“What’s the matter with you, Nate? You need to stop resisting.”
To no surprise at all, my question and comments were met with silence. I was frustrated by his actions and Diego’s lack of involvement. Here I thought we had been bonding and that he knew I was providing a better life for him. Max unlocked the SUV, and before I pushed Nate into the back seat, I grabbed his bleeding hand and looked at it to make sure he didn’t have glass in it.
“Do we have a first aid kit or something, Max?” I pushed Nate’s face in one direction.
“We should,” Max said as he opened up the back hatch.
“Hurry it up,” I barked at Max while examining the scratches and broken skin on Nate. “Are you okay?” The question of concern slipped out before I could prevent myself from asking it. When he nodded, all I could do was shake my head at him. “Why did you do that? Diego doesn’t run.”
Max appeared with some antiseptic wipes and a few bandages. Seeing all of the blood on Nate’s palms enraged me as I cleaned his hand.
“I’m so fucking pissed at you right now, Nathan. I trusted you. I gave you an inch and you fucking stole a mile.”
I gritted my teeth and kept my mouth tightly shut. I put the bandage on his hand and then dabbed the wipe against the scrape on his face.
“Get in the fucking car, Nate.” I handed Max all of the trash and bloody wipes while Nathan climbed into the back seat. “Scoot the fuck over. I can’t trust you to even sit in the fucking back seat.”
I got into the back beside Nate, forcing him between Diego and myself. I slammed the door shut. Anger boiled over, and I reached over and grabbed the back of his neck, and when I squeezed, I got the most assertive reaction out of him. He jerked his head away from me and then stared at me with a scowl on his face. His father used to do that to him, and it seemed to instantly trigger a reaction from him.Good. Get angry.
“Are you finally angry now? Huh?” I slapped his face and the side of his head. I glanced at Diego when I saw him reach out to try to shield Nate’s head from my hand.What the fuck?Diego pulled his hand back to his lap.
“Yes,” Nate growled.
“Good. Welcome to the fucking club, Nathan. Channel that anger and use it against your opponent.”
The four of us were silent in the car for a while. When I felt a little calmer and less shaky, I tried talking to him.
“Why’d you run?” I asked him again. “I swear to God, Nathan, you better answer me.”
“My dad,” he snapped.
“Your dad. The one who gave you to me as if you meant nothing? The one who gambled away your mother’s life insurance instead of providing a stable home for you? The one who had you eating out of the trash?” I shook my head and tried to wrap my head around how Nate could even give a fuck about Joel Barnes. “Explain to me what the fuck your dad has anything to do with you running,” I demanded.
“He hasn’t answered any of my calls since I’ve been here. I wanted to check on him,” Nate answered as we pulled into the garage.
What the ever-loving fuck?
“Get your useless ass inside,” I instructed. “Since you like how your father treated you like shit, I’ll continue that behavior. Get your ass to the room that I let you sleep in. I don’t want to see your shitty face until we train tomorrow,” I yelled at him and then shoved him away from me.
Before Diego escaped, I grabbed him by the arm to remind him of his place. When he turned around, I slapped him in the face several times. He knew better than to try to block my hand. He only closed his eyes and lowered his head slightly.
“Oh, you’re suddenly wise now?” I grabbed his hair and slapped him again. “What the fuck were you thinking in the car? Huh?”
“I’m sorry, sir. I wasn’t thinking,” Diego mumbled. His tongue slipped out of his mouth and swiped at the blood my hand had drawn from his lower lip.
“Don’t ever let me catch you blocking me again. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
Uncontrollable rage hit me like a ton of bricks, and I decided to follow Nate.
“Marcos,” Max warned.
I stormed down the hall, ignoring Max. I pushed the door to the bedroom open and grabbed Nate by the arm. I shook him like a rag doll while hitting him in the face.
“Explain to me why you want to check on your scumbag father. Why do you give a fuck about him?”
Nate tried to shield his face, and the little punk even tried hitting me back. He tried pounding on my hand that gripped his arm. Stupid boy. From the hallway Max called my name a few times. I knew he was trying to get me to slow down and step away from Nate. And I would as soon as I said what needed to be said.
