“I understand it to a point,” Hunt says. “Because she didn’t know if you’d deliberately gotten her pregnant, but she should’ve fessed up once she knew the truth.” He shakes his head. “I’m disappointed in her.”
“I lied to her about who I was, and we’ve all seen evidence of her anger.” I flatten my palms on the counter as fury builds momentum inside me. I’m trying to hold on to that thought, because I know I’ve hurt her and lied to her and I know this is how Abby copes. She doesn’t take things lying down. Her fighting spirit and her survival instincts are some of the things I love most about her.
But I’m so fucking mad she tricked me.
All week, she’s let me believe she was pregnant.
All week, I’ve been harboring notions of us as a family, and I’ve been actively making plans.
All week, I’ve been living a charade because none of it was real.
“That doesn’t excuse it,” Sawyer says. “She’s gone out of her way to piss you off since you arrived, and now this?” He arches a brow, and an overwhelming urge to defend her sweeps over me.
“She was hurting, Hunt.” I rub the dull ache spreading across my chest. “Look at everything she’s been through. She wanted to hurt me back and regain some control, and I can’t hold that against her. Not after all the shit I’ve done to her.” The words imprint on my heart and my soul, making me realize my anger is misplaced. He slowly nods, getting it.
Yes, I’m pissed she did it. And I’m hurting over our loss.
But it’s not her I’m angry with.
The murderous rage I feel toward Michael Hearst is unlike anything I’ve ever felt. I’ve spent the best part of my life hating him, and his assault on Abby only compounded it.
But this.
This is…
A shuddering breath leaves my body, and I have no way of articulating the venom I possess for that man.
He will suffer. Even if I die ensuring vengeance.
“That bastard needs to pay,” Lauder says, as if he has a direct line to my thoughts.
“I should’ve persevered the night I broke into their place and gone after him instead of stopping to tackle Louis.”
“Louis deserved to die.” Hunt grips my shoulder. “And we all knew it was a long shot. Hearst is well protected. You stood no real chance of getting to him.”
“I need to get out of here.” I eyeball Hunt. “There’s a fight club in Nexton, a couple towns over.”
“It’s too risky, Kai.”
I crack my knuckles. “I don’t have a choice.” I let him see the darkness clawing at my insides. “I need to beat someone to a bloody pulp, or I’ll take it out on her.”
“She’s been hurt enough.” Lauder’s response is predictable, and it grates on my nerves.
“Stop fucking interfering.” I hiss. “She’s mine to worry about, and I know she’s hurting. This has devastated her.” I grip the side of the island. “Why the fuck do you think I’m risking discovery? I need to fight, or I’ll do something I regret. I don’twantto take it out on her.”
And while a part of me knows she needs to be punished so she knows not to fucking keep shit from me again, I can find more creative ways of making her suffer.
Hunt has been watching me. “Okay.” He straightens up. “But we’ll need to make contingency plans to leave sooner than later.”
“Agreed.” I level a look at Hunt. “Start the car, and I’ll follow you out.”
He leaves, and I face Lauder. “Can I trust you to watch over her and not touch her?”
He faces off with me, anger splaying across his features. The enforced weed ban when we first arrived here made me realize it’s been so long since I’ve seen genuine expression on his face. Even now, I’d take his anger over his casual, stoner face any day.
“I haven’t laid a finger on her,” he says through gritted teeth.
“But you want to,” I challenge.
