Silent Solitude

Chapter 24

Never in my life had I been so close to beating a man to death.

I'd only felt anger like this with Austin's dad, an incident that was at the top of the list, but this was a close second.

When Josephine—her eyes had been wide and filled with panic—bolted from the bar, it took every single muscle I had to not run after her. I needed to take care of the piece of shit that dared to call her a bitch.

"You didn't know fuck all about what you're talking about," I spat, ignoring Indigo's warning. I stared him down, feeling the fear radiating off of him.

I pushed him hard against the wall, fisting his collar with one hand. "I don't know what the fuck you think you know, but you better keep your mouth shut or things are going to get real messy."

He dared to scoff, and I felt the movement of his throat. "Who do you think you are? You know it's true, the bitch killed the guy, it was all over the news," he grinned with malice that only drunks were capable of expressing. "Heard she blew him then crashed the far, good for nothing who—"

I shut him up with a fist to the jaw, my knuckles more than familiar with the sting that came after every punch. "Finish that sentence, I dare you!" I snarled, another hit to the face when his ugly and twisted smile returned as he regained composure.

The fucking nerve of this guy.

The more he talked, spouting stupid crap about God knows what, the harder I'd hit.

You're the bitch who killed that guy in that freak car accident in New York.

who killed that guy in that freak car accident?

It had to be her rapist. Her first rapist. God, it disgusted me just thinking about it.

I only tuned back into my actions when a hand shoved me off the drunk. Austin had me in his ironclad grip. He was saying things, things I couldn't hear. My heart was beating so fast, the anger still in my system, but the roar of fear—fear for Josephine—seemingly blocked out everything else.

"Calm down Roman!" Austin demanded loudly into my ear so that I had no choice but to listen. "You nearly killed the guy. I think that's enough."

"Get off me Austin," I attempted to shrug out of his grip, but he didn't budge. "Let me go!" I demanded in frustration.

"Calm down Roman," he repeated, his voice low.

Indigo and Leslie were standing beside each other, staring at the man crumbling on the floor. Magnus, like the good soul he was, had his fingers on the man's neck, checking his pulse.

"Did you hear what he said about her? Fucked up. Who the hell just says that?"

His grip tightened ever so slightly at my words, but he replied calmly. "We all heard it Roman. The best thing you can do is get away, go after her while we deal with this."

By this, he meant the man, the witnesses—who were doing a very good job pretending to look anywhere but at us—and make sure this stayed quiet and away from our parents.

I manage to shake off his hold, releasing a huff of frustration. But regardless, I did what I was told, sparing the man on the floor a hard glare before walking out to my car.

I wasn't sure where'd she gone, but something in me just knew where to go. There was no rhyme or reason, but I followed my gut. It hadn't let me down yet.

The roads and sky roll into one block of hazy color outside, the drive to the lighthouse wasn't far to begin with, but with my adrenaline running through my veins, I felt as though I'd arrived in five.