Read Online Shattered (Dividing Line #5) by Heather Atkinson - Free Book Online Page B

think you were just going to walk out of here?” said Ryan, advancing on him. “I only let them untie you to even up the odds.”
    “I didn’t hurt any of your family, it was all Alex,” said Gavin, hastily backing up towards the door.
    “You were a part of it too,” replied Ryan, his face taking on that unnerving stony appearance.
    “But…but…,” babbled Gavin, his terrified brain unable to come up with a logical argument.
    “I’ll give you a chance. Fight me,” he said before slamming his fist into Gavin’s face.
    Riley, Mikey and Jez watched in silence while Frankie shouted out encouragement, cheering when there was the splintering of bone or mashing of cartilage. “Ding ding end of round one,” he declared when Gavin lay on the floor not moving or breathing, face obliterated beneath the force of Ryan’s fists, limbs splayed out at odd angles after they’d snapped beneath the relentless attack. “What a woofter. He didn’t even get one punch in.”
    Ryan stood in the centre of the room, blood dripping from his knuckles, taking in long deep breaths, trying to calm down. He still burned from the inside out but at least the torment had eased slightly.
    Mikey walked to the door to call in his two henchmen, who were on guard duty.
    “Take it to the freezers,” he told them, gesturing to Gavin’s body.
    As Gavin was dragged away, leaving a bloody trail behind him, Ryan washed his hands in the sink in the corner, scrubbing away the gore. He had thought all this was behind him and now he’d just beaten someone to death. Even when he’d been in the business he’d never been so brutal. Yes he’d tortured people to get information but he’d put them out of their misery quickly, usually with a bullet to the back of the head. He leaned on the sink and closed his eyes in an attempt to regain his famous control but it was being eroded by the burning inside him. The only way it could be exorcised was by Alex Maguire’s death.
    He thought back to that last wonderful day before they’d learnt of Martina’s death and their lives had changed forever. He’d woken up with Rachel in his arms and the boys had run into their bedroom. They’d gone swimming then enjoyed a nice family dinner. Now he was stuck in a torture chamber with a ginger psychopath and blood on his hands.
    The tap on his shoulder made him whip round and draw back his fist, but it was only Mikey holding a clean bundle of clothes.
    “Easy, it’s just me. You should change. We keep these down here in case of situations like this.”
    Ryan looked down at himself and saw his clothes were splattered with blood.
    “Thanks,” he said, removing his t-shirt and jeans and pulling on the clean clothes. He hesitated and looked at Mikey. “Has anyone else worn these?”
    “No, they’re brand new.”
    “Good.” Ryan couldn’t have borne wearing something Alex might have worn first.
    “You okay Bruv?” Jez said quietly.
    “Fine.” Ryan could see the concern in his brother’s eyes but he lacked the energy to reassure him.
    When Jez wandered across the room to talk to Mikey, Ryan turned to Riley. “Is this how you feel all the time?”
    “Pretty much.”
    “How do you deal with it?”
    He shrugged. “You get used to it.”
    Ryan thought that explained Riley’s tight control. At first he’d thought it was his army training but now he realised that quiet demeanour contained an horrific rage. Come to think of it, his way of standing with his arms folded across his chest gave the impression that he was trying to contain something very big and angry that he would only unleash upon Jasper White. Ryan intended to do the same to Alex Maguire. “It’s burning me up,” he said.
    “There’s only one cure and you know what it is,” replied Riley.
    Ryan nodded. “But I can’t, not yet.”
    “Then you’ll just have to deal with it. There’s no choice.”
    Ryan wished his brother had more answers for him, he wasn’t sure he could deal with it.