Safe at Last (Slow Burn 3)

The door opened and Zack’s vision clouded with rage as Stuart stood staring back at him, blinking in confusion. And then to Zack’s complete surprise, Stuart’s eyes went dull and he sagged like a deflated balloon. Guilt and resignation were stark, and he simply stood there, unmoving, unspeaking. Almost as if he knew exactly what was coming.

Zack’s fury reached its boiling point and he rammed his fist into Stuart’s jaw, smashing his nose with his knuckles. Stuart flew back and landed on the floor, his hand covering his now-bleeding nose. And he simply stayed down, looking at Zack with so much guilt and regret that it made Zack physically ill.

“Get up, you son of a bitch,” Zack snarled.

With a defeated sigh, Stuart slowly crawled to his feet and staggered when he stood upright. Blood smeared his nose and mouth and he made no further effort to stanch it. He merely looked at Zack like a condemned man awaiting his execution.

Then he closed his eyes and when he reopened them, a sheen of moisture glistened.

“I knew this day would come,” Stuart said in a weary voice.

Shame was evident in every feature. He looked like he very much wanted to throw up. Well, that made two of them. Zack’s rage was so great that he couldn’t even form the words he wanted to hurl at his former friend.

“Why,” he finally managed to grind out between tightly clenched teeth. “For God’s sake, why?”

“You have no idea how sorry I am,” Stuart whispered. “It’s eaten me alive for years. Still eats at me. At times I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. All I can see are her tears. All I can hear are her sobs. And her asking why over and over. Jesus, I’m going to be sick.”

Zack hit him again and stood over Stuart’s fallen body, fists clenched as each and every one of Stuart’s words flayed him open inch by excruciating inch.

“You sick son of a bitch,” Zack hissed. “Did you enjoy brutalizing a sixteen-year-old girl? Did you get off on seeing—and hearing her cry? How many times did she beg you to stop and where was your fucking conscience then?”

“Kill me. I deserve it,” Stuart said dully. “I don’t have anything to live for anyway. My wife left me. She took the kids. I told her what I did. God, I had to. It was eating me alive. I couldn’t continue living a lie. She’ll never forgive me. And I don’t expect you to either.”

“And it never occurred to you to tell me what you’d done?” Zack roared. “You knew she was my life. My goddamn world! And you damn well know the hell I went through when she disappeared. That I looked for her for years. Never stopped looking for her! And you’re fucking worried about your wife and me forgiving you when the person you should be begging forgiveness from is the woman whose life you completely ruined!”

Stuart dragged himself up and sagged onto the couch, burying his bloody face in his hands. His shoulders shook with sobs and Zack hadn’t thought his disgust could have gotten any worse. Was he supposed to pity this pathetic piece of scum because he’d lost his wife and kids? What about the family he and Gracie had lost? The children Gracie had never held in her arms. The wife and children Zack would have even now if not for this sick fuck’s interference.

“You make me sick,” Zack said in a barely controlled voice.

He was perilously close to losing his shit and completely coming unglued. So many lives ruined. And why?

He got into Stuart’s face and grabbed his shirt, fisting the material and hauling him up until they were nose-to-nose.

“You’re going to tell me every goddamn detail. You’re going to tell me why the fuck the three of you thought the entire time you were raping Gracie that I had put you up to it and how the hell you knew Gracie could read minds. Because this was a complete setup. It’s too pat. Too coincidental. You set it up so Gracie would think I set you loose on her to get rid of her and make her think I was done with her. Why would you do something like that? Did you hate me that much? Did you resent that I had a great girl and a future in the pros? What the hell is wrong with you?”

Stuart’s face was haggard, and already swollen, bruises rapidly forming from the punches Zack had landed.

“It’s fucked-up, man. You have no idea how fucked-up.”

Zack shoved him back, releasing his hold on Stuart’s shirt. Stuart landed with a thud against the back of the couch, his head snapping back and then forward.

“Then how about you clue me in,” Zack growled.

“It was your old man,” Stuart muttered. “Jesus Christ. He was fucking obsessed with getting rid of Gracie.”

Zack went stock-still, his knees locking painfully as shock splintered up his spine. He shook his head, certain he hadn’t heard correctly. Then he advanced on Stuart, ready to beat the ever loving fuck out of him for coming up with such a lame-ass, trumped-up excuse to divert responsibility from himself.

Stuart put up his hands to ward Zack off and began talking fast.

“Listen, Zack. Just give me a minute to explain, okay? I have no reason to lie to you, for fuck’s sake. I’m guilty. Guilty as hell. But I’m not lying to you about your old man. If you’d just give me a chance to explain, I’ll tell you the whole twisted story.”

“So help me God, if you’re fucking with me, I’ll twist your balls off and shove them down your throat,” Zack said in a dangerous low tone.

Stuart was visibly agitated. Pale, jittering like a junky in withdrawal and sweating profusely. He nervously licked his lips and his eyes were wild and unfocused.

“He was pissed that you were so obsessed with trailer park trash—his words not mine. He saw you as his ticket to easy street. He had it all planned out. He was going to convince you to let him act as your agent and manager and when you went to the pros he was going to retire as chief of police and live it up. Off your money and fame. When Gracie came along, your focus shifted entirely, and you were only concerned with her, your future with her, and suddenly your father found himself on the outside looking in.”

So far Zack could see exactly what Stuart was saying. It certainly matched up with his father’s actions and words. But to suggest he had something to do with Gracie’s rape? No matter his faults, he was still an officer of the law. Being an asshole wasn’t against the law, and his father was a straight arrow when it came to the law.

“He became increasingly agitated and honest to God he went off the rails. He started asking me, Bryan and Kevin all kinds of questions. Wanted to know if you and Gracie ever fought. If Gracie was manipulating you. If you ever talked about breaking up with her. And when we told him you were absolutely serious about her, he lost it.