“That sounds like a personal problem. You get in bed with the wrong people, you pay the consequences. The only thing I care about…” I gripped his shoulder and dug my fingers into the pressure points until he squeaked with pain. “…is the fact you hurt her. That was a big mistake, Max.”
“Surprised you’re still taking her side after what she did,” Max panted. Malice mingled with the resentment in his eyes. “She hurt more than she helped by returning that painting to you. My friends will be coming for you next, and they’re not as nice as I am.”
I wasn’t a fucking idiot. I’d already took steps to mitigate that possibility, but Max didn’t need to know that.
“I wasn’t going to kill her. I just wanted to give her a scare. Rough her up a little, scare her into helping me again.” Max’s eyes darted around the room, searching for help that didn’t exist. “It’s not fair that she keeps getting away with what she did. I went to jail for something we both did while she went to a fancy school and made fancy friends. It’s not fair. She owes me!”
He sounded like a petulant child throwing a temper tantrum.
“She only got into that life because of you.” I clamped down harder on his shoulder. “Don’t act like you’re an innocent martyr.”
“So protective of her even after she lied and stole from you.” Max’s lip curled, his desire for a cheap shot outweighing any sense of self-preservation. “What is it? Is it the pussy? I remember it was pretty good, especially her first time when she bled all over my cock. There’s nothing like breaking in a virgin. But it’s probably worn out—”
His sentence cut off with a choked cry when I slammed my fist into his face.
Fury darkened the edges of my vision. The world narrowed until the only thing I could focus on was my fierce, all-consuming need to cause the man in front of me as much pain as possible.
But I wanted this to be a fair fight. That way, I could let loose without any guilt.
I held out a hand. Alex slid a knife into my open palm, and I slashed the ropes binding Max.
He lurched out of his chair, but he didn’t make it two steps before I hauled him back by his collar and punched him again.
The satisfying crunch of bone ripped through the air, followed by a howl of pain.
Max clutched his broken nose with one hand and swung at me with the other. I dodged his clumsy attempt with little effort, and I heard another crunch when my fist connected with his jaw.
My blood sang with exhilaration as the storm inside me finally found its release. Every punch, every spray of blood on my face loosened an inch of pressure in my chest.
The air crackled with unleashed violence, and soon, the snap of bone gave way to the wet sound of bloodied flesh.
Sweat and blood blurred my vision, but I kept going, fueled by mental images of Jules’s injuries and Max’s earlier taunts.
I didn’t want to do it. He was blackmailing me…
They pushed me when I tried to get away…
Is it the pussy? I remember it was pretty good, especially her first time when she bled all over my cock.
A fresh wave of rage swept through me, and I punched Max hard enough that he collapsed onto the ground. His hands scrabbled against the floor as he tried to crawl away, but there was nowhere for him to escape.
“Please.” He gasped out a wet, gurgling plea. “Stop. Please…”
I barely heard him.
It wasn’t just Jules. It was Michael and Alex and every patient I lost in the ER. Every bottled-up hurt, disappointment, and frustration from the past few years. I unleashed it all on Max until his pleas died off and his body turned limp.
My heart thundered with adrenaline. I should’ve done this sooner. This was the outlet I needed.
I hauled my arm back for another blow, but firm hands closed around my biceps and pulled me back.
“Josh.” Alex’s voice splashed a cold bucket of water on the flames consuming me. “That’s enough.”
“Get off me,” I bit out. I strained against his hold, desperate for another fix. For more relief. “I’m not done.”
“Yes, you are. Keep going, and you’ll kill him.” Alex turned me around without releasing my arms and pinned me with a glare. “If that’s what you want, fine. But it’s not.”
“You don’t know that.” My ragged breaths echoed in the empty space.
The basement contained no furniture save for the chair, a table, an industrial sink, and a fridge. I didn’t want to think about what activities Alex usually conducted down here. Probably something similar to what I just did.
“I know you’re not the type of person who wants another’s death on your hands,” he said calmly. “You’re not a killer, Josh. Besides, look at him. You’ve made your point.”
I stared at the unconscious heap on the ground. Max’s face was a mangled mess of blood and pulp. Sticky dark liquid pooled around his body, and if it weren’t for the faint rise and fall of his chest, I would’ve thought he was already dead.
I did that. Me.
Alex hadn’t laid a finger on him.
My heart rate slowed the longer I stared at Max. The soft drip of the sink in the corner reminded me of the drip of blood, and I was suddenly hyperaware of the coppery liquid coating my face and clothes.
I’d beaten him half to death.
Bile rose in my throat.
I wrenched myself out of Alex’s grasp and stumbled to the sink, where I dry heaved until my throat was raw and moisture burned my eyes.
I hadn’t eaten since before my shift, so nothing came out, but that didn’t stop nausea from roiling my stomach.
What the fuck had I done?
Kidnapping. Assault and battery. Probably a dozen other crimes that would end my career if anyone found out.
I started off wanting to make Max pay for what he did to Jules and ended up using him as my human punching bag.
Fuck.
I turned on the tap and splashed water on my face, hoping to wash off the blood, but its stain remained even after the pinkish water ran clear in the steel basin.
When I finally lifted my head, my skin numb from the chill of the water, I saw Alex next to me. He leaned his hip against the counter with an unreadable expression. “Feel better?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” I rubbed a hand over my damp face and glanced at the still unconscious Max. My stomach lurched again. “What are we going to do about him?”
“Don’t worry. He won’t go to the police.” Alex walked over to him and nudged his prone form with disdain. “It’s more trouble than it’s worth.”
True. Max was only a few months out of jail, and he’d already committed aggravated assault and was involved in a conspiracy to commit grand larceny. If the police looked into his background, he was fucked.
“And if he comes after us later?” I asked.
“Please. He’s a common thief trying to play in a league above his own.” Alex sounded unimpressed. “Plus, if what he said was true, he has enough problems to worry about without trying to take revenge on us. Whoever wants your hideous painting will keep him busy.”
“It’s not hideous,” I growled. “It’s unusual, and it’s worth a lot of money.”
I’d shopped the painting around after Jules’s confession. It was tainted with bad memories, and like Max said, the people after it would come after me if I held onto it. I was lucky they hadn’t already. I guess they didn’t trust Max enough to finish the job Jules started.
The only way to get Max’s mysterious “friends” off my back and not screw over the next owner was to sell it to someone no one would dare steal from.
I finally found a suitable buyer yesterday, and we were scheduled to sign the contract in two days, after he returned from a business trip.
I assumed whoever was tracking the piece would know I’d sold it, but just in case they didn’t, the buyer promised to publicize the sale.
“Enough about the painting. Even if Max won’t call the police, we can’t just leave him here.” If we did, he might very well die of blood loss, and Alex was right. I wasn’t a murderer. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anyone died at my hands.
The urge to vomit returned. “He needs medical attention.”
Alex’s sigh contained multitudes of exasperation. “You and Ava. So driven by your consciences. No wonder you’re siblings,” he muttered. “Fine. I’ll send someone to take care of him.”
“Take care of him as in…”
Another, deeper sigh. “As in medical attention, Josh. I’m not going to kill him. I barely know him.”
“Right.” With Alex, it was always best to double check.