Off Limits, Brother's Best Friend Chapter 164

Chapter 164: He Regretted Me 

Callan

“What?” Brianna muttered. She didn't understand or was playing dumb. I don't know.

“Don't fucking speak to me, don't fucking look at me. Stay the fuck away from me, Brianna. I don't want you in any of my establishments, nothing. I don't know how it isn't already fucking clear but I hate you, I regret you.” I spewed out like venom. It just came out of me, I couldn't stop the demon inside me from wagging its tongue.

Her face dropped and she looked both shocked and hurt, good. My fists were clenched and I know my face looks strained right now. I am practically vibrating with the indescribable adrenaline, maybe it is hatred. I don't know what it is but it is hard to breathe with it. I tried to stare her down and show her just how much I hated her but I had to look away. I just turned and left, I couldn't breathe in there and she was already tearing up. I needed to get out. 

I punched the wall on my way out and I know I just put a dent in it. Bryce is going to see that and he is pissed, it is his damn fault for asking me to go into his apartment and he said no one was at home. I hear buzzing inside, I practically barreled out of the building just to grab a cigarette and light it with unsteady hands.

'Just shut it down, Callan.' I have been in a high stress situation before, I shouldn't feel like the walls are closing in on me with war happening and with people just entering my kite uninvited, all of it. 

'Put it the fuck together.’

My hand steadied and my expression smoothed over, I managed to hit the switch again, I don't feel it. I finished the cigarettes and flicked them to the ground. My middle knuckle is swelling, but I don't feel it. When the phone rang, I shut my eyes and took a breath.

“Yes?” I said as I picked up the call and waited for my cousin to respond.

“I got a present for you, boss. Come down to the vault.” He told me.

The vault is what we call the basement of the club sometimes because it is a hidden place where we keep men who are prisoners to us. A present, that means it is something I am going to like. If this present happens to be a person from any of the opposing mafia or gangs, then my present to them will be beaten them to death with my own fists. It is the only way I can douse a piece of the fire. Just releasing this dark thing inside me to do its worst. I need that, I need to beat a man to death or I don't know what other kind of devastation is in my wake.

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Brianna POV

I thought I heard the front door open, so I walked out with the intention of greeting my brother. He has been practically missing for the past several days, I don't know what is going on but I know it is something. My body literally froze in place when instead of seeing my brother, I saw the tall dark figure of the man I so badly want to forget. He was in all black which isn't surprising. The blank expression he had before seeing her here was just harder than I remember it. There is something even darker about him too, it is evident and can send a chill through you.

When he did see me, his expression only hardened further as his shoulder tensed up, I couldn't help saying his name because I was just surprised he was in my apartment. My heart started thrumming in my chest being alone in a room with him, it was the first time since I came back home. I watched him clench his fists and go straight for the door without acknowledging me. I shouldn't be surprised, because he has ignored me for seven months, so why would it be any different today?  But still my mouth spoke without my permission and said something.

'Umm, okay?’ 

I didn't know what set him off but when he whirled around, I saw this fire in his eyes that frightened me. His face morphed into one, I barely recognized as he just started shouting at me.

'Don't fucking speak to me, don't look at me. Stay the fuck away from me, Brianna. I don't want you in any of my establishments, nothing. I don't know how it isn't already fucking clear but I hate you and I regret you.’ his tone held venom.

Those words hit my chest like a freight train and my heart just stopped. His harsh words repeated in my mind as he looked down at me like I was literal shit and I felt small, I felt inferior. I felt heart broken, he said he hates me. Hate? What would I do to warrant that? He said he regretted me, I knew it, I knew that was why he cut me off. He regrets it, all of it. I couldn't even come up with a single word, I couldn't breathe.

After the hate in his eyes seared me enough, he turned around and punched the wall before exiting the apartment. There were little pieces of drywall crumble down onto the floor to make a mess and a dent the size of his large fist. As soon as the door slammed shut, I broke and released the sob I had held in as soon as the words were being screamed at me. I covered my mouth and tried not to let myself fall apart but I couldn't stop tears from coming, I felt the way the wall looked, broken, crumbled and messy. I ran to my room and climbed on the bed, so I could cry. And I cried a lot, this dam broke inside of and  and I cried seven months worth of tears even though I had cried at that time too. Callan hates me, he regrets ever touching me or being with me in any way. Can none of it matter to him? How?

The little moment we had run into each other when I first moved to Port Harcourt, our little secret flirty texts, the gifts, the experience, the restaurant, the late night chats, the phone calls and the visit to London and France. The way I gave my body over to him completely, the way I let him know my darkest years and wanted to know him too. How does none of that matters to him? I sucked in air and sobbed again into my trembling hand. Why am I never enough for these men? Why am I so hated by them? My father looked at me with those eyes, that hate eyes. Ezekiel looked down at me with those eyes of hate. Now Callan, why? What do I do wrong? It is obviously me if it just keeps happening over and over again. I wanted to scream.

I cried until my eyes burned and were swollen, until my gut hurts and my head was pounding. I cried until I felt myself go empty inside and then I just hugged myself and fell asleep. When there was a knock at the door, I didn't even answer it.

“Are you home, Bri?” I could hear my brother, I couldn't muster up a single word or even a sound.

When he opened the door, he paused there. I hadn't turned the light on, so all he saw was my back facing him while I remained curled up on the bed with pillows covering my face.

“Brianna? You weren't answering your phone, are you alright?” He asks, I was afraid if I opened my mouth, nothing but a sob would come out. So, I just grunted at him.

“What is wrong, kiddo?” He came forward.

I was hoping he thought the grunt was more like me sleeping and wanting him to go away. Brother's intuition, I guess. I tried holding the pillow, but he yanked it away from my face and saw the ugly mess that I was in.

“Hey,” his hand shot out to my arm.

“What is wrong?” He asked more urgently.

“Can you let me just sleep, please, Bryce?” I pleaded with him not to ask me. I could feel his eyes on me but I wouldn't open mine. I just turned my head inward towards the mattress so he couldn't see all of me.

“If something happened, you need to tell me.” His tone was worried.

“Everything is okay,” I mustered up the energy to lie. I don't want him to worry. He sighed and rubbed my back but I just took the pillow from his hand and buried myself back into my bed.

“Well, I will leave you some dinner on the counter and we can talk later, alright?  I will be back in a bit, make sure you eat.” He said I didn't respond but he still walked out. I fell asleep again.