My patience is wearing thin. “Know what?”
“What it was like with a guy, okay? He was so… pretty.” His voice cracks. “But he didn’t want me. I disgusted him.”
Colson left this part out, and I understand why.
“But then he gets this boyfriend and they… In my room even…” His face twists with anger. “He always thought he was too good for me and my family, even though we gave him everything.”
“And the money your parents took from him?”
His eyes widen and he mumbles “Shit” like he thought I wouldn’t know about that.
“We needed it more than he did. My parents paid for everything, and they were just borrowing some of it. They were gonna give it back until Colson flipped out on everyone.”
“Let me get this straight. You’ve been carrying a decades-long grudge against Colson because he defended himself against your parents, because he was forced into a family he didn’t want to be in, and because you had the hots for him but he didn’t reciprocate. Did I get that right?”
Bradley’s gaze hardens again. “Fuck you.”
“Yeah, no. You should’ve stayed under whatever rock you were living under because Colson is mine and I protect what’s mine. You fucked up coming after him.”
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t the storm of rage that suddenly twists his features as he claws at my hand around his throat. He unwisely swings at me, apparently finding his survival instinct, but that just makes this more fun for me.
I punch him again, landing a cross to his jaw hard enough that he stumbles, catching the wall, but Wraith is there to toss him back towards me.
“Defend yourself,” I spit out before slamming my fist into his face again, splitting his eyebrow open.
Bradley swings at me again, barely making contact at all, but I step closer to at least give him a shot. He tries once more, landing one on my chin, and I smile before punching him in the mouth and busting open his bottom lip.
“Say you’re sorry and I’ll go easy on you.”
Bradley spits blood, raising his fists, but he’s wobbly. “Fuck off.”
My eyes meet Wraith’s and he nods, winking at me before I unleash my fury. In a blind haze, I pummel Bradley, punching, kicking, reveling in the sound of his bones cracking under the assault. I could easily kill him, but I’m dragging this out so he has time to consider how he got here.
My thoughts flood with images of Colson as a scared and unwanted teen, finding out his own family members didn’t want him, stole from him, turned on him. A fresh wave of rage hits me and I lose it, going at Bradley like a mad man until I feel Wraith’s hand on my arm.
I blink, stumbling back and trying to focus. Bradley is huddled on the floor, his face and body completely covered in blood. Breathing hard, I bend over and rest my hands on my knees, catching my breath.
“I have a message from Colson,” I mutter, reaching down to roll Bradley over so he’s facing me. He can’t open his eyes due to the swelling, and he’s now missing several teeth. I lean in close so he can hear me. “If there’s a hell, he hopes you rot in it. I’ve made sure you will.”
“I got it from here,bror,” Wraith says. I stumble back and lean against a wall, letting a feeling of peace wash over me.
Bradley can’t hurt Colson anymore. No one can. Not while I’m breathing.
It takes me a few minutes to calm down. Wraith is wrapping Bradley in a comforter he found, the man still groaning in pain, but it’s weaker now. He’ll be dead soon.
I help Wraith carry Bradley outside and throw him into the back of the SUV, unconcerned about anyone in this neighborhood seeing anything. Even if they did, who would they tell? The cops sure as fuck don’t come here.
Minutes later, I’m seated in the car looking down at my bloodied and sore knuckles. I might have broken something. I try to squeeze my left hand into a fist but it fucking hurts.
“Fuck,” I mutter.
“What’s wrong?”
“My hand is killing me.”
“Not surprising. I’ve never seen you like that.” He pats my shoulder. “It was impressive.”
I chuckle. “That was rage. Nothing but. I don’t think he realized at any point that he wasn’t walking away from this.”
