Tangled in a Web of Lies (18 page)

Tears rush to Odin’s eyes. His fire like rage takes over every emotion inside of him.

Jesus Fucking Christ! How could I have let this happen? How did I not see this?
Micah was right. Odin’s first impulse is to drive to Jaime’s house right now and beat his ass to a bloody fucking pulp. Then drag him back to some torture shack somewhere and mutilate him in every way humanly possible.

“I’m sorry Lila,” Odin says sincerely, tears running down his cheek.

“It’s not your fault O,” she says, putting her hand on his cheek. Tears stain her cheeks and her beautiful brown eyes redden.
How the FUCK did I let his happen?!?!

“Yeah, it is. I promised you that I’d protect you. You trusted me, and I failed you. I should have known he’d do something like this, and I should have killed him before he ever had the fucking chance. Nothing I can do now is ever going to fix that mistake.”

“Odin no,” she shakes her head, but he pulls away from her, unable to cope with his own shame. Suddenly it all makes sense, and he feels like a God damned idiot for not seeing all this before. Her leaving, but wearing his necklace still, her pulling away from him that night he’d held her down by her arms, her distance, and-
Oh Fuck.
The abortion. Odin stands abruptly, barely able to breathe. Quickly backing away from the table, eyes wide with horror, he tries desperately hold it together. He grips the counter, trying to breathe. All of this is his fault. All of it.

Lila is gaping at him, fear in her eyes. She tries to reach for him, but he can’t bring himself to touch her. Not after everything he did. And everything he said. She had no choice but to get rid of the baby if there was a chance it was that fucking pathetic excuse of a man’s baby.

The whole fight at her condo comes haunting back to him, even harsher than before. The things he said to her, the way he blamed her.

“I’m so fucking sorry Ly,” he says, feeling the regret full force, unable to live with it.

“It’s okay,” she says in a small voice, reaching out for him again. She’s desperate for him to hold her, but he can’t. He pissed Jaime off. He left for Chicago, and left Lila unprotected. He blew up on her when he found out about the abortion, and it is his fault she tried to kill herself. He doesn’t deserve her.

His heart rips into pieces in his chest. Nothing Micah could have said would have prepared him for this. The only thing barely holding him together is the need for revenge. The need to inflict as much pain on Rick, and Jaime as humanely possible. Then, he can lose himself to the madness inside of him.

He anxiously rakes his fingers back through his hair, digging his nails into his scalp. He tries desperately to remain in control of the beast deep inside himself, fighting the rage. He focuses on holding it in, until he can unleash it on Jaime Fucking Mosley.

He takes one last look at Lila, barely able to fucking stand the sad and lonely look in her eye. But with his emotions about to blow up all over the place, he quickly turns his back and storms out the front door.

***

The door slams behind Odin. I can hear him out front, screaming the F-word. There’s a loud crash. Just as Shannon opens the door to come inside, I catch a glimpse of Odin, heaving a metal trash can across the yard. Micah and Nathan are just standing by, allowing him to blow off some energy. I can’t imagine how he’s feeling right now. He blames himself for everything. The door closes, and Shannon rushes over to me. She hugs me and together, we listen to the sound of Odin, losing his mind out front. It’s everything I feared. It’s killing him.

“Don’t worry sweetheart. He just needs some time to let it out. Once he sinks his teeth into the man responsible for this, everything will be okay. I know it’s hard, but you just have to let men grieve in their own way, sometimes that means alone.”

I nod into her shoulder. I hope she’s right. I don’t want Odin to blame himself. I don’t want him to look at me like I’m some huge mistake. I can hear the rage in his voice, as things continue to crash around out front.

Inside, I ache for him. What if he can never look at me the same again? Will I always be tainted? Will he still be able to love me? I don’t know what I expected would happen after I told him the truth. I hoped to feel some sort of peace. But I don’t.

