Simon’s lip quivered, my words cutting to the core of our problem. The satisfaction I got from seeing his fear was better than I had ever imagined, regardless of how many times I had dreamed about it.
“Cane, dude, I’m sorry.”
“Fucking really, Simon? After everything that’s happened, you think ‘I’m sorry’ is going to fucking fly with me?”
“I lost everything because of you!” He said, spitting out a mouthful of blood to the side. “Everything! It’s taken me years to get back on my feet while you waltz around the city in your shiny car and with your pretty little girlfriend. I had to sit there and watch that development go up, listen to everyone say how brilliant you were. What a great son you were, what a legacy your father had. You think that was easy for me to swallow?”
“I could give a fuck if it was easy for you.”
“Fuck you.”
I took a step back and smiled widely before reaching out and patting him on the shoulder. I took a step towards Max and heard Simon exhale in relief.
Like a flash, I turned back around and unleashed a flurry—a right, left, right—to his face. His head bounced like a ping pong ball before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed against the SUV. Slowly, painfully I’m sure, he slid to the ground and toppled over into a lifeless heap.
I watched him lay there, reduced to the piece of shit he always had been.
Max came up behind me, clasping me on the shoulder. “What now?”
“He’s still breathing, so we leave him here. If someone finds him, they’ll think it had something to do with drugs. They won’t even question it.”
“Fine. We better get out of here then. You ready?”
“Let’s go.” I turned towards the truck.
Simon had been taken care of. Now I had to take care of the other piece of the puzzle, the one I should have taken care of a long time before.
CANE
“Where is she?” I stormed into the kitchen, Max a few feet behind. I hadn’t bothered knocking or ringing the bell and Kari looked a little surprised to see me.
Kari stood with her arms crossed, looking at me silently.
“Where is she?”
Someone better fucking answer me before I lose control.
“She’s upstairs,” Kari said softly, “in her room. But I don’t know that you should just go up there, Cane.”
“Thanks for your input,” I muttered, making my way to the staircase and taking the stairs two at a time.
I had to see her. I had to know she was okay.
I knocked lightly on her door but there was no answer. I knocked again.
“Jada? Are you in there?” I pressed my forehead against her door. Even if Kari hadn’t told me she was in there, I swear I would have known. I was drawn to that room, like there was a chord attached to me and something on the other side. It was insane and I would have laughed my ass off if I had heard someone else say that. But it was true in this new strange world I was living in.
Please don’t let me have completely fucked this up.
I waited a few seconds before cracking the door open.
My heart paused in my chest as my eyes found her. She lay in her bed, her brown hair splashed across her white pillows. Her face was calm, unmarred, and just so damn beautiful.
A peace settled over me as I watched her, a feeling I didn’t have very often. The only peace I was ever able to grasp was from avoiding shit I didn’t want to think about. I had never known peace like she had at that moment and I wished she always had it. Not like the night before when her face had been so twisted in anger with me.
For the first time in a long ass time, I was embarrassed of myself.
I quietly made it over to the bed and knelt beside the mattress. I pulled the comforter down a little and the purple marks on her upper arm jumped out at me. They were obviously finger marks, narrow prints lying like they were wrapped around her arm.
I felt the incredible urge to go beat the shit out of Simon again.
Jada stirred in her sleep and I placed the comforter back over her, tucking it lightly around her small body. She rolled over onto her back and opened her eyes slowly.
I rocked back on my heels, giving her a little space.
This will go one way or the other …
Once she focused on me, she scrambled to sit upright. “Cane! What are you doing here?” Her voice was squeaky, verging on panic.
“Shh, it’s okay. Calm down.” I smiled softly at her. “I came to make sure you’re okay.”
“Of course I’m okay. Why would I not be okay?”
I shot her a knowing look. “I know what happened, Jada.”
She swallowed hard, pulling the comforter up and around her, creating a barrier between the two of us. “Cane, look, it’s really none of your concern.”
“The hell it isn’t.”
She sat with her mouth open, like she didn’t understand anything I just said.
How is this not crystal clear to her?
“How is this any business of yours?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.
I shrugged my shoulders, the adrenaline starting to wear off. I scrubbed my hands over my face, exhaling a breath I had been holding for a long time.