Kayla looked up the stairs. “Bailey. Room. Now.”
Dustin turned on her, his voice low. “You need to think about whose side you’re taking.”
She said something back, but I wasn’t listening. I watched Bailey turn, giving us one more frightened glance, and disappear toward her room.
I didn’t think I’d ever hated myself more than I did at that moment. To my shame, that didn’t make me leave. It simply added gasoline to my anger. Within two steps, I closed the distance between us and shoved Dustin with both hands. “Fuck you!”
He stumbled backward, nearly falling, but was able to reach out and steady himself on the wall. He paused long enough to glare at me, letting me see all the hate for me I always knew was there. Then he charged.
I’d never been in a fight in my life, but I was ready. With fists raised, I started toward him.
“Stop it!” With only a few feet between us, Kayla stepped in and held up her hands.
Dustin smashed into her, sending her flying.
Whether it was Kayla’s heels, her luck, or the force of the impact, she didn’t stand a chance of maintaining her balance. She stumbled back, her feet wiping out from under her, and fell, smashing the back of her head on the doorframe that led from the hallway to the formal dining room.
Her cry of pain stopped both my brother and me in our tracks. For a moment, we were frozen, staring at Kayla crumpled on the floor, her hand clutching the back of her head. And then we were at her side. Both of us babbling nonsense and apologies.
With our help, she managed to sit up, then shoved us away with her free hand. First Dustin. Then me. “Back off!” She took several panting, labored breaths, her other hand also lifting to the back of her head.
Dustin headed toward her again. “Baby, I’m so sorry. I never—”
“I said back off!” she growled. I’d never heard Kayla even come close to making such a sound. “And shut the fuck up. Both of you.”
It was then I noticed the red mark on the doorframe. “Kayla, you’re bleeding.”
She glared at me. “No shit.”
Dustin groaned, a wounded-animal sound.
Neither one of us dared move.
After a few more deep breaths, Kayla stood, using the wall to help her get back to her feet, leaving red marks where she touched. Still holding on to the trim, she kicked off her heels, then breathed out shakily.
Kayla stood there, trembling. She swept the hair from in front of her eyes and glared at us. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.” She addressed Dustin first, rolling her shoulders back as she spoke. “I know that was an accident. I know you weren’t trying to hurt me. I know that I stepped into your path. But you’re going to do what I say, or I’m calling the police. I am done being controlled. This might have been an accident, but the rest isn’t. And this”—she pointed to the blood on the wall—“has more power than all of your money. Agreed?”
Dustin didn’t even hesitate. He just nodded. I was surprised as I studied him. He didn’t seem angry. Didn’t act like he wanted to fight her demands. He looked broken.
“Good.” Kayla turned toward me and snapped her fingers to get my attention. “Randall, take out your cell and get a picture of the wall and of my cut, and then send me copies and another set to your e-mail.” She glanced back at Dustin. “Are you going to fight this?”
He shook his head.
I swear she looked surprised. “Fine. Then when Randall is done with the pictures, you’re going to clean it up. Randall, once you’ve taken the pictures, you wait in the kitchen, and I’m going to wash up, put on a bandage, make sure Bailey is okay, and then the three of us are going to talk and end this once and for all. And you two aren’t going to speak to each other again until I’m back down here. Agreed?”
We both nodded.
She looked back at me. “Get out your phone.”
IT WASover forty minutes later before Kayla joined us once more. Noah called, and I texted back that I’d call as soon as I could.
Noah.
He expected to come home to a celebration of us moving in together, and I wasn’t even there. Didn’t even text.
I’d fucked so much up.
Dustin and I sat at opposite ends of the kitchen bar, occasionally glancing at each other, neither one daring to break Kayla’s demand for silence.
