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I watch as Knox’s face turns red. His cheeks puff. But all I see is the red haze of rage.
I could kill him and die a happy man, of this I’m sure.
“What the hell is going on?” Teagan comes up behind me and yanks at my arm while I fight him off.
“Get the hell off me,” I hiss as Graham helps. “Let me at him!”
Together, they manage to pin my arms behind my back. I thrash and pull and yank against their hold on me, bucking like a wild animal. My teeth gnash together, my face hot with pure, unadulterated hatred. “You’re a fucking monster!”
The darks of Knox’s eyes dilate as he drags in a breath, a hand at his throat as he scrambles to stand up. “What the hell, man?”
A spurt of dark laughter bubbles from my lips.
I stop fighting Teagan and Graham, so they let up, but Atlas shifts to hover in the space between us, and I’m vaguely aware of Mackenzie and Skylar cowering in the corner.
“Knox, what’s he talking about?” Teagan asks, his gaze shifting between us.
“Yeah, Knox, tell him.” I jerk my head, my lips curling in disgust.
“You’re fucking crazy,” Knox spits out, wiping the blood off his busted lip, and I charge him again. I get another right hook in, catching the side of his face and grazing his jaw as Atlas hooks his arms under mine, and hauls me away again.
“Let me fucking go!” I scream.
This time when Teagan talks, he addresses his attention to me. “What did he do? What’s going on?”
I stare at him for a moment, debating my choices. It’s not my story to tell, but I also kind of blew Brynn’s cover by losing my shit.
I have no idea what to do, but when I hear footsteps behind me, I turn to see Brynn.
She hovers at the entrance to the living room, her wide eyes taking in her surroundings. Knox’s bloody lip and Atlas pinning my hands behind my back are dead giveaways. And when she meets my gaze, all of the fear, anger, and shame she’s ever felt about her assault moves through the violet of her eyes like a riptide, threatening to suck her under.
Maybe I should regret my actions. Maybe I should never have touched Knox, but I can’t find it in me to feel remorse. He deserves to pay for what he’s done, and the only thing I’d do differently next time is wait until no one else was in the room.
But if she’s ever wanted closure on what happened to her, now is the time. This is her chance, surrounded by people who love her. People who will protect her.
“Brynn . . .” I rasp out, my voice a plea. My eyes telling her what she already knows, that she needs to tell them.
She inhales a sharp breath, then turns to Teagan and says, “It was Knox.”
Teagan’s brow furrows, unable to connect the dots. His mouth parts, trying to comprehend what she’s telling him but she beats him to the punchline.
“Teagan, it was Knox who assaulted me sophomore year.”
All the blood drains from Teagan’s face.
Pity replaces the anger in my stomach as I watch him slowly comprehend what she’s told him.
“What’s she talking about?” Teagan glances at Knox, his voice barely above a whisper.
Knox snorts. “How the fuck should I know? She’s as crazy as he is.” He jerks his head toward me. “You deserve each other.”
“I’ll fucking kill you,” I say, trying once more to get to him, but Atlas’s arms are like steel traps, holding me down.
Atlas grunts with the exertion. “Just wait a fucking minute,” he grinds out.
Teagan steps forward, and I stop struggling with Atlas to see what he’ll do. “Was it you?” he asks, his tone oddly detached.
“Hell, no,” Knox yells, his nostrils flaring.
