have happened. His wife would be the happy, chirpy woman she’d always been and his boys would be driving him insane. Their rousing was always done with little rancor, but it happened all the same. Now, he would kill to see them rumble around. It would reassure him that his world hadn’t been tilted off its axis. It would assure him they were normal.
Normal? Who was he fucking kidding? His family would never be normal again. They’d had the life torn out of them and ripped to shreds. To make things worse, he couldn’t even hunt down the animal who’d done it. The prick was dead and good riddance to the filthy scum, but Trevor couldn’t help but wish he’d been given the opportunity to put a bullet in the son of a bitch. He wouldn’t have stopped at just one.
The bartender placed another glass in front of him and Trevor murmured his thanks. He reached for his wallet, but the barman stayed his hand.
“It’s all right, mate. This one’s on me.”
Trevor bit his lip against an immediate surge of anger, but merely nodded his thanks. The barman’s pity infuriated him. There was nowhere he could go to escape it. Everywhere he turned, people knew he was the husband of the woman who’d been raped by a monster fresh out of jail. They knew he was the father of the boy who’d murdered the prick.
It wasn’t like they blamed Daniel for his actions. Most of them were more than happy to admit they’d have done exactly the same thing. But Trevor couldn’t help but notice the occasional frown sent his way, the look of calculation in the eyes of some of the men as they shook their heads and muttered that it wouldn’t have happened if he’d been there.
As if he didn’t know that. As if it weren’t tearing him up inside, the guilt staring back at him every morning and weighing his gut down every night. He needed to be strong, for his wife, for his boys.
The problem was, he couldn’t be. He couldn’t even look at them without imagining the horror of what had happened and that made him furious all over again. Not at them, never at them, but he couldn’t be near them, either. He didn’t want to punish them, but he had to stay away. For the very sake of his sanity which he was barely clinging to, he had to stay away.
* * *
At the other end of the scarred wooden bar, Chase took a sip of his drink. The single malt whiskey slid down his throat in a ribbon of smooth, liquid fire. Try as he might, his thoughts kept circling back to Josie and he couldn’t help the yearning that filled him. If only things had turned out differently… If only the timing hadn’t been so bad.
The day after he’d met her at the football game, he’d called her and asked her out. She’d lived in Grafton, a couple of hours away, but the distance didn’t deter him. He’d known from the very first instant that she would be his, forever. Besides, he’d turned eighteen and had a license. He’d even saved enough to buy a cheap car. He didn’t care how much the fuel cost or how many miles he drove, he couldn’t get enough of her.
Of course, they were both still in school and in reality, their meetings were mostly confined to the weekends. Even then, those were fitted in around sporting engagements, dance lessons and other things.
They made it even more difficult for themselves by choosing to keep their love a secret. Josie had five very protective older brothers and her father was a District Court judge. Not that Chase let that daunt him, but he agreed with her just the same: It would be easier if they didn’t tell anyone, at least, not until after they’d finished school.
They emailed and texted and spent hours talking on the phone. Chase told his mother he was dating a girl in his class. Josie’s parents thought she was spending time with her girlfriends.
It killed Chase not to take her as his date to his high school graduation, but Josie told him it was for the best. Her father was not at all keen for her to have a boyfriend. She
Normal? Who was he fucking kidding? His family would never be normal again. They’d had the life torn out of them and ripped to shreds. To make things worse, he couldn’t even hunt down the animal who’d done it. The prick was dead and good riddance to the filthy scum, but Trevor couldn’t help but wish he’d been given the opportunity to put a bullet in the son of a bitch. He wouldn’t have stopped at just one.
The bartender placed another glass in front of him and Trevor murmured his thanks. He reached for his wallet, but the barman stayed his hand.
“It’s all right, mate. This one’s on me.”
Trevor bit his lip against an immediate surge of anger, but merely nodded his thanks. The barman’s pity infuriated him. There was nowhere he could go to escape it. Everywhere he turned, people knew he was the husband of the woman who’d been raped by a monster fresh out of jail. They knew he was the father of the boy who’d murdered the prick.
It wasn’t like they blamed Daniel for his actions. Most of them were more than happy to admit they’d have done exactly the same thing. But Trevor couldn’t help but notice the occasional frown sent his way, the look of calculation in the eyes of some of the men as they shook their heads and muttered that it wouldn’t have happened if he’d been there.
As if he didn’t know that. As if it weren’t tearing him up inside, the guilt staring back at him every morning and weighing his gut down every night. He needed to be strong, for his wife, for his boys.
The problem was, he couldn’t be. He couldn’t even look at them without imagining the horror of what had happened and that made him furious all over again. Not at them, never at them, but he couldn’t be near them, either. He didn’t want to punish them, but he had to stay away. For the very sake of his sanity which he was barely clinging to, he had to stay away.
* * *
At the other end of the scarred wooden bar, Chase took a sip of his drink. The single malt whiskey slid down his throat in a ribbon of smooth, liquid fire. Try as he might, his thoughts kept circling back to Josie and he couldn’t help the yearning that filled him. If only things had turned out differently… If only the timing hadn’t been so bad.
The day after he’d met her at the football game, he’d called her and asked her out. She’d lived in Grafton, a couple of hours away, but the distance didn’t deter him. He’d known from the very first instant that she would be his, forever. Besides, he’d turned eighteen and had a license. He’d even saved enough to buy a cheap car. He didn’t care how much the fuel cost or how many miles he drove, he couldn’t get enough of her.
Of course, they were both still in school and in reality, their meetings were mostly confined to the weekends. Even then, those were fitted in around sporting engagements, dance lessons and other things.
They made it even more difficult for themselves by choosing to keep their love a secret. Josie had five very protective older brothers and her father was a District Court judge. Not that Chase let that daunt him, but he agreed with her just the same: It would be easier if they didn’t tell anyone, at least, not until after they’d finished school.
They emailed and texted and spent hours talking on the phone. Chase told his mother he was dating a girl in his class. Josie’s parents thought she was spending time with her girlfriends.
It killed Chase not to take her as his date to his high school graduation, but Josie told him it was for the best. Her father was not at all keen for her to have a boyfriend. She