Page 213 of Releasing 10
“Maybe you should,” she mumbled. “Before you get hurt.”
“Are you going to hurt me, Liz?” I asked, covering her hand with mine.
“No, but he might.”
“Mark?”
“Maybe.” Her fingers twitched beneath mine. “Or maybe the monster will get you first, or the scary lady.”
“The monster’s not going to get me,” I promised her for what felt like the millionth time over the course of our relationship. “And neither will the scary lady. As for Mark fucking Allen, he should be afraid ofmegetting him.”
Her eyes snapped open. “No, Hugh! Don’t!” Fearful, blue eyes locked on mine. “Don’t go anywhere near him.”
“I’m not afraid of him, Liz,” I said, trying to console her. “And he’s going to get what’s coming to him.”One way or another.
“Promise me, Hugh.” Her hand jerked to fist my shirt. “Promise me that you’ll stay away from him.”
“Well,” I sighed heavily. “At this present moment in time, I’m forbidden from stepping foot inside his house, so you really don’t have a whole pile to worry about.”
“Why?”
“It’s no big deal, Liz.”
Her fingers tightened around the fabric of my shirt. “Why, Hugh?”
I debated lying to protect her fragile emotions, but Icouldn’t. Not when she was looking at me with complete trust in her eyes. “I got in a fight with Mark.” Sighing in defeat, I quickly continued, “I smacked the shit out of him for all of three minutes before he broke my nose—oh, and then my dad broke his nose.” Shrugging, I admitted, “Dad’s banned from the house, too.”
“Why would you do that?” she strangled out, fingers shakily tracing my cuts and bruises. “He’s a lot older and a lot bigger than you.”
“Maybe right now,” I begrudgingly agreed. “But he won’t always be.” Snatching up her hand in mine, I pressed a kiss to her scarred wrist. “I’m going to grow up, Liz. One day, I’ll be aman, and if that prick even looks in your direction, I’ll put him in the ground.”
Her eyes widened to saucers. “You w-would kill him?”
“If he touched you? Absolutely,” I confirmed grimly. “And I wouldn’t feel bad about it, either.”
“You would do that for me?” A deep shudder rolled through her body. “Butwhy?”
“Because Iloveyou,” I urged, kissing her wrist again. “And because Ibelieveyou, Liz.” I entwined her fingers with mine before adding, “Ibelievehe raped Caoimhe.” Shifting closer, I pressed my forehead to hers once more and whispered, “And I willneverlet that animal do to you, Claire, or any other girl what he did to your sister. But mostly you.”
“Why mostly me?”
“Because I love you most of all.”
I’M GOING UNDER AGAIN
Lizzie
MAY 10, 2000
SCREAMING MY NAME AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS, CAOIMHE BARGED INTO MY ROOM. “Elizabeth, come out right this instant. I need to talk to you!”
Fumbling with the wardrobe door, I gingerly climbed out, feeling panicked. “I’m sorry, Caoimhe.”
“Did he touch you, Lizzie?” my sister demanded, shoving Mark away when he tried to hug her. “Did Mark force you to have sex with him?”
My body turned to stone, and I looked up at my sister with tears streaming down my cheeks. “Am I in trouble?”
“She’s lying,” Mark snarled, pushing my sister so hard, she fell to the floor. “Tell her I never forced you, munchkin!” He grabbed my arm and forced me to stand. “Fucking tell her, you little cunt!”
