Page 166 of Something So Strong

“I… I didn’t know for sure.”

“Oh, okay.” I shrug like an idiot—mocking her. “You wanna know what I do know for sure?”

Watching where I step, I kick Josh’s legs apart. Moving between them, I put my right foot high on the back of his thigh and lean my weight forward on it.

“Now. Listen carefully, ‘cause this one’s a real thinker.” I wave my finger at her. “You see, Josh here thought that if he and the other boys fucked Kai, then Kai wouldn’t wanna fuck you. Because…?” My hand rises beside my face and I gaze upward like I’m deep in contemplation. “I guess… Josh thought it would make Kai gay? I dunno.” I wave my hand at her. “You might have to get him to explain it to you later.”

With tears pouring down her face, Millie tries once more to seek comfort from Kai, but he slides further along the wall.

“Ain’t the truth fun?” I chuckle and start laying into Josh with everything I have. Right between his legs. I don’t care where exactly I hit, and to be honest, the more places I lay my foot into, the better.

He tries to roll into a ball, but there’s nothing that can deter me. Not when the man I love is right beside me and the main cause of his misery is mine to destroy.

Every time I connect with Josh, he grunts. I assume it’s the body’s natural response because at this point he couldn’t get up if he tried. His face is bloody, his vomit is mixing with the snow, and his dislocated arm looks ready to tear off at any second. And yet, I still don’t feel sorry for him.

I hate him more with every kick—with every attempt he makes to move—because it forces me to think of how helpless Kai had been. And he had four people to contend with.

I’m the god of retribution at this point. Powered by vengeance because this mother fucker took it upon himself to ruin Kai’s already fragile existence and then thought he could come back for more.

Not on my watch.

And that means never again.

“You’re gonna kill him,” Millie whimpers.

I stop, put my hands in my pockets, and look up at the sky. “Do you not think that’s a fair punishment?”

She falls to her knees. “I don’t know.”

Squatting at Josh’s side, I lift the sides of his jacket until I find his phone. Tossing it to the ground beside him, I stomp on that too, and shrug. “You don’t seem to know much at all, Millie.”

“That’s not fair.”

“What is fair?” I ask calmly, like a goddamn psychopath. And after what I’ve just done, maybe I am one.

“Move!” I firmly nudge Josh with the soul of my shoe. “Get over there.” I jerk my head towards Millie.

“You’re insane.”

“You could be right.” I hold my hand out to Kai, and he scampers to pick up my Burberry scarf before clinging to my side. “Perhaps I got so tightly wound up being the nice guy I just snapped.” I kick Josh again until he starts dragging himself beside the dumpster. “But it’s probably because I don’t like seeing rapists walk around with their balls still intact.”

“What am I supposed to do now?” After everything, she’s still looking to Kai for help.

He squeezes my hand, then seeks out my middle and forefingers and grips them in his fist. There’s a rooted vibration running through him and he’s visibly looking down his nose at Millie—eyes downturned, tongue rolling around inside his mouth, his nostrils flaring and retracting with each heavy breath.

“Look at me.” I grab him by the back of the neck with both hands and tilt his head down. “Don’t worry about her… It’s just me and you. We’re all that matters. You’re all that matters.”

Kai reaches up and holds onto my wrists.

“It’s okay. I’ll never let him hurt you again.”

His eyes blink, and a steady flow of tears rolls down his cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

I swipe my thumps and collect his tears. “What the hell for?”

“For this.”

I almost laugh. “I’m not worried about this. The only thing I worry about is you.”

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