Page 36 of Full of Wrath

“I wanted my share of the profits from his daddy’s little criminal empire. Six years I’ve been turning the other cheek, smoothing the way for the soft-handed little weasel. It was time he gave me more than just a payoff. I wanted out, and I wasn’t walking away with chump change this time while he yachted around Europe and had bitches blowing him any time he wanted it.”

I can’t help snurling my nose up at him. That's worse than woman.

“Don’t act so righteous. You can't understand what I’ve endured, what I’ve had to go through being the whipping boy for these rich fucks.”

Wallen is seriously messed up. It’s not just greed and anger that have him standing here. He’s been eaten alive by jealousy -of everyone around him having what he thinks he deserves. Memphis, the Chief, the kidnapped kid’s dad. There is no talking sense into him, no trying to reason with him. There’s nothing inside of him but a boiling pot of hate and envy.

“I was going to get my money and kill the little brat before killing Daryl and Edgar. I might have left you alive…if you hadn’t started remembering.”

“But I didn’t see you. I never would have known you were involved.”

“Maybe, and maybe what happened with the raid Wrath pulled off was going to happen all along. Maybe I couldn’t have got to them before they talked. But I could have been fucking gone. On a plane or a boat where no one could touch me.”

“So…why are you here?”

“Because your boyfriend kept me from getting my money!”

Oh shit! I don’t think it’s healthy to turn that color red. It’s almost a fucking purple color.

“Stop moving, you little bitch! There’s no way you’re getting away from me! I’m not Dumb and Dumber. When I try to kill you, you die!”

The door swings open and I hear Neve before I see her, “What’s taking so long, Waverlyyyy? Oh, God!”

I don’t have time to think things through or make fucking flow charts about what I should or shouldn’t do. I just act.

“Run!!!!” I yell it as loud as I can while picking up the stand mixer and yanking it out of the wall. I’m hurling it at his head before the gun is even halfway up.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Neve take off running like I told her to and take off myself. I don’t make it very far before Wallen is hitting me with all his bulk and taking us both down to the ground.

He rears back over me and I know he’s going to try to knock me out. There is no fucking way I am going to make it to the hidden room, no way I can defend myself, no way I make it another hour.

But I’m not going to make hitting me easy for him. I’m going to make him work for every blow.

He raises his arm, and I shove my cast in his belly as hard as I can. I succeed in knocking the air out of him, but it doesn’t really slow him down. It just makes him angrier.

I prepare myself for the blow when the door busts open again and the body on top of me jerks and falls to the side. I lay where I am for a good while as I take in the fact I just witnessed a guy being shot, and I think his brain turned to mist. My stomach rolls.

Hands are on me, lifting me up, as my face is covered in kisses. It occurs to me just what happened in that second. Memphis is pulling me on his lap and turning my head so I don’t have to look any more than I already have.

“It’s alright, baby. It’s okay. I’ve got you now.”

“You…you didn’t break your promise.” It’s stupid to say but it’s a big deal to me. I come from a background where the person who is supposed to love and care for you most always breaks promises. And he didn’t.

“I told you I would always keep you safe.”

“And you did.” It comes out between tears and sobs. “You saved my life. Again.”

We share kisses with both of us holding on tight to each other.

“I love you, Waverly. I love you. I think I’ve loved you from the moment I spotted you with my sister walking to the library.”

A gasp falls out of me. After all the shit I’ve seen today and all the shit I’ve been through. This is the most shocking thing that’s happened to me.

I pull back and stare down at him.

“You…you remember that.”

“You were in a green top that made your eyes pop and black pants that hugged your little ass like it should've been my hand. You had on little ankle boots that made you taller. They had a glittery band on them.”