Cooper

by Lagomarsino, Giulia

  “Don’t say that,” I said, shaking my head. She didn’t deserve the guilt that went along with accepting responsibility for what happened. “This is on the asshole that attacked you.”

  “And I put myself in that position.” She gripped my hand tighter, pulling it toward her chest. “You know, I’m almost eighteen,” she said, laughing lightly. “I wanted to get out. I thought I knew better. It’s not easy for me to admit to you that I was wrong, but when I walked into those woods, I had a nagging feeling that I needed to go back in. But I was so determined to go out and have fun that I ignored my instincts. And when I turned around to go back home, I knew that I had fucked up. This is on me. And I’m not saying that I deserved it or anything. I know that what happened was wrong and in no way my fault. I didn’t ask for it. But it is my fault that I didn’t listen to you. So, please, don’t blame yourself.”

  I brought her hand up to my cheek and I felt my tears slip onto her hand. I hated that she was being so grown up about this. I hated that she felt she had to. I would rather she scream and yell or throw stuff. I would rather she hate me. Anything other than feel that she did this to herself.

  “Hey,” she said, nudging me with her hand. “I said I wanted to be a grownup, and a grownup has to live with the consequences of her decisions.”

  “Not like this,” I whispered.

  She gave me a side smile and shrugged. “I won’t ever make that mistake again.” Tears spilled over her cheeks and I pulled her into my arms, letting her cry on my shoulder. I rubbed her back and let her get out everything she could. Right now, I wished she had a mother to comfort her. I wasn’t sure I was doing anything the right way.

  The door opened and Maggie walked back in. “Can I talk with Kayla?”

  I glanced at Kayla and she nodded, so I stood and made my way to the door, but I let the door close without going out. I needed to hear what she said to her, so I hid against the wall.

  “You’re pretty badass,” Maggie said with a smile in her voice. I rolled my eyes, angry that she was going for that first.

  “I don’t really remember.”

  “You almost cut off the guy’s dick, and you stabbed him in the shoulder.”

  Kayla didn’t say anything and I debated going back in there and kicking Maggie out, but I waited, wondering what else she would say.

  “You know, a few years back, we were attacked by gangs. They took me, along with Kate and Vanessa. We were in this basement and it was filthy. When the guards came, they wanted to take Kate and I knew that it was going to be bad. Like an idiot, I opened my mouth and told them to take me instead. I just couldn’t handle the idea that Kate would be hurt.”

  “What happened?”

  Maggie chuckled. “See this? I lost these two because they cut them off. They wanted information on the safe house, and when I wouldn’t give it up, they decided to take fingers. And when that didn’t work, they threw me on the ground and started carving into my back.”

  I peeked around the corner just as Maggie was turning around and lifting her shirt. Her back was scarred up badly and it was clear that they had carved letters into her back, but I couldn’t make it out from where I stood. I shuffled back into my spot when I saw Maggie start to lower her shirt.

  “They finally got the information out of me, but I gave them the code to blow up the gate.”

  “That’s pretty badass,” Kayla said.

  “Yeah, it was. But it was also so fucking stupid. They could have killed me. In fact, from what Sebastian told me, they got there just as they were about to wrap me up in a tarp. I’m not sure I would have made it out of there if the guys hadn’t shown up.”

  “So, you regret it?”

  “No, I did what I had to do, or what I felt I had to do at the time.”

  “Yeah, well, sneaking out wasn’t something that I had to do.”

  “Maybe not, but I made my decision and so did you. Now, how are you going to deal with it?”

  “I don’t know,” I heard Kayla say softly.

  “I’d like to help you with that. I had a lot of nightmares when I got home. I would wake up screaming and it took a long time for Sebastian to let me out of his sight. The important thing is making yourself feel strong again. When you get back that power, that feeling that no one can touch you, that’s when you truly start to heal.”

  “You know, you’re kind of pregnant.”

  Maggie laughed and I could see her head thrown back like they were laughing about a funny joke.

  “Well, maybe I won’t be able to show you moves, but I’ll be there with you as much as I can. And you can talk to me about anything. I know what it’s like to feel powerless, but I also know what it’s like to get that back and feel like you’re on top of the world again.”

  I sagged against the wall when I heard Kayla agree to what she was saying. It would be alright. Kayla would get better and I wasn’t alone in this. I had a support system that was better than anything I could ask for. We’d get through this, and Kayla would find that strength and fire that I knew was deep inside, just hiding for a little while.

  “I’ll go get your dad.”

  Maggie walked toward me, not even hesitating when she saw me leaning against the wall. She opened the door and I followed her out into the hallway, pulling her in for a hug as soon as the door shut.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  She squeezed me back and patted me on the shoulder. “You’ve got this. She’s strong and she’s smart. She’ll get through this and she’ll be fine. Look at me? Do I look fucked up to you?”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. That was a loaded question. “Well, you did blow up a building at Christmas.”

  She waved me off and smiled. “That’s just part of my charm.”

