Because of Karson

Chapter 34

"Fuck, Dakota," Karson grunted, grabbing his hair in frustration as rage danced through the gold specs in his eyes.

"She's arrested so we're okay now," I reassured as I gave him a small smile.

"That's not the point, Dakota," he rasped as his eyes lit up with frustration. We were still standing in the corner, not visible to anyone who was seated in the lobby. I couldn't believe we were having this conversation now. "The point is that she's hurt you many times and you've had to go through it alone. All this time, all this fucking time, you've been getting abused while everyone stood around, not doing anything."

"Nora is the only person who knows. How were people going to help when I didn't tell anyone?" I asked as my heart began to pound inside my rib cage.

"Nora knew?" He growled, his voice quiet, yet intimidating. "She knew this whole fucking time and didn't bother helping you? That's fucked up, Dakota."

"What was she supposed to do?" I fired back as rage seeped through my veins.

"She could've called CPS for fucks sake!" His voice shook with anger as his gaze hardened.

"It's not that easy, Karson," I sighed, my voice quiet as I bit the inside of my cheek. "If she called CPS, we would all get separated and put into foster care. I've told her and my siblings so many times that I'd rather take a beating from my mother rather than getting separated in foster care."

"Fuck," Karson cursed, his voice strained and low. I could tell he was trying to hold back as his battered knuckles turned white from clenching them so tightly. "Just hearing you say that makes me want to go find your mother and rip every strand of her hair out. I don't hit women, but I swear to fucking God if your mother even so much as looks in your direction, I'll be the one put in jail."

My eyes widened as my heart hammered in my chest. "You don't mean that."

"Trust me, I do," he seethed as he grit his teeth. "Just seeing that bruise on your face makes me want to find your mother and have a little chat with her."

"I'm okay, Ryder," I reassured, my voice merely above a whisper as I tried to calm him down. "She'll be put in jail and-"

"Tell me what she's done to you," he bellowed, his gaze never once leaving the bruise on my face. "I want to hear everything."

"Excuse me?" I asked as my face contorted with shock.

"What has she done to you, Dakota? I want the truth," he admitted as his chest rapidly moved up and down. He was furious. I knew he wasn't mad at me, he was just mad at my mother.

I gulped as my mouth went dry. I felt the palm of my hands begin to sweat as I watched his nostrils flare in rage. Fuck it. "When I was 16, she put the end of her cigarette butt on my shoulder blade and kept it on my skin until there was nothing left of the cigarette."

"Jesus," he mumbled under his breath as he shook his head in revulsion.

I slightly glanced at the palm of my hand as I slowly raised it up. I scanned the stitches that Karson gave me, before turning it around for him to see. "She used a broken piece of a vase we had and dug it into my palm. It was probably one of the worst things she's ever done to me and right before we went to your house, she almost knocked me out with the end of my fathers old rifle. She hit my jaw with it."

"Oh, baby," he frowned, his voice quiet as his eyes held a look of sorrow. There wasn't any glint of pity, only concern and worry. "You don't have to keep going-"

"There was also this one time where she was about to hit Jace, but I told her she could do whatever she wanted with me just so he couldn't get hurt," I interrupted him, my eyes blankly staring at him in front of me, even though I wasn't able to focus on anything. I couldn't stop talking, I just let everything out. "I ended up in the hospital and was put into a coma. She hit me so fucking hard that I ended up with a few broken ribs."