Ava stepped closer. “If someone hurt you—”
“I’m fine.” I cut her off. “My father is a good man. He helps people all the time. Where was yours when you needed help?”
The look on Dean’s face made me regret what I said, but I was too angry to care.
“Hey now,” Parker warned.
“Fuck you, Parker. You walk around town like a good guy, but you’re not. Look at you, standing there, dripping with what’s left of your last victim. Did it feel good when you killed them?”
His mouth shut, but he didn’t need to answer. I could see it written all over him. “Of course, it did because this is who you really are, right? A cold-hearted, murderous bastard who’s just like his brother.”
“Lash out all you want, Little Bird.” Preston unclipped the bungee cord around my hands and looked up at me. “It won’t erase your scars.”
“I don’t want to erase my scars.” They were mine. My war wounds were meant to remind me of what men with too much authority could do. Every time I saw one of those marks, I knew I’d survived. My father didn’t break me.
But Preston did.
“Those aren’t the scars I’m talking about.”
I lost it.
My fists swung, pounding against Preston’s chest while tears streamed down my face. He took every hit. He stayed there and let me beat my frustration and anger out while my father yelled in the back of my mind.
“I will beat the devil out of you, child.”
“Pray for salvation.”
“Your taint is a stain on this family.”
Then another voice.
“That’s a pretty dress. Did you wear it for me?”
I fought against the grimy touch crawling up my spine and beat away that wretched voice by pounding my fists until I couldn’t lift my arms anymore.
Exhausted, I collapsed against Preston’s chest.
My father didn’t believe me when I told him about the sheriff. He called me ‘dirty’ and said, ‘It was my fault for tempting him. If I had been a proper little girl, none of it would’ve happened.’ I was wrong in his eyes from that day forward.
I was wrong in everyone’s eyes. Trina thought I was too meek. Shelby wanted me to dress up more. Even Riley said I spent too much time in the library. I was the one that needed to be protected, sheltered, or enjoy life more. Everyone found fault in who I was.
Everyone except Preston.
My Bird’s emotional outburst cracked straight through her carefully built-up wall. She was exposed now—raw and prime for plucking. The hard work was over. The first break always took the longest, but once it occurred, other fractures followed. I didn’t expect my family to help me get there, but hey, whatever worked.
To top it all off, my brother also had a relevant breakthrough.
All in all, this was turning out to be a productive day. I might even go so far as to say I was in a good mood. But that was because of the spark in Marnie’s eyes as we pulled into my driveway.
The spark of panic.
I fucking loved that look. The way her body trembled and her muscles tensed.
She’d let me hold her. Not only that, but I was the one who calmed her down, and now she was freaking out. Her mind was spinning. I could see the wheels turning every time she looked my way. Poor little thing was confused, filled with self-hatred and a little intrigue, but it was the panic that held my interest.
What a beautiful cherry on top of my almost-perfect day.
Pulling the car to a stop, I reached out and grazed my fingers down her cheek. “Do you need to cry some more?”