  She turned and waddled away, but I didn’t see a weak woman. I saw a warrior and she was about to take my daughter under her wing. Everything was going to be okay.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  “Why is everyone here?” Kayla asked, panic clear in her voice. I reached over and gripped her hand, letting her know that I was here for her.

  “They’re here because they love you and they want to show you their support.”

  “They’re here to gawk at me.” I glanced over and saw the worry on her face. She was pale, a lot paler then when we left the hospital. I knew that she was nervous about everyone seeing her, but it was better to get it over with than to wait for the awkwardness to settle when she walked around the panic room.

  “Hey.” I parked the truck and waited for her eyes to meet mine. “Nobody is gonna say anything to make you uncomfortable. They know what you went through, but I can guarantee that they’re wanting to show you that they stand beside you no matter what. Most of them have kids too. They know this is hard on you, but Kayla, they only want to make sure that you know one hundred percent that they’re on your side.”

  She nodded, but I got the feeling that she didn’t believe it. Not yet, anyway. I opened my door and walked around to her side, shooting a look to everyone that was lined up, telling them not to fuck this up. Cap and Maggie started making their way over to us, so I opened Kayla’s door and held out my hand for her to take. She was pretty battered and bruised, and I knew she didn’t have all her energy back, so this couldn’t take long.

  Maggie walked right up to her and wrapped her arms around her. “You look great. You’ve got this, and we’re right by your side.”

  I watched as Kayla took a deep breath and nodded. I linked my fingers with Kayla’s and watched as Maggie took up a protective stance on the other side of her. Cap nodded, but didn’t move closer.

  “I’m glad you’re okay, Kayla. Anything you need, you just say the word.”

  Kayla nodded and we moved on. Most of the women gave Kayla hugs, but the guys just nodded, some of them murmuring something to her as we passed. Overall, everyone was very respectful of her space. Except Chris. He stepped out of line and I almost yanked Kayla against my side. Chris could be intimidating as
hell. With that damn cowboy hat, his eyes were always hidden and it made him look scary as shit.

  He moved right into her space and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close. She was stiff for a moment, but then he said something to her and her arms snaked around his back and gripped on tight. They stood like that for a good couple of minutes and then Chris stepped back and tipped his cowboy hat at her. She swiped at some tears and then we moved on. I glared at Chris, not sure what he said, or what made him think he could take such liberties with my daughter after what she had just been through. He just quirked an eyebrow at me in challenge. Fucker.

  By the time we got back to the room, Kayla was exhausted and said she was going to lay down. Maggie plopped her ass on my couch and shot me a challenging look.

  “What? You have something to take care of, don’t you?”

  I had almost forgotten about the fucker down in the basement. I hesitated, not sure if I should leave Kayla. What if she woke up and needed me?

  “I’ve got her. Go take care of your shit.”

  With a nod, I headed for the door and made my way back through Reed Security to the basement. Knight was sitting outside the door to the tiled room, scraping a knife along his nails.

  “It’s about time you showed up. I was about a half hour away from beating the shit out of that fucker.”

  “You really expect me to believe that you haven’t touched him?”

  Knight shrugged, “I didn’t say I hadn’t touched him.”

  I opened the door and looked at the man hanging from chains that were wrapped around his arms. His body was limp and bloodied already. I glared at Knight, but he just glared back.

  “Did you really expect me to watch the fucker for the past 24 hours and not do anything?”

  I shook my head and walked in, trying to slam the door, but Knight stuck out his boot and caught the door. He followed me in, but stayed in the corner. I wasn’t sure why. There was no way in hell that this guy was leaving here alive. It didn’t really matter how far I took things with him.

  I stood there and stared at him, trying to figure out what I wanted to do first. The anger had dulled slightly when my focus had shifted to Kayla, but now that I was here, the anger came roaring back. I felt my whole body tense up and I shook out my shoulders so that I didn’t fucking break something when I beat the shit out of this guy. He hadn’t lifted his head yet, so I walked to the corner of the room and snatched the hose, turning on the cold water.

  “Fuck,” he groaned as the cold water roused him. He finally lifted his head and looked at me. His eyes flicked to the corner and fear shone all over his features, but he was afraid of the wrong man right now.

  I walked up to him and tore the shirt from his body. Then I pulled out my knife and slashed it through his pant leg, just centimeters from his dick, and dragged the knife down the length of the leg. He screamed and jerked as the knife caught his flesh and tore open his leg. Blood oozed down his leg and dripped to the floor, mixing with the water that had settled. I moved to the other leg and repeated the process, ignoring the way he screamed. He didn’t give a shit when my daughter was screaming, so there would be no mercy for him.

  When I tore the final shreds of his pants from his body, he shook, trying to remain silent, like that would win points with me. I leaned forward just inches from his face.

  “Are you the fucker that raped my daughter?”

  His face paled and his whole body went rigid. I heard the slight rattle of the chains and he just barely flinched, glancing to the corner where Knight stood. I gripped his face hard and forced him to stare at me, to look into the eyes of the man that he almost tore something precious from.

  “Are you the fucker that raped my daughter?” I asked again slowly.

  His pulse raced under my fingers and he swallowed hard. “N-no.”

  “No?”

