AllFreeNovel
Share Us
***
Bently sat on his couch, his computer open on his lap. TJ’s words stuck with Bently long after he’d finished quizzing the young man for his test. An uncomfortable briar wedged deep in the back of his mind. The kid had a valid point. How could one man solve world peace? How could you convince another person to leave their bias in the garbage where it belonged? How could you change what was imbedded in the DNA of an entire country?
It had to start somewhere. Shattered Cove seemed as good a place as any.
Bently clicked open his browser and pulled up a list of books on racism and White privilege. TJ was right—it wasn’t his job to give Bently answers. Change started from within. The first step in battling ignorance and prejudice was identifying your own.
Chapter 19
Bently
Pain radiated along Bently’s neck as his head snapped back from the blow.
“Stupid, good-for-nothing, pussy boy. Man up! Get off your ass and face me like a real man. You think you’re so tough.” The growl of his father’s voice told him all he needed to know. If he didn’t get back up, his father would take out his rage on someone else. His mother, his little brother, or possibly his baby half sister.
“Stop!” his little brother’s tiny voice yelled.
Paul Evans turned his scowl onto Mikel’s five-year-old body. Bently shot to his feet, ignoring the throbbing ache.
“Go to bed, Mikel!” Bently yelled.
Mikel looked back and forth as Jasmine began to wail in their mother’s arms. She needed him to protect her too. Maybe if he was stronger, or smarter, he’d be able to get them to safety, away from the monster that was their father.
Paul Evans took a swaying step forward towards Mikel. Bently tucked his shoulder and rammed into his dad. The man’s rage now focused on him, rather than the others.
“You son of a bitch!” Paul screamed as he brought his fist down hard on Bently’s back again and again. Pain sliced through him.
A sweaty hand grabbed his neck and pushed him against the wall. His feet dangled helplessly, inches from the floor. Bently grabbed his father’s wrists, fighting for a breath. Fear and anger mixed with the adrenaline pounding through his veins. The man’s unforgiving grip only tightened. The alcohol on his father’s rank body odor burned Bently’s nose, tainting the tiny bit of oxygen he managed to gasp. Maybe this would be the day his father finally killed him. No. He needed to live, if only to protect them.
The ice-blue eyes of his father seemed to glow red with rage. “I hate you. You are good for nothing. Dirty bastard that you are, you’ll never amount to anything. You hear me? You’re nothing!” The edges of Bently’s vision darkened. He wasn’t strong enough. I’m gonna die and they’ll be next.
The pounding blood in his ears didn’t fully drown out Mikel’s screams and Jasmine’s crying. A small hand pressed down on his father’s, making him release his hold. Bently crumpled to the ground, gasping for breath through his burning throat. He looked up in time to see his father’s hand slap across his mother’s face, leaving a scarlet handprint against her fair skin.
He’d failed her. Again.
Bently shot out of bed, gasping in fresh oxygen. His eyes scanned the darkened room, alert. His body buzzed from the adrenaline, and was slick with sweat. The only sound in the room came from the football game still playing on the television. He’d fallen asleep on the couch. It was just a dream. Just a memory.
He shut the TV off and ran upstairs. He needed to clear his head. He’d start with a shower.
***
An hour later, Bently sat at The Shipwreck downing his third whiskey for the night. He normally stuck to beer and limited himself to two drinks, wanting to be nothing like the man who shared half his biology. He’d prove that everything in life was a choice. Bently would be better. Despite what the monster had done to try to break him, he’d risen above.
But tonight, Bently just wanted to forget. Because for the first time in a long time, he wished he could be someone else. Someone who could love and be worthy of love in return. He was too broken.
Belle had made it clear she couldn’t be with him in the way he wanted without getting her heart involved. Bently may have been an asshole, but he wasn’t that selfish. He shook his head. He wouldn’t use her like that. She needed someone deserving of her, who’d take care of her. Someone who could give her a full life with everything she wanted. He wasn’t even fully a man thanks to fucking cancer. No woman who wanted a future would choose him if they knew.
The small voice inside him whispered, She’ll leave you, once she sees what a failure you are. You couldn’t even protect those you loved most.
His mother had killed herself, leaving them all alone with that monster. He hadn’t been able to get her out in time. His brother had even left without a word. Yeah, he was back, having faced his demons and found his happiness with Remy.
Jasmine was the only constant in his life, but she needed him to watch over her, like he’d failed to do in the past. So many people depended on him, and he couldn’t afford another. His grip tightened around the glass as his thoughts spiraled. So many reasons to stay away from her.
Claire Reed approached him, bottle of whiskey in her hand. “Would you like another?”
He nodded. “Just fill ’er up.”
Claire’s eyes crinkled at the sides. Her brow furrowed with concern, but she didn’t ask questions and did as he said. That was one thing he liked about Claire Reed—she kept her thoughts to herself.
