Chapter 25 MONSTER
THANE
I couldn’t believe the person standing in front of me.
I didn’t know if it was the freezing cold or the shock, but my legs refused to move. My hands hung uselessly at my sides.
“You surprised?” she asked, laughing mockingly.
It was the same laugh I had always hated, even back when we were just rivals. Seeing her again, I could bet a million times she still saw me as an enemy.
Except that look flashing through her eyes told me it was something worse.
And suddenly I was fucking terrified she had actually done something to Rachel.
“Where the hell is she, Molly?” I asked, my teeth grinding against each other behind my jaw.
I didn’t care if part of me still felt guilty about what happened a year ago. Molly had always resented me. I wasn’t surprised she’d teamed up with Joe to get her revenge.
But she made a huge mistake if she thought Rachel was the best way to do it.
“Aww. Sweet Thane,” she said sarcastically. “Relax. I didn’t do anything to your girl.”
“Stop fucking with me, Molly. Tell me what the hell you did to…”
“You don’t fucking tell me what to do, Thane!” she snapped, cutting me off. Her breath came out like smoke in the cold air.
My knuckles tightened again at my sides. I took a step forward. But Molly took two steps closer, fearlessly. Her carried something deeper than rage.
“You sad I didn’t die, huh?”
Something hard slid down my throat as I locked eyes with her.
“I never wanted anyone to die,” I said. “Let’s forget what happened a year ago. You’re making a mistake teaming up with Joe—”
Before I could finish, she closed the distance between us and punched me hard in the jaw.
I stumbled two steps backward and hit the ground hard.
“FUCK YOU, THANE ADAMS!” she screamed over the pounding rain.
She had every right to be angry. But it had never been my fault.
“It was just a simple game,” she continued, her voice shaking with fury. “But what did you do? You left me in that fire when the Feds came. And do you know the worst part?”
I pushed myself back to my feet, wiping my mouth as I looked at her twisted face.
She looked like she was barely holding herself back from killing me. Right now, she was the only reminder of the past I thought I had buried and even everything else that had happened.
The whole mess came rushing back. My mom. Wendy and Pops. All of it.
My chest started racing like a speeding car. I couldn’t let myself have one of those episodes right now. It's gonna be damn messier.
“Alright,” I said hoarsely. “I admit it. I fucked up. That was on me. I should’ve stayed and helped you when you were stuck in that car. But I was scared. The door was fucking locked…”
“Wow, Thane.” She clapped her hands mockingly as she paced.
When I tried stepping closer, she spun toward me again.
“You still don’t understand the damage you caused?” she saod calmly this time. “I know you hated me for always beating you in those races. But you should’ve left Mylla out of it. Your fucking father promised he’d let her go if I lied and said you were never involved with us. Now you’re pretending you don’t know anything?”
“Wait—my father?” I interrupted.
I reasoned with everything until she mentioned my father.
First my mom called him a monster who tried to keep her away from me. Now Molly was accusing him of forcing her to take the fall for something I did.
Pops could be many things. But he would never do something that cruel.
Molly stormed toward me and grabbed my shirt, twisting the fabric until the collar tightened around my throat.
“You happy now, huh?” she shouted. “My twin sister’s rotting in jail while I'm free and can't fucking help her!”
Her grip nearly choked the air out of me.
“I don’t care if this was your plan,” she continued furiously, her grip tightening closer to my Adam's apple. “But you better get your monster father to keep his promise. Because I’m not letting you get away with this.”
“Mo…” I tried to choke out but it got caught in my lungs.
It would’ve been easy to break free from her grip. But I didn’t. She needed to vent. And my mind was still trying to process everything she had just said.
“That’s enough now,” I rasped.
But she didn’t let go. “I hate you, Thane!” she shouted. “My sister did nothing!”
“I know! I know!” I snapped back as we both staggered a little. “But you need to stop if you want me to help you!”
She was crying so hard now. And it was impossible to believe she was lying.
Something really had happened to Mylla.
Finally, her grip loosened slightly.
“I’m sorry, Molly,” I said quietly. “Please…”
It was the first time in my life I had ever begged anyone for anything. And the thing I was begging for was a girl who was slowly driving me insane.
I didn’t know who I’d be if something happened to her.
“Please leave Rachel out of this,” I finished.
“You’re still worried about that stupid girl?” Molly gritted.
My fists balled again. This time, it was feasting deep into my palm. I hated hearing her call Rachel stupid.
My eyes burned with anger, but I forced myself not to react.
“I care about her,” I said quietly. “Now you know that. So stop this, and I’ll get your sister out. If not then we don’t have a deal.”
Molly screamed louder into the rain. The pain in her voice was too raw to be fake. I couldn’t deny anymore that she might be telling the truth.
Without another word, she turned and marched toward my car. For a second I thought she was going to destroy it.
Then she slammed her fist into the side mirror. Again. And again. Until the mirror snapped in half. I just stood there, stunned and furious, unable to move.
When she finally stopped, she turned back toward me, breathing hard.
“You can hit me too,” I said quietly. My lips trembled slightly from the cold. “If that’ll make you forgive me.”
She ran a shaking hand through her hair and I almost thought she was done.
Then, slowly, she stepped forward and threw a punch in that same spot she did before, harder than the last one.
This time, I felt a sharp pain exploded across my face. When I touched it, my fingers were covered in blood.
But it was nothing compared to everything else.
“I don’t care about you,” she said coldly. “But I’m not the kind of person who hurts innocent people like you.”
Her teeth clenched. “Anyway… she’s probably still unconscious on that bathroom floor. Unless Joe decided to do something to her. I can’t speak for him.”
My heart dropped. “Fuck!” I muttered.
“If anyone hates you more than I do,” she added, “it’s him.”
Then she turned and stormed off down the dark part of the road.
I grabbed my phone. “Dammit.”
The battery was dead. Panic hit me so hard I didn’t even realize when I started running. I slipped twice climbing the slope that led to the expressway, but I didn’t stop.
The moment I reached the road, I flagged down the first taxi I saw.
“Galaxy Hotel,” I said, climbing in.
The driver looked me up and down suspiciously from the rearview.
“You sure you have money, sir?”
My veins thumped under my skin and I finally lost my shit.
I grabbed his shirt from the backseat before I can stop myself.
“How about you just drive the fucking car?”
He froze for a second. Then he quickly turned forward and slammed his foot on the gas, speeding down the road exactly as fast as I needed to reach the hotel in time.