Page 30 of Desperate Victory
“What’s the problem, Wallace?” I asked as I walked in with Bodhi and Ezra. “You look a little troubled.”
Rather than answer me, Wallace focused on Ezra and his smile turned cruel. Before I could say a word, Adam knocked the drink out of Wallace’s hand and sent the glass tumbler flying. It shattered and when he would have protested, Adam put the Desert Eagle right up to his forehead.
There would be no head if he fired at this distance.
I struggled to think of why I cared beyond the fact it would be too swift of an end for him.
“Still hiding behind Reed,” Wallace said, his tone dismissive. “Pathetic, Ezra. As always.” There was no shock in his eyes, no fear. In fact, there was very little reaction at all. Then he focused on Adam. “Maybe you wouldn’t be so eager to protect my weak son if you knew how he felt about you.”
“Save it,” Adam said. “I’ve known everything I ever needed to know about Ezra from the day he lied to my father’s face and said he’d broken into the bar instead of me.”
Wallace snorted. The corners of his mouth turned down. “How unfortunate that you’re as damaged as your mother?—”
He didn’t get to finish the thought. Instead, Adam used the broad side of the gun to pistol whip him right out of the chair. It sent the older man sprawling. Rather than follow with his gun, Adam stripped off his jacket, holstered the Desert Eagle, then stripped the gun holster as well.
Pretty Boy accepted the weapon like they did this every day. Taking his time to roll up his sleeves, Adam circled the desk. Wallace was still on the floor, blood staining his lip and cheek crimson. More dripping from his nose.
“You can’t treat me like this,” he said around his rapidly swelling lip. “Do you not remember?—”
Adam helped him to his feet, dragging Wallace upward before he slammed his fist into his face and sent him staggering.
“I know exactly who you are, Wallace Graham. I know how you abuse your son. Collude with your brother. Kill innocents to make a point. Make deals with the devil to sell your own child…”
Adam dragged Wallace up again, then delivered three rapid blows—two to his stomach and the third to a kidney before the man went down again.
“Maybe you need to remember who the fuck I am. My name is Adam Reed and Ezra is my best fucking friend and you have hurt him repeatedly for the emptiest of reasons…”
“Bullshit,” Wallace snapped back, pushing himself up this time. Blood flecked his spittle as he shot Adam a venomous look. “Power is never an empty reason. I was trying to make him stronger. Losing cause that it was… if he’d been a man, he never would have bent over for those boys.”
“Fuck you, Dad,” Ezra said. “You don’t know shit.”
“I know you’ll get on your knees,” Wallace wavered on his feet and he swayed toward Ezra, but I stepped between them. It brought those hate-filled eyes in my direction. “Oh look, it’s the bastard of Reed’s little slut. How does it feel to be the prime piece of ass that everyone wants for her money? I bet my son would bend over for you too.”
I lifted my brows. “You seem to be badly misinformed,” I said and he put a hand out like he was going to shove me away. He never touched me, I struck with the open palm of my hand right to his nose and he reeled backwards, yowling.
“You little bitch.”
Rather than say another word, Adam was just on him in a hail of vicious jabs and punches. Yet with every blow he rained down, he wasn’t delivering the full force. He was making it hurt.
It wasn’t long before Graham’s whole face was a mess of bloody contusions, snot, tears, and swelling. One of his eyes was closed fully, but Adam let up when Graham was on his knees.
The harshness of the man’s breathing betrayed the cracked ribs. Those hurt like a bitch. He tilted his head back, trying to glare at all of us. Not that he seemed to manage much.
“You want the little freak,” Graham said. “Have him. Good riddance.”
“I can’t believe I was ever afraid of you,” Ezra said slowly and Adam backed off another step from Graham. The blood spattering his shirt had darkened gray-black shirt to something closer to midnight. “You terrified me. With your threats and your blows… all the times you whipped me. You weren’t doing that to make me a man.”
“Stop whining at me,” Wallace said, spit flying from his lips. “You were weak as a boy and your mother coddled you. I tried to fix that and you would rather bend over and serve others. Running around after a child, pining for another man…”
“So the fuck what?” Ezra demanded. “I did every nasty job you ever asked of me. I got dirt on people. I went to work for your brother, a man you didn’t even acknowledge and you have to know what he asked of me.”
That was when Graham started laughing. It was a sick, wet sound with a bit of a wheeze on the end. “You really don’t get it, if you were a real man, you would have dealt with Julius before he became an issue. As it was, you couldn’t even figure out who he was until he revealed himself. Nothing you did moved you up, but you backed every play Reed made. His climb wasn’t yours and then that mutt O’Connell over there came along and he climbed right alongside them. Stupid… weak… useless…”
Ezra shook his head. “That’s all it is to you… a power play.”
“That’s life.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s not life. That’s cruelty. You didn’t deserve Ezra and we don’t need you anymore, Mr. Graham. But there is something you should know…”