Page 18 of At The End Of The Day

“Jack…he…had two personalities, Dash. When we were alone, sometimes…He wasn’t so nice.”

“What do you mean?” he asked again, his tone strained.

“We don’t need to go into details—”

“The fuck we don’t, Tiny. I put my life on the line for you, don’t make me go in blind. Right now, I’m still on the fence what to do. You want me all the way in your corner, you gotta let me know what’s going on.”

Just above a whisper, she reluctantly replied with, “A few weeks ago, he…drugged me and…roughed me up in front of the kids.”

My feet stumbled over themselves, my stomach bottoming out as I ogled them through the trees in horror. My jaw gaping, I suddenly couldn’t breathe, my brain all too eagerly painting those disgusting images. Memories swirling like a flip book, the pages suddenly stopped on one individual, one of my sister sporting a slight bruise on her face covered by makeup. When asked about it, she’d told us she’d slipped on some water outside by the pool and fell. We had no reason not to believe her, why would we suspect she’d been lying?

“Jesus,” Tyler croaked, his elbows on his knees, his face in his palms.

“What do you mean…roughed you up?”

“You asked me where the bruise came from,” was all she said.

“He did that?” he wheezed.

Those alarms ringing louder, I replayed that memory, now seeing everything she’d try to conceal. A voice in my ear whispering, I was seconds from vomiting at the possibilities my imagination was creating. “What else are you not telling us?” I seethed, rounding the last tree to step out into the small clearing surrounding the covered swing.

She gasped, her spine snapping straight as she looked at me and blanched. Gawking, thick tears spilled down her cheeks to stain her tee shirt. A hand clapping over her mouth, she adamantly shook her head, her brows wrinkled high.

“You’re hiding something,” Tyler agreed.

Our sights locked, the wave of nauseousness intensified, threatening to spew forth my lunch. She was the absolute most important person in my life. From the day she came home from the hospital, I vowed to protect her at all costs, and I’d failed. I went to jail, leaving her helpless and exposed, vulnerable to Jackyl’s gross intentions. Now I was seeing just how deep the damage was. I had failed my little sister in the worst way, leaving her forever marred.

The world falling away to leave just me and her, my voice cracked when I stepped closer and asked, “What kind of drug did he give you?”

A sob shook her frame, sweat trickling down her temple. “Benzos, I believe,” she breathed.

“What?” Dash bellowed while Tyler retched, bending over to cover his face.

My energy gave out and I slumped into a squat, completely dumbfounded. How could he? What the fuck was his problem? “How many times, sis?” I choked out.

“A few.”

Dash’s back to us, one hand on his side, the other rubbing his face, he cleared his throat several times before speaking. “What did he do when you were high?”

“Letta,” Tyler chimed in, his hand trembling as he petted her back. “Did he rape you?”

Blubbering, she tilted her head and batted her lashes at the sky, her chin quivering. “I’m not sure. Honest, I don’t know. I…I think…maybe? I mean, I don’t know about the others, but the last time…possibly.”

“What the fuck?” Dash screamed so hard, he bent forward, his fists shaking.

Everything grew blurry and I swayed, dizzy. Did men faint, because it felt like I was about to. “Who the fuck is he? Twenty fucking years, my best fucking friend, and I don’t know who the fuck he is.”

All the tension between us erased just like that, for the time being, anyway, Dash came over and squatted beside me, rubbing my back. It was then I realized I was hunched over and puking on the ground. Until then, I’d totally checked out of reality, my mind floating to some subspace of denial. This wasn’t happening. Jackyl? Raping my sister? He was a fucking monster! He was nothing like I’d idolized and looked up to since I was a child.

“Hey, hey. Come on, brother. Get a grip.”

“Vinny, I’m so sorry!” she was weeping, Tyler’s arms wrapped around her.

My eyes watering, I was gasping, my throat scratched from the heaving. A hand lashed out and gripped Dash’s shoulder, desperate for some grounding. I needed an anchor to pull me back into my body and earth. Now was not the time to break into insanity. Violetta needed me more than ever.

“Hey.” His large palm cupped my cheek and forced me to look at him. His brows creased, I found myself focusing on the gold chips in his light irises. Bit by bit, my nerves prickled as I floated back into my body. Swallowing heavy breaths, I nodded stiffly.

His fingers curled around my nape, and he copied with a slight bob of his head. “You okay now?”