Page 135 of Left in the Dark

Richard’s fingernailsand toenails are scattered around the room. I made him confess every horrific thing he did to Lindsey and Delaney, delighting in his screams. I beat him with my fists, breaking his nose and jaw and cracking his ribs with my kicks.

“You fucking hurt the woman I love,” I seeth, stalking around him like a panther. I grab his arm, twisting it with all my strength until I hear the snap. He howls, his sobs of pain filling my dungeon. “I’m gonna spend the rest of my life making it up to her. I’ll take every drop of her pain, every bad memory you gave her, and crumble them into dust.”

Swiping the metal pipe from the ground, I swing it like a bat against his spine, delighting in his agony.

As much as I love Delaney, I can’t look at her now. I’ve allowed the darkness to completely consume me, letting my demons come out and play. They would eat me alive, strangling my humanity, if every beat of my heart didn’t belong to her.

Images of my father fill my head. “Gabe Morine was ten times the man you’ll ever be. You couldn’t stand it, could you? That’s why you framed and imprisoned him.”

A vile laugh swims from his lips. “N-Not the o-only r-reason.” Blood drips from his lips as he sits on his knees.

Lifting a hand, he wipes his lips. “Y-Your m-mom was m-mine before she was h-his. S-She left m-me for t-that p-poor t-trash.” His eyes move to Delaney. “J-Just like y-you t-tried to d-do.”

“But you met Mom in high school?” Confusion is on her face as she stares at her father.

“O-Our s-senior year. I dated Julie B-Bowen from t-tenth grade until she d-dumped m-me o-our s-senior year f-for G-Gabe.”

Delaney comes up beside me, squeezing my hand. I keep my eyes on Richard, not wanting her to see my demons.

“Look at me, Zayne.” Soft fingers move to my stubble, caressing it.

“I can’t.”

Her voice is firm and commanding. “Yes, you can. Look at me.”

I exhale a breath as I turn my head, my demonic eyes locking with hers. She doesn’t flinch or show the slightest element of fear. She’s looking at me the way she always does.

“I love every part of you. Even the monster he and the rest of Green Haven created.” Moisture gathers in her eyes. “I love the poor boy who had his lunch tray dumped over his head and satthere, humiliated, while the rest of the school laughed. But not me. I was fucking irate, even as I hurt so fucking bad for you.”

My demons start to retreat as her intense stare pours into mine, baring her heart and soul to me. “I loved the skinny guy that I walked home to the trailer park. The guy who lifted weights and turned into a fighting machine. The bad boy from the wrong side of town that all the girls secretly drooled over. The guy who would doanythingfor me, even giving me his sweatshirt to take away my nightmares.”

The truth in her eyes burns through me, exorcising my demons.Her love is unconditional. Timeless.

“I love the successful man you’ve become, both in business and life. The one who has found an incredible group of loyal people as devoted to you as you are to them.” She steps closer, pressing her curves against my hardness, her hands cupping my face. “I love the possessive man who will do anything to keep me safe. Even when he’s overprotective as fuck.”

The four guys behind me laugh, relating to that trait.

“His weakness is your mom,” she whispers to me. “Use it.” Then she plants her lips on mine, kissing me with all the pent-up longing of fifteen years apart.

When she pulls away, I know what I need to do.

It’s time to put the past behind us.

I circle Richard,laying my tools just out of his reach. His wrists and ankles are shackled, his broken body quivering as he lies on his side, staring up at me. Hatred burns in his eyes.

My maniacal smile stretches across my face, probably resembling the Joker’s. I lay the ax a few feet away. “I’ll bet it sickens you every time you look at me. Not only do you see my father, but you see my mother. The one you wanted but couldn’t have.”

The light dims in his eyes, pain contorting his face.

“You hated that my father went home to my mother every fucking night. That she willingly climbed into his bed, sharing her body, heart, and soul with him. You should have seen how happy they were. They may not have had money, but damn, they had the kind of love written about in books. Genuine, lasting, and unconditional. They were a team, sharing their hopes and dreams, successes and failures. Looking back at my childhood and teenage years, I see a home filled with love.”

Delaney sniffs behind me.

“I share that type of love with your daughter. We have what my parents had and what you wished you could have had with my mom. Unfortunately, you could never love Lindsey as you should’ve.” Pity fills me for the pain he’s caused so many, including Delaney’s mom. “Before you did everything you could to tear her down and destroy her, she was the most beautiful woman in town. You didn’t love her, but you wouldn’t let anyone else love her, either.”

“So true,” Jaxson remarks, handing Delaney a tissue. She smiles her thanks, wiping her eyes.

“You didn’t want me to end up with what you could never have, so you did everything to destroy it. Lindsey did her best to protect Delaney so you didn’t ruin her. I came along and made it even harder for you to break her. I built her up and pieced her back together every time you tried, and you fucking hated that. It reminded you too much of my father. The one who kept my mom safe from your clutches.”

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