RUSTY | frank castle

TWENTY ONE

The two heard David mumble something. He slapped the cement pole and turned, walking back around the frame and into the 'bedroom'. "Wait a second."

He paced around a little, waving his finger around. "Madani."

"That agent?" Rusty asked. "What about her?"

"That's how we fix-"

"If you're gonna start talking about her ass-"

"That's how we fix this." David put the glass away. "That's how we fix this. We've been hiding from her the whole time. We don't need to hide from her, she wants the same things that we do!"

Frank frowned, thinking a little while Rusty listened on.

"I have the video. You are the eyewitnesses. Don't you see?" Frank looked hopefully at the two. "We give that to her!"

Fender and Lexi lifted their heads at David's loud talking which is probably caused by the alcohol again. "Lock and key. We give that to Madani, she arrests Rawlins. . ."

Arrests.

"I go home. Boom!"

"Whoa." Rusty said, sitting up and holding a hand out. "Rawlins isn't going to get arrested."

Rusty didn't finish her sentence as David started shouting again. "I make sweet love with my wife!"

"Stop that shit!" Rusty said, her voice louder than him.

David stopped, confused. "What?"

Frank pointed a hand to the ground. "Rawlins dies, remember?"

David dropped his hands to his sides, looking rather annoyed at the two. "Oh, that's right. Everybody dies with you two, right?"

"You're goddamn right."

"Yeah, that's right, huh?" David mocked. "Your families are dead. Anyone that ever looked at you wrong, they're dead."

Rusty's mouth opened slightly, taking all of this in. It was insulting. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, her hands on the bed as she steadied herself on it, trying not to take the bait.

"And you just keep on going, huh? You two just keep on going."

Frank was trying not to react, too. He didn't want to admit it, but it stirred something inside him.

"You are psychopaths."

Frank kicked the stool in anger, making the metal clatter loudly. Lexi and Fender jumped to their feet at the noise, their bodies tall on the bed.

"That's right." David continued. "Yeah."

Frank and Rusty were both breathing heavily, David would be in hell because of the glare the fiery-haired woman was giving him. "You done?" She spat.

He walked to the computer area, but turned around and pointed a finger at the two. "You have nothing but a war inside you."

Rusty stood, managing to control herself, though her chest was heaving and there was a fire boiling inside her chest. She wanted to shoot the man, right then and there. She could set Fender and Lexi on him, let them rip him into pieces as his blood splattered on the ground. Oh, she would pray for that. 

Frank was still on the bed, looking at Lexi as she tensed her muscles, watching David, waiting for the command. Its funny how dogs can go from guarding a person, to biting them to death if said by their handler. It was something that Frank looked up to. They create a bond with that person, but their handler has an even stronger one; it overpowers anything else they have ever felt. 

"I'm calling her."

Rusty turned to Frank, who was trying to swallow his anger. He looked at her, his eyes hurting, like he had been thrown into the trash like a meaningless piece of shit. He saw Rusty shaking with acrimony but he stood up, shaking his head 'no' as he took her in a tight embrace. "He's drunk, I'll take care of him."

Rusty, her strange-coloured hair covering a little of her eyes, hugged Frank, breathing out deeply after inhaling his scent. It was so familiar, and it always seemed to calm her down a little. The woman nodded, letting Frank pull away from the embrace.

Frank turned. "Put the phone down."

"I'm calling Madani."

"Put the goddamn phone down!"

David didn't stop. Frank, stepping over the stool he had kicked over, walked to the man, his hands in fists. Rusty signalled with her hand for Fender to go after Frank. 

"Put the phone down." Frank repeated. 

David continued. 

Frank, his face expressionless, slammed the phone out of David's hand. The man jumped at the quick and powerful action, turning around rather slowly and attempted to punch Frank. 

Big mistake. 

Fender barked, slobber falling to the ground, disorientating Lieberman slightly as Frank dodged his lousy punch easily and punched him back, twice as fast. 

The curly-haired man fell unconscious, but before he could hit the ground Frank grabbed him by he legs, hurling him onto his shoulder and walking back to the bed, throwing him on it. 

He turned to Rusty, who had her arms crossed as she looked at David, still giving him a death glare. Frank stopped in front of her. 

"Hey." He said softly. 

Rusty didn't reply. She just stayed looking at their feet. 

"Hey." Frank said again, putting a hand on her cheek. Rusty looked him in the eyes as he brushed her hair out of her eye. She looked hurt - really hurt. Frank's worried gaze made her bite her lip and lower her head. 

"I don't know why it has this effect on me." She whispered, looking at Frank again, who was searching her eyes with his. "I've been killing people since I was nineteen like it was second nature, but now he said 'psychopath' and I just feel so guilty." She chuckled at herself, feeling like it's stupid. 

"Don't be." Frank said gently, his gruff voice so gentle. "Don't be, you hear, Rusty?"

Rusty swallowed, taking Frank's torso and putting her body against his, hugging him. She put the side of her head against his chest, hearing his heartbeat as he swayed them both slowly to the sides. 

"It's not your fault. They pointed, and you shot. You were under orders." Frank said. 

"I'm not anymore. And I still do it." Rusty whispered. 

"Look at me." Frank said, placing his large hands on Rusty's firm shoulders. "I'm not under order, either. I still do it, because this is payback. They did wrong to both of us. Now we're doing wrong to them, okay?"

Rusty agreed, nodding. "Yeah."

They hugged again. Frank had has head on hers, smelling Rusty's clean hair as she hugged him tightly with her head rest on his chest.

Frank sighed lightly. "They're the ones that are guilty."