Devil’s Cut

Odin bursts out the front door plagued with anger. He drives his fists into the side of Micah’s truck, then picks up the dumpster and hurls it across the yard. After a few good minutes of raging, he runs his fingers through his hair, desperately trying to hold it together.

Jaime. That fucker needs to die.

“What’s the fucking plan?” he asks Micah. He better have one hell of an immediate plan.

Micah pulls his phone out of his pocket and calls Cole.

“How’d it go?” he asks his son.

“We bagged him, headed out to the warehouse now.”

The Bandits have an old warehouse out on I-90, in the middle of nowhere. It used to be a packing plant. It’s the perfect place to torture someone, and dump the body in the desert. Other than the interstate, there’s no civilization for miles, no one around to hear screams.

“I’ll let you tell your brother the news,” says Micah, handing the phone to Odin.

Odin takes the phone to his ear. “What?” his tone is clipped.

“I heard about your girl, brother. I’m so fucking sorry. I got the bastard in the back of the van right now. Felix and I are taking him out to the warehouse.”

Odin instantly feels relief, knowing revenge is close.

“Make sure that fucker knows he’s a dead man!” Odin is seething.

“Fucker doesn’t know shit! Knocked him out with a bat and bagged his ass. Bitch doesn’t even know what hit him. First thing he’s going to see when the bag comes off is your face!”

Odin likes the sound of that. “Good call.”

“I love you brother.”

“yeah. See you soon.” Odin hangs up the phone and passes it back to Micah. Micah pulls Odin’s keys out of his pocket.

“Before we ride, there’s something I want you to consider.”

Odin is hardly in the mood for Micah’s advice. Right now, all he can think about is going hostile on Jaime fucking Mosley.

Odin lets out an irritated breath through flared nostrils. “What?”

“There’s someone who deserves the first crack at that bastard more than you do.”

Odin stares at Micah confused.

“You think you’re mad? How do you think Lila feels?”

“Right now, I can’t think about that!” Odin snatches his keys from Micah’s hand.

“Nothing, is ever gonna make this right. That girl will never be able to forget what’s been done to her. But maybe, if she could take a little rage out on Jaime herself, look him in the eye and spit in his face, she might be able to walk away feeling a lot better about all of this. Girl needs some kind of closure too. You’re not the only one who’s hurting.”

“You really think it’s a good idea to bring Lila out to the warehouse, and let her witness all the fucking hell I’m about to unleash on that worthless piece of shit?” Odin yells, frustrated. He knows he’s not the only one hurting.

“No son. I’m saying I think before you go teach Jaime the true meaning of pain and misery, you outta let your old lady take a crack at him. She deserves retribution even more than you do. Trust me, she told your Ma and me some pretty horrific fucking details about what happened. It’s the only chance in hell she’s got at being able to put this behind her. Cole can take her home afterward, and we’ll stay and finish the job.”

Odin lets Micah’s words sink in. He might be right. As enraged as Odin is, his emotions don’t come close to what Lila must feel. Maybe letting her stare Jaime in the face one last time with the upper hand might do her some good. She must have a lot of things she’d like to say to him before Odin takes him out.

“Fine. Invite her up. I’ll meet you guys up there.” Odin turns to leave, climbing on his bike. He peels out of the driveway and heads for the warehouse. It’s nearly a three hour drive, but it gives him a chance to try and calm down a little. All he can think about is Lila, trapped underneath Rick while Jaime goes to town on her. It’s an image that will forever haunt him. She probably begged them to stop. Just like Jaime is likely to beg. Letting Lila beat the fuck out of him first starts sounding even better.

Odin finally pulls up to the warehouse. Cole is standing inside. He offers Odin a hug. Odin knows he’s lucky to have a brother like Cole, a brother willing to kill for him, a brother who stands by him no matter what.

“Dad said not to touch him till he gets here. But the bitch is awake. You want to go fuck with his head? Tell him all the things we’re going to do to him?” Cole has always been one to psychologically fuck with his victims before he takes them out.

