The Sinful Scream

40 - revelations

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Third Person POV

"Ace is the reason Maddox is here in the first place."

   The puzzle pieces began to interconnect within the depths of her brain as Renee processed what Jay had said. Jay stood silently, practically able to see the gears turning inside her head.

"He...?" The baffled girl trailed off, not wanting to come to terms with how this could be possible.

"No, no. There's no way." Renee frantically wondered aloud, fighting the urge to pace up and down the hallway.

Jay opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced by Renee raising her hand in his direction, signaling for him to wait.

After a moment, she looked up, clearly having come to a conclusion.

"You're serious?" Renee bit her lip anxiously.

Jay nodded, confirming her fear.

   Her head spun as she thought of the fact that the man she had known since high school, who she considered a good friend, was the one that made the single move that led to everything in her life falling apart.

   On top of that, she'd been near him, had a conversation with him, even. Ace spoke with her as if interested in her life, acted as though he felt bad for her, and victimized and harassed her, all while knowing what he had done, who he had hurt.

   Yet, he used it to his advantage and played Renee like a pawn in his own game. Her stomach churned with disgust at the thought that she was even in his presence twice within less than the span of 24 hours.

"Ace is Maddox's brother, and the new leader of the gang that went after you." Jay stated, breaking the silence surrounding Renee's own thoughts.

"His own damn brother did this?" She burst out.

"Ace is a piece of shit, has been since we were young." Jay spat angrily, pausing for a second.

"That fucker is dangerous, and I'll always hate myself for not even thinking twice before leaving him alone with Maddox." He sighed defeatedly.

"Jay, it's not your fault." Renee said, her tone of voice soft.

"But it is, Renee. I've known Ace is deranged, that he was a threat!" He snapped, the anger and loathing he felt towards himself surfacing.

"I was fucking stupid not to think he would take any chance possible to get his revenge on Maddox, and I'll always have to live with that." Jay's voice cracked at the end of his sentence, making Renee's chest ache.

"There was no way of knowing what Ace was gonna' do. Maddox told you guys to wait outside for him, you followed his order." Renee reaffirmed indefinitely.

"You support Maddox in everything he does, Jay. There is no way he would ever blame this on you, nor is it your fault." She promised.

The two held eye contact for a moment in silence, Jay in a clear battle of conflict of his own.

"You said Ace wanted revenge...why was he so set on hurting Maddox?" She questioned, not grasping why Maddox's own brother would go as far as attempting to brutally kill him in cold blood.