“Don’t ma
ke me regret this.” I lower my hand and shove my gun back into my cut. “Get up. Get back in the car.”
The three of us leave, and I drive further out into the countryside.
When I’m satisfied with the distance between Crystal and Nashville, I pull off.
I climb out and open the back passenger door. I grip Crystal by her elbow. “You and Bruno had a fight. He left you on the side of the road. You’re going to get your kid and leave town first thing tomorrow. I’ll know if you don’t and then I won’t have a choice and Hazel won’t save you. If you see Max before you go let him know that there’s a bounty on his head.”
I jerk her out of her seat. “I so much as hear a whisper that you’ve thought about Hazel or spoken to anyone about what went down, I’ll slit your throat and mail your head to your mother.”
Stupid bitch pisses herself.
Fucking hell. Gonna have to burn my damn SUV at this rate. Dead body, blood, piss. Fucking ruined. “Start walking. Don’t look back. You call this in, and I’ll know. Club has cops on the payroll in all our cities. Start over. Do better for you and that boy of yours or he won’t have a mother.”
She starts walking.
Bitch better thank her lucky stars she’s still breathing.
I climb back in and get the hell out of Tennessee.
Chapter Twenty-three
“I said I’m fine.” I stand outside of Holy’s SUV after we dropped my car at his house and returned the trailer we used to pull it here on. I covered up the bruising on my face with makeup. It’s not the physical damage I’m worried about. I’m lucky that worse wasn’t inflicted on me. I’m sore and beaten down but I’ll survive.
“Far from fuckin’ fine, babe. You can lie to yourself, but I see it written all over your face. If you won’t do it for you, do it for me. Because even though I know one of them sorry fucks are dead it isn’t doing anything to quieten the rage filling me right now.”
“It won’t change what happened. It is what it is. I was raped like you said I would be. You warned me, and I thought that will never happen to me. I’m smarter than that. I’m better than that. Now look at me. Used and degraded. I’d try to understand if you said you want out.”
“The fuck do you mean an out? You’re my wife.”
“What I said. I know it’s not easy to accept. Been damaged goods since I was in the womb. I won’t blame you. I’d want to leave me. I wouldn’t want me.”
“I’ll never not want you. I’m the one you should be mad at. I didn’t protect you. I failed you. Promised you’d be safe with me and what they did to you, Hazel. I can’t forgive myself. This isn’t on you. I let you down and broke my vows.” His tone and his words scare me. He’s talking like he will leave me.
I know I said I’d try to understand, but I need him. If he left me right now it’d kill me.
“You aren’t a superhero. Only a man.” I suck in a breath wanting to take my words back. “I didn’t mean it. Don’t give up on us. Don’t walk away from me. You swore you’d love me forever.”
“I’m not good enough for you. You’re the one who should want to cut me loose.”
“It’s not on you. You warned me. Stupid games. Stupid prizes, yeah? But I’m not going anywhere. Unless you’re trying to tell me to leave.”
“Fuck no. But I think you need to talk to someone and your mom—”
“She’s not my mom.”
“Not the point. She’s been through it. Talk to her. Please. Fuck, babe.”
“If I talk to her, will you drop it and never bring it up again?”
“Can’t pretend it didn’t happen. Need to acknowledge it and work on healing. Afraid if you bottle this shit up its going to fester and destroy us. You gotta face this. We both do.”
“Fine. I’ll talk to her, but I want it on record that I am not happy about this. I don’t want people to look at me differently. I don’t want you scared to touch me. Afraid it will break me. I’m not like other people. I refuse to be a victim. I am not a victim.” Tears start and I hate it. I don’t want to feel pathetic. “I don’t want those bastards to think they got anything from me. Because they didn’t. I’m in control. Not them. They don’t own me. They...” Holy pulls me into his arms and holds me so tight I can’t breathe. “They don’t exist.”
“I’m going to find him and rip him limb from limb,” he vows.
“They’re nothing. Scum. Yet I can still feel them,” I confess as the hold on my sanity collapses. “I need my pills.” I shove at his chest needing space. I don’t want to be touched right now. I don’t want him to even look at me, but I need him to stay.