Chapter 4 #2
Men welcome innocence only when it comes with youth. Otherwise, they aren’t interested in it.
My phone vibrates in my palm, and I see a message from Emmaline flashing on the screen.
Hey, girl! Are you free by any chance?
I still at her question because my adoring sister-in-law makes it her mission to check on me daily. She rarely asks about my whereabouts, though.
I wouldn’t be surprised if my brothers inserted some kind of tracker inside me for that, and isn’t it unbelievable how this doesn’t really faze me?
Although one might argue that after the life experiences we’ve all had, nothing in this world has the power to faze us.
I had lunch. Why?
We’re planning to go dress shopping later on today. We wanted to take you with us. Since you’re one of the bridesmaids at Rush and Aileen’s wedding.
Blinking a few times, I reread this particular message, and it has my stomach boiling just at the prospect of going through all this hassle while hating every minute of it.
While I love my older brothers, who happen to be twins, and one of them is getting married soon, I have no desire to be part of the wedding.
Saying it out loud would probably hurt Emmaline and Aileen, so I quickly tell Gordon, “Change of plans. Let’s go to the library.
” He nods and turns left at the traffic light, onto the bumpy asphalt road leading to the three-story building with several cracks.
Its washed-out red color gives it a rather dark, unsophisticated vibe.
I’m sorry. I wish I could, but I promised to help at the library.
I thought you only worked on Mondays and Thursdays? Today is Tuesday.
Why did my brothers decide to marry awesome women who care about their sister and seem to remember everything when it comes to me? I mean, I’m happy for them, even if their rather perfect lives cause a little resentment in me.
They had a chance to have such a life because they lived while I stayed in hell.
I squash the betraying thoughts. They have no place in my new reality, and logically and objectively, they can’t be blamed for what happened.
“Maybe while watching the documentary, you wondered what would have happened if a serial killer like that came and saved you from your uncle. That maybe you’d have a normal life.”
I shake my head, refusing to focus on Dr. Phoenix’s words or see any kind of truth in them.
One of the girls asked me to change shifts with her.
I know they won’t buy my excuse. They won’t push either, though—perks of being considered the baby of the family despite them being younger than me.
They all celebrated with me when I got my sort of internship at the library a few days ago, and while my brothers probably think it’s a huge waste of my time, they said nothing and acted all supportive.
I do wonder how long their patience would last.
Plus, working is better than being locked up in the penthouse because even with my classes, I just attend them and rush out without talking to anyone. Everyone is so young there. Which once again makes me feel like a weird outsider.
All right. Have fun, girl. And remember about the family dinner at Aileen’s parents’ house on Saturday.
Ugh, another long-ass dinner. It seems the Scott family loves to throw those, and there is no getting away from them.
I mean, my brother did kidnap their daughter to our island, so we owe them to be on our best behavior and show respect after creating so many problems for them in the first place.
Sure thing. See you there and say hi to Aileen from me.
Resting my head against the car seat, I wonder what would need to happen for me to finally break and let all my emotions out.
One can’t live forever in the prison of their own creation in order to protect those they love, but I will try.
After all, how hard can it be when no one looks beneath the surface anyway?
Him
Walking through the hallway toward the bathroom, I nod at several passing servers who smile at me while the inside of the coffee shop beams with life, annoyingly.
I’ve never found such crowded places entertaining.
Besides, in loud, crowded places, one might never know when the unexpected happens, and while it has a certain beauty, most idiots suck all the fun out of it and end up pissing me off even more.
Patience. Patience. Patience.
One must give awards to the likes of me. Otherwise, they’d be functioning in a rather bloody society if all psychopaths indulged in their vices whenever they pleased.
Reaching the bathroom, I push it open and kick it shut with my foot as the man washes his hands in the sink, checking himself out.
“What a stupid bitch,” he mutters at his reflection.
“She should be grateful I even paid attention to her.” He chuckles and grabs the paper towel, rubbing the back of his hand over his chin.
“If I hadn’t known she was a Wright, I wouldn’t have even looked twice at her.
” He stills when he notices me and lifts his chin.
“Hey, man.” His eyes widen, and a smile stretches his mouth. “Aren’t you…?”
Whatever he wants to say next turns into an agonized scream when I punch him hard in the stomach and spin him around, slamming his head against the sink, the cracking sound echoing in the space.
The greatest sound in this world is my victims’ endless cries for help, where there will never be one. Only in such a state can they truly understand how they fell into their own trap.
His muffled scream rumbles my palm when I lift him a little and cover his mouth, blood slipping through my fingers, and a thrill rushes through my veins, awakening everything ruthless inside me.
Ah, it would have looked exceptionally good pouring all over my dungeon’s floor. Yet I have neither the time nor the desire to prolong this bullshit.
Besides, I operate on the very strict code that the punishment should fit the crime, and as such, I’ll never go against it.
He might be an asshole who disrespects, fools, and uses women, but he’s not a rapist or a murderer, which means I’ll show him some generosity.
The keyword being some.
Spinning him around, I hit him in the face once again, and he stumbles, falling on his back and coughing, spitting blood all around him.
“What…what are you doing?” he manages to croak, and whimpers when I kick him hard, rolling to his side and bending his knees.
