Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 74655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 299(@250wpm)___ 249(@300wpm)
And I know when he finds out, he’ll lose his shit.
But if I tell him, if he knows how close this is to me, he’ll put me back. He’ll make sure I have no involvement, with Charlie or otherwise. Protecting Charlie was my opening, and they knew I was the perfect man for the job. What they didn’t know, however, is that I wanted to do it for a reason. My reasons, regardless, don’t mean I’d let anything happen to that girl.
She doesn’t deserve the life she lived.
She certainly doesn’t deserve to have to call that pig her father.
“No,” I say, holding Malakai’s eyes. “But this one touches home for me, understand? Men like that are the reason my brother is dead.”
Not him exactly. I’ll never say him exactly.
“And because of that, it means more to me than it does to you, to see him taken down. Not to mention—” I glance at Charlie, whose eyes flicker over to mine, and she gives me a small smile before turning back to Scarlett “—he used a child to do his dirty work, and in the process, he ruined her life.”
I glance back at Malakai, and he’s staring at me, compassion in his eyes. Don’t talk about Braxton, never have, probably never will. It’s a subject that’s very fucking sore for me. But Malakai knows I lost him, and he knows it forever changed me.
“Understand, brother,” he says, voice firm. “Understand. Just keep your head about you.”
I nod. “Yeah, I will.”
When I have Benjamin Masters’ head in my hands, I’ll have my head about me. I’ll sleep easy, knowing my brother didn’t die for nothing. I’ll make sure, with his blood still dripping from my fingers, that he never hurts another human being.
“Got the look in your eyes again,” Mason says, and I jerk, looking over to him, scowling. “That look that is so fuckin’ empty it’s scary. I thought I could look in the mirror and see pure emptiness, but you, you’ve got emptiness and a bitter hate that runs so deep your bones are filled with it.”
His words hit me right in the gut, but I don’t say anything, I just nod.
“Be careful with that,” he mutters, voice gruff. “Eat you alive.”
Too late for that.
Far too fucking late.
It already has.
-13-
THEN – CHARLIE
“I’m sorry, Father,” I stammer, pressing my back against the wall. “But he hurt me, and he touched—”
“I don’t give a fuck if he cut your fucking hands off, you ran out of there, causing a scene, making people ask questions. You little fucking bitch. You stupid, stupid child. I told you how important this was. Now you’ll never be allowed back in his house. He’ll fuckin’ know it’s you. So now I can’t get what I need.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I tried ...”
“Tried?” he bellows, taking my tiny shoulders in his big hands and launching me off the ground, slamming me into the wall so hard the breath is knocked out of me. Tears stream down my face because it hurts so much. “You fucking tried? You didn’t try. I told you, no matter what, that you never fucking run. You do your job. I told you, and you didn’t listen, you stupid little—”
He lifts me off the wall and slams me back again so hard my head bounces off the wall and I bite my lip, making blood pour down my chin.
“Bitch,” he roars.
He drops me to my feet and his big hand swings back. I close my eyes, waiting for it, because I know it’s coming. I knew when I ran that it was coming, that he’d be so angry at me. That he would make me pay for running out. The slap comes hard, so hard my little body goes flying across the room and I land on the floor with a thump, rolling to my side and curling into a ball.
It’s the only way.
His boots hit my ribs, once, then twice, and he bellows in rage.
I made a big mistake.
I released the monster.
“You waste of fucking air, I wish you were never fucking born, you complete and utter disappointment.”
I clench my eyes shut, my body shaking. It hurts everywhere.
Everywhere it hurts.
I wish Mommy was here.
I wish she never met him.
I wish she found a nice dad for me.
“Waste. Of. Fucking. Air.”
The door slams, and I make my first sound. I have learned not to scream. Any noise, any at all, and he’ll get so angry he’ll fight harder. It’s better to be quiet, to let him say what he wants to say, to let him hurt me as much as he needs to, and then cry after. When he’s gone. When I’m alone and he can’t hear me.
I tremble, and a tiny sound comes from my throat. There is blood in my mouth, and I don’t like how it tastes. It makes me feel yucky, and I don’t like the pain that always comes after it. I can’t eat, and Rebecca has to make me milkshakes when my dad isn’t around, so that I don’t get too skinny. That’s what she told me, anyway. She said I’m already too skinny, and if I don’t eat, it’ll get worse.