“Yea, I just need to find something first.” Odin heads into the tool room, digging through the work bench. All the different ways to torture and kill a man, reminds him of being a teenager. This time, he’s the Devil. Just like his old man, he’ll show no mercy when it comes to Jaime. Jaime’s pain will only make this better. That fucker is a dead man, but not until he’s felt what Odin feels, thinking about what Jaime did to Lila.

A set of brass knuckles catch Odin’s eye. He puts them in his pocket, before he strolls into the warehouse. Felix is setting up a small shop cart full of torture implements, a few knives and scalpels, a soldering iron, battery cables, nails. It’s going to be one hell of a night. Felix nods at Odin, careful to keep quiet. Jaime is taped to a chair with his hands behind his back. There’s a black bag over his head and he’s struggling against his restraints. His chair is secured to the ground, otherwise he’d have tipped onto his back with all his thrashing. His must be gagged beneath the bag because he’s murmuring aimless pleads. Stupid bitch doesn’t even know what hit him, or who has him.

Odin grabs a chair, and sets it in front of Jaime, straddling the back of it. He nods at Felix to remove the bag. Jaime’s green eyes are filled with fear, and panic as he takes in his surroundings. Any hope of life seeps right out of him when he locks eyes with Odin.

Odin’s blue eyes are filled with rage as he bears his teeth at Jaime. “That’s right mother fucker. Did you think I wouldn’t find out what you did?

“Mrrm! Err err.” Jaime shakes his head no, trying to argue with a bandana in his mouth.

“Lila told me everything you and your sick, piece of shit dad, did to her. I hope you like pain Jaime boy. Because tonight, I’m going to teach you what it means to fucking suffer.” Each word comes out a hostile promise.

“Jesus Christ! The fucking pussy is already pissing himself!” says Cole, laughing as he walks up behind Odin. Odin’s eyes stay locked on Jaime’s.

“You scared?” Odin asks, his gaze intimidating and filled with hate. Tears well in Jaime’s eyes, and he nods, admitting he’s no more than a coward.

“You fucking should be!” Odin warns. He sits still, staring Jaime down. Any minute now, Micah will be here. Then Odin can unleash all his anger on Jaime, and send him to Hell begging for death. Cole strolls over to the stereo system.

“What are you feeling tonight brother?” he asks Odin. What fun is a torture session without the right music?

***

I have to admit I’m completely shocked when Micah comes back in the house and offers to take me out to the warehouse. Even Shannon’s jaw drops.

“I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you, being attacked like that. I can’t imagine what life has been like these past few weeks, having to carry the weight of this around alone. And I definitely can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to give up a child. You have more reason to hate Jaime than any one of us. I want to offer you the chance to say your piece, and take out your own revenge before we do. It’s up to you. I won’t judge you if you don’t want to. It’s just an offer.”

I nod, meeting Micah’s gaze.
Fuck yes, I want to.

“Yeah. I wanna go.”

I ride on the back of Micah’s bike, out into the high desert. It’s sick, but I can’t wait to see the look in Jaime’s eyes when I get there.

When we finally pull up to the warehouse, I notice a van, and Odin’s bike parked out front. I follow Micah inside. The entrance is a small, dim lit room. Micah waits with me while Damien goes inside. I can hear Hatebreed blaring in the other room and my adrenaline really starts pumping. This is it, my chance to finally face Jaime with the upper hand. This is my chance to hurt him, and try and make peace with all he’s done to me. My hands ball into fists, ready with anticipation.

“You ready for this Doll?” Micah asks, just as the door opens and Odin steps inside. I nod at Micah, I’m more than fucking ready. He nods, and he leaves me and Odin alone for a minute.

I stare up at Odin. His expression is a mix of anger and hurt, an expression I know all too well. We stand for a minute, both of us afraid to embrace the other. I can’t tell if he’s mad at me for lying to him. I can tell he’s afraid to touch me just by the way he looks at me like I’m a fragile and broken. I hate this. And I’m ready to show him that I’m not fragile or broken.

