Trapped (Bullied Book 4) (Bullied Series) Vera Hollins (best large ereader txt) 📖

“But you aren’t a murderer. You aren’t like that.”

He took a step closer to me; his eyes were hard and unforgiving. “And how would you know who I am? How would you know what’s inside of me?” He hit his chest with his fist. “For years, I’ve lived with this poison. For years, I’ve had this rage that needs to be released. I can’t live with this injustice anymore.”

“And what do you plan to do? Just barge in all alone?”

He didn’t respond, but he didn’t need to. His face told me everything I needed to know, and an invisible hand gripped my heart and twisted it painfully.

“That’s why you don’t want to go to some faraway college,” I said. “You want to stay here so you can exact your revenge on them.”

“I’ve never even cared about college. I knew once I found those sons of bitches, there were only two alternatives: kill them and end up in the slammer or die trying.”

Fresh tears poured down my face. He was ready to give up his life and future for the sake of dealing with his past. He was ready to kill—

I rushed toward him and grabbed his forearm. “You can’t do that. You can’t!” I raised my voice, becoming hysterical. “I understand how much you love her, and I understand the injustice, but the authorities need to handle them. You can’t ruin your life—”

“Don’t you get it?!” He grabbed my upper arms and pulled me against him, his eyes growing teary. “I can’t keep living if I don’t do it! That was the only reason I pulled through and found the strength to keep living, and each time I wanted to give up, I had that video to remind me not to. My revenge is the only reason I didn’t kill myself a long time ago.”

I choked on air. The agony, the fear, the suicidal thoughts… I hadn’t known he held so much pain inside of him. I hadn’t known it ran so deep.

My fingers clutched his shirt. “No, no. Don’t say that. Don’t. You’re so much more than this. So much more.”

Tears overflowed his eyes and slid down his cheeks. “Really? Says the person I bullied the shit out of for six months. Six fucking months.” He released me and stepped away, brushing off his tears. “I’m no better than those people.”

I grimaced. “Do you even hear yourself? Are you actually putting yourself on the same level as those murderers and rapists?”

He winced, his pale face contorting with agony. He took a deep breath and then another, clenching his hands into fists.

“I have to be on their level if I want to deal with them.”

I caught his arms. “You’re not a killer, Blake. You’re not. Please don’t do it. I… If you do that, I…” I sobbed, suffocating with pain. “If you do that…” I couldn’t even finish the sentence.

He raised his hand and threaded his fingers through my hair. “I know, and it hurts so much.” He brought his other hand to my cheek. “It hurts knowing I’m doing this to you.” He rested his forehead against mine. “How things have changed. Everything was easier before I met you. Even when you arrived, it was easier because I hated you. You were nothing to me. But then I started having these feelings for you, and now? Now I feel like shit because I want you to be happy, but I can never make you happy. And you shouldn’t worry about me, because I don’t deserve to live after everything I’ve put you through.”

I grasped his shirt. “No, don’t say that. I can’t believe you’re actually thinking that. Of course you deserve to live, so don’t say something so stupid.” I shook with tears, clutching the material in my hands like it was my lifeline.

“Don’t cry,” he whispered. “You’ve cried more than enough because of me.”

“And how do you want me to react, Blake?” I pulled away to look at him. “You tell me all of this and expect me to…what? Support your plan for revenge? You’re going up against murderers only to become one! You know this could get you killed, yet…yet…”

I stopped, letting my words dissolve into nothing. I couldn’t convince him to give up on his revenge. No matter what I said, it wouldn’t change a thing. I could see the resolve in his eyes, could hear it in his words. There was no other way for him. He didn’t even want to try another way.

Maybe he was physically away from that basement, but mentally…mentally, he was still there, trapped in that dark room that now owned his life.

“There is really nothing I can do or say to make you reconsider?” I asked in a trembling voice.

He ran his hands down his face and exhaled loudly. “Don’t do this to me. I can’t even think about any other alternative, not after all these years. That’s why you should forget about me. I brought you here to make you see we can’t be together. You should fall for someone else. Not me.”

My lips twisted into a smile of pain. I was crumbling inside. I’d never had him, but I still felt like I was losing him, and it was slowly tearing me apart.

“Yet whenever I’m around any other guy, you’re jealous. Are you able to forget about me?”

His eyes darkened with so much longing it felt like a caress on my skin. Like the touch of his fingers that now trailed my arms to rest on my shoulders.

“I tried so hard these days, but it was impossible. All I wanted was to kiss the hell out of you.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to my forehead. The touch was so light, but it had a powerful impact on me nevertheless.

I let out a small, hoarse chuckle. “And there I was, hoping you would look at me at least once.”

“I wanted to do that and a lot more, so badly. You were sitting in front of