Page 34 of Bittersweet Revenge
This time when he smacks my aching cheek, he does it lightly, playfully. “Now clean this mess up while I get dressed. You’re going to get to see what happens to someone who doesn’t do as I say. Let Conan and your uncle Rian in when they get here.” Without another word, he walks out of the room.
Learn what happens when someone doesn’t listen to him? I thought we were here for guns. But I guess it could be both.
I hate him, but God, I want his power.
What does that say about me?
I clean up the mess, and just as I finish, there’s a knock at the door. I look through the peephole to see my uncle Rian with a huge smile. Conan stands beside him, saying something to my uncle.
“Hey,” I say, opening the door.
“What happened to you?” Rian comes in and holds my face gingerly.
I know better than to tell him the truth. We are a lot of things, but we have a code, and both Rian and Conan aren’t the kind of men who would like my father hitting me. Would they do anything about it? No, but it would embarrass my father.
“This fucker at school. He was picking on someone, but don’t worry, I beat his ass.”
“You used the moves I showed you?” Conan begins bouncing on his toes, pretending to box. He’s always been a good fighter, both with brute strength and skill. He’s studied martial arts too.
Rian pretends to fight him, the two of them going at it for a moment, and not for the first time in my life, I wish my father were one of them. But then, even though Uncle Rian isn’t abusive to Cillian the way my dad is to me, he’s not a good father either.
“You two going to stop fucking around so we can get some work done?” My father comes into the room.
“My nephew makes me proud.” Rian squeezes my shoulders. “He said he took care of some kid at school who was picking on someone else.”
My father doesn’t miss a beat, will never tell me he appreciates my lie.
“He has a lot to learn,” is all he says, and my eyes find the ground. I feel Conan’s gaze on me as Rian tells my father to lighten up, before he’s put in his place too.
The four of us sit down and discuss the plan for the day. It’s a business deal gone wrong, and my father wanted me here to see how we take care of situations like this.
I throw up while I watch them torture the man.
It’s Conan who brings me out of the room. “You’ll get used to it,” he says, and I nod, wiping tears from my eyes. “Who hit you?” he asks, making my heart race and my head jerk up.There’s nothing he could do about it anyway. All that would happen is he would die.
“I already told you what happened. Don’t fucking baby me.”
I push past him and go back into the room with Dad and Rian. The coppery scent of blood fills my nostrils.
And when I ask if I can cut him too, Dad smiles and hands me the knife.
All I can think is, despite everything, I crave making him proud.
My eyes jerk open, the dream feeling like it just happened rather than being years ago. My chest hurts, heaving with heavy breaths. I turn for Aislin, not wanting her to see me like this, only to realize the bed is empty.
Worry immediately assaults me, as if something would really happen to her here. I scramble out of bed. “Aislin!” I call out, running down the stairs. The second I turn into the kitchen, I see her sitting at the table with Cillian.
“What’s wrong?” She leaps up and comes over to me, but I shake off her concern.
“Nothing. I just…nothing.” I’m freaking the fuck out for no reason. My head is a mess lately. I need to get my shit together before someone gets hurt.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Dean
Ihate thatI watch my phone the whole day, wondering if I’ll hear from Tiernan. Ollie comes and goes, even asks me if I want to grab lunch with him, but I make up a lie, though there’s no doubt in my mind he doesn’t believe me.
I do consider going with him. He’s what I should look for in a friend—kind, helpful, wants to make sure I’m okay. He’s what I should be at college for—connections like him and figuring out how to be a real fucking person with real fucking friends—but what could I ever bring to the table with someone like him? How would he feel if he knew how much hate and anger I carry? That I’m only at Ashford to get revenge on Tiernan’s family, and that there’s nothing I won’t do to get it. How would he feel if he knew I planned to take a man’s life before all this is over?
