Bad Influence (Seven Deadly Sins #2) ✅ Completed

Chapter Twenty-One: Disappearing Act

Disappearing Act

I was gulping down the last dregs of my water when Chase threw open the door to the gym, storming inside like a man on a mission. He looked awful. His clothes were the same ones he'd worn the night before and I could see the streaks of dirt from where he'd touched me even through all the wrinkles. It looked like he'd been tossing and turning all night too. His hair was a tousled mess and his eyes had huge purple bags under them adding to the whole 'bad night' look he had going on.

"Chase..." I started to say, caught more than a little off guard. I'd planned on calling him after I'd run home, showered, and gotten ready to go with Dante to pick Andy up, so otherwise in a car far enough away that I had an excuse not to do it face to face. I still wasn't sure how I was going to tell him he needed to step back while Dante and I handled everything from here on out. Now it seemed I was going to have to figure it out quick.

But Chase walked right past me, as if he hadn't even heard me. He stomped his way over to where Dante was putting away our practice gear. When he got to him his voice sounded hoarse and furious all at once, like he'd been gargling with alcohol and nails.

"Is it true?" he asked, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. He looked like he was ready to murder Dante, which was bad. Really, really bad. The only one who would die in that particular face-off would be Chase. Even if he knew he wouldn't stand a chance against Dante, he didn't seem to care at all.  

Dante rose slowly from where he'd been crouched, tucking several wooden practice swords into a black duffle bag. He looked at Chase, his voice almost tired as he spoke, "Is what true?"

"You know what," Chase replied, his voice rising, "about my mother. Did she buy a sin from Celeste? Did you help that bitch kill my mother and send her soul to Hell?"

Uh-oh. This was so very bad.

I ran up to them, putting myself right in the middle. Sometimes I was suicidal like that.

"Chase, listen..."

"No, Eliza!" he yelled over the top of me. "I want to hear what he has to say for himself."

There were two bright red splashes on each of Chase's cheeks but the rest of his face had gone deathly pale, almost the color of milk. I had never seen him so upset. Even when Lust had taken him over he was crazy but this was different – this wasn't an outside influence affecting him, turning him into a sex-crazed lunatic. This was grief, anger, hurt, loss, and whatever else was running through him at the loss of his mother.

And it was all Chase.

"It won't bring her back," I said, trying to reason with him. Going down this road wasn't going to be good for him or anyone else – it would only cause more pain.  

He never looked down at me, his eyes were still trained on Dante. "I have a right to know what this monster did to my mother," he whispered. 

Dante narrowed his eyes as he regarded him. "Your mother chose her own fate, whether you choose to believe that or not."

Chase cursed and lunged for him. I pushed him back with everything I had but I barely managed to move him back half a step. I put my whole weight into him and just managed to keep him from getting any closer.  

"Stop it, Chase! Don't!" I yelled, my voice echoing in the empty gym.

"No, Eliza! You don't understand!" he roared absolutely pissed.

"Yes I do!"

"No you don't! You didn't lose your mom to this...freak!"

"Yes, I did!" I screamed right in his face before grabbing it in both of my hands. I pulled his head down towards me, my voice dropping to just above a whisper. "I did lose her...a long time ago. She may not be dead and buried like yours but she's still dead. Whatever she'd been, whatever good she had inside her was ripped out by Celeste and everything else that's cursed this whole town. I swear, Chase. I get it." Going on instinct, I threw my arms around him and hugged him tight to my body.