Page 241 of Before Dawn

I clenched my fists at my sides, jaw tight. “Yes.”

This wasn’t just about revenge. This was about making sure Joshua never crossed another line again. And he was about to learn there was no escape from the consequences of hisactions.

Dillon glanced at me, then down at my shirt, his lips twitching into the faintest smirk. “You realize you’re wearing a full white shirt, right?”

Arnoldo gave a sharp, incredulous laugh. “That’s what you’re reminding him of right now?”

Dillon shrugged, his eyes still locked on my shirt, completely unfazed by Arnoldo’s reaction. “I doubt he wants to stainHermèswith this asshole’s blood.”

A dark chuckle escaped my lips. “You’re right,” I muttered, the adrenaline still coursing through me. I unbuttoned the shirt swiftly, peeling it off and handing it to Dillon, now shirtless. “Better?”

“Much better,” Dillon replied, his eyes flashing with something between amusement and satisfaction. He slung my white shirt over his shoulder, the casualness of it almost ridiculous given the situation. “Nice physique. My gym really is paying off.”

Arnoldo shook his head, exhaling sharply. “Only Dillon Xander would be worried about clothes in a place like this.”

I chuckled, then shifted my focus back to Joshua, his body still hanging limp, oblivious to the reckoning that awaited him. I didn’t realize I had this level of violence in me. I’d been angry before, lost my temper, and raged. But something about this,about him, had triggered something deep inside me, something I didn’t even know was there.

It wasn’t just that they dated or he was part of her past—I couldn’t care less about that. It was the way he talked about her, like she was nothing more than something to use and discard. And yes, the sex tapeburnedme. She trusted him with that, and what did he do? Used it to prove a point. Now, I’d use him to prove mine.

The room felt smaller as I crossed it, my gaze locked on Joshua. For a second, I hesitated. Not because I doubted what I was about to do, but because I knew that once I started, there would be no stopping.

And then it happened—my fist collided with his gut, the impact sending a dull thud through the room.

“That,” I shouted, “is for treating her less than she deserves. For making her feel insecure. For using and abusing her for years.”

His body jerked in the chains, a groan escaping him, but before he could recover, I swung again, landing a punch square across his face. The force snapped his head to the side, blood spraying from his mouth. His eyes widened with panic, but it was too late.

“This,” I muttered, “is for thinking it was okay to share her sex tape.”

Another punch. Harder this time. I could feel the bones in my knuckles crunch against his face, the crack of cartilage as his nose gave way beneath my fist. I didn’t stop. Each hit was fueled by every insult he’d thrown at Abigail, every disgusting word he’d used to describe her.

“And this,” I finally stated, “is to make sure you never so much as breathe near her again.”

He tried to speak, maybe to beg, but I drowned him out. His groans faded, lost in the raw fury pumping through me.

His head lolled forward, blood dripping from his mouth and nose, but I wasn’t done. I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, forcing him to meet my eyes. “Eres patético,198” I spat, my voice low, almost unrecognizable to myself. “A sorry excuse of a human being.”

I slammed my fist into his gut again, his body jerking in the chains. The sound of the impact was visceral, a sickening thud that reverberated through the room.

My knuckles were raw, bloodied, and I could feel the sting setting in. Joshua’s head hung low, blood dripping from his face to the cold concrete floor. Each breath he took was labored, ragged, but I didn’t feel any satisfaction. Just rage, simmering hot and unrelenting.

I stayed there, chest heaving, glaring at the wreck of a man in front of me. He barely stirred, too weak to even respond. My whole body was coiled tight, ready to keep going, but before I could land another blow, I felt Arnoldo’s hand on my shoulder. “Ya basta, Suarez!199”

I exhaled sharply, stepping back. “Tienes razón,200” I muttered, flexing my sore fingers. The adrenaline was still pumping, but I knew I hadto stop.

Dillon turned to Kamadge, the man who apparently cleaned up the aftermath. “Finish this.”

Kamadge, a hulking man with a calm, unsettling demeanor but with a face so innocent, you’d never expect this line of work from, stepped forward. “How do you want it done, Mr. Suarez?” he asked, his voice cold and professional.

“Ruin him. I don’t care how,” I said, my voice low but steady. I looked down at Joshua, his beaten, bloodied form. “Make sure he never recovers and he knows never to mess with her again.”

Kamadge nodded, his expression devoid of emotion, just the cold efficiency of a man who had done this a thousand times.

Before I stepped away, I turned back to Joshua. “Not so tough now, right?”

He didn’t answer, instead coughed, his head hanging low.“Eso pensaba yo.201”

I turned to Dillon and Arnoldo, feeling the tension in my muscles begin to loosen. “Let me know how much money to transfer,” I said quietly. “Whatever it costs.”

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