Page 107 of Explosive Prejudice

Since he was facing the wall, I had a full view of his back, which had two deep cuts that appeared to be whipping wounds. My stomach roiled with acid at the sight. Furious, I was torn between helping Shay-Lee or going back to kill his fucking father. I’d risk life in prison if I had to. But I couldn’t. Shay-Lee deserved more than being left tied up like a piece of meat for another second.

“Shay-Lee.” I dropped to my knees beside him as I worked on his bonds to release him. His wrists were torn and bloody, so I was careful while working on the rope. Once I had him free, I turned him in my arms, making sure not to hurt his back.

His face was also covered in blood, running down from a cut above his brow and getting into his eye, but at least it didn’t appear like he’d broken anything.

Thank God.

“Llorón,” I whispered, my voice breaking, as I traced his wet skin with trembling fingers. I pressed my lips together, trying to hold in the suffocating pain that ripped apart my guts and flooded my veins with wrath. Pure, animalistic wrath that made me thirsty for blood.

I was fucking feral.

Shay-Lee’s face twisted before he blinked his eyes open, and despite everything, they were still so blue.

So pure.

“C-Camilo?” he asked with disbelief.

“Yes, baby, I’m here. I’m right here.”

His lower lip quivered before his face twisted with pain. “I-I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice barely there, as he broke with tears.

“Don’t.” I kissed the top of his head while pushing his wet hair out of his face. “Think you can hold on to me?”

He nodded, then slid his hands around my neck. He felt so fragile that I was almost too afraid to lift him. He only wore a pair of white boxer briefs that had turned red from the blood. Carmen suddenly flashed before my eyes. Images of her bloodied thighs. Quickly pushing the horrid memory away, I grabbed a towel and covered him up.

With him in my arms, I made my way back to the front door. Christian was still there when we reached it, clenching the wall for balance while using his shirt to nurse his injured nose.

“Can you wait just a second?” I asked Shay-Lee in the most adoring voice I could find and smiled at him once he nodded. “Good.” I kissed his forehead and then gently put him down on a wooden cabinet before walking over to his piece-of-shit father. Christian raised his eyes to meet mine just in time for me to throw the first punch, hitting him on the right side of his face. He was sent flying back and crashed against the wall. I then hit him again and again until he was on the floor. The mean son of a bitch clearly knew how to take a hit since he hadn’t lost consciousness, but at least he was on his knees where he belonged.

“Touch him again and I’ll fucking murder you,” I promised him, then kicked his stomach one last time and went back to grab Shay-Lee.

“My car’s over there,” he hissed, voice weak, while cocking his head in the direction of his G-Wagon. “Keys inside.”

I had a feeling Christian wasn’t about to call security or the cops, considering what he had just done to his son, but I still wouldn’t risk it. Moving fast, I put Shay-Lee in the passenger seat, took off my jacket, and covered his shoulders with it. He hissed in pain once his back touched the seat, and the urge to return inside the house to finish Christian off was like a fucking time bomb ticking in my head. I was sure that if not for Shay-Lee clinging to my hand, I would have done it. Instead, he made me look at him, proving once again how much this man controlled me. How one look in his world-captivating eyes was enough to set me back on track.

“I’m taking you to the hospital,” I said as soon as I climbed into the car and started it.

“No.”

“No?”

“I don’t need it,” he grunted. “I don’t need a hospital.”

“You can hardly speak,” I barked. “You’re hurt and bleeding. You need someone to take care of it.”

“I-I said no.”

“What about your back?” I asked as I raced down the road leading out of their house. “Someone needs to check it out.”

Shay-Lee was about to argue but then groaned with pain as I took a sharp turn.

I was having none of it.

“I’m going to the ER, whether you like it or not,” I announced, and I did.

Diesel

Despite how bad Shay-Lee’s injuries looked, none were life-threatening, and after spending the whole night in the ER getting patched up, we were free to leave. He’d injured his right wrist and had it bandaged, and while the cuts on his back were bad, they weren’t deep enough to need stitches, so the doctor said they most likely wouldn’t scar.

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