“Why?” Putting the heel of my shoe on his neck, I force him to focus his hazy-from-all-the-pain stare on me.
“I’ll sue you,” he warns, as if his threat will have any effect on me.
“Not if I cut out your tongue.”
Disgust fills me when tears fill his eyes, and all his bravado leaves him, making all this even more pathetic.
No matter what anyone says, everyone values a strong character, and if you do not fight for yourself, who the fuck will?
“Please, let me go,” he whispers, his face turning red when I press a little harder on his neck, and he gulps for breath when I lift my foot. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did,” he croaks. “I won’t tell anyone. Please.”
My mouth curves at the lie ringing in his tone. I did a little research the minute this asshole zeroed his gaze in on Lavender and decided to make her his next prey.
He built his entire broker career on the backs of clueless women who loved and supported him, only to dump them the minute he found someone younger, richer, and dumber to cater to his every whim.
He probably considered Lavender an easy target, which would have been an offense in itself, for how dare he compare my flower that bloomed under harsh conditions to some weakling?
“Just leave me alone,” he continues, which only earns him my laughter.
The minute he gets out of here, he’ll try to milk this situation and blackmail me to give him any amount of money he wants, just like he did with all these women.
“You hurt what belongs to me, Alex.”
“Wha—what?” he barely manages to push out when I once again add more pressure before stepping back, and he sighs in relief, gasping for more air. “I’m sorry.”
Sorry.
A meaningless word that never heals any wounds but just reminds one of the atrocities you have committed against them.
Leaning forward, I grab him by the throat and drag him to the nearest stall. I throw him inside as his head hits the tiled floor once again and shut the door behind him.
I wash my hands in the sink and grab a paper towel, drying them off before glancing at my reflection and placing an invisible mask of an emotion that’s foreign to me.
Fear.
I get out in the hallway and catch one of the servers, motioning toward the bathroom. “You need to call an ambulance and the cops. Something happened, there is blood everywhere!”
“Oh my God,” the girl mutters and rushes inside, only to scream, playing right into my hand.
Shortly, we have an ambulance picking him up on a gurney and going into the nearest hospital as he blindly points at me and tries to mutter something while the cops take my statement.
And I just happened to accidentally give them his unlocked phone that I supposedly “found,” which was open to his latest text messages with one of his victims. The thing is filled with evidence of his crimes against women.
Once we’re done, I call my own lawyer, and he picks up on the second ring. “What did you do?”
Stepping outside, I walk to my motorcycle. “Why do you assume I did anything?”
“Because you’re under the impression I love cleaning up your messes.” His cold tone has the power to freeze hell, and that’s one of the reasons most people don’t fuck with him.
“I think you at least must find them entertaining.”
“Trust me, I find nothing entertaining about a psychopath who deems himself invincible.”
“Oh no,” I sigh dramatically. “You hurt my feelings, Rafael. Aren’t we family now? A little more compassion wouldn’t kill you.”
“You don’t know what compassion is. And we became family against my will.
” One might say it was me who had no say in the matter.
Anger zips through me at the thought of my sister and her choice of husband who is almost twice her age.
I would have destroyed the guy, but my sister loves him, so I have to play nice and be a supportive brother even though I want to smash his head whenever I see him for what he’s done to her.
Anticipation quickly replaces my anger because soon he’d know what it is like to fail to protect your only sister from the possessive psychopath who finds her vital to his darkness and tarnishes her innocent soul.
He won’t be able to do anything about it, and I’ll enjoy every second of his agony.
That would be my greatest payback.
“Let’s just say none of us is happy to call the other family.
” I hear him pouring himself a drink as the ice in his glass clang against each other.
“You walk on the narrow line, and if you aren’t careful enough, you’ll get caught.
You can manipulate the law to a certain degree before it traps you in its clutches and sends you behind bars. ”
Hopping on my bike, I welcome the wind whooshing all around me, bringing coldness to my heated skin.
“I’m on my way to becoming a lawyer, so there is no need to give me lectures on morality.
” In fact, I find them hilarious at best and fucking useless at most, coming from him after what he has done.
The man is a ruthless, cruel, and brilliant lawyer who strikes terror into his opponents.
There is even a saying.
If you do not want to lose a fight, don’t go against a Wright.
“I covered my tracks well.”
“I’m aware of any situation involving you the minute your name pops up in any police report.” He takes a sip of his drink. I wonder if he’d choke on it if he knew how I’m going to trap his sister in my dungeon and do wicked things to her. “Watch your back.”
“Is this the equivalent of you worrying about me?”
“I give zero fucks about you. Your behavior may upset my woman, and she’s the most important person in this world to me.
” Possessiveness and a sense of ownership coat his voice.
“Your victim today will go to prison for a few years, so whatever he claims about you will be found groundless. Consider the incident gone. I’m warning you, though.
You ever harm an innocent? You can fuck off and fend for yourself because I won’t be saving your ass indefinitely, family or not.
Get your shit together before it burns your humanity.
” With this, he hangs up, and I shake my head, placing my phone in my pocket and putting on a helmet.
Run, moy lvenochek, run.
Roaring my motorcycle to life, I let the sound shut up all other voices and focus only on the road ahead.
Rafael is wrong.
My humanity was burned a long time ago.
On that faithful day when I turned six years old.