His Ruthless Revenge (A Dark Bully Romance)

Chapter Eighteen

Six years earlier...

"Stay away from me." I warn him, hauling myself up onto my feet.
"Where the hell have you been?!" My father yells, spraying saliva all over me. "Your mother's been worried sick."
"I left a message and told her where I was." I reply timidly, failing to appear confident and unshakable.
"What the fuck are you wearing? Where are your clothes?" He barks roughly, grabbing hold of my arm.
"I-I just want to go inside. I need to see mum!" I cry frantically, trying to break free from him.
"You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on." He persists stubbornly, refusing to let go of me.
"I don't want to talk to you. Leave me alone!"
"You're my daughter and you'll do as I say!" He bellows, shoving me backwards into a wall behind me.
It really hurts but I don't make a sound; biting my bottom lip to keep myself from crying.
"You're no longer my father." I declare bravely. "I know what you did and who you really are."
"Excuse me?"
"You know what I'm talking about." I tell him boldly, exhaling slowly.
We both know I'm not just referring to Kerry and what he did to her. I'm referring to everything he's ever done and what he forced me to endure before he left.
I used to pretend I didn't notice his sly little glances or the feeble excuses he would make so he could barge into my bedroom whenever he liked. I begged mum to put a lock on the bathroom door because he made such a habit of bursting in on me when I was in the middle of showering.
His behaviour disturbed me but I couldn't face what was happening and refused to acknowledge it. My mind didn't want to believe that his motives were sinister and it was just too horrifying to admit that my own dad was a disgusting pervert.
It came as such a relief to me when he finally walked out on us. I finally felt safe in my own home again and I was free to get undressed in my bedroom without having to place something against the door as a barrier.

I felt safe.

