Page 56 of Scarred Redemption

“I have a meeting with the fire inspector.” My answer held no inflection because I had hopes it was no big deal. Well, I certainly wanted to act as if I didn’t have desires to break the man’s neck. He had to know much more than he was willing to tell me.

And that angered me to the point of needing to act on my hunger for violence.

She backed away, glancing at Mina. “Why?”

“To check a few details. Nothing more. I shouldn’t be gone long.”

“When can I call my office?”

Reaching out, I brushed my fingers across her cheek. “Not yet. I want to keep the element of surprise a little while longer to see if I can cause some reaction.”

I could instantly tell she was resisting saying anything, but later I’d get a mouthful. “I need my work.”

“We’ll talk about that tonight. I promise you.”

Shadow rose from his bed, his tail wagging as he came to greet me. What surprised me was that Mina watched him coming toward me, her nose wrinkling as if she didn’t like the fact her pup had taken a liking to me.

Isabel noticed my concern. “She needs to know her father missed her.” The lift of her eyebrow brought another round of discontent.

Of all the things she could have said to me, the statement not only caught me off guard, but it hurt to hear. I kept my voice low, noticing she’d returned her attention to her drawing. “What would you suggest? I need to find the person behind who did this awful thing.”

“I know, but remember she’s a little girl who went through a horrific trauma.”

I squeezed her arm. “I will. I promise I won’t be gone for more than a couple hours.”

Isabel nodded, but I could tell my answer didn’t appease her.

“Why didn’t you pack up her things in her room? Trust me, I’m thankful you didn’t, but I’m curious.”

Another question that caught me completely off guard. How could I answer without sharing the level of pain I’d been in? I reminded myself that I’d promise to tell her everything I could, but in being truthful, there was a chance she’d learn how right she was about the kind of man I’d become. “Because I couldn’t get past the horror or the sadness. I wasn’t myself. I didn’t sleep, couldn’t eat.”

“I can tell. Your suit no longer fits you the same way.”

I rolled my eyes. “Now you have a chance to fatten me up. You look a little frail yourself, my angel. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.” She offered the words, yet as she rolled her hand through her hair, I noticed it was shaking.

“No, you’re not. Have you eaten anything?”

“I’m not hungry. Not right now. I’m just getting used to everything. I hope you can understand.”

In running my fingers under her chin and seeing her flinch, I was reminded of what Dr. Isatov had told me. “You know you can talk to me about what happened.”

“I already told you everything I know that might help you.”

When I pinched her chin, she bristled but thankfully didn’t try to pull away. “That’s not what I’m talking about. You need to be able to talk to someone.”

“That’s what my friends are for.”

Damn it.

“You don’t trust me.”

“I don’t trust what you’ll do, Maxsim. Right now, I think both Mina and I need to get back to a normal routine. You do as well, but I have a terrible feeling the rage will drive you and nothing else.” She backed away, ending the brief conversation.

How in the hell could I take the pain away from her? I wasn’t adept at dealing with emotional trauma.

I moved past her toward the coffee machine, although I wasn’t certain I’d be able to enjoy a cup. That’s what happened when I needed retaliation and nothing could satisfy my intense cravings. No amount of violence or bloodshed would cease the torment.