25

Will

Christina avoided my question about Simon. Was this case only about Donna or was it much more personal than that?

If it was anyone else, I would leave it alone. But my body couldn't walk away from the guy until I knew if he had done something to hurt her. And I wouldn't force her to relive it if she didn't want to talk about it.

So, I paid the guard three hundred dollars for fifteen minutes alone with Simon in a private cell.

"Why the hell is he here?" asked Simon when I entered the dark room.

The guard didn't answer. He simply nodded and left, leaving me alone with the man who tried to kill me. I'd faced soldiers and terrorists who wanted me dead, or, at the very least, bleeding, or maimed. I wasn't afraid of Simon Graff. Not at all. Standing in front of this low-level street rat, I slipped my hands in my pockets and leaned against the door frame.

"You tried to kill me and those women, but you failed. And now you're going to prison for a very long time."

"You don't know that. The trial isn't over yet."

"I read the faces of those jury members. Take a good look around, Simon. This will be your home for a decade or so."

"Fuck off, man. You don't scare me."

"Good. Because I want you to tell me the truth, not something you think will please me, but the truth."

His hands were handcuffed in front of him, but I pulled the key out of my pocket. This cost me more than three hundred dollars, but I knew I would need an incentive.

"If you answer my question truthfully, I will remove your cuffs and you can stretch out your arms. Deal?"

Simon rolled his shoulders as he eyed the key in my hand. "What do you want to know?"

"What's your history with Christina?"

His lips spread into a cocky grin. "Why? You fucking her?"

My fist curled at my side, but I fought my desire to hit him. If I broke his jaw now, he couldn't tell me what I wanted to know.

"Did you two date?" I asked instead.

"Nah, man. That girl wouldn't spread her legs for nobody."

I exhaled and closed my eyes. Except Simon wasn't finished.

"I just took what I wanted and moved on to the next one."

My hand gripped the key so tightly, I nearly pushed it through my palm. I swallowed back the bile that had risen in my throat. When I opened my eyes, his cocky grin faltered. He must have read something deadly in them because I'd never wanted to kill a man as much as I wanted to kill Simon Graff.

He had hurt her. Violated her. And while the law had done nothing about it, I knew with every fiber in my body that I would not let it go.

Slowly, I walked up to Simon, and he took a step back. He watched me warily, raising his hands to cover his face. His mouth dropped when I raised the key and brought it to his hands. His eyes never left mine as I unlocked his cuffs.

He massaged his wrists and smiled. "Man, you had this look on your face, like, I don't know, like you were going to kill me or something."

"I wouldn't kill you, Simon. You're not worth the jail time."

He stretched out his arms and swung them back and forth. "Thanks, man."

"Oh, I wouldn't thank me yet."

He stopped swinging his arms, and his brow furrowed. "What's going on?"

"Did she say, ‘no'?"

"Who?"

I kept my voice steady. "Christina. Did she tell you no?"

He shrugged. "I don't remember."

I nodded. He remembered; he just knew better. "What happened afterward?"

"I don't know, man. It was a long time ago. I don't want that chick, anyway. She's got a fucking temper on her."

I shoved the key into my pocket and faced Simon. "Hit me."

He blinked. "What?"

"Fucking hit me!"

"Why would I—"

I pulled back my fist and let it fly onto Simon's cheek.

Crack.

He stumbled back. "Ow!" Rubbing his face, he looked up at me. He looked behind me for the guard.

"There's no one out there who will help you. So, fight back, you coward."

He swung his arm toward me. I could have easily leaned back to avoid it. He was slow and awkward, but I wanted him to hit me.

His fist landed on my jaw, and rather than snap my head back, it barely hurt. "Is that all you got?"

He scrunched up his face and planted his feet. I even stepped closer to him so he could get a good one in. Instead, his eyes dropped to my stomach, and I knew he would hit there next. He was easy to read.

Again, I didn't deflect his punch, just bunched my abs, preparing for the impact. His knuckles cracked and his eyes widened when he realized his best effort was useless.

He scurried back and held his hands up. "You can't do this. I will sue your ass."

I ignored his worthless threat and picked him up by his orange collar. The one-piece jumpsuit rode up his body, and he squeaked. I smiled, imagining his balls flattened by the fabric.

Just then, my phone rang. I would have ignored it except the ringtone alerted me that it was Christina. I gripped the collar with one hand and flattened my forearm against his throat, immobilizing Simon.

Then, I dug my phone out of my pocket and answered it.

"Will?"

"Yes."

"Where are you?"

