Tortured Souls (Rebels of Sandland 2)

“Yeah, Ryan. Hear me out. Listen to your bitches.”

He didn’t like that, and I couldn’t give a fuck.

“Fuck you, Brandon,” Zak scowled at me like the bitch he was.

I laughed. I liked stirring shit up like this. I’d missed the banter. I held my hand up to my ear, pretending I was deaf to mock him. “Fuck me, was that? Or fuck me over? ‘Cos the three of you have been doing a really good job of that lately.”

Ryan charged forward, panting like a rabid dog. If they could, his nostrils would’ve been blazing fire.

“You fucked yourself over, mate.” He held his arms up like he was the fucking boss. “So, tell us, what are you doing here? It’s a bit of a coincidence that you’ve chosen today of all days to come back. Checking to see how your secret revenge plan is going, hey?”

I had no fucking idea what he was on about. What was special about today?

I didn’t take the bait though. This meeting was going to progress on my terms, not theirs.

“Mate, if I had a revenge plan for you three fuckers, you’d know about it. No secrets here. I’m as honest as shit about how much I fucking hate you and what you did to me. But as usual, I have no clue what you’re on about. Are you that scared of me you’re starting to make things up in your head now?”

I saw anger then exasperation wash over each of their faces, and it spurred me on to know I was getting to them.

“What we did to you? What exactly did we do to you?” Ryan narrowed his gaze at me. He was doing a really good job of looking like a clueless twat.

I ran my hand over my jaw and gave them my signature smile. The one that told them I didn’t take any shit.

“We had a fight over a girl. I can handle that. We lost our heads over a bit of pussy and we went crazy.” I shrugged like it was no big deal.

“You fucking cunt.” Ryan went to launch himself on me, but Zak and Finn held him back.

“That’s it, bitch. Let your guard dogs keep you in check.” I smirked, knowing I was driving him insane and loving every minute.

He pointed his finger at me, leaning over Zak’s shoulder as he shouted. “You call Emily a bit of pussy again and you’ll regret it.”

I pretended to look like I gave a damn, shaking my head and trying to stifle the grin that wanted to break free.

Maybe it was a low blow?

But he’d got a few blows of his own in the last time we went toe-to-toe. It was my turn for a bit of payback.

“I call a spade a spade.”

“Yeah

, and you’re a fucking knobhead,” Ryan said, spitting venom. “What do you want? Say your shit and get out of here. We’ve all been better off since you left.”

“Ry, that’s bullshit,” Zak interrupted. “Let’s at least hear what he’s got to say.”

Ryan yanked his arm out of Zak’s grip, giving him a dirty look. Then he took a step back and turned to face me.

“Go on then. Enlighten us. What are you here for?”

“You know what? I fucking hate you right now.” Not my best comeback but it was how I felt.

Ryan lifted his chin, acting all smug and defiant.

“Can’t say I like you all that much either.”

Good. The feeling was mutual.

“We fell out over Emily. That’s cool. I’m over it. But what I can’t get over is how you three fucked me over after. You.” I pointed at Ryan first. “We’ve been mates for years. You were like a fucking brother to me. I was closer to your family than I was to my own. Okay, so you’ve got your girl now. Fair play. But you couldn’t help yourself, could you? Rushing off the next morning to make your statements at the police station about the fight. You couldn’t wait to throw me under the fucking bus. Did it make you feel like a man? You’d hit me, told me what a worthless piece of shit I was, won the girl, and then off you went spilling your guts to the police about what a fuck up I was that night.”