Her Regret, His Resolve; Bouncing Back, Book 2

27

After Ambrosia left, Jaxon came out to see what had happened. Not wanting to keep his son in the dark any longer, knowing that he’d taught them that a lie by omission is still a lie, David filled him in. With tears in his eyes, the teen begged his father to tell him it was all lies.

"I know you want reassurance, Jax, but I can't tell you what you want to hear. That would be lying, and you know I don’t lie. Your sister's going to be hell to live with for a while. I'm actually thinking about letting her move in with Russell," David said as he finished off his second cup of coffee.

"Why her, though? Why my sister? What kind of monster can do that to a child and get away with it, Dad? I’m so… so angry she had to go through that.” The teen sobbed. “Why do people like that even exist?”

Swallowing, David nodded in understanding. Since his adoption, Jaxon had latched onto Skylar. He worried about her, but his questions, though valid, were driving David crazy. "I don't know, bud. Why don't you pack a bag to go sleep at Lukas' for the night?”

Jaxon blinked, "What about Sky?"

"I'll get Russell to stay with her, okay?” David told the teen, knowing it would settle his mind.

Once Jaxon was out of the apartment, David forcefully threw his mug against the far wall. The porcelain dish shattered on impact, the shards scattering over the tiled floor. His son was troubled because his sister was abused, and it only served to raise David's bloodlust even higher. He turned his hardened gaze to the hall, spotting Russell walking out of his daughter’s room. The younger man gave him a resolved look as he spoke. "She's sleeping, so I'm going to head home. Just call if you need me.”

"Russell," David called out as the younger man moved to leave.

Sticking his head back into the kitchen, Russell said, "S'up?"

"Stay," David murmured. It choked him to have to be that nice, but he had to give credit where credit was due.

Russell blinked, "Are you sure?"

David barked a laugh. "I hate it, and I don't want to acknowledge it at all, but I can't deny it. Seeing the way you were with her a few minutes ago, I'm finally willing to take a chance on you. She's got to face this in order to overcome it, and she's going to need your help to do it. Are you willing to risk getting a few more wounds?"

Blinking, Russell couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Always. I just wish I’d gotten it out of her sooner."

"Would it have made a difference if you had? Would you have walked?" David asked airily.

"No," Russell admitted. He dragged a hand over his face, pushing his bangs out of the way. "Look, I know you were sketched out by my interest in her, but I waited, David. I could have been a d**k about it, I could have forced her to sleep with me, but I never did. I could have hit her back, but I walked. I just… I can’t do it. I can’t bring myself to be the monsters I spent years running from. Not now. Not ever.”

Calmly eyeing the younger man, David pressed him for answers, "Why didn't you? You're strong enough. It would have taken nothing at all to push her around, so why didn't you?"

Smirking, Russell sighed, "Two reasons. One, I respect my siblings enough not to pull an asshole move like that. Our father did enough damage, and we wanted that s**t to end with us. Two, I wanted her to make the first move, to be ready to step onto the relationship scene and come to me, and she did. I just wanted Skylar to be able to decide things for herself without others’ influence."

"You wanted her to reach a reasonable age before she made a life-changing decision," David summed up, watching as Russell nodded. Groaning, he slumped against the back of the chair he was sitting on. "Great, now I feel like absolute s**t for snapping and threatening you."

Russell blinked, "I don't blame you. You’re a good father, Dave. In fact, you're the kind of dad I needed growing up."

"Stop talking, jackass," David muttered, "You're making it worse."

Grinning, Russell laughed, "Whenever I disappeared after training, I was looking out for Nix's team, but I kept a special eye on Sky. I would never hurt her, let alone stand there like a dummy while someone else did, but she never needed my intervention. When Kennedy told me that Sky was interested in me, I still held back. The first time I ever touched her was the night we found out about the plot to erase the Scorpions. Even then, I let her make the first move."

David stood to pick up the pieces of the mug he'd broken. "You put your hands on her?"

"She kissed me," Russell explained. "I just didn't object or take it further. Our entire relationship has been based on what she's willing to let me do."

David winced, "If I ask her, will Sky back you up?"

"I'm not sure," Russell whispered. "She's not exactly in her right state of mind with all this bullshit going on. If you want to look up the security feed, go for it. I've got f**k all to hide. I don't have time for mind games, either. I know firsthand what that s**t can do to someone."

Nodding, David tossed the remnants of the mug into the trash and sighed. "I sent Jaxon to Trace's place for the night. Try to get her to talk, will you?"

Suddenly pale, Russell dropped into the armchair across from David as they sat down in the living room. "You're going to find him, aren't you?"

"Yup," David replied. "I'm leaving tonight."

Russell shuddered, "No worries, I'll make sure Sky's taken care of. Can you save me some? I want a crack at him, too."

"No problem," the other man replied with an evil grin. Getting to his feet, David told Russell to go grab some clothes from his place.

Walking down the hall to his daughter's room, he quietly pushed open the door. Crouching by the edge of her bed, he gently brushed the brown waves out of her face. "I'm going to hunt that bastard down. Daddy’s gonna make him pay, sweetheart. You and your brother made my life worth something after you arrived. Had I known when you first got here, I would have ended his life years ago."

He exhaled, sitting on the floor. "I know that you can't really hear me. I just need to talk for a moment. No matter what I try to make myself believe, I can't shake the feeling that I failed you as a father and as an ex-social worker. After this, I won't rag on Russell anymore. It scares me that he’s so much older than you, but I know he can protect you and help you heal better than some blue-collared brat."

Pulling himself up off the floor, he pressed his lips to her forehead before he walked back out to the kitchen. Shoving a few provisions into his bag, he made sure he had everything before getting ready to leave. According to Trace's info, the address was about forty-five kilometres north of the Towers. Pouring over the location stats, he listened as the door opened.

Waiting a few moments, he watched Russell drop his bag by the living room door with a groan. "Can you please call my over-thinking older brother, and tell him to back off? He's convinced that I'm lying about you asking me to stay with Sky for the night."

Chuckling, David nodded, "Russ, you can stay in the room with her. As long as you keep following the same route you've been taking, we won't have an issue. I just… I need you to stay as close to her as possible while I'm gone."

Russell licked his lips. "After what happened today, I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"She needs to know that you're not going to abandon her, that you're going to live up to your promise to protect her," David replied.

Glancing down the hall to Skylar's bedroom, Russell sighed. "What do I tell her if she asks where you went?"

"Don't tell her anything," David muttered as he pulled on his jacket. "My kids have never been coddled. They're not like the other snowflakes running around suing people who hurt their feelings. My kids got thick skin."

"And are just as headstrong as their father," Russell laughed huskily. His phone rang, and he knew that Declan was the one calling him. "Bro, I'm at David's place."

"Let me talk to him," Declan snapped.

Russell handed David the phone and shook his head, "I hate it when he goes Diablo on my ass."

"Dec, cut the kid some slack," David said into the device. "He's guarding my girl while I go take down the S.O.B. that hurt her."

"I see," Declan murmured. "Need help?"

David smirked, "Naw, I'm good. This is something I have to take care of on my own. Russell and I are getting along much better now, so don't worry about it."

"Seriously? s**t, I thought he was lying to me about that," Declan replied. "Hey, David? Thanks. You know, for giving him a chance."

Raising his eyes to the young man rooting through the snack cupboard, David smiled sadly, "He earned it, man."

Russell grinned as he pulled a bag of Ketchup chips from the back. David laughed as he put the phone down on the table. "I'm heading out. If she tells you anything, let me know. We're partners in this now, so don't disappoint me, Russell."