Shattered

Chapter 28

It was like someone flipped a light switch.

His lips curled into a smile and he laughed at me. Yes, he laughed, right in my face.

"I can't believe I got you to fucking cry just by talking." I stared at him wide-eyed and in disbelief, the tears he spoke of still streaming down my cheeks. "Are you really that scared of me? Or is it just the way I was coming at you?" His hands let go of my wrists, folding over his chest as he stared at me thoughtfully. Even now, he was still analyzing me.

"Did you do this because I punched you earlier? I doubt it even hurt." My words were spoken with every bit of distaste I could portray, truly disgusted by him. "Partially, but I also did want to see if I could make you cry. It's something I like to do to find weaknesses, you should ask Nakoa about it."

Disbelief. That's the only word I could think of in that moment. 

"You're psychotic," I muttered angrily, wiping away at the tears on my face. Lucas was still smiling, acting entirely different than he had before. He even stood differently. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I know."

I didn't know what to do, I couldn't even move, rooted in place by shock. As if I didn't fear for Nakoa enough already, now I've been given just a glimpse into how insane and cruel he really is. Finding entertainment in a woman's fear of being violated is not okay, and neither is exploiting people's fears. None of this is okay.

None of us are okay.

"You know what? Alcohol fixes everything, you want some alcohol?" The crazy bastard turned before I could reply, let alone process his words, throwing a wink over his shoulder. "By the way, don't forget what I said to you this morning."

"I hope you're not a virgin, for your sake."

This man truly does thrive off of strife and fear.

Not knowing what he meant by that gave me a headache. I didn't want to think about anything, nothing at all. I wanted to lay down, sleep, and dream. My dreams are so much better than my reality.

A few seconds after he turned the corner to the bar, Nakoa left the bathroom, her eyes immediately focusing on my body leaning against the wall with tear-stained cheeks and heavy breaths. What felt like thirty minutes had truly only lasted less than three minutes.

"Jess, what's wrong? Are you okay?" She came over to me quickly, grabbing onto my forearm. I almost pushed her grip off of me, still in the fight or flight mindset after Lucas. "I hate him," I whispered, staring at the hardwood floors. "Lucas? Where is he?"

Breathing in deeply, I slowly let out the air, standing up straight and softly taking her hand away from my arm. "He went to the bar." I avoided eye-contact, knowing I would fall apart and cry even more. "I'm going to clean my face, don't go too far."

Standing in front of a golden-framed mirror, I took a paper towel, gently patting my eyes dry, trying to keep the eye makeup from smudging. A bit of mascara had settled underneath my eyelashes, but it wasn't anything too noticeable. I fixed the streaks on my cheeks, ensuring no one would be able to tell I had been crying except for the two who saw me like that.

The door was pushed open as I continued to gently pat at my makeup, which I expected to be Nakoa, yet I was surprised by bright red hair. It was the woman who had watched me from the bar, with the silver eyes and intimidating stare. She smiled at me as she approached the sinks, setting her handbag on the counter.

"Rough night?" she asked, pointing to my smudged paper towel. "You could say that," I answered, returning a soft smile. She must have been around my age, but she seemed to be known around here. Throughout the night, I had spotted her several times, usually chatting with someone or a group. It was always different people, so it seems like she came alone.