Page 87 of The Dirty Saint

And she has no regrets.

At least, that’s what she wants everyone to believe.

“Oh, pretty girl,” I whisper. “You don’t deserve this.”

I so badly want to be able to go over to her and run my fingers across her soft cheek. Lana is fast asleep in the corner, and everyone else has left, so it’s really just her and me.

But doing so might only make things worse for the both of us.

“It’s funny how quickly he shifted in my presence. He went from having all the power to being powerless.

“He kept begging me not to kill him, but I didn’t listen. Even when he pleaded for mercy. Or forgiveness, as he called it.

“I know I should hate myself for what I’ve done, and part of me does, but a sick and twisted part of me feels…relieved. Because there is one less person to take advantage of someone else.”

Ezra gazes up at me. “I killed the father of my child, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. But how am I supposed to explain that to Noah?”

Every tear that exits her eyelids feels like a knife is being plunged deeper and deeper into my chest. I wish that I can take all the pain away and transfer it into my own blood so that she never has to feel like this again.

She wipes her nose with the back of her hand.” What I did was selfish.”

“You did what you thought was best.”

“No,” Ezra shakes her head.

“Ez—”

“What I deserve is for Michael Santo to put a fucking bullet through my skull and then burn my body to ashes.”

“I will put a fucking bullet throughhisskull and burnhisbody to ashes before I ever let him put a hand on you again.”

Ezra closes her eyes, letting a single tear trickle from her eyelid and slide down her cheek.

“Y-you are not my savior,” she whispers before meeting my gaze.

“That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t walk through fire to keep you safe.”

I would light the whole world on fire if it meant that nothing would happen to her. The world would burn before I let her feel any more pain.

“You really mean that?” she asks.

“With every bone in my body.”

Ezra lets out a smile, and thank God she does because I was going crazy for a hot minute.

“Joey, what the hell happens from here on out?”

“I don’t know, but whatever happens, we will figure it out. Together.”

She smiles.

“You’re killing me right now, you know that?” I try to ignore the hardness of my shaft pushing against the front of my pants.“You are making it far too difficult. I’m not going to survive in these chains.

“Welcome to my world.” Ezra rests in the corner of her cell, her back pressed up against the back of the wall. “Now why don’t you tell me a little something about yourself? It’s only fair since you know so much about me. What’s your family like, Joey Odeh?”

“Well,” I say, “Growing up, my family didn’t really have anything. Barely had any money. My father tried his best to secure a job, but he struggled to keep them with his raging temper. And my mother, well, she had kids to look after.”

I take a deep breath to collect my thoughts.

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