CHAPTER TWELVE
HAWK
I didn’t think anger could take a hold of me like this, but it has, and I’m lost to it. Falcon and Crow watch me. They know this is a game changer. I’m silent for too long, but I can’t find the words. I’ve struggled since that night.
“I’m going out,” I announce. They know where I’m going, there is no need to ask questions, and there is certainly no need to follow, but Falcon does. Crow has always been more understanding of my needs because he has his own. Falcon takes a calmer approach to situations which hurt him, anger him, I’ve never been able to do it. “I don’t need a babysitter,” I grit through clenched teeth.
He’s trying to help when his hand lands on my shoulder, stopping me. I spin on my heel, ready to take him down when Falcon grabs my face in his hands and pulls me toward him. His lips find mine, and we kiss. Teeth gnashing at plump lips. The need to devour is strong, it takes a hold of me and doesn’t let go.
When Falcon finally breaks the kiss, his gaze locks on mine. “Don’t do stupid shit,” he tells me. “Let’s go down there and question the girl.”
“If I go near her right now, I’ll hurt her,” I admit. I’ve never hit a woman, never touched one in anger, but with her, knowing what I do now, I can’t deny I’m tempted to make her cry.
“I’ll be with you,” Falcon assures me, his hands still holding me steady. I wonder if I should. I know running away from problems is not the way to solve them. We need her to know what we’ve been through. I have to tell her my story at some point, but right now, all I can see is the deception in those angelic features. There’s a light in her and I’m dying to snuff it out. I want her to be in pain.
“And what if you can’t stop me?” I ask him earnestly. There have been times in the ring where I was convinced I could kill again. Not as a job, but for fun. In the past, it was required of me, but then I got lost to it. The sense of satisfaction I found when I watched the light die in someone’s eyes, it was euphoric.
“You know I’ll kick your ass,” Falcon tells me, but there’s a guarded fear in his eyes. He doesn’t want to believe I’ll hurt her, but the fact he’s not one hundred percent sure shows on his face.
“Falc,” I whisper. “I want to, I really do.”
“Then stop fighting me, trust me to be there for you,” he pleads, it’s affectionate, more so than I deserve. But I nod anyway. He smiles then, it’s bright on his face. He’s the joker of the three of us.
“Are you two done cuddling now?” Crow questions as he pushes off the wall he’d been leaning on.
“Fuck you,” both Falcon and I bite out, but there’s a lightheartedness to the room. The tension has lifted, even if momentarily. But I ask, “Are we all going down there?”
“Yes,” Crow affirms with a nod. “We’re in this together. I’m not letting you go down there alone.” He may be the colder one of the three of us, but there’s still love in his heart. It only comes in the form of firm words and a swift nod, but it’s there.
We move silently through the house until we reach the steps taking us down to the basement. The echoes of our footsteps will alert her of her impending doom, but she doesn’t know how much I want to see her bleed right now.
The documentation confirms what I always thought. At first, I figured I was going crazy. It wasn’t possible, but it most definitely is. There is no other explanation for it, Lucille was with her father that night.
She wasn’t only a victim, but she stood beside him when he tortured the one person I loved more than anyone else. Even my folks would joke around about me caring more about my sister than them, because it was true. I took being an elder brother seriously. There was only a year between us, she was mine to look after.
By the time we reach the basement, every inch of my body is thrumming, as if an electric current is running right though me. The door creaks open, and on the bed, is the angelic blonde.
“On your feet,” Crow demands, his tone rigid.
She doesn’t ignore him this time. I’m certain it has something to do with the fact he slapped her. Fear can make people submit so easily. It’s beautiful to watch. He drags the chair over the concrete floor, making sure to have the sound bounce off the walls. Lucille’s wince is clear as he sets it in the center of the room.