Beneath the Layers

Chapter 23 (Nicholas)

"Not so tough now, are you?" My foot connected with Alex's ribs for the fourth time while he grunted on the floor. "Did you really think you'd get away with it?"

I must have listened to the recording at least a dozen times before figuring out how I'd make this scumbag pay for all the shit he'd put Tara and her mother through. Now I had the bastard right where I wanted him. It made me sick to even look at his face, but I would make sure he hated his entire existence by the time I was through with his ass.

I paced back and forth, watching him writhe in pain. A black eye, broken nose, and a knocked out tooth wasn't nearly enough for what he'd done. I pulled a bat out of the trunk of my SUV and spun it a few times in my hand before swinging it at his leg.

"Ahhhhhh! What the fuck?" he screamed in agony.

I swung the bat once more, but this time at his arm.

"I'll repeat this one more fucking time." My voice echoed through the parking garage. "You go pack up all your shit and get the fuck away from Tara. As far away as possible." I let go of the bat and bent down to pull him off the ground by the collar of his blood filled shirt. "And I better not find out you've even tried contacting her again."

I let go of him to pace some more. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. Only a cold and selfish bastard would be capable of pulling off what Alex did. To have Tara thinking her mother killed a man the entire time while he covered his own ass.

What a fucking coward!

"All right, man, I'll do whatever you say, but enough with the beating already." He stumbled, trying to get himself off the ground.

I punched him once more, causing his body to slam against the wall.

"You're lucky I'm not turning your ass in to the authorities. If Tara finds out you're the one who's responsible for David's death and not her mother, she'll end up losing her mind and blame herself even more."

Of course, I did plan on turning his ass in, eventually. But not yet. Not with the kind of advantage I had on him. Oh no. First I would make sure he suffered, manipulating him the same exact way he'd done to Tara. It would be a long while before he'd get the pleasure of rotting in jail.

"You love her, don't you?"

My head snapped in his direction. He was leaning against the wall for support, his face almost unrecognizable.

Did I love her? I knew I'd grown to care about Tara, which was more than I could say for any other woman since Abigail. I wanted her, craved her, and after getting a taste, I owned her. But love her? That wasn't allowed. I vowed to never love a woman again for as long as I lived.

"You do love her." Alex's voice drew me out of my internal battle.

I punched him one last time, knocking his ass to the ground.

"That's no longer your concern. Just pack your shit and leave the apartment as fast and quietly as possible. If Tara asks what happened, you tell her you got into a drunken fight and make sure she thinks you're leaving on your own accord. Don't even talk to her unless it's absolutely necessary or else you will rot in prison for the rest of your pathetic life." I studied him cautiously one last time before hopping into my car, glancing into my rearview mirror to watch the sight of Alex sprawled on the floor like the worthless piece of shit he was.

Tara was due back in the office today. My fist was still sore from beating the hell out of Alex last night. But, I couldn't deny how good it felt to bash the fucker's face in.