Her Regret, His Resolve; Bouncing Back, Book 2

21

He sipped his drink, waiting patiently for David to walk in through the front door of the dimly lit bar and grill. Carson's had just the right amount of ambiance to match his already low mood.

He'd been released from the hospital after his sister and one other doctor cleared him of risk, allowing him a small freedom. Declan had sent him clothes from home, ensuring he didn't have to go back to the Towers. To be honest, he didn't want to go home, not even to his downtown bachelor pad.

When David called him earlier, he'd been surprised to hear the man ask him out for a drink. He knew that David wanted to talk to him about Skylar. He knew that his superior would want to know everything that had happened to push him to this point.

Feeling broken-hearted over everything, he thought about the young woman who managed to make him melt every time. He truly loved her, he just couldn't bear to have her put her hands on him anymore.

Finally, after what felt like forever, David walked in. His head down, the brunet scanned the area cautiously as he made his way to the bar. Taking the stool beside Russell, he ordered a single malt whisky on the rocks. After a few minutes, he finished his first drink and began to talk. "She was crying when I left, but this is exactly why I told you to stay away, Russ. She's got too much to deal with, not that I'm making excuses."

“You sure about that?” Anthony, the bartender said with a laugh.

David paused, thinking back over what he said. "Wait, yes, I am. Damn it, I promised myself I wouldn't take sides in this, but there I go again."

Russell smiled sadly as he nursed his beer. "I still love her. I still want to make her smile, make her happy, but I can't take the mistreatment, man."

David frowned, trying to keep an open mind and stay neutral. "I read the messages between the two of you. Does she abuse you often?"

Russell took a deep breath, his eyes clouded with painful memories. "Would you like to know what she's done to me? I've had bruises from her hitting me for saying something she believes is out of line. I got cuts from her kicking me in the shins with those God damned heels and her nails, too." He took a sip of the beer, swallowing the now-warm liquid with a grimace.

David watched him closely, noting the way Russell's hand trembled slightly as he held the bottle. "Get my friend another beer, Anthony," he called out to the bartender, sensing Russell's discomfort with the current drink.

“Friend? Since when?” Russell frowned as the new beer was put in front of him, and the old one was taken away. Condensation beaded on the brown glass bottle, slowly trickling down to the worn-out bar. His eyes followed it, watching until his vision became too blurry to see straight.

David leaned in, his voice low and serious. "What else has she done, Russell? What else is my daughter capable of that a grown man can't put up with her?"

Russell's gaze shifted to the bar's dim lighting, his mind racing with memories he'd tried to suppress. "She'd belittle me, David. It makes me feel small. Every argument ended with her finding a way to make it my fault. I started feeling like her punching bag instead of her partner."

David felt a pang of guilt for not noticing the signs earlier. He reached out, placing a hand on Russell's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Russ. I didn't realize it was this bad."

Russell sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I don't want to paint her as a monster. I know she's been through a lot, but I can't be her outlet for that pain anymore. Half the s**t she says to me is ridiculous, but I didn't want to offend you, so I kept my mouth shut. The last thing I needed was you beating my ass bloody for mouthing off to her."

David stopped, his hand centimeters from his face as he started to shake. "You didn't want to offend me? I know I’m a prick sometimes, but, come on. Had you said something, I would have investigated sooner, and s**t wouldn’t have come to this."

"The last thing I needed was her making good on the threat to tell you I'm the abusive one. My siblings would hand me my ass, then let you go to town on what's left," Russell stated as he took another swallow. "I haven't been laid since we started dating because I respect her enough to wait until she’s ready."

His brows shooting into his hairline, David muttered, "You got more self-control than I do. At your age, I had a different woman every other week."

"David, I promise you right now, I would rather eat my brothers gun than put my hands on your daughter. After all, I'm damn sure it would be a better option than facing half the freaking mafia." Picking at the label on the bottle, Russell sighed. "I know that she was abandoned by her mother, and I really don't want to do that to her, but I can't take the random slaps, punches, cuts, and bruises that she gives me anymore. She knows I'm afraid of you and uses it against me."

