Page 19 of Where He Ended
His mouth goes slack. “Wha—no, that's not what I meant! Dominic. Please. Use your head, not your heart.”
Crushing my molars until my brain throbs, I drop him to the floor. There's a flicker of relief in his eyes as he stares up at me. “My head is telling me to break the rest of your fingers on that injured hand of yours. My heart is telling me to snap your jaw.”
A hundred new wrinkles spring up around the corners of his eyes. “If you hurt me, I'll make sure I'm not the only company that refuses to touch your family's banks ever again.”
I crouch, balancing on the balls of my feet. Franklin back-pedals but there's nowhere for him to go. “Guess I'll have to figure out how to deal with that.” His eyes fly wide; I snag his shirt, shoving him towards the doorway. He spreads out on his belly, flailing until he rolls onto his back.
That's good—real fucking good.
It means I get to watch his expression when I crush my heavy boot onto his uninjured hand, breaking every bone in it. Both his hands are useless now. He screams until his voice sounds like metal caught in a garbage disposal. I have to yell louder so he'll hear me. “I went with the third option, listening to my gut.”
He curls up, groaning. Standing there, my adrenaline flooding my veins, I savor how he quakes in fear. I want him to suffer. This isn't enough, yet it'll have to do.
I wait until he stops shouting; I need him to listen. Franklin's voice vanishes, gone from all the exertion. He cradles his hand, and with a pathetic sniffle, he gapes up at me.
“I want to kill you,” I say calmly. “I want you in the ground in an unmarked grave so no one will ever waste a second of their life mourning you. It's not like anyone would be surprised if I did it. Know why I'm not?” His head barely twitches side to side. “Because murdering you would be too hard to hide. I'm not letting something as basic as prison keep me away from Laiken. In a way, you owe her your life.”
He starts sobbing, snot mixing with his dried blood on his upper lip. I don't feel sorry for Franklin. The rage I hold for him is only equal to what I have for my parents. How they conspired to do this to Laiken is beyond reproach.
I've never felt so cold towards Silas and Annie.
Like I can't forgive them.
Like I don'twantto.
I finally understand what snapped inside of me earlier.
The part that was dedicated to seeking every scrap of approval, every hint of love, from the people who brought me into this world?
It’s gone.
