FURIOUS

by Honey Palomino

  Of course, I was the talk of the town — they talked about it for weeks and somehow, in the end, it was all my fault for knowingly doing something that would cause Hank to get upset. As if in every innocent act of daily life, I should consider Hank’s jealousy before doing anything.

  In the end, Hank was the victim.

  I was just a source of endless gossip.

  A near exact incident occurred in Jack’s bar a few years later and ended with the same results.

  This time, though? Tonight? Someone had stepped up.

  Fury.

  Fury — who’d seen Hank put his hands on me for the very first time and came forward to do something about it. He didn’t know Hank, he barely knew me, he knew nothing of our history, and yet, he saw something was wrong and he acted.

  I’d never been more in awe of a human being.

  And still, I had to leave. I had to get away from those judgmental stares, the whispers bubbling up in the corner, the knowing smiles. I ran out of the room, leaving Fury and Tara and Hank and all the rest of them behind.

  “Jackie!” Tara called.

  “I’m fine!” I yelled, throwing a hand out to stop her from following me.

  She stopped and I ran out of the door, down the hallway that held my old locker from senior year and into the very same bathroom that I’d gone into to fix my makeup from crying after Hank hauled me out of the Homecoming dance that night.

  I stared at myself in the mirror, shaking my head.

  This time, there were no tears. Outside of a little redness popping up on my arm in the shape of Hank’s fingers, there was nothing to indicate that Hank had done anything. No tears, no blood, no bruises.

  Tonight, Hank was the one bleeding.

  I couldn’t help but smile. The bastard finally got what he deserved.

  Maybe now he’d never touch another woman like that. Maybe now he’d think twice about thinking he had any kind of control over me or my body. Maybe now, he’d mercifully leave me alone.

  And maybe now, this time, I wouldn’t be the one the entire town blamed.

  Maybe they’d actually blame Hank.

  Still trembling, I took a deep breath and then another, steeling myself for leaving the bathroom. I shouldn’t have left Fury alone out there, even though I knew he was perfectly capable of handling himself.

  But he deserved to have me standing by his side, showing the entire town that I supported what he’d done for me.

  Later, privately, I’d show him just how deep my appreciation went.

  CHAPTER 42

  FURY

  I watched Jackie walk away in confusion. Should I follow her? I looked down at Hank, waiting to see what his next move was going to be. So far, all he’d done is put his hand over his bloody nose and look up at me in confusion.

  Maybe I should have used my words.

  But I saw red when I saw him manhandling Jackie like he owned her. Easily, I could have pushed him away, used my size to scare him. Instead, my fist was flying through the air on a crash course with his face before I even had time to contemplate if it was a good idea or not.

  This is what happens when the rage wins.

  All rational thoughts, gone.

  Any sense of restraint, vanished.

  The idea that violence doesn’t solve anything? Rubbish.

  Once I saw him grab her arm, there was nothing that would have been able to stop me. Not Ryder, not Jackie, and certainly not that douchebag.

  I steeled my gaze on him, silently daring him to come at me. He rose to his feet keeping one eye warily on my balled fists. Once standing, he looked at me like I’d killed his dog.

  “You don’t know who you’ve messed with, asshole!”

  “Your first mistake is thinking I fucking care,” I growled. “You want more?”

  He grimaced in defeat and limped away, which was actually hilarious because there was no reason for him to be limping at all. I’d merely pummeled his ugly face, not tripped him or broken both his legs, like I’d probably have done if he pushed me any further.

  Instead, he was out the door in seconds, the loud clang of the heavy metal doors closing behind him signaling the end of the commotion. The band started up again and slowly the murmurs faded away and everyone went back to dancing.

  I caught Bodhi watching me from across the way and he nodded in approval and walked out. Ryder and Grace appeared at my side.

  “Sorry guys,” I muttered, suddenly feeling as if I’d let them down.

  “Why?” Ryder replied. “Fucker deserved it.”

  I looked at him in surprise and he shrugged. Grace nodded and smiled.

  “Yep, he sure did,” she said. “I’m surprised you let him get away, actually.”

  “That punk learned his lesson,” Ryder said. “I imagine we won’t be seeing him again anytime soon.”

  “I hope you’re right,” I said, pulling them to the side. “Bodhi gave me the go ahead. Or, at least almost. He said he’ll be ready soon. What do you want me to do?”

  “I’ve instructed Riot to investigate Will and find out what he can about the boy that went missing. I’m still waiting to hear back. They’ve got to be hiding some serious skeletons if Green wants him gone so badly. Just keep stalling as long as you can. As soon as I hear back from Riot, we’ll know how to proceed.”

  “Will do,” I replied. “Should I go after Jackie?”

  “She’s okay,” Grace said. “Give her a little space. Let’s go have a drink.”

  “I hope someone spiked the punch,” I said. “I could use a shot.”

  CHAPTER 43

  JACKIE

  When I walked out of the bathroom, I ran smack dab into Bodhi Green.

  “Hey, Bodhi,” I said, attempting to step around him. He blocked my way.

  “Jackie, you look amazing tonight,” he said, raking his gaze over my body and settling on my breasts.

