Take You Down

Take You Down: Chapter Twenty Three

                                                  Pablo's POV

All around me, everything is blurred.

The only thing I can focus on is that filthy hand on Madison's chin.

The way Lucas icily yanked her showed no sign of affection, nor did Madison's fear filled face. The first thing I felt was guilt, when I accused her of liking him earlier today. Her actions didn't make sense before, but it clicked together like a puzzle piece now.

Then, some raw sense of betrayal washed over the guilt when I realized all this time she had never told me any of this. Finally, I was left with one last emotion that overpowered all others. The thought that Lucas touched her so roughly...How Madison had tried hiding this from me...How she pushed me away...But what made this all worse was that I found myself really, truely caring. It all added up and left me feeling nothing less and nothing more: 

Rage.

From behind the wall, I feel my fists clench, aching to smash them into Lucas's face. I've had enough practice back at home to pick a fight and win it. My blood begins to boil, as I can sense the the throbbing veins on my forehead.

I watch, seething quietly to myself, as she seems to cower back in fear. It's when Lucas leans into her to whisper something, that I finally snap. The thought of him blackmailing or hell, the fact that I let him live two seconds after he grabbed her, throws me over the edge and I break away from my hiding spot.

"Take your hands off her before I take them off for you," I shout, meaning every word like a deadly promise.

Madison looks apalled when she sees me and immediately yanks her face away from Lucas's, almost as if trying to cover up what I could've just missed. If I weren't so angry, I'd laugh at how little faith she has in my ability to see from a distance.

By the time I reach the two, there's only one thing I'd like to do. Lucas turns around to face me, a smirk on his face, but it doesn't last very long. The upper curve of his lips provokes me more and I pull back and punch him as hard as I can.

Madison covers her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide like a toad's. The previously smirking Lucas is now crouched over, one hand on his knee, the other on the jaw where I hit him. While he gathers what just happened, I make a move to hit him again.

There's only one thing I want to do, and that's to hurt the guy twice as bad as he hurt Madison. I go for his curled stomach, but stop when Madison shoves herself in between Lucas and me.

With my hand still raised, I order, "Madison move."

I try and control my unstable voice around her, to show her that I'm not backing down. She only looks at me and shakes her head, touching the arm that is raised.

"It's not worth it!" She counters, trying to convince me with a persuading look or her own.

My mouth is set in a straight line at her incredulous words.

It's not worth it?!

I want to grab her by the shoulders and shake some sense into her.

The man who was abusing her, the man who she probably has a past with, almost got away with it again, and she's telling me it's not worth it?

That's where she's wrong.

It's worth punching a boy who's hurt my sweetpea.

I open my mouth to give her a piece of my mind, to tell her that every damn thing is worth it for her, but a sharp force cuts through my cheekbone and snaps my head in the other direction. My ears are ringing and it takes me only a moment to realize what just happened. With Madison freaking out and by my side in a second it isn't that hard to figure it all out.