“Say something,” I say after too long a silence.

Odin casts his glance toward the wall. “I feel like I failed you.”

“I still love you, Odin. None of this changes that.” I try to assure him.

“I don’t deserve it.” His eyes meet mine.

I stare into them, begging him to touch me, afraid to reach for him and be rejected. The silence lingers between us. Then, Odin fishes a pair of brass knuckles from his pocket and holds them out for me.

“That’s cute,” I say sarcastically. They seem kind of weak, all things considered. But I take them, and place my fingers through the holes.

I can feel the distance between me and Odin getting bigger. I have to show him that I’m far from broken, that I can take care of myself. I rip the door to the warehouse open and Hatebreed growls loudly in my ears, adding to my adrenaline. I fix my eyes on Jaime, and immediately stalk toward him, burning with anger and determination. 

There’s a half second where his eyes lock on mine before I crack my fist against the side of his face. The added weight on my knuckles, snap against his jaw bone.

He stares up at me, like he can’t believe I’m doing this. That innocent fucking face, I can’t fucking stand it. I punch him again in the same spot. This time I feel the bone snap beneath my knuckles.

He screams. I think he’s trying to say please but I can’t understand him with the bandana in his mouth, so I take it off. At this point, anything he has to say should be funny.

“Lila, plea-”

I jam my fist into his mouth before he can even finish. His head bounces back to look at me, blood, pooling from his now shattered teeth.

“You better have a lot more to say to me than please!” I warn.

“I’m shorry,” he tries to plead through his bleeding mouth.

Sorry? He doesn’t know sorry.

I reach for him gently. “Shh, baby,” I calm him, stroking his already bruising face in my hand. “It’s okay. I forgive you.” No sooner do I say the words, do I throw the next punch. I hit him in the mouth again, busting his upper lip against the shards left of his teeth. Jamie screams, but I’m quick to coddle him again.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I don’t want to hurt you,” I lie. “I just, I can’t control my anger. You know I have a problem.”

I feed him false comfort, using all the words he used to tell me. His expression turns from scared to hopeless.

My knuckles crash against his nose, and before his head even has a chance to bounce back, I hit him again. The brass around my fingers breaks the thin bones of his nose instantly. Blood spills from his face, and Micah whistles behind me, admiring the accuracy of my blows.

I stop for a moment, adjusting the brass knuckles and taking a deep breath.

“Lila, please. I don’t want to die,” he has the audacity to beg.

“I don’t give a fuck what you want!” I snap. Grabbing him by his hair, my fist comes down on his face in steady wave of hard blows. Bones crunch beneath my knuckles.

“Stop!” he screams, thinking his orders still mean something to me. But he has no hold on me. Not anymore.

“FUCK YOU!” I scream at him, hitting him again, over and over, engaging my whole body in each forceful blow.

I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I stop. I turn to find Cole looking concerned. I nod letting him know I’m okay. I take a second to look at Odin. He’s leaning on a post in the corner of the room with a sick look on his face. Like he wants to be the one with the hand on my shoulder, but he can’t bring himself to comfort me. It only makes me more angry.

I turn back to find Jaime drooling blood all over the floor. I take a step back, and kick him right in the balls. That’s when I notice he’s already pissed himself.
Good!

Jaime groans, and I stomp on his nuts again, not giving a fuck how much it hurts. His face goes white with pain as I kick him a third time, smashing his balls under my heel.

“Please. Stop!” Jaime begs as I pin his nuts to the chair beneath my foot, leaning into him with his hair tightly wrapped in my fingers.

“Shh,” I coax, putting my finger over his blood covered face. “Why do you always have to make me hurt you, baby?” I say with a sadistic grin, dripping with so much sarcasm, I almost laugh.

“I’m sorry,” he cries, tears spilling from his eyes.