  His breath fanned out across my face and I leaned back so I didn’t have to smell it. A single tear slipped down his cheek as he started hyperventilating. I gripped his shoulder and squeezed hard.

  “Why are you lying to me?”

  “I’m not. I swear!”

  “You swear?” I pulled back and slammed my fist into his face. His body jerked and then I gripped his face, bringing him back to me. “Do you want to rethink that answer?”

  He started crying, his sobs making it nearly impossible to understand him. “I swear, it wasn’t me.”

  I slammed my fist into his face twice more and then pulled him back to me. “Don’t fucking lie to me. Your friend didn’t have his pants down. Your friend isn’t the one that was stabbed. Your friend isn’t the one that had his dick nearly chopped off by my daughter.”

  I let my fist fly three more times, slamming into his cheek, which was now busted, and into his nose that was gushing blood. I stood and wiped his blood off on my shirt, taking a calming breath that did nothing to ease the rage inside me. I briefly thought about releasing him from the chains that he was in. It didn’t seem right to beat a man to death when he couldn’t fight back. But then again, my daughter was pinned down by this fucker. She didn’t get the courtesy of a fair fight, so there was no way this guy was getting any favors from me.

  “P-please,” he croaked. “It wasn’t my idea. We weren’t even s-supposed to be there.”

  I nodded. “Why were you on the property?”

  “I don’t know,” he cried. “We were just hunting.”

  “You were on private property,” I said.

  “We didn’t know. There were no signs,” he pleaded, his eyes wide, like he could fucking convince me that this was all some big misunderstanding. So, I let him think that he was getting through to me.

  “You didn’t see any signs?” He shook his head, blood flying off his face. “So, you wandered on by accident?”

  He nodded again. “Yes, I swear.”

  I nodded and bent over, getting right in his face. My hand flew to his shoulder that was still dripping from where Kayla stabbed him. I ground my thumb into his wound and relished in the sounds of his cries.

  “And it was just a fucking accident that you raped a kid?” I shouted.

  He cried some more, but the more he cried, the more I ground my thumb in deeper. He was on the verge of passing out, so I pulled back and wiped my hand off again. Blood was caked under my fingernails, but that would all wash out.

  His sobs slowly died down and he lifted his head, his eyes pleading with me to end him. But there would be nothing slow about his death. I picked up the wooden chair that sat in the corner and snapped the leg off. His eyes grew wide and he started shaking his head wildly at me.

  “Please, no!”

  I swung what remained of the chair at his head, shutting him up instantly. As he hung there limply, I moved in close enough that I could whisper in his ear and make sure that my voice was the last thing he heard.

  “Have you ever been raped?” Small whimpers were all I heard. “By the time I’m through with you, you’ll remember to keep your dick to yourself.”

  “You’re letting me live?”

  I chuckled menacingly against his ear. “Trust me, when I’m through with you, you’ll beg for death.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Cap

  “Feel better?” I asked Coop as he walked out of the room followed by Knight. I caught sight of the man still hanging from the chains. The white tile floor was stained red and it appeared that several of his insides were now laying at his feet. If he was still alive, he wouldn’t be for long.

  “Better? No, but I don’t feel the urge to go kill someone right this minute.”

  I nodded to the bag in the corner. “Put all your shit in there, and shower down here. I’ll have a team come in and clean the whole place down. I’ve already got clean clothes for you in the bathroom.”

  “Thanks,” he said, walking past me.

  I knew I shouldn’t do it, but I had to play devil’s advocate right now. “You should talk to Becky.”

  He spun
around and glared at me. “Don’t even fucking say her name around me. She’s dead to me.”

  “I understand that you’re pissed right now, but when some time has passed, you’ll see that she was only trying to help Kayla.”

  “How can you stand there and fucking say that to me?”

  “Because I’m not the one dealing with the shit you are. I know you think she did something unforgivable, but she didn’t realize what she was doing. She’s not a parent. She was looking at things through Kayla’s eyes. I’m not saying she was right, but, man, she never meant for any of this to happen. Don’t you think this is tearing her up inside?”

  “I don’t give a fuck what this is doing to her. She’s lucky that I felt something for her or I would have her in that room right now, and I wouldn’t go easy on her.”

  I shook my head, hating that he was saying this shit. He would regret thinking this way someday. I just hoped he didn’t let the anger eat him up for too long. “Look, I’ve done as you asked. She’s banned from the property, but you know that’s not gonna keep her away. You’ll have to talk to her at some point.”

  “I’m never talking to her again,” he spat. “She’s nothing to me-”

  “She’s everything to you,” I said more forcefully than I meant to. “She’s the one that made you live again. She’s the one that accepted you for who you are and made you see that your life is worth so much more than you thought. If you throw her away, you throw everything good about yourself away.”

  “Did you see what’s left of that man?” He pointed to the room where the man hung. “There’s nothing good left in me. That flew out the window the minute those fuckers touched my daughter.”

  I gripped his shoulder and made him really look at me. “There’s plenty of good in you, and you’ll realize that when the dust settles. But if you push Becky away, you may not get her back.”