I asked him, checking all the documents in the file.

He folded his arms across his chest. "Mom says I have to attend this stupid fishing trip! I don't want to! All you guys do is catch fish and chit-chat!"

I grinned, "what do you want to do?"

"It's Leo's birthday. I want to attend the party. All the kids from school are going there and it's going to be super cool. Can I go there instead, Castle? I have his gift all wrapped up." Then he added, "If you explain mom, she will understand because she listens to you."

"Sure, buddy. You wanna attend your friend's party? Fine with me. I'll explain to mom."

"Yesss!" Chandler exclaimed. "You're the best older brother!"

*~*

The night still haunted me when I found my mother, Lorna, in the cellar. I couldn't forget the night even if I tried, and I'd used that night as fuel for retribution. I had kept going, marking the day, waiting for the time I could strike.

This family welcomed us even though we were outsiders, but I was going to be one of them. I deserved it.

Any person who came between this would be eliminated.

I wore a casual t-shirt and denim jeans. I liked to keep the five o'clock shadow on my face because it made me look better.

It was a beautiful day. Such a shame about what was about to go down.

Trixie wouldn't stop barking. It's as if she had a premonition of what was going to happen. I ruffled her head before boarding.

I boarded the yacht. Theo was in the back, playing music on the stereos. Dayana was texting on her phone furiously. She looked up, and when she saw me staring at her, she quickly pocketed her phone as if I would ask her who she was chatting with.

I knew she was sleeping with two of the servants, the good-looking ones. One of them was a stable boy. She was probably texting him. I gave her one look that should tell her I knew what she was doing. She looked scared.

Sis had a hard time keeping her legs closed, especially when it came to handsome men that did hard labor around the house.

I guess the Apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

How ironic that father also used to work in the stables when he met Aster. The plan had been to take enough money from the Montgomerys and leave. Aster wouldn't have even noticed, but Chrissy-boy got greedy. He wanted two women, and then he decided Aster was a better option than my mother.

Devin was at the mini-bar, downing the tequila bottle. He was always the screw-up in the family, making scandals, doing whatever the fuck he wanted, and I did the clean-up.

I was the laundry guy, always fucking cleaning the mess by Aster's children. I was the older, understanding, mature kid in the family.

I waved at Grandpa Hugh who was in a wheelchair parked on the pier. His caretaker whispered something to him.

I waited until late that night.

"Castle, honey, what are you doing there? Come here, play with us." Aster called out to me. She sat at the poker table with Dad.

"Sure." I joined them in the sitting area.

We played poker, Devin had joined the table and, as usual, he cheated. He always did.

"I win." Devin laughed, throwing his cards onto the table and collecting all the chips.

"Cheating is not winning. You knew if you hadn't cheated, Castle would have won." Theo said, laughing.

"Fuck you!"

"Language boys," Aster said, looking at us, her expressions filled with love. "I wish we could all stay like this forever, smiling and laughing."

I put an arm around Aster and kissed her head. "We will always be like this. I promise you."

She patted my cheek, and then turned to her husband, "you've been quite Chris, what's wrong?"

Dad shook his head. I looked so much like our father. I've been told that a lot of times and I hated the resemblance. I wish I hadn't looked like this vile man, but then I knew it ran inside my blood, the urge to deceive people, to take what in reality didn't belong to me.

"I'm just thinking how content I am with my children," he said, "especially you, Castle. You have made your mother proud."

I think I was grounding my teeth so hard, I might break some. Quickly, I composed myself and smiled instead, "Thank you, father."

Devin stared at us. His expressions were grim. "Let's play another round."

He was jealous. As always. He was hungry for the praise that I usually received. As for me, I didn't give a shit about what Aster or Chris thought of me.

I looked at the time. It was a little past seven p.m. I went into the kitchen and noticed that the food was all wrapped up. I found the bottles of liquor, which I poured into small glasses and pulled a glass vial from my jeans, and put a few drops in each glass. It didn't have a powerful effect, just enough to get the job done.

I took the drinks back to the sitting area, handed each member a glass, and settled down with my own.

Theo's gaze met mine before he looked back at the Rubik's cube in his hand. His concentration was on the square.

Slowly, I took a sip and waited.

* ~*

THEODORE

"I'm feeling hot in here. Is the air-conditioner not working? I'll go to the upper deck to get some fresh air." Dad said, taking off his jacket.

