Page 70 of Steel Rain

Then he did something unexpected. He cupped my face in his hands, and wiped away two tears that I hadn’t seen fall. Then he kissed my forehead before tilting my face up to look at him.

“Okay,” he said, with a solemn nod. “I won’t ask. But I already know.”

Another tear slipped down my cheek. Hot. Embarassed.

Of course, he would know. He was a smart man. Smarter than Eoghan Green, I was sure. So of course, he would figure out in minutes something those who had known me for a lifetime couldn’t have even guessed.

“I hoped that you would tell me.”

I swallowed. “I want to, but …”

I couldn’t finish that sentence. I couldn’t tell himwhyI was better off in silence.

My heart dropped to my stomach. What would he think of me? Of how soiled, and dirty I was? Of how I had been broken, used and …

His voice, low and vicious cut through my worries. “We will make him pay for it.”

Chapter 32

Ajax

Iforcedhertotake pain medication. The Irish clinic was pretty stocked. How they had so many controlled substances, I didn’t want to know. I suspected it was the same way they were able to get a hold of military-grade weapons in the state of New York and keep a private Army.

“Pain is weakness leaving the body,” she had said in that infuriating tone.

She didn’t like pain meds. A small part of her probablylikedthe pain. She wanted to punish herself for another man’s sins. Maybe it was some sexist belief that what had happened to her washerfault.

“If you’re not able to bench press an elephant right now,” I looked at her weakened state. I had seen the other guys. She gave as good as she got. Her strength was never something I would question, but … “Then your theory is shit.”

The pain meds had knocked her out for a few hours. Like a creep, I watched her sleep. Her breathing steady, and her mouth in a frown that bothered me on a visceral level. I didn’t like that look on her face. I wanted to erase it away with my thumb, and put at least a line of contentment there.

I knew what Keith had done. Had he just beaten her, that’d be one thing. She could take a beating. She was a fighter, and getting struck on the chin was just a fact of life. But he had taken something that should have been hers to gift.

I went to her room and retrieved some clothes. The door was closed, but the locking mechanism and frame had been completely broken. Someone had kicked it in. The window had been closed, but a small puddle of melted snow was on the floor, seeping into the threadbare rug on the ground.

The twin-sized mattress was still made, a lamp was on the ground, broken, and there was a dent in the wall, right around eye level. Blood was on the duvet, and floor. Probably hers. Though, I also suspected that Keith’s friend with the wrapped ear, and the other with a wrapped hand had contributed to the crimson paint .

“Coach?” O’Malley peered his head in. “Is … is she okay?” He sheepishly looked inside, surveying the damage like I had a few minutes ago. He ran his hand through his hair, and let out a long, “Shit.”

He sucked his lips in between his teeth, looking up at the ceiling. Guilt. He felt guilty about something.

“I should have known something was going on when Keith told me to go to CQ duty,” he said under his breath. “He’s a captain, so I couldn’t really disobey him, you know? But I should have known that something was going to happen. He’s had his eyes on her …”

“How well do you know her?” This was the wrong question to ask. I shouldn’t care, but I wanted to know if somethinghadhappened. Was he in love with her?

“Oh, nothing like that coach!” he raised his hands up to his shoulder in a surrendering gesture. “I just live across the way.” He thumbed down the hall to an open door. “She’s my friend, and … Jesus.” He ran a hand through his hair again. “I’m a shit friend.”

“I don’t think that’s true.” I wanted to put the kid out of his misery. Of all the Irish, he was probably the one with the least amount of guilt, and he felt it more acutely than those who truly deserved to feel like shit.

“Can you just tell me if she’s okay? Is she safe?” O’Malley looked down at his feet, kicking at invisible rocks on the floor.

“She’s not okay,” I said, and he looked crestfallen. “But she’s safe.”

I would make sure of it. She was going to be glued to my side until Keith was destroyed.

Chapter 33

Sin

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