Page 63 of The Eraser

"You fucking bitch," he snarls. "You never know when the fuck to shut up, do you?" he spits. "But don't worry, Jessica. I have an escape plan. I've had it for years. No one is going to find me where I'm going."

"You're deluded," Callie snarls. "God, you make me sick. No wonder Ma hates you and Jer despises you. The only reason you were his right-hand man was to keep you close to him so he could ensure that you weren't doing anything to Patty. Turns out, he should have killed you like he wanted to."

"You really do think you're untouchable, don't you?" Callie taunts, and I wish she'd stop. I don't want him to hurt her. I know that if she continues to goad him, he'll lash out, and I can't deal with her being hurt too. "You think that just because you hung around Jer when you were growing up, you were something." Callie laughs. "No, you were the annoying shit who wouldn't take the hint. What our Patty saw in you is anyone's guess. But you put yourself on a pedestal. You thought your shit didn't stink because you were family." She shakes her head. "No, you weren't. We all hate you, every single one of us. Jer only kept you close to keep tabs. You were never going to take over the business. Not fucking ever."

I've never heard Callie so angry before. My cousin's hurting, and I hate that she's seeing what my dad's truly like. I wish I could take this away from her, that she didn't have to witness this.

"You cunt," Dad snarls as he takes a step toward her.

"Mam finally knew that you were worthless. You hit me and she'd had enough, right?" I say loud enough for him to hear. It works. He stops in his tracks and turns to me, his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. "She finally realized what everyone had been telling her all those years. That you were nothing but a freeloader. You amounted to nothing and Mam had enough."

"Oh, Jessica," he taunts, taking a large step and reaching for my hair. His fingers tighten around the strands and he pulls. My back bows, making the burns pull, and I cry out in pain. My vision swarms and I try to fight the pull. I can't succumb to the darkness. I won't leave Callie alone to face him. "You never learn," he says as he plows his fist into my face. The sound of his knuckles smashing against my nose is sickening. The crunch of my bone tells me he's broken it. Blood pours from my nostrils and fills my mouth. I cough, needing to get it out. God, it brings back so many fucking painful memories. My Dad was never going to change. He's always been an animal, and today he's just showing who he truly is to someone other than me.

"You'll die for all that you've done," he snarls, punching me once more.

I'm unable to fight the pull, unable to keep my gaze on Callie. I wish I was stronger. I wish I was able to fight the darkness, but my body's weakened, and the pain I feel is insurmountable. The abyss pulls me under, and the last thing I hear is my dad's chilling, triumphant laughter.

ChapterTwenty-Seven

STEPHEN

"Pacing isn't goingto help, Stephen," Nicola says softly.

I pin her with a glare, pissed at the way she carried on yesterday, beyond angry that she's here acting like the grieving mother and aunt. "Nicola," I warn. She's pushing her fucking luck.

She wipes her hands on the towel and throws it onto the counter. "My daughter and niece are missing, Stephen. I'm worried and your pacing isn't helping."

"Since when have you been worried about Jess?" I ask, and the anger in my tone can't be missed. "Not once since her ma died have you actually given a fuck, Nic. Not fucking once."

She rears back, looking stricken. You'd think I fucking hit her, the way she's acting. "I care about Jessica."

"Yeah?" I ask sarcastically. "When was the last time you saw her that didn't include a family gathering?" I shake my head when she's unable to respond. "You knew what Thomas was like. You fucking knew and you didn't give a fuck about Jess."

"You hate me. That's what this is about. You hate me. You have done since Callie was attacked," she says, her lips trembling and her hands shaking. "Why?"

"You treated your daughter like shit," I reply heatedly. "You were pissed that she never told you about Denis and you treated her like fucking shit. Why? Because you didn't know. You're a grown-ass fucking woman, Nicola, and instead of supporting your daughter when she needed you, you turned it all around and made it about how fucking upset you were that you were left out of the loop. She told you she was pregnant, and instead of congratulating her, you asked her what the hell she was thinking. That, Nicola, is why I was pissed off back then. Now, I'm fucking angry that my wife was tortured by her da and you're acting as though you're the good aunt, that you give a shit, when the truth of the matter is, unless it directly impacts you, you couldn't care less."

I'm fucking done with this conversation. I turn on my heel and storm out of the house. Twenty hours, that's how long Jess has been gone. Twenty fucking hours of not knowing if she's alive. I can't stand around waiting on other people to get me information. I need to be out there, finding her.

"Stephen," I hear Denis' voice from behind me. "That anger has been built up a long fucking time."

I glance at him. "Was I wrong?"

He shakes his head. "No, not in the slightest. Nicola is very self-absorbed, especially when it comes to her family. She feels as though she's the matriarch and should know everything. She's hurting, as much as you. You think she doesn't care about Jess, but she does. She was wrong. We've all been wrong not to check in with her since her ma died, and knowing what that cunt Thomas has done makes me want to kill him. We fucked up."

I nod. "You did. We all fucking did. But Nicola needs to stop her bullshit." I reach for my keys and hit the unlock button on the key fob. "I've got to go," I tell him. "I can't stay around here any longer."

"No, we can't," Maverick says, joining us. "I'm surprised," he tells us. "I knew the both of you were close to losing your shit, but it took you a long time to explode."

I roll my eyes. The only reason I kept it in for so long is for Callie and Jess. They'd be upset to know I made Nicola cry.

"Freddie's just messaged," he says and my back straightens. Freddie's been doing what he does best, extracting information. "He's been talking with Oisin. Apparently, Oisin's da spoke about a place Thomas liked to use. We're heading there now." Oisin is one of Jer’s men, one that has been with the organization for years, he’s following in his father’s footsteps, his da is close to Thomas.

I nod. "Let's go." I slide into the driver's side of the car, while Maverick gets into the passenger's and Denis into the back.

Everyone we called in has arrived in Dublin. The moment they got here, they got to work. Every single one of them are chasing down leads and finding out information. So far nothing has come to fruition. It's like Thomas has vanished into thin air. It's beyond frustrating. Never, not fucking once in my life, have I felt as helpless as I have since Jess was taken. I'm out of my depth, struggling to find my balance. I'm fucking lost without her. I never expected to be so fucking grounded by someone, never felt I could love someone. But that all changed with Jessica. The moment I met her I knew she was different. I saw that dark despair in her eyes, but I also saw the light she carries. She's without a doubt my anchor. The darkness I carry doesn't touch her, but her light grounds me. Around her, I'm not such a monster. With her at my side, I see a fucking life.

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