Except now he's back and his true nature has been exposed. I don't know the exact details of what happened to Kerry but instinctively... I know it's true. The fear in her eyes when Chase blurted out her secret told me everything I needed to know.
"Just look at the state of you." He taunts me venomously, grabbing the hem of the shirt Chase threw at me. "You're dressed like a whore and staggering home barefoot."
"Get your hands off me." I warn him frantically, clawing at him like a terrified animal fighting for its life.
"Maybe I should give you something to scream about." He threatens me, curling his fingers around my hair as he yanks it backwards.
I fall to my knees but try to fight back against him, kicking out with my legs and arching my back in an attempt to get away from him.
"Get the hell away from her!" Someone shouts ferociously, racing towards us before I can identify who it is or where the voice is even coming from.
"Mind your own business!" My dad fires back furiously, turning around to confront the person approaching us.
"I said get your fucking hands off her or I'll break them." A familiar voice threatens him, grabbing my dad by the throat as he yanks him off me.
I scramble backwards, ignoring the scorching pain from my elbows as they drag across the rough concrete.
"Who the hell are you?" My father demands angrily, clueless and disorientated as Chase throws him to the ground.
"April, are you alright? Has he hurt you?" Chase asks me gently, kneeling down beside me as he reaches out to touch me.
"I'm fine." I snap bitterly, cowering away from him.
"You're coming with me." Chase says darkly, grabbing hold of my dad as he lifts him off the ground and hurls him down the street.
"Get off me! Who the hell are you? I'll call the police if you lay a finger on me!" He wails helplessly, completely overpowered as he struggles to get away from Chase.
"Now that will be an interesting conversation." Chase taunts him. "I can fill them in on what you did to my sister and what you were about to do to your own daughter."
I close my eyes because they don't want to witness what's coming next. My hands cover my ears but I can still hear the blood-curdling, agonising sounds coming from my father as he begs me to help him. The merciless onslaught seems to go on forever and I'm torn between pleading with Chase to stop and wanting to run away entirely.
I finally force myself to open my eyes and see what's happening; inhaling sharply when I spot Chase reaching for a nearby brick.
"Chase, no!" I scream frantically, holding my breath.
He pauses for a second, debating whether he should listen to me or not. I'm absolutely terrified and can scarcely breathe; praying he makes the right decision and puts the brick down.
"Please..." My dad whimpers, grovelling for his life as he holds a quivering and bleeding hand up to protect himself.
I haul myself up onto my feet and limp over towards them. A gasp escapes my lips when I see the grotesque state of my dad and know I should have intervened before now.
It's a revolting sight as I observe him; noticing his left eye has completely closed and his nose appears lopsided and shattered. He's bleeding everywhere and looks horrifically disfigured.
"W-what have you done?" I whisper, shaking my head in disbelief and horror.
"I... I did it to protect you." Chase murmurs, staring down at his bloodied fists as though he's in some sort of trance. "Oh, God, what did I do?"
"Call an ambulance." I instruct him. "Now!"
"You expect me to call an ambulance for that piece of shit?!" He exclaims loudly, pointing down at my father who seems to be slipping in and out of consciousness.
"It's the right thing to do and you don't have a choice!" I cry hysterically. "He'll die if you just leave him here."
"I'm not calling anyone." Chase says decidedly. "He deserves to suffer for what he did. It's justice."
"This isn't justice! It's revenge and it's not what Kerry would have wanted."
"Don't pretend you know anything about my sister!" Chase fires back at me, ready for another confrontation.
"Are you going to call an ambulance or do I have to?" I challenge him stubbornly. "We need to call the police too."
"No." My dad murmurs weakly, shaking his head. "No police."
"You see what a pathetic coward he is?" Chase scoffs, kicking him in the ribs as though he's garbage.
"Enough!" I command firmly, trying to shove Chase backwards. "If you want to hurt him any more then you'll have to get through me first."
"Why are you protecting him?" Chase demands gruffly, taking a step closer towards me.
"Because I'm not an abuser like him or a bully like you. I don't hurt people and I just want all of this to stop. I don't want any more pain for anyone."
Chase stares down at me intently, shaking his head as though he still can't understand it.
"You call them." He says roughly, handing me his phone. "I'm not helping him."
I quickly phone an ambulance and tell them I was on my way home and witnessed someone being attacked. I tell the dispatcher our location and hand Chase his phone back.
"They're on their way."
"Then let's get out of here." Chase urges me, tugging on my wrist. "You've done everything you can for him and we need to go."
"I can't just leave."
"I'm not leaving you alone with him." Chase replies sternly, refusing to take no for an answer.
"He's hardly going to hurt me now, is he? Look at the state of him."
"I don't care. You're coming home with me."
Chase commands forcefully, tugging on my wrist once more.
"I don't take orders from you, Chase. What makes you any better than my dad telling me what to do all the time?"
"Are you kidding me? I'm not a rapist like that piece of filth." He snaps bitterly, raking his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"Just leave me alone, Chase. I'm exhausted and my feet are killing me from having to walk home without my shoes." I point out contemptuously.
"I'm so sorry." He apologises softly, sincere and ashamed for his earlier behaviour towards me.
"How on earth am I going to explain everything to my mum?" I blurt out foolishly, hardly expecting Chase to provide me with an answer.
"You... could always come back to mine?" He suggests hesitantly.
"Are you joking? Why would I go anywhere with you?" I snap spitefully, folding my arms across my chest in defiance.
"Because you're going to face a thousand questions from your mum if you go inside right now and I know you don't want that. We really need to get out of here, April. The ambulance will be here any minute and they're going to want to know what happened to him. Kerry doesn't want anyone to know what he did to her and it's not my place to reveal that. We need to go."
He tries taking my hand again but I snatch it away. My dad seems to be unconscious again and I don't know how long the paramedics will take to get here. How can I just leave him like this?
"Will he really be ok?" I ask Chase, consumed by doubt and uncertainty.
"He's still breathing." Chase confirms, encouraging me to leave with him. "Come on."
"I can't even walk!"
"Then I'll carry you."
"No way." I reply stubbornly, shaking my head.
"April, it's not like you have much of a choice."
He scoops me up before I can argue back and he starts running. I don't know how strong he is but I feel as light as a feather in his arms.
I suddenly hear the distant sound of an ambulance and take one final look at the man I should have been able to trust and rely on no matter what. The monster I've been afraid of for so long when all I ever should have felt is safe.