Devin's tongue had gotten loose. "Daaaaadddd...why do you always think Castle is the best?! Tis not true...I'm better! I'm better than him!"

"Devin, mind your tongue," Aster snapped.

"What? Did I say something wrong? I'm the fucking heir! I don't understand..." He yelled in a drunken stupor, "I'm capable of taking over. I don't know what you want me to do!"

"I'll tell you what to do." I said, smiling wickedly, "Take your drunk ass down to the cabin and sleep it off. You wouldn't remember this conversation tomorrow."

"Theo, that's not the way to speak to your older brother." Aster chided.

He's not my brother, ma'am.

"I'll come upstairs with you, Dad." Castle climbed to his feet, following our father upstairs to the open deck like an obedient son. He's played his part well while keeping the flame of revenge burning.

It was hard for me to agree to this. I'd cried, I'd hit Castle for even suggesting such a thing, but he'd convinced me it was the only way. It was kill, or be killed. And after what father and Aster had done to our mother, they deserved what was coming. Was Castle the right person to deliver justice? I wasn't sure.

I sat on the outer deck of Longue with my legs hoisted up on the railing. The red squares of the Rubik were almost complete, but the white kept messing with it.

"I don't feel that well. I think I'm going to retire for tonight."

Dad had a little more to drink, and I mixed the vial in it, which added to his drowsiness. I looked up to see Castle standing on top of the stairs, a menacing look crossing his otherwise stern features.

He looked dangerous and intimidating, all the same.

And then he gave Dad a gentle but firm push.

That's all it took for our father to tumble down the stairs violently, his body rolling on each bump, making the thump thump sound. I couldn't tear my eyes away as his head hit the railing hard and blood seeped through his forehead.

"Help me..." Dad mumbled, sitting up straighter, raising his hand towards me. "I don't know how I slipped. Theo..."

Castle walked down the stairs calmly, as if he had all the time in the world.

Devin and Daya were still inside.

Castle looked at me as if to say, Look away. 

I turned my face away because even though I was included in the plan; I didn't want to see this.

I concentrated on the cube in my hand. I needed to get all the yellows in place.

"What are you doing, son?" I heard Dad asking him.

"Did she beg?" Castle asked.

"What?"

"Did mom beg you to let her go when you kept her locked in the cellar?"

"Castle...son..."

I heard the loud sound of something hard hitting the railing many times.

"What have you done?!" Shrieked Aster as she walked onto the deck and stared at the scene in front of us in horror.

I recalled Castle's words from yesterday.

Pretend like you're not part of this. You were not involved in getting them murdered. Do you understand what I'm saying, Theo? If something goes wrong, if I die, you will finish what we started.

I let out a loud sob and mustered up the acting I'd learned during drama period, "What the fuck have you done, Castle?! Why did you hit Dad?!"

Fresh bloods smeared the railing which dripped down onto the expensive flooring. Aster screamed and wailed, but I hugged her from behind. Castle ignored Aster and helped Dad stand up, only to shove him over the ledge and into the water.

"Christopher!" Aster came unhinged as she ran to the railing. "Somebody save him!"

One had to be blind not to notice that he was beyond saving. The metal blades had been running. The water colored a deep red.

She was shaking when she turned to face Castle. Betrayal was clearly spelled there. She clenched the railing hard and murmured, "Why?"

Castle turned his cool gaze towards Aster, and he looked very much like a man who'd walked out of the ninth circle of hell.

Devin walked to the deck just in time to see it.

Castle hugged Aster, "No hard feelings, Mom. It's just payback." He kissed her head like any loving son would, "But I promise you..." he whispered, "Devin and Daya will join you shortly."

Devin had no time to react. Castle picked her up over the railing and threw her legs up so she dropped into the water.

Aster had a fear of water; she didn't even know swimming and Castle knew that.

It was a cruel death.

The alcohol in Devin's system had made him weaker. I was yelling at Castle and asking him why he had done that. Dayana was crying too and talking something non-stop but also maintain her distance from Castle. She thought we were next.

I think it stunned everyone.

"Mom! Where's Mom? Why isn't she calling out to us?... Devin..." Dayana ran to the railing to stare into the dark water and then ran back inside, "We need to call someone for help!" Dayana rushed towards the cockpit to call for help.