"I won't be much longer. I promise."

"Donna had to go, and I… "

Her voice trailed off. Then, "Tell me where you are?" She sounded suspicious, and I didn't want to lie to her. "I'm inside a cell with Simon."

"Which one?"

I closed my eyes. "12B"

"I'll be right there."

"Speak to Officer Richard. He'll know where I am."

She hung up the phone, and I threw mine onto the table. Shoving my face in front of Simon's, I forced him to look me in the eye. "You are going to be on your best behavior with her. Do you understand? In fact, I want you to apologize. Profusely. Until she is satisfied with your remorse. Otherwise, you will find that being alone in a prison cell isn't the worst thing that can happen to you."

He nodded, if only slightly, because my forearm was in the way. Simon's small brown eyes watered while we waited. The man truly was a coward. If he was worried about what I would do to him, he wouldn't make it six months here. But that would be his problem, not mine.

Christina's voice carried down the hallway, and her shoes tapped on the vinyl floors. I knew it was her by the rhythm of her walk. Soft but sure.

I didn't turn around when the door opened, but an intake of breath alerted me to her presence. Simon's cheek was red, as were his eyes.

"You know this will cost you," said the guard.

"I'm prepared to pay it," I said, without looking away from Simon.

The door closed behind me and Christina stepped forward.

"Let him go," she said evenly.

My jaw tightened, but I released my hold on Simon.

The coward dropped to his feet and stumbled. He held onto the wall to straighten himself up.

"Christina, get this animal away from me. He's trying to kill me."

"And why would he want to do that, Simon?" she asked in a soft voice.

He looked at her and back at me. "You guys are both nuts."

"What did you tell him?"

"Nothing, but he jumped to conclusions and hit me." He pointed to the bruise forming on his face.

"I don't think so. If he hit you, you told him something. But probably not the truth. At least, not all of it. Because that is my truth to tell. You have no idea what you did to me that day, and every day after."

"It was one time, and I never hit you. It was over quick. I don't know what you're complaining about."

Motherf—

I stepped toward him, but Christina's hand on my arm stopped me. The slightest touch and the rage inside of me simmered. If she wasn't here, I don't know what I would have done. Killed him, probably.

"You don't get it. And that's why you're here today. You don't get what effect your actions have on others. You rationalize your behavior and make it everyone else's fault but your own. But the day has come that you will have to face what you have done. I may not get my day in court, but I will get justice."

I swallowed while the lump in my throat grew bigger and bigger with every word that fell from her lips. She spoke evenly and calmly, yet the pulse on her neck vibrated against her skin.

"Look, I'm sorry, all right. Just get me out of here."

"No."

Simon rolled his eyes. "What do you want from me?"

"Pain. Unimaginable pain."

He stepped back, but there was nowhere to run. "What the fuck?" he asked, looking around. "Guard."

Adrenaline pumped in my veins now. Hearing her stand up for herself and seeing the bloodlust in her eyes awoke something primal in me.

"No one will hear you scream, Simon. No one will care. You hurt me that day, and now I am going to hurt you."

In the next moment, Christina rammed her knee into Simon's groin, and he shrieked. She pulled back her leg and kicked him again in the balls. His eyes and mouth opened, but no sound came out. I winced and instinctively, my hand covered my dick.

Tears streamed down Simon's face, but Christina was unmoved. I couldn't imagine the tears that she must have shed because of him. If I did, I would go insane.

"How do I hurt him more?" she asked. Her eyes were feral and her voice hoarse as though she had shouted her question.

"With the palm of your hand, hit him square in the chest."

I wasn't worried about Simon trying to block her shot. He was too weak for that. She followed my instructions perfectly and landed a hit in his solar plexus that knocked the wind right out of him.

Even when Simon slid on his side to the ground, Christina didn't stop. She kicked his stomach, his arm, his legs. Everywhere but this head.

She panted and screamed at him as though she were a woman possessed. I would have felt sorry for him had I not known what he had done. So, I stood back and let her release all her anger, every bit of shame, anything she had held onto all these years, and gave it back to him.

Tears streamed down her face, but she didn't stop.

Finally, the guard came in and looked at me standing aside while Christina wailed on Simon.

"Shit. I wasn't expecting that," he said.

She pulled her hair away from her face while she caught her breath.

"Before we leave, you will apologize to her," I said.

But Christina shook her head. "I don't want an insincere apology from him. I want nothing more from him. You are done. Worthless, and you will rot away in prison if I have anything to do with it."

With that, she gave him one last kick in the stomach and walked away.