I just didn’t know what I could do to stop it. I wracked my brain for days with no solutions.
Finally, the day of Ryder’s appointment, I went to O’Dell’s office. I planned on offering myself in hopes of satiating the man’s disgusting need for underage boys.
As I reached the door, feeling cold, numb, and dirty, he called out to me. “I sure hope Ryder is as satisfying as you are, Maddox.”
Livid fury burned in my chest as I spun on my heels. I couldn’t see anything but red. I crossed the room in three long strides, grabbing the puny, pudgy man by the lapels of his suit. Iplanted him on his desk in one quick motionand began to pound his face with my fist.
He begged and pleaded and cried, but I didn’t care about his wailing and moaning. I just continued to hammer, inflicting every ounce of acrid rage that had been building inside for years on his face and body. Blood flew, cartlidge crunched, flesh broke as I delivered my punishment.
The doors flew open,and hands grabbed me, pulling me off the man. I think I heard someone yell to call an ambulance, but I couldn’t be sure.
I turned to see Ryder standing in the door, a look of total disbelief on his face as he looked to O’Dell and then back to me. He didn’t know. He would never know. But I did it all for him. I would never let anyone hurt him the way they hurt me.
An hour later, I was taken into custody by the police. When my father showed up that night, he was irate, demanding to know what had gotten into me.
“I did what needed to be done,” I told him with my chin tilted up.
For the first time, the look of disappointment in his eyes didn’t hurt. I didn’t care who was disappointed in me. I didn’t feel even the slightest bit guilty that Murphey O’Dell would need reconstructive surgery and therapy for months.
But I did feel guilty for one thing. That he was still breathing, and I vowed to myself that one day, I would rectify that problem.
The wrecked and jaded
Present Day
I look over everything I’ve written with a sigh. The urge to rip it all out strikes again. Not like anyone will actually see this. It’s just another fabrication my brain has conjured that keeps me from leaving this place. Because I quite literally cannot make myself move on from here.
Maybe somewhere deep inside, I’m hoping Bastian does show up. That he drags my ass, kicking and screaming all the way back to River City.
All the way back to the girl I am missing so much it hurts. It’s been a couple of days since I left,and my already broken heart keeps breaking. I just keep reminding myself it’s for the best. Not like she would want me now anyway. Not after what I said. And the idea of being near her but not having her is like swallowing a vat of acid. It’sburning me up from the inside out.
She’s not the only one I’ve hurt these past few weeks. I may have spoken to Ryder before I left, but I’ve been avoiding him and everyone else for weeks. I know they’re worried about me, and I don’t mean to add to that worry. I’ve just—I didn’t want to see their worry and pity. I didn’t want them to see the truth. That I’m not any better now than I was before.
And Zoey. I never meant to hurt her. I’ve caused her enough pain over the years. I’ve hurt her more times than I can count, but I just couldn’t see her. I didn’t want to look in her eyes and see the fear I knew would be there.
But, of fucking course, Jax—fucking Jax—ever her protector and defender couldn’t leave it alone. She sheds a tear,and he’s ready to blast the world. I don’t blame him. I really don’t. How could I when I feel the same way? But this time, I needed her to stay away. I just couldn’t see or talk to her. My head just wasn’t there.
I was also not in the mood for Jax. He and I had an uneasy alliance of sorts. He knew how I felt about Zoey and how she felt about me. We had a connection he didn’t understand but tried to accept. Just like I accepted she was and would always be his. Something I’d known probably from the moment I met her.
But there was always this underlying tension between the two of us. Neither of us fully trusted the other for a long damn time, but we co-existed for her.
Then he had to blow it all out of the water with his damn hot head. And Jax didn’t know it, but I was not in the mood for his bullshit. For the first time in over a decade, I had no intentions of being his punching bag, verbal or otherwise.
But that wasn’t all he accomplished that day. I denied it to myself, but that was the day I fell for the girl.
Seven weeks ago
“Oh, God!” Quinn erupts on my tongue for the third time that afternoon. I grinned as I lapped every drop she offered to me. Like a sacrifice of milk and honey. “Please, no more.”
I crawl up her tight little body, my grin still firmly in place. Her wild curls sprawl out on the pillow like a messy halo, and sweat beads on her flushed face as she fights to catch her breath.
I drop my mouth to her in a long, sensuous kiss, allowing her to taste her bliss on my lips. The head of my cock teases her entrance, making her writhe beneath me. She says no more, but since the moment she came on my hand, the little siren has been insatiable.
“Masters,” a deep voice carries through the renovated warehouse on a boom.
Quinn’s eyes grow wide with worry and fear. It pisses me off because who the fuck does he think he is?
“Wh—who is that?” her voice quakes with worry.
