Page 47 of Justus
Everytime I think of what they did to her, what she went through, anger fills me tothe point where I’m afraid of what I might do. I’ve done terrible things in thepast, but only to terrible people. I don’t get any joy out of it, the killing.It’s done only to end a threat to someone weaker who can’t protectthemselves…children. And I don’t regret a second of it.
Idon’t have a driving need to hurt or kill, but right now, if I could get myhands on the people who did this to her, I’d rip them apart without a secondthought.
“Comerunning with me tonight,” Landon says, when I tell him I feel like I’m losingit. “It helps with the rage. Trust me, I know.”
“Ican’t leave her.”
“Zoewill stay with Hannah. Just for a couple of hours. We’ll get Dare to go, too.”
Sonow we’re running down a path that leads to the river. My feet slam into theconcrete harder and faster, but the guys never falter, keeping in step with meuntil we all fall onto the riverbank. Expending some energy has helped, but allI can see when I close my eyes are the assholes responsible for destroying mysister.
“Iwant to kill them. Feed them to the pigs. If anyone ever deserved it…”
“Iknow. But you can’t. The cops are involved. You touch any of them and you’llonly be locked up along with them,” Landon says.
“Makeit easier to take them out.”
“Andthen you’ll spend the rest of your life in prison,” Dare adds. He gets to his feetand stares down at me. “I won’t say I know how you feel, but when Ayda wasbeing threatened by the man who threw acid in her face, all I could think aboutwas ending him and the judge who let him off. But it would’ve hurt her worse.And the same goes for Hannah. How do you think she’d feel if you went to prisonfor her? She needs you here, helping her heal and recover.”
“Whendid you get so fucking knowledgeable?” I grumble, standing up and brushing thedry grass from my pants.
“It’sa gift, just like my big cock.”
“Toobad it’s always flaccid. Ayda told everyone. Like a deflated balloon animal.”
Laughing,we start a slow jog back. “I have to take her to the rehab center in themorning. The last thing I want to do is leave her there. They won’t even let herhave any phone calls or visitors the first two weeks.”
“It’llbe hard, but they’ll take care of her. I researched the place. It’s one of thebest in the country. They only treat trauma survivors and sex crime victims.They’ll be kind to her,” Landon tells me.
“Let’stalk about something else. Have you seen Jeremy lately?”
“Afew days ago. He’s turning into a real man whore. That woman has him out of hismind,” Landon replies. Great, now we’re gossiping like chicks.
“Frannie?”
“Whoelse? I don’t know why they keep up that on again off again shit. It woulddrive me crazy.”
Istop as we approach our cars and stretch out my legs. I’m not a runner and Iknow I’ll feel this shit later.
Dareshakes his head, wiping sweat from his brow. “Are you still stringing Sadiealong?”
Whatthe fuck? “I’m not stringing her along!”
“So,you’ve talked to her since the bust?”
Jerkingmy car door open, I glare at him. “I’ve been a little fucking busy.”
“So,you haven’t set a date, then?” Landon teases, grinning. They have had too muchfun with my fake engagement.
“Ifwe have a wedding, I’ll make sure it’s in the middle of summer at noon in thedesert.”
Dareand Landon laugh, and Dare smacks the hood of my car as he heads to his. “Don’tbe stupid and fuck it up, Lovely Locks.”
Whydo I hang out with these assholes again?
* * * *
“I’llbe fine, Justus,” Hannah assures me, when she finds me standing in the middleof the living room, staring at the wall. Her arms wrap around me. “I’ve beenthrough way worse than a rehab center.”
