Deception

Chapter: Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Because I believe you've all decided I was guilty already for one reason. You can't bring the ones you love back, and punishing me is the easy way out to dealing with all those problems."

He'd barely gotten it out as Niles's fist collided with his face with such force I was surprised it didn't knock the entire chair over. I was wondering what those ropes were made of keeping him still. I knew for a fact they hadn't used this much of their strength hitting Charles.

I didn't like this. Niles was being violent again, which just wasn't him. I'd known emotions would run high, but I didn't want him becoming this again. We'd done so well, he'd done so well to be who he was before, and now it seemed to be happening again. It scared me to see him like this.

"Was that really necessary? Seem like you proved me right," he winced in his pain and I had a sickening feeling in my stomach at seeing him harmed further. Once more, he wasn't helping his case here. Could he really not keep his mouth shut for one moment to save his own life?

"Niles," I breathed softly, but he didn't turn to acknowledge me at all.

"We aren't doing this out of revenge for anything anyone else has done, and we also aren't punishing you because we don't want to deal with our losses. You can't even own up to your part in all this," Niles seethed.

His voice was scaring me even more. I didn't want to hear him speak this way. He'd just been using a kinder, softer voice with me. The one he'd used with me before all the time. The one that was kind and full of love. This was Niles's true voice and the one I wanted to hear. Not this.

"My part in all this? I just explained that to them and I just explained that to you. I would never have harmed any of them, let alone do more than that. If I had known what was going to happen, I'd have stopped it, but I didn't. My part was simply gathering information. I didn't know he'd try to kill her. If I hadn't stepped in, I believe he would have killed her before you arrived-

"Enough," Liam snapped.

"What is it with the two of you, exactly? The ones who are supposed to be judging me and have reason to are all here. I know for a fact I've done nothing to you two. So what is this personal vendetta both of you have against me? Because apparently, I'm missing something here."

"You haven't done anything to us. It's what you've done and everyone you've been involved with. Amon, Candy," Liam prompted.

"I have admitted that, and I've told you the truth. I didn't know what he was planning. I only learned it later on. I can't exactly ask them now when you killed them all."

"We rather enjoyed that, but something tells me killing you would be more interesting," Zeke commented angrily.

"If you truly think you're going to die, then why even defend yourself?" Henry questioned.

"Because I know I'm innocent. I know what I did and didn't do. What I thought and didn't know. I know that more than any of you, and I know I'm telling the truth. If you think about it, you know it too. As I said, you're all looking for someone else to blame and I'm just the perfect person for that."

"You think your life matters that much to us? Your existence matters that much to us?" he returned.

"It would have to because why else would you want me dead as much as you do?"

Henry sighed, turning away from him. "You're wrong. I want you dead for sure, but that has nothing to do with revenge on my part. I got my revenge. I killed the very man who killed my son, and I got to watch my wife kill the one who orchestrated it all. That was my revenge and although I don't regret it, that doesn't mean it helped. It can never bring our son back or Greg and Susan back. My reasons for wanting you dead? They should be more obvious to you than that.