"You murderer!"

It happened so fast.

Devin had tackled Castle to the floor and was delivering blows after blows, powerful punches and Castle only raised his hands to stop the hits. The alcohol had made Devin angrier and delirious as he dragged Castle to the gate and pushed his head underwater.

It is dangerous when a man is angry and under the influence of alcohol.

"Stop this!" I gave out an anguished wail.

Frustrated, I tried to pry Devin away from Castle, but he continued to push his head into the water. I watched Castle's head trying to bob to the surface, fighting to come up, but Devin had the upper-hand. Castle's body thrashed for dominance, but it was of no use.

And then there was silence. Only the serene sound of the water lapping against the boat.

That's when I knew Castle was dead. In a sudden act of madness, Devin had done justice to his mother.

Three members of my family were dead.

Devin turned his bloodshot eyes towards me.

I was yelling and crying, acting as if I wasn't part of this fucked up plan.

Castle left me alone in this, and I was angry about it. I didn't want to be the one in the position to do all the planning. I wanted him alive so I could kill him all over again.

"Did you know what he planned?" Devin asked me.

My life depended on that answer and the award-winning performance.

"Fuck, no. Of course, I didn't. Why would I want Dad or Mom to be killed? Why the fuck would you even suggest something like that?" I did more yelling while sobbing helplessly.

"The motherfucker planned all of it alone." Devin said and then a helpless moan escaped his lips, "He...he killed them..." in a wild rage he began thrashing the furniture in the lounge.

Dayana had asked the captain to dive into the lake, but when he went underwater, he couldn't find the bodies.

The bodies were found a day later by a search party. Aster's body was bruised, blotted and there was what little remained of Chris Montgomery. His body came in pieces and Devin had been close to moving into the insane asylum after what he'd witnessed.

Castle's body was not found.

The postmortem had showed that Chris and Aster were both intoxicated and what happened to them proved to be a boating accident. Castle had jumped in to rescue them, but had drowned in the process. Devin had not clarified to the police that Castle had gone on the murder-spree.

Justice was done, and that's all that mattered to Devin. The police wanted nothing to do with the Montgomerys. When Hugh was young and kicking, there were cases of high-rank police officers dying in accidents. Now they preferred to look the other way, no matter how heinous the crimes were.

A day after Aster and Dad's funeral, Devin arranged for Castle's memorial. It was all for show.

It was the same morning I found an anklet tracker fitted into my leg.

"What the hell is this?"

"I want to make sure you know your place, Theodore. Mom and dad's dead, Castle's dead too, no one's on your side and I'm taking over. You will obey me."

"Fuck off," I said in my usual tone of defiance.

Devin was enjoying this. He had always dreamed of being in charge of everything, and Castle had given him that.

I was wearing a black suit, sitting in the chapel, my fingers entwined with Madison's as I tried to come up with a plan.

Castle's picture was right at the front. He was smiling in it.

"Fuck you, Castle!" I mumbled. "For leaving me alone...how dare you?"

Devin will tolerate me for as long as I was seventeen. When I was legal enough to get my share, he'd have me assassinated.

Think Theodore!

Devin was on the podium, reciting a bullshit ecology, when the door burst open.

Castle stood there in raggedy clothes that weren't even fitting him. A timid man stood behind him.

A deadly hush fell upon the entire chapel, for it was the only time that a dead or missing person had turned up at his own funeral.

Everyone stared.

The memorial had to stop.

He hadn't died that night. He'd hit his head hard against something, and then a fisherman had rescued him. He'd recognized Castle as a Montgomery and brought him home.

When we were alone eventually, I asked him, "You better be ready for what's coming for you. Devin is about to throw you to the vultures and you're about to be fodder. He will have you arrested."

I should have noticed the strange look on his face, and the confusing way he continued to stare at me.

"I...I don't understand." He said.

"The boating accident." I clarified. The word 'murder' was prohibited in this house.

"What happened?" Castle asked, and his breathing labored, and he began rocking back and forth, "I don't remember...Theo...where's mom and dad? Why was Devin...angry?"

"You've lost your memories," I concluded, collapsing into the chair.

Castle's words before the accident came back to me. If something goes wrong, you will finish what we started.

I had to take control of the situation.

That was the start.

The End

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