“Terrible idea,” I say.
“Don’t be so judgmental!” Noah protests, at the same time the rest of my brothers say, “Seeeeeeee?”
“If she finds out, she’ll murder Nicholas,” I say.
“That’s what I said,” Griffin says.
“But if the boyfriend’s the one for her, he won’t have sex with the escort. It’s just a test to see if he’s worthy!” Noah explains.
Nicholas shakes his head. “That’s low.”
Noah opens his mouth.
Nicholas raises a hand. “Nope, nope, nope. It’s six to one. And you’re going to shut up about this, just like you promised.”
Amy walks up with a glass of white wine, wraps an arm around Emmett and smiles at me. “Did I tell you how much I’m enjoying myself? Adult time is so nice.” She’s a new mom. Although she loves Monique, she probably wants to be around people who don’t require cooing as a part of communication.
“I bet. Anyway, let me go,” I say to Noah. “I need to see if Luce is okay.”
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Amy says. “Her brother was just going to check up on her. He seems a little tense, but—”
Shit.I rush to the pantry. He called her a bitch right in front of me. If he treats her like that in front of her husband, what kind of abuse is he capable of when she’s alone?
My heart races. I need to see with my own eyes that she’s okay.
My brothers’ rapid footsteps follow. They know from my reaction that something is wrong and are ready to provide backup if needed.
Raised voices. I round the corner and spot Karl standing in the doorway, trapping Luce inside the pantry.
“You fucking bitch!” he shouts.
He backhands her, his knuckles striking her face. She staggers backward, crashes against the shelves and falls down. Blood trickles from her nose, dripping down her mouth and chin, falling on her pristine white dress.
A scarlet bomb seems to go off in my head.
“I’m gonna teach you a lesson!” He raises his hand again.
I take a quick step up behind him and grab the wrist, twisting it painfully backward and kicking him in the side at the same time. He stumbles and goes down, rolling a couple of times to get away from me. He tries to regain his footing, but I get between him and Luce and literally punt his ass, propelling him three or four feet forward. He drops to his hands and knees.
“What the hell,” he gasps.
I circle and kick him in the side again. He wheezes, going down on his back in a feeble attempt to escape. I do it again, and he grabs his side and folds up. A rib or two must’ve cracked. Maybe even broken. I stomp the hand holding the ribcage, then again until I can feel the bones going. His scream pisses me off. Luce was so traumatized, she couldn’t even whimper.
Fucking asshole.I’m going to murder him.
I smash a heel into his crotch, and his screams go up an octave. My brothers inhale sharply, but they don’t try to intervene.
I kick Karl’s kidneys a couple of times, then stomp on him until he’s a bloody mess. Nicholas comes over and puts a hand on my shoulder. “You don’t want to kill him. He isn’t worth going to jail for.”
“Mom can get him off,” Huxley says casually.
“Hux. Not helping,” Nicholas says.
“Nicholas is right,” Grant says. “That piece of shit’s taken enough of your time. Your wife needs you right now.”
My wife.I turn around. “Where is she?”
“Amy took her upstairs,” Emmett says. “She probably doesn’t need to see this.”
