Lessons In Revenge (Daredevil Book 2)

My Dazzling Personality

Something was going to go wrong, I could just feel it in my bones. I'd known the minute I'd walked in his apartment to let him know that Noah had been arrested, and that he was looking at ten to fifteen years in prison for credit card fraud, identity theft and misdemeanors.

It was good news, great news, and when I'd gotten the call, the first thing I'd wanted to do was tell Austin. But the pit in my stomach kept knawing at me, and I wasn't really surprised since things had been going too well.

This was Austin Dashwood and Nissa Evans, we were both screw ups, who always found a way to mess things up, so the fact that everything was going so well, wasn't a very good sign. Something had to go wrong. Something always went wrong with the two of us.

I should have seen it coming when I heard the loud shouting right before I opened his apartment door.
I really should have gone back to my apartment, and waited for him to be done with whoever it was that was yelling at him. But my curiosity got the better of me, and I found myself turning the knob before I could stop myself.

I really should have just gone home.

"What the hell does this even have to do with me?" I heard Austin yell, his tone laced with frustration.

"Every shitty thing that happens to this family has somthing to do with you, Austin," an angry, deep voice shouted back and I instantly recognized it as his father's. "It always comes back around to you."

"Don't you dare put this on me. I may have caused this family a lot of embarrassment, but this is not my fault," Austin gritted out. "This is on you!"

"Watch your tone, you little shit," his father replied. "Don't forget that I can bury you with one call."

"Go ahead," Austin replied, bitterly. "Make the call."

"Don't tempt me, Austin."

"Do you honestly think I care? Do you think that I don't want you to make that call? I never asked for your help, dad! I never wanted it. I made my mistake and I was ready to pay the consequences, until you decided that our name was more important than teaching your kid to do the right thing," Austin yelled back.

I stood frozen in the hallway, my brain yelling at me to go in there and save him from his father, but I didn't; knowing that Austin needed to do this. He needed to finally stand up for himself against his father.

"We're Dashwoods, you idiot, we don't have to do the right thing. And you can tell yourself that you wanted to do the right thing all you want, but you and I both now you're a selfish little piece of shit. You're a Dashwood, you'll always be a Dashwood, and Dashwoods look out for themselves only."

"I've never been a Dashwood," Austin replied, calmly, and I could almost see him crossing his arms, defensively.

His dad laughed bitterly, "You could have fooled me...oh wait, that's right, you're only a Dashwood when you need money or need me to cover up one of your murders, right?"

"I was a kid, dad, a damn kid. I made a stupid mistake, a mistake that almost killed me, and instead of being a father...instead of being there for me, you used my need for your approval against me," Austin's replied, his voice breaking, no more fight left in him, defeat taking its place.

"I brought you into the family business, gave you a chance to make me proud, and like I should have known you would, you fell short," his father spat back.

"I never wanted to be a part of the family business, dad! I never wanted to be a part of it, but you forced my hand and because of that a man is dead," Austin shouted back, and I felt the weight on my chest press down harder at the way he seemed to have lost any hope.