EGO & VENGEANCE

Chapter 36

Mateo

I've said it. I'm a victim. I've finally said it out loud. In front of the motherfucker who made me one. My eyes are stuck on James, who hides like a bitchy coward behind Kelani.

Kelani. Beaten up more than the last time I saw her. Her ankles bent oddly and covered in blood, as well as her feet. Her broke them, I inhale deeply, fueling the temptation to tear out his intestines even more. She's half-naked. I've been avoiding looking at her body since we've busted in this abandoned warehouse.

It's dark, only one dangling bulb that lights up the entire space, not light enough for me to see Kelani clearly. Just light enough to see she's deputy and on the verge of falling unconscious.

When she had heard my voice, her eyes widened after weakening shut, and I wish it was light enough for me to see the gorgeous emerald pigment in her eyes after so long.

But I can't. And I don't try to, because I fear my eyes will travel down without thinking and I don't want that to happen. She's been violated enough, I'm not going to be another asshole.

At least not an even bigger one than I've already been on Kelanis part.

"What..." her mouth mumbles, she tries to turn her head but James threats her throat with the blade. She screams, trying to shake out of his grip, dad holds my shoulder in concern and Sam gasps behind me.

James denies doing anything to me, but when I mention the scare his face goes pale. And so does Kelani. Fuck.

I didn't want her to know. Probably for the same reason she didn't want to tell me about how she was gang-raped. I didn't want her to see me differently or pity me... or see me as something small and fragile.

I'm not. I've worked my entire fucked up life to build up my esteem and strength to make sure no one could ever lay their hands on me or anyone I love again after what happened to me and Anna. My school mate. My close friend in primary school.

She was in grade six, she looked out for me as a lonely 6 year old boy. What happened to the both of us... was disgusting. She graduated primary school and I never saw her again. She promised to find me, but never did. Which is fair enough, considering everything that's happened in my life- it would've been difficult to try and find me.

Through all the arguing I see James fold his fingers beneath Kelani's bra, everything goes red. "Get your fucking hands off" my feet don't stop this time when I move to knock him the fuck out.

I instantly regret moving when I see hood elbow stretch out with the blade, getting ready to stab her. "Kelani!"

Before we fire our guns, Kelani fires the back of her head into James's already bloody face. He falls back, and Kelani falls forward, almost lifeless lyk as her eyes roll back.

My heart beats rapidly as my throat closes in on itself. Without thinking I follow James, who's crawling like a little bitch along the floor.

"You're not going anywhere" I grit my teeth, noticing a bloodied hammer that was plopped beside Kelani. After a moment of staring at the hammer, and realising this is what he would've used to break her ankles, I stomp toward him. Sam and Dad follow.

"You dared to put your hands on my son and had the bloody guts to call me your friend?" Dad spits, mercilessly launching his fist across James's jaw. That's enough to knock him out.

He reaches consciousness again when Sam lifts him to his knees by his collar. "No one. Fucks with me niece dickhead." Sam mushes James face with his palm, and slams the back of his head into the brick wall behind him. "That's what you paid your boy to do to my niece asshole. Now she's blind. Paybacks a bitch"