Page 20 of Fueled Fury

11

Austin

It hurts. It’s not physical pain, or the empty, hollow pain I felt before her. It’s the gutting pain only she has ever been able to inflict on me. The pain that makes me want to reach into my chest, rip my heart out, and stomp it into the ground. It’d be better than experiencing her shut me out again while remaining close to Eli.

I’d watched the two of them whispering in the kitchen this morning before she hurried out. Now, they’re across the Coyote Café, huddled together talking. I don’t give a flying fuck what Eli is saying because nine times out of ten, everything out of his mouth is a lie. I was so close. So close to telling her everything, but that little voice (that sounded a lot like Eli’s) whispered that she wouldn’t believe me. That she’d believe him, pick him instead of me.

I have to tread lightly—an arduous objective for me—but I have to regain some of her trust before I divulge the truth about Eli. Or before she finds out the real reason I came to Haine. That alone would be enough to send her anger into overdrive. Letting her avoid me while I sit on the sidelines won’t accomplish shit. Pushing Eli, inciting his fury to reveal his true colors will show her who the real monster is.

Grabbing my empty paper cup, I toss it in the trash then head across the café and take a seat next to Lainey as Eli glares across the table at me but continues the conversation like I’m not there.

“Why don’t you go?” Eli asks her.

“Go where?” I ask.

Lainey ignores me, answering, “Because he won’t let me on the track, so there’s no point.”

Eli chimes in, “I’m sure your dad would at least let you take a lap or two.’”

“No. He’s hell-bent on keeping me off the track, like someone else I know.” Lainey finally turns, acknowledging me for the first time.

“Some of us just want to keep you safe,” I explain. Her irritated expression tells me she’s less than thrilled with my justification.

She slowly raises her cup, taking a sip of her coffee. “No. It’s not about me. It’s about everyone else getting exactly what they want.”

“Get lost, Austin.” My brother tosses an exasperated scowl at me.

Yeah. Didn’t work when he threw a fit last night upon my arrival back to Sunland, and it won’t work now. Turning my body to face her, I lean forward, placing my hand on the back of her chair. Even though I’m not touching her, I don’t miss that she tenses up. “Tell me what you want.”

Eli directs a few curses my way but I remain watching Lainey, wanting to know what’s going on behind those enticing eyes studying me. With irritation lingering on her face, a smarter person would probably not want to hear what she had to say to them, but I do. At least then I would know where I stand with her, what exactly I need to do to get back into her bed and stay there. My gaze drops to her mouth, the one thing she’s never been willing to give me, which tightens into a firm line.

Reaching into her bag, she pulls out the tattered book I’d left her and plops it on the table in front of me. “Here. I don’t need it. I bought another copy.”

“What a gift to give someone,” Eli snickers, reaching across the table to the book.

Without looking away from Lainey, I clock that she’s getting more nervous by the second. I slam my fist on the book to prevent Eli from touching it.

“No need to be a monster and go all Frankenstein on me, fucking freak,” Eli snickers.

Lainey takes a breath to say something, but I cut her off, speaking to Eli but looking at her. “Frankenstein isn’t the creature in the book. He’s the scientist who created it before tossing it aside.”

“I’d throw away a green murderous freak too.” Eli laughs. I try my best to control my temper, knowing he’s not talking about the fictional characters of a novel. He’s referring to me.

“The creature wasn’t born evil. It didn’t become a monster until its progenitor brought it to life then turned his back on it, only showing it what pain and misery felt like. All the creature wanted was companionship, someone to love. It didn’t want to be evil.” Turning to look at Eli. “Its environment sculpted its character.”

Lainey’s soft voice pulls my murderous glare off of my brother as she says, “It killed people. The creature made the decision to kill people.” The horror on Lainey’s face tells me that she gets the comparison, the reason I read the book obsessively. Relating to the villain of the story more than the protagonist.

“Pain was all it knew. It was the only thing it’d received, so it was the only thing it could give.”

“Monsters kill. No one makes them do it. They’re just pathetic, wicked bullies that want to hurt people and laugh about it.” Eli chimes in with less humor than before, my guess would be because Lainey’s attention is on me, whether good or bad, Eli wants it off of me and back on him.

“The bully has a story too,” I tell Lainey before looking at Eli. “And Frankenstein’s creature wasn’t green. Read a fucking book for once.”

Eli snarls as he looks to Lainey then back to me. “Even worse. The monster should be green with a vile outer shell that matches what’s on the inside to keep people far away from it. It should come with a warning so no one gets hurt.”

“But who’s the real villain of the tale? The creature Frankenstein constructed or the monster who created the creature and then unleashed it on the world?”

“Don’t you think you’re a little too old to still be blaming Mommy and Daddy for your psychotic ways?”

“Aren’t you too old to get mad when someone plays with your favorite toy, and she thoroughly enjoys every touch?”

Eli darts up from his chair, slamming his balled-up fist against the table.

Score.

Long term, he’s better able to keep up the show, unlike me who loses my temper quickly; but even he has a breaking point.

“That’s enough,” Lainey shouts, glancing around the crowded café as she stands from the table. “Eli, let’s go.”

Fury oozes off of him as I respond with a smirk. Lainey has a difficult time ushering him to the exit, so this could prove easier than I’d thought.