I waited.
“You had people in your corner,” King said, his voice dropping into something dangerous. “People who actually gave a shit about you. Jack, who has only ever wanted a family. Sam, who fucking forgave you. Who has fought for you to be accepted here. Haizley, who spent months,months, trying to teach you how to manage your rage, how to be better than your impulses. And you threw it all back in their faces the moment things got hard.”
He stepped closer, his presence suffocating in the small cell.
“You proved every single thing they tried to help you overcome. You proved that all the work was for nothing. That you learned nothing. That their investment in you meant absolutely nothing because the second you got angry, you reverted right back to being exactly what you claim to fear: a man who uses his fists when something doesn’t go his way.”
King’s jaw clenched. “You didn’t just betray Kat and Frankie. You betrayed them. You looked all three of them in the eye andtold them you were doing the work, and then you went out and proved you’re a goddamn liar. That all of it was meaningless.”
The words landed like a blade.
“You wasted their time. You wasted their effort. You wasted a genuine attempt to help you become better than you were. And for what? So you could shit all over them and prove you are irredeemable?”
King’s voice was ice. “That’s what pisses me off. Not that you made a mistake. That you made a choice to throw away someone’s genuine attempt to save you.”
The words hit like a punch to the gut.
My hands curled into fists at my sides. “You want me to apologize? Fine. I’m sorry I wasted everyone’s fucking time pretending I could change. I’m sorry I wasn’t fucking strong enough to be what they wanted me to be.”
“Cut the self-pity bullshit,” King snapped. “You think I don’t see what you’re doing? You’re sitting in this cell feeling sorry for yourself, convincing yourself you’re too broken to be fixed. It’s pathetic.”
Anger flared hot in my chest. “You don’t know a damn thing about me.”
“I know you’re wasting the second chance you’ve been given.” King stepped closer, his presence overwhelming in the small space. “I know you’ve got a woman out there who’s terrified of you, a kid who thinks you’re a monster, and instead of fighting for them, you’re sitting in here wallowing.”
“What the hell do you want me to do?” I demanded, my voice rising. “She’s gone. She doesn’t want me near her or Frankie. And she’s right. I’m dangerous. I’m unpredictable. I’m exactly what she’s afraid of.”
“Then prove her wrong.”
“I can’t.”
“You won’t.” King’s eyes blazed. “There’s a difference.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words died in my throat.
Because he was right.
I wasn’t staying in this cell because I couldn’t leave. I was staying because it was easier than facing what I’d done. Easier than looking Kat in the eye and admitting I was terrified of losing her. Easier than fighting for something I didn’t think I deserved.
King must have seen something shift in my expression because his voice softened slightly.
“You’re not your father, Derek,” he said. “But if you keep running from the man you could be, you might end up dying in prison just like him.”
The weight of his words settled over me like a shroud.
Before I could respond, footsteps echoed down the hallway again, faster this time, urgent.
The basement door flew open, and Jack appeared in the doorway, his face pale, his eyes wide.
“Derek,” he said, his voice tight. “Frankie’s missing.”
The world stopped.
“What?” The word came out strangled.
“She’s gone,” Jack said. “Sam just called. Frankie and Nox took off sometime last night. They don’t know where she is.”
Everything else, the fight, the blood, the fear, it all vanished in an instant.
