Page 49 of Hate the Way You Lie (Hate 2)

What the hell? When did he get here?

Why is he here?

He’s dead… I went to his funeral, watched them lower his body six feet under.

“Dad? What are you doing here?” Looking around, I no longer see Tara. It’s like she vanished, only a figment of my imagination. All I can see is the large frame of my father looming over me. It feels like I’m ten again, scared and intimidated by this bastard.

I may not be able to see her anymore, but I can still hear her. I can hear her cries and screams. She’s begging for me to help her, and I don’t even know where she is. “Tara! Where are you? Stay strong for me. I’m coming, baby.”

He ignores my question. “I’m disappointed in you, Marnix. Do you know how bad that cheap whore makes our family look? The West Side trash ruined this family, and you just couldn’t help but fall into the same trap, could you?”

What the hell is he talking about?

Anger boils violently under my skin. “I don’t give a fuck what you think,” I spit. “I don’t fucking care that she’s not rich or that she doesn’t come from a prestigious background. She’s the only person in this world besides Mom and Reilly that ever gave a shit about me. You never cared about me, it was all about you. I…I love her!”

His deep chuckle reverberates through the small concrete room, covering up Tara’s defeated whimpers. “With a woman like her, you’ll end up just like me.” What the fuck does that mean?

“What are you talking about?” I growl.

“You’ll find out soon enough. Whores are never faithful. No matter how much money you shove down their throats or how good your cock is, they just can’t stay away from the same kind of scum they are. They prefer the bad boy gang members over the elite.”

If I could get out of this chair, I’d beat him bloody. Dead. He’d be dead. “Fuck you! I’m going to fucking kill yo—”

“Fuck.”The curse slips out as I fall, my head hitting something hard behind me.

What the hell? Rush looms over me, wearing the same white shirt and black sweatpants I saw him in last night.

“You been out here all night?” he grumbles. A flash of yellow flies by me and down the hall.That damn dog will be the death of me.I sat leaning against my door all night, hoping I’d get even the slightest glimpse of Tara. “Yeah,” I grunt as I pull myself up to a sitting position. My entire body aches from the uncomfortable position I was in for hours I roll my neck, trying to crack it, but it won’t budge. No matter how bad it hurts, I’ll stay here all night every night to make sure she’s okay.

“Is she awake?” I need to know. After that nightmare, I need to make sure she’s safe. Rush crosses his arms, not meeting my eyes. He doesn’t even want to fucking tell how she’s doing. I climb to my feet and stand in front of him. He widens his stance, like he’s protecting her from me or like he’s ready to fight. I might be a fucking idiot and an asshole, but I’m not a threat.

“How is she?” I try a different question, taking the softer approach.

Rush sighs, realizing I’m not going to stop bugging him until he tells me. “She’s okay. Has a long way to go, and I’m honestly worried about her.”

I am too. When I saw her lying in the backseat of the van, I knew a shit ton of healing would have to happen—physically and mentally.

I’ve been going stir crazy since Rush kicked me out of the room. Luckily, I’m the one who pays the doctor, so I was able to give her a little incentive to provide me with what I needed to know.

Broken hand. Dehydration. Sores around her wrists where the cuffs were. Bruised ribs. Fractured nose. Concussion. Bruises everywhere imaginable. Clear indication of severe sexual trauma. Doc checked for STDs but found no trace. Since it’s so early on, she’ll conduct regular testing on Tara until she’s sure that she’s clean.

I can’t stand the thought of that asshole touching her, beating her, or raping her. I will hunt him down and give him the slow, painful death he deserves. He’ll regret the day he ever looked at Tara. The day he thought he could own her and ruin her. No woman deserves to go through that—especially my woman.

“C-can I see her? Please.” I’m begging, something I swore to never do, but I’d do anything to see her, like an addict in need of their next hit. An asshole like me doesn’t beg for anything. But I am for her—even for just a glimpse of her.

A mixture of anger and sadness sweeps across his face as he shakes his head. “She doesn’t want to see you. You really fucked with her head. She doesn’t know if she can trust you anymore.” I knew that would be the answer. Of course, she doesn’t want to see me. Why would she? I handed her over to Zayan. I’m the one who did this to her.

“Do you think she ever will?”

Rush runs a hand down his face, frustrated. “I don’t know, man. Just give her some time.” I don’t like being told what to do, but I know she needs space in this situation. Barging in there like a mad man will only make things worse between us. So I take what I can get. It kills me, but I listen to Rush. I’ll let it go for now.

“Where you headed?”

Rush cracks his knuckles. “Downstairs to make Tara some breakfast.”

I nod. “I’ll go down with you. I need to feed that stupid mutt and talk to you about a few things.” I head down the hall toward the stairs and he follows. He’s smart enough to keep himself between me and Tara in case I try to pull something and run back to her. Which is something I definitely would do.

“Calling her dog stupid definitely won’t get you on her good side any quicker.” He mumbles it under his breath but purposely says it to make sure I hear him.

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