“No,” I said.And neither does Astrid, it appears.
“Come on, Archie,” Mom said, hopping up from the stool and walking over to me.She wrapped her small arm around mine and smiled up at me.“I think it will be good to get away once you graduate.You know, to celebrate.”
“Celebrate what?”
“You graduating school.”
“Not interested.I have plans.”
“Please think about it,” Mom said.“For me.”
I gazed down at her, spotting her wedding ring glimmering underneath the overhead light.It looked perfect, except for …
I furrowed my brow, tugged my arm away from hers, and pulled her hand closer to my face.
“Why the fuck are your knuckles scraped?”I asked.
Mom pulled her hand away from mine and walked back to the stool.“Oh, don’t wor?—”
My gaze snapped to Astrid’s dad.“What the fuck did you do to her?”
His eyes widened.“I didn’t do?—”
“Don’t give me excuses,” I snarled, lunging toward him.
Astrid stepped between us and shoved me back a few feet.“What is your problem?!”
“Archie …” Mom took Astrid’s place.“You know Oscar wouldn’t do that.”
“No, I don’t,” I said between clenched teeth.“Why are your knuckles scraped?”
Astrid’s dad and my mom shared a look, and then Astrid’s dad turned back to the steak cooking on the stove.
“I told you that you shouldn’t hide it from him, honey.He’s bound to find out one way or another.”
Mom blew out a breath and set her hands on my chest.“Promise you won’t be mad?”
I glared at the back of Astrid’s dad, then Astrid herself.“No.”
“I ran into your father yesterday,” she said.
My gaze dropped down to her, blood boiling.“You.What?”
“I was out shopping, bringing groceries to my car, and he?—”
I stepped past her and stormed toward the front door.“I’m going to kill him.”
Before I could race around all of Redwood to find that fucker, Mom grabbed my wrist and tugged me backward.“You’re not going to go anywhere near him.I don’t know what he’ll do to you if he finds you.”
“He should be worried about what I’ll do to him when I find him,” I growled.
Cut him up into tiny little pieces.Feed him to his awful dogs.Decorate his living room with his blood, like he used to do with us.That fucker didn’t deserve to live, and he knew that.That was why he targeted her and not me.
If he showed his face around me, I’d murder him with my own two hands.I wasn’t that little kid anymore that he could push around.I had the same fucking fire inside of me for him that he’d had with us while I was growing up.
“Please, Archie,” Mom pleaded, using her soft voice on me.
I flared my nostrils and turned around toward her and the others.Astrid stared at me through wide eyes.I pursed my lips and gritted my teeth, wishing that she weren’t in the room.I didn’t want her overhearing our business.It didn’t matter to her, and she shouldn’t care.