Dropping his eyes to the top of the bar, David silently listened as the man beside him told him everything. Running a hand through his hair, he expelled a breath. "I didn't know she was like that, Russell. Holy hell, this is a strange conversation. I have zero experience dealing with women abusing men, but I got plenty dealing with the other way around. I used to be a Social Worker."

Russell barked a dry laugh, "We met once. It was a long time ago, so I don't expect you to remember me, but we have met before. Do you remember a little boy who ran away in the mall? The one whose grandparents went full-on find-my-baby-or-else for?"

"Yeah, that was, wow, twenty years ago now," David said quietly.

"That was me," Russell replied, taking another drink. "I ran away because my grandfather told me he was going to beat my ass when we got home. I was excited because my mother was supposed to be coming to get me. She was supposed to bring me home because they'd finally gotten a stable environment for me to grow up in. I accidentally spilled my drink on his new shoes when I bounced around."

Taking in Russell's explanation, David winced. He remembered the incident, knowing his partner in the CPS had brushed off his attempts to dig deeper. "How long did it go on for?"

"It never ended. When my parents finally came for me, Dad started on me. When that happened, I’d notice he'd use someone else's name. It wasn't until I got in with the Veiðimenn that I realized he drunkenly thought he was beating Cal," Russell replied.

Shocked to his core, David fought the wave of emotion that blasted through him like wildfire. "You survived eighteen years of hell and ended up on Hans’ radar with that little betrayal you pulled? I don’t know what to say. Do the twins know any of this?"

Another spark of dry laughter escaped Russell, "No. The day I met them face-to-face, the day after the mission that cost my mother everything, I fully understood that Robbie wasn't just spewing s**t to make me change my mind. He really was trying to save me, but I wasn’t clear-headed enough to think for myself."

"You were their perfect cannon fodder, but Rob saw something worth saving. So did Hans," David whispered numbly.

"It's all good," Russell replied. "I expected the razing. I expected the hard looks and being ignored. Declan told me from day one that I'd have to work harder than anyone else to survive in our world because of what I did. I get it. I messed up so f*****g bad, but I paid my dues."

Nodding, David said, "Eight years of repentance by guarding the little brats that made life a lot more interesting. I gotta admit, Russell, I didn't expect you to be this easy to talk to."

"f**k, man, I'm half in the bag," Russell replied. "You ask me anything, and I'll tell you the truth."

"Anything at all?"

Laughing under his breath, Russell nodded. "Yeah, anything at all."

"Are you really that scared of me?" David’s smile faded from his face as Russell nodded slowly. Guilt weighed heavy on his shoulders as he finally figured out the real reason the younger man kept a fair distance from him. "You really do love her, don’t you?"

"Yes.” The reply was a simple, single syllable word, but it held so much weight.

"Then let her go," David whispered. "I know it's hard, but, like you, she desperately needs counselling. I'm sorry for how I've been treating you, Russell. I probably should have gotten to know you better, but I didn't. So, in a way, this whole thing with Skylar is partially my fault."

Shaking his head, Russell eyed David's drink. Granted, it was the second one, but the man normally tended to drink like a fish out of water and still walk a straight line. Confusion flickered in Russell's azure eyes as he felt an unexpected wave of nausea hit him. Dizzy, he tried to say something, but his body was shutting down.

"You’re not half-bad, Russ. At least now I know the truth,” David whispered as he watched the younger man's head fall to the top of the bar. "Orders are orders, Kid. Let's get you home to rest up."

"Need a hand getting him into the car?"

Smirking at the man who made his mission possible, David said, "No, but thanks anyway, Anthony. Report to Don Callum when you're done, he’s got a recon mission for you and your partner."

"Understood, Sir."