  “Thanks, Bodhi,” I said, ignoring his leering.

  “I can’t believe you ended up with such dark hair.”

  I looked at him in confusion. I had no patience for his bullshit tonight. After everything getting off on such a bad foot, thanks to Hank, I was ready to put it all behind me and enjoy my evening.

  “You know I look like my mother, Bodhi,” I said, warily. “What do you want.”

  “Yeah, you do look like her. You’re fucking hot, just like her, too. Too bad you inherited her slutty ways.”

  I felt like I’d been slapped. The last thing I was was a slut. And for him to talk about my mother that way? I shook my head and tried to walk around him again, but he moved closer, standing directly in front of me, his face just inches from mine. He smelled like booze. A lot of booze.

  “You’re drunk, Bodhi. Leave me alone.”

  “Molly has red hair like me.”

  “So?”

  “So, that’s why it’s weird you don’t have red hair, too.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, becoming increasingly irritated with his drunken ramblings.

  “You should have my hair.”

  “Bodhi, you’re not making any sense. Maybe you should go home.”

  “You still don’t get it, do you? After all this time? Don’t you ever wonder who your father was?”

  “No, I don’t. Whoever he was, it doesn’t —.” I froze in shock. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  He leaned in closer, his breath making me want to puke. He reached out, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear and taking a step forward, which made me step back into the wall behind me.

  “I bet you’re just as good a fuck as she was. Like a wild animal in bed, aren’t you?”

  “Bodhi, what the fuck are you trying to say to me? My mother would never have slept with you. She fucking hated you and your whole goddamned family.”

  “Didn’t you ever wonder why?”

  “She never would have allowed you to lay a hand on her.”

  “Maybe not willingly, no, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t
happen.”

  “Are you saying you raped my mother?” I asked, my stomach turning, my eyes wide with shock as my blood ran cold

  “She fucking wanted it, even if sh-she pretended she di-didn’t,” he said, slurring his words. “Of course, she had to keep up the act. She threatened to report me, but everything was chaos after that night. Bryce disappeared the next day, and that’s all anyone was talking about. Sweet Jane was smart. She kept her mouth shut. And then you came along and she kept up the lie. I told her to get an abortion, but she stupidly refused. Don’t you get it, Jackie?”

  “Bodhi, what the fuck are you saying?”

  “I’m your father, Jackie. Jane shouldn’t have lied to you. It’s time you knew the truth.”

  I stood there frozen in shock, my heart racing in my chest. This couldn’t be true. This absolutely could not be true. Bodhi leaned into me again, pressing his body against mine, his erection poking into my thigh. I shuddered in disgust, rage boiling inside of me.

  He reached down and shoved his hand between my legs and I snapped.

  My knee shot up, fast and hard, slamming up into his crotch with all my strength. He sank to his knees in front of me and I stared down at him, watching him gasp for air.

  Could this be true?

  Mom never told me my father’s name. She never wanted to talk about him. No matter how many questions I asked in a million different ways, she never had any answers. I knew my questions were torture for her and after a while I just stopped asking.

  I stepped around Bodhi’s crunched over body, his hands still grasping his crotch. I reached down, taking off one of my heels and then kicking him squarely in the ribs. He cried out like a baby and I did it again.

  “Fuck you!” I cried, before pulling off my other shoe and running down the hall, away from this awful, awful man, away from his awful words, away from the pain that was ripping straight through me and shredding my heart into pieces.

  CHAPTER 44

  BODHI

  Burning pain ripped through my body, starting at my balls and ricocheting up through my ribs and chest. I lay there panting in a drunken stupor and I’d never been more thankful to be trashed in my life.

  The booze eased the pain just a little, just enough to let me convince myself I wasn’t dying. Jackie ran away, the soft sound of her feet padding down the hallway fading away, then followed by a new set of footsteps coming closer.

  They stopped just in front of my face and I looked up.

  “Will!” I called. “Thank God it’s you. Help me up,” I said, holding out a hand. He looked down at me, making no move to help me.

  I struggled to my feet, the room swaying around me. I grabbed onto his arm for support and he pulled away.

  “What’s your fucking problem?” I asked.

  “All this time,” he said, shaking his head. “All this fucking time. I heard every fucking word you said to her, you bastard. You raped Jane? The night Bryce died? That’s where you were, wasn’t it? That’s why you weren’t with him in front of the church, isn’t it? You were off raping Jane at the diner? You’re a fucking pig, Bodhi. If you’d been there, you could have stopped him. I wouldn’t have had to get the crow bar, I wouldn’t have had to kill him, because he wouldn’t have been fucking with Ross in the first place.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, reaching out for the wall to steady myself.

  “I’ve had enough. Enough of the fucking secrets, enough of the lies, enough of looking over my shoulder and waiting for the hammer to drop. Enough of your shady business deals. I’m done protecting you. I’m done pretending you were ever protecting me. You were protecting yourself.”

  “Will, you’re making a huge fucking mistake,” I said, shaking my head, which only made me more dizzy. I’d been drinking long before I’d left the house tonight and the flask I’d brought with me was empty now. “Let’s go get a drink and talk about this.”

