Guilty Stars

11

“You’re the pieceof-s**t thug Evelyn let crawl between her legs.” In one fluid motion, Michael pulled back and shot his fist lightning-fast into my stepfather’s face, bouncing his head back against the wall. “Wrong answer, Don,” Michael growled with the menace of a rabid dog. The muscles on his back rippled with ferocity, and he towered over my lifetime tormentor like a grizzly pouncing on a fox. “See these stars on my shoulders? Those stars mean I’m a soldier in an army you do not want to mess with. You ever come near Evie again, and the authorities will never, ever find your body. If she wants to see her mother again, that’s her call, but you will not ever speak another word to her. Am I f*****g clear?” Donald’s gaze roamed the tattoos on Michael’s chest as if seeing them for the first time. He swallowed harshly, and his face bled to white until his eyes met mine. A vile sneer returned to his face. He yanked away from Michael. “I never did want anything to do with that piece of trash anyway,” he spat in my direction.

And just like that, Michael’s arm whipped out so fast Donald never had time to flinch. A sickening c***k echoed off the walls, and Donald dropped to the ground, body falling motionless. OceanofPDF.com 6 MICHAEL “You knocked him out,” Evie whispered, eyes glued in shock to her bastard stepfather. He was lucky he was still breathing. If he ever even looked at her again like he had, I would follow through with my threat in a heartbeat. Scum like that didn’t deserve to live. He certainly wasn’t allowed to spew his toxic venom all over someone as pure as Evie. I had no qualms about what I’d done, but seeing her astonished face when she looked up at me had me worried. I knew she was uneasy with my occupation. Would seeing my darker side scare her away? My gut clenched with unease. “Listen, Evie. He’s a piece of trash. I couldn’t let—” She didn’t give me a chance to finish. Evie flew into my arms, clinging to me like I was the single piece of driftwood keeping her afloat in a turbulent sea. “Thank you,” she breathed against my chest. “No one has ever…” Her breathing shuddered, and body began to shake with restrained sobs. “Shhh, baby, it’s okay.” I collected her into my arms and carried her inside, leaving Don in the hallway like the trash he was. I sat us down on the sofa and ran my hand over her hair. I was honored to see someone so strong allow herself to crumble in my arms. Touched that she felt safe enough to break apart, knowing I would be there to help build her back up. She was incredible. After only a few minutes, she calmed herself and pulled back, lifting her watery gaze to mine. “I’m sorry I lost it.” “No need to apologize. I’m just glad I was here when he showed up. I hate that you’ve had to live with that asshole for so long.” “I don’t have much to do with him or my mom anymore, and when I was younger, I kept myself busy away from home as much as I could. He preferred me to be gone, so that was one thing we agreed on.” “Evie, I need to know … how bad was it? Did he rough you up? Did he … touch you?” I hated to ask, but I had to know. Some crimes were too unforgivable to let slide. If he had touched her inappropriately, nothing could save him from my wrath. She shook her head against my chest. “Not really. It was mostly verbal abuse and manipulation—still terrible, but I know some women go through far worse.” The knot in my stomach loosened a fraction. As she’d said, it didn’t mean Donald wasn’t still a piece of s**t, but I could refrain from entering into a murderous rage for the moment. “I meant what I told him. If he comes near you, promise you’ll let me know.” “He won’t bother. I’m not worth his time. He made that clear with fifteen years of comments about my clothes being trashy or how I’d never amount to anything if I left a dish by the sink. The minute I could cut ties with them, I did, and the only reason he was here was because of my mom. I wouldn’t even let them pay for college when I left—not that he would have agreed to pay for a psychology degree. A waste of money, according to him. He’s a horrible person, but the thing that breaks my heart is that my mom won’t leave him.” “I wouldn’t be so sure he’ll stay away. Bullies like that enjoy having someone to toy with. If he reaches out to you in any way, you tell me.” “I will.” She nodded, then sat quietly for a minute before pulling back and searching my face. “Why did Donald think he saw you at his bank?” “Because I went there to meet him. I looked up your parents after I had a feeling something was off. I told you I’m not like most guys. If my intuition tells me something is going on, I check it out. I could tell you weren’t crazy about the guy, so I went to see for myself.” I was curious how she’d take the news. Someone could easily argue my actions had been intrusive, crossing a line. She studied me with tearstained cheeks for a long moment as if I were a figment of her imagination come to life. As if she couldn’t believe her own eyes. Then she slammed her lips against mine in a kiss so fraught with emotion, I felt it down to my bones.