Alec swallowed hard, feeling as if his heart were being shredded by the force of his father’s sorrow. He grabbed the man’s hands, enfolding them within his own. It occurred to him that he’d never seen his father drunk. The man before him was not the same man he had known for thirty-two years. The change began to take place shortly after the arrival of the Warringtons, as he had always suspected. He realized that if any more changes were to take place within his father’s troubled soul, it would kill him. The Warringtons would murder yet another Summerlin.
Refocused on his fury, he rose to his feet, still clutching his father’s hands. The expression he turned on Nigel and Colin was deadly.
“What in the hell have you done to him?” he hissed.
Nigel gazed at Brian impassively. “He has done it to himself.”
“Like hell!” Alec roared. Brian’s hands fell from his grip and the man nearly tumbled from the chair with the sudden movement. In two long strides, Alec was upon the father and son Warrington. With one man in each massive hand, he slammed them both against the wall in macabre unison. Toby moved in to support his brother, but he could see quite clearly that Alec did not need his assistance. He could hold two grown men at bay easily.
“What have you done to him?” Alec repeated through clenched teeth. “You are killing him!”
Soft, indistinguishable voices suddenly came from the foyer and Toby bolted into action. Moving quickly for the open solar door, he slammed it shut just as Celine and Edward entered the keep. Alec waited until the voices faded before returning his attention to the men within his grasp. Nigel was struggling; Colin was not.
“Now,” Alec growled, forcing himself to calm with the king in such close proximity; he did not want Edward to hear him lose control. “I will demand two answers from you. Colin, you will tell me why you killed my brother. And Nigel, you will tell me what it is that has my father acting like a gutless fool. I am waiting.”
Colin was the first to speak. “Release us, Summerlin. We cannot supply you with answers we do not have.”
Alec’s grip on Colin’s neck tightened and he fixed him with a pointed look. “You hold quite a few answers, my friend.”
Colin opened his mouth to refute, but Alec slammed him against the wall so hard that he bit his tongue. Nigel yelped, genuine fear clutching at him. Alec was apparently intent ondoing them great bodily harm while Brian sat like a simpleton. Nigel knew their only chance lay in the drunken baron.
“Tell your son to release us, Brian,” Nigel said loudly, firmly. “Do you comprehend my meaning?”
Brian remained slumped like a dullard for several moments. Then, slowly, as Alec dealt Colin another heavy slam, Brian grasped what Nigel had inferred. It was enough to bring him to his feet.
“Release them, Alec,” he said hoarsely.
Alec ignored his father, disregarding the blood that trickled from Colin’s mouth as he reaffirmed his stance. “Well, Colin? Spill your guts before I do it for you.”
“Alec!” Brian demanded, more forcefully. “I said release them!”
Alec remained focused on Colin. Then, slowly, he turned to his father. “Why?”
Brian looked confused. He put his hand against his desk to steady himself, all the while searching for a reasonable answer in his alcohol-soaked mind. Why?
“Because…. because I demand it,” he said weakly. “I shall not allow you to bully our guests.”
“Guests?” Alec repeated with disbelief. “They’re goddamn vultures! If you weren’t so drunk or so frightened, you’d be able to see that.”
“Do not speak to me in that manner!” Brian boomed unsteadily. “You are still my son, Alec, and you will do as I say!”
Alec gazed at his father as if he were looking right through him. His features took on a curious look. “What is it about these jackals that has you running like a coward?”
Colin suddenly brought up his knee and caught Alec in the abdomen. Alec grunted with shock and pain, releasing his hold on the younger man but maintaining his grip on the father.Colin, not at all a weakling, caught Alec in the face with a sharp blow, snapping his head severely.
Head spinning, Alec released Nigel and cocked his arm, driving his fist into Colin’s jaw. As the younger Warrington went flailing backward, Toby jumped into the melee and clobbered him with a blow to the back of the head.
Nigel was screaming murder as Brian, fighting for lucidity, attempted to prevent Alec and Toby from killing their nemesis. But his weak actions were in vain, for between the two large men, Colin was dangerously close to losing his life. The only reason preventing Alec from snapping his neck was the fact that he wanted answers to Paul’s death.
The solar door suddenly flew open and Ali charged in, yanking Toby away from the chaos and fully intent upon aiding Alec as he plowed into Colin. He had heard the scuffling sounds upon entering the foyer with the ladies and his intuition told him Alec was in the midst of the struggle. As always, he would be at Alec’s side whatever the situation and had nearly ripped the door from its hinges in his haste to reach his friend.
In the doorway, Peyton and Ivy stood in horror as Jubil struggled to recover from her recent fainting spell.
“Alec!” Peyton cried.
Barely aware of Ali’s presence, Alec was fully cognizant of his wife’s voice. His head came up sharply, focusing on her beloved features. Only when he read the terror on her face did he slow his actions.
Toby, his knuckles bloodied, pulled the women into the room. Closing the door softly, he bolted it this time. The chaos that had filled the small solar not a moment before was suddenly vanished, bringing about an eerie, heavy silence.
