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Austin doesn’t respond, so I swing the bat at him again. He yells as I hit the same spot harder this time, but I can’t find it in me to care.
“Spit it out,” Finn says.
“Do whatever you want to me,” Austin snaps. “I’m not telling you shit.”
His shin is sore enough, so all I have to do is tap the bat against the same spot. I keep doing it, setting a rhythmic pace that has him flinching every time.
With a shake of his head, Finn crouches down. The look he gives Austin is one of pity and sadness, which is unexpected. “They’ve really got you that wrapped around their finger?”
“I’m loyal. You used to be,” Austin replies. “Remember? Or have you already forgotten what it’s like to be loyal to a cause? To have your life mean something?”
“Maybe I found a better cause.” Finn’s tone is detached, almost uninterested. But I know better than to believe it, even for a split second.
“Bullshit.” Austin shakes his head, and his eyes flare with hatred. “You gave up. The two of you were gonna run, weren’t you? Like fucking cowards. Everything was so hush hush, but people talk.”
He’s pissing me off, so I add more force to my taps. Austin grunts, and his voice wavers as he continues.
“I have my theories, and so does everyone else. She got to you. Poisoned you. And it worked. You let her in, and she ruined you. They should’ve executed you, too. They should’ve—”
“Stop.” At that, Finn stands. His detached demeanor is gone, but his rage is still well-contained. After glaring at Austin for another second, he turns to me. “I need some air. Do whatever you want, just keep him conscious.”
I watch him go without another word. He brushes past Wren, whose eyes are glued to me.
“You still okay?” I ask her after Finn slams the door at the top of the stairs.
She nods, and something in her expression draws me to her. I don’t realize I’m right in front of her until she has to tilt her face up to look at me.
“I don’t want to scare you,” I say quietly.
“You won’t.”
Even though I’ve already explained myself to her, I can’t stop myself from doing it again. Seeing Wren’s eyes wide with the same fear my mother felt toward my father would break me.
Dipping my head down, I rest my forehead against hers. “No matter what, I need you to remember that you’re safe with me. I’ll hurt people. I’ll draw out their pain before killing them. Hell, I’ve even done it on your behalf, and it won’t be the last time I do. But you—you willneverbe at risk of me doing something like this to you. Please . . . justplease.I need you to know that.”
“I do.” Her voice is strong as she angles her face to the side and kisses me. “I know, Rhett. This is different. You told me he deserves it, right?”
“Right.”
Somehow, she smiles. And somehow, it partially eases the ache in my chest. “I trust you.”
I let myself stay in her embrace for a few more seconds before breaking away. This is already taking longer than I meant it to.
Wren hovers a decent distance behind me as I advance toward Austin. For the few brief seconds I was focused on her, my anger faded to a bearable point. But now it slams into me again. All the pain. The secrets, the abuse, the lies. They all dig into me like barbed wire.
Ludo can’t pay tonight. Richard may never pay. But today, at least for a few hours, I can pretend. Austin can have a different face in my mind. Maybe then, once I’ve let some of this fury and hurt bleed out of me, I’ll be able to find momentary peace.
Austin doesn’t try to inch away. He just braces himself and squeezes his eyes shut. The bat connects with his ribcage, and a sickening crack fills the air as he doubles over.
“Fuck,” he wheezes.
I don’t give him even a second to recover. Throwing the bat to the floor, I kick him in the stomach. It’s with enough force that it knocks him over, and his head hits the floor with a thud.
Dammit.
I yank the chair back up. Austin’s face is twisted with pain, but his eyes are still open, which is all I care about.
“I’m not giving in,” he says in between shallow breaths.
