“Tell me what you know, then.”
“I don’t know anything. Not really.” She fills her mug with hot water, tugging at the teabag before she looks at me again. “Leo and Freddie, they’ve been looking into something—” She stops abruptly at the sound of the front door bursting open. Pulling one of the kitchen drawers open, she grabs a large knife and holds it up in front of her.
“Cass!” Leo’s voice echoes from the dark hallway through to the living area just as he appears in the opening. “Why didn’t you pick up your phone?”
He strides purposefully to her, taking the knife from her hands and putting it down on the counter. “I thought something was wrong.”
Cupping her face, he takes a good look at her. I see his posture going from relieved to tense, and I know the minute he sees my handprint on her neck.
“Hey, Neat Freak.” Her voice comes out a little too high-pitched and raspy.
“What happened to your neck?” It’s not really a question. It’s a warning that he’s about to lose his shit. Looking over his shoulder, his eyes flit to my hands, still balled at my sides.
He comes at me so quick I don’t have time to do anything. I don’t stop him. I don’t fight him.
Fisting the collar of my T-shirt, he pushes me to the nearest wall. The last time we got into a physical fight was because I was trying to protect Cassie from him, or all the shit that being with him would thrust her into.
How things have changed.
“You don’t put your hands on what’s mine!” He’s right up in my face, fists pressing so hard onto my collarbone that it feels like it might snap.
It’s the first time in so long that what I feel on the outside correlates with everything inside.
His teeth clench so hard that he’s spitting his breaths as his forehead butts mine, grinding my head to the wall. The green of his eyes glows with hatred.
“You want to hurt someone? Huh?” Letting go of my collar, his hands close around my neck. “Go on, big man, hurt me.”
“Leo…” Cassie tries to pry him from me, but his rage has him tightening his grasp. My jugular pounds as my head feels like it’s about to pop. “Leo, please. I’m fine. It was a misunderstanding. Please…stop.”
“No man puts his hands on a woman by mistake.” Horror and disgust has bile burning up my sternum. “No man, no matter who the fuck he is, puts his hands on you.” Looking at Cassie, he shakes me. “You understand? Nobody touches you and is left unscathed.”
“I get it!” Her voice dims as my eyes begin to bulge, my vision blurring. “You’re going to kill him! Stop! Leo! Pleee…”
I don’t know when I come to, but it’s quiet. For a moment the dark startles me, and I think I might be dead at first. But then the headache pounds, and pain pulses in the centre of my face.
“Welcome back, fuckhead.”
My head spins as I try to get up. Then I remember why I feel like this. What happened.
“Motherfucker.”
“You lay a finger on her again and I’ll end you.” Getting up, he stops beside me. “You owe me a new sofa.”
“You broke my fucking nose.” Or at least it feels like he has.
“You did it first. Call it payback and be grateful it wasn’t your neck.”
“I lashed out. I didn’t mean to hurt her.” Finally managing to sit up, I have to hold my aching head.
“I don’t care,” he barks at me. “How many times do you think my father said that to my mum? You think because Cassie’s your sister it’s not the same? It’s not as bad?”
Breath sticking in my throat at his words, I shudder. Shame and guilt overwhelms my frayed nerves and emotions.
“I know you’re in pain, Christopher. Believe me, no one has more regrets than I do about everything that’s happened. I want to find the cunts, but I can’t do that if I have to protect Cassie from you too. If I can’t trust you, then I won’t help you.”
“What about-what about…fuck!” I can’t say her name. It physically hurts.
Leo walks away, and hate threatens to swallow me whole. I hate myself for all the things I’ve done and failed to do. All the things that got us where we are.