  I put my hand on his arm and tried to pull him along, but he stood still, shaking his head, anger washing over his face.

  “You’re fucking done. I’m calling the FBI. Ross may not do a fucking thing about it, and maybe you’ve got the governor in your pocket, but you can’t control the fucking feds, Bodhi.”

  “If you tell anyone the truth, I’ll kill you, Will,” I said.

  His eyes flashed with anger and a slow smile spread across his face.

  “You’re fucking pathetic,” he said, before walking away, his footsteps echoing down the empty hallway.

  CHAPTER 45

  FURY

  My eyes kept darting to the doors of the gym. I peered through the narrow windows for any sign of Jackie, but she was taking forever to come back. I sipped my punch, that surprisingly wasn’t spiked, but Dottie pulled a flask of vodka out of her purse and hooked me up.

  “Here, dear, you look like you could use this,” she’d said, walking up behind me at the table that held a buffet of iced cupcakes and snowflake-shaped cookies. I thanked her and kept my eyes glued to the door across the room.

  “She’ll be back,” she said. “Don’t worry. Half the town’s been wanting to punch that kid for years. He’s a jerk.”

  “I’m not worried,” I said.

  “Sometimes us ladies just need a little space,” she assured me.

  I nodded and waited.

  “I sure wish someone would look at me the way you two look at each other,” she said, her voice a little sad. “I miss my husband.”

  I put an arm around her and pulled her close for a hug. She wrapped her small, frail arms around me and held on tight.

  “You should get out of this town, Dottie,” I said. “Make some new friends your age.”

  “You’re right, Fury,” she said. “Maybe I’ll take a little vacation.”

  “That’s a good idea,” I said.

  “Would you like to dance?”

  “I’m sorry, Dottie, I’m not in a dancing mood. I think I’m just going to go check on Jackie.”

  “Go ahead, son,” she said. “She’ll be happy to see you.”

  I nodded and let her go. Winding my way through the dancing couples on the dance floor, I spotted Jackie run by the windows in a quick flash. I picked up my pace to chase after her.

  I’d just walked into the hallway when I heard someone call my name behind me.

  “Fury Phillips?”

  I turned and saw Sheriff Ross walking towards me with Hank at his side.

  “Yeah?” I barked.

  “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to come with me down to the station, son.”

  “What for?”

  “You’re under arrest. Please turn around.”

  The handcuffs barely fit around my wrists, digging into my flesh. I didn’t feel the pain, though, because that rage, that unleashed, wild anger that I’d been trying so hard to contain burst through like a broken dam.

  I stared over at a laughing Hank and shook my head.

  “You’re fucking dead.”

  CHAPTER 46

  MOLLY

  “Wow, that was intense,” Benji said. He sat at my side, and as we always did during the winter dance, we sat next to each other in the corner and laughed at all the adults.

  Something about this night brought out the crazy in them. Usually, they just made fools of themselves dancing and even though alcohol wasn’t allowed to be served because us kids were around, the adults always seemed to find ways to get really smashed.

  This year we’d been gifted with some major drama, though. Fury punched Hank like he was a rag doll.

  “Yeah, it was,” I said. It was intense. But it had made me sad and feel totally uncomfortable. I hated when people got mad around me. I had enough of that at home, it seemed like Daddy was almost always mad about one thing or another.

  The anger I’d seen on Fury’s face only reminded me of my Daddy’s anger. It wasn’t the kind of anger you saw all the time with other people. It wasn’t the look on Maria’s face when she burned the b
reakfast muffins. And it wasn’t the look on Mama’s face when she realized she’d slept through dinner again.

  There was a particular glint in the men’s eyes, a warning almost, just before they lashed out.

  It was violent. It was threatening.

  If looks could kill…

  As if he knew I was thinking about him, Daddy walked through the gym doors and stumbled over to the corner I was sitting in. The look on his face was a mixture of pain and anger and he winced with each word he flung my way.

  “Get up, Molly! It’s time to go.”

  “But we just got here,” I said, looking up at him in confusion.

  “Get up!” he insisted. I knew not to argue. He grabbed me by my cast and pulled me up and I cried out in pain.

  “Mr. Green, you’re hurting her!” Benji said, his voice shaking. I glanced over at him and saw him jump up, trying to get between us. I pulled my arm away from Daddy and stood up on my own.

  “I’m okay, Benji,” I said, softly. “I’ll call you later.”

  “Maybe you can stay? I can get my folks to give you a ride home. Is that okay, Mr. Green?” Benji asked, his voice rising in desperation. I could tell he was scared for me. By the look on Daddy’s face, he had every right to be scared. Heck, I was scared too, but what was I going to do about it?

  He was my father.

  I had to go with him.

  “No,” Daddy shook his head, grabbing my hand and pulling me along. “We have to go right now.”

  I looked back at Benji as Daddy drug me towards the door, our eyes locking. His were wide with worry and I’m not sure what he saw in mine, but I shrugged in submission and hurried away with my angry father.

  I knew fighting him was useless when he was in this state.

  We’d go home and he’d unleash his anger on whatever he deemed a fitting target and hopefully I could escape his wrath this time.

  It was always a toss-up whether that would happen or not.