Page 1 of Tormented By Regret

PROLOGUE

POWERTRAIN

24 Years Ago…

“Don’t do this, man. I don’t want to shoot you.”

“Our whole entire life, all you did was take what didn’t belong to you! First my parents, then my wrestling scholarship, and now my woman!”

“I didn’t take anything, Sam. You don’t know what you’re saying. I’m sorry to say this, but she doesn’t love you.”

“Shut the fuck up! You don’t know anything!”

The blade was jabbing against Lucy's skin as Ron’s hand shook, while refusing to believe our summer romance was anything but betrayal. She’d confessed that we’d been together all summer and we’d fallen in love. It wasn’t our fault. He was gone and we got closer. She meant the world to me, but I never thought our feelings would end up endangering her life, let alone hurting my best friend. Ron and I had been through hell and back together, we’d grown up together, his parents took me and my brother in when we had nowhere else to go, but as much as I loved him, whom we were talking about was Lucy.

I had developed feelings for Lucy before Ron even met her. I pined for her from afar like some hormone induced College Freshman. I never told a soul, and maybe if I had then we wouldn’t be in this position. I would have gotten the girl and Ron would have fallen in love with someone else, or that’s what I’d like to think, but that wasn’t the case. Ron had set his eyes on her and by the time Freshman year ended, Lucy and Ron were an item. I endured it silently, I had to.

Ron was in a bad way; he’d dropped out months earlier leaving Lucy behind. She and I were both graduating in a few months, and I didn’t want her to leave without knowing that I had real feelings for her. We were back at the dorm room I shared with Ron and things escalated quickly. Before we knew it, we were waking up in his bed. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I never expected him to go off on us like he was.

Ron had returned sometime during the night and when he found us together, he’d gone ballistic. He went on a rampage, tossing a chair my way and trashing the room. I’d never seen him so furious. I could tell by the manic look in his eyes that he was under the influence of something. One of his shady friends had probably given him a dose of some kind of chemical, cranking up his senses and making his already volatile nature more dangerous than ever.

In a brutal move, he seized Lucy and yanked her from the bed, ripping off the blankets to expose her naked body.

It was her scream that tore through the stillness. Full of panic and fear, she begged him. “Please, Sam. You’re not thinking clearly.”

My heart stopped as he held her in a vice grip, the blade pressed threateningly against her neck. Without a second thought, I grabbed the gun from my nightstand and pointed it at him, ready to defend her at all costs. These were the events that led us to this moment.

“I don’t know what drugs you’re on, man, but you need to put that blade down.”

“Drugs? You think I’m stupid, right? That I’m a worthless druggie.”

“I didn’t say that man.”

He glared at me. “You always thought less of me, didn’t you? Mr. Wrestler. Mr. Popular.”

“Come on Sam, you know that’s not true.”

“And now I have everything you want, right here.” The blade nicked Lucy's chin, a drop of deep crimson appeared, and she let out a whimper.

“She’s pretty, right. Such an addiction.” He ran his tongue along her cheek as he pulled harshly on one of her breasts forcing her to cry out.

“I used to think you could do no wrong. But look at you now. Whoring that fucking pussy around.”

“Stop it, Sam. Please,” tears fell down her cheeks and I felt defenseless as I watched him bend her over that desk.

“What are you doing, man? Just leave her alone.”

“Come near us, and I push this blade right in her spine.”

I watched in horror as he unzipped his pants, Lucy crying for me to help her. I knew I had to shoot, but I froze. This was my friend, my brother. He’d taken me in when I had nothing. My hand shook as he yanked her into position.

“Now you get to have both of us, slut,” he sneered the vile words into her ear.

Her terrified eyes met mine and I clicked the safety off the gun. He was too wrapped in what he was doing to notice. And just before he entered her, I took that shot. Lucy screamed, the bullet tearing through his left shoulder and sending him flying back. She ran toward me, and I grabbed her and pushed her behind me.

He was still standing, leaning back against the door, looking like a rabid animal as blood smeared the wood behind him.

“Just stay back, Sam.” I warned.

---