The intruder tumbled to the floor, but his reactions remained quick. He was on his feet in a split second, lunging toward me.Now my weapon was tossed aside. Goddamn it. Who the fuck was this asshole? We both went crashing to the floor, rolling back and forth. I got in several punches before he kicked me in the stomach again.
Only the assailant had miscalculated his aim, sending me to within a single foot of both weapons.
His eyes opened wide and in all my years, I doubted I’d seen anyone able to recover so quickly, scrambling to snatch his weapon before I did.
I was a split second quicker, taking aim at his forehead.
Just as he threw up his arms and right before I was able to get off a shot, a light popped on and Fleur screamed, “No! Please, no.”
Instantly I froze, keeping the barrel pointed toward him, shocked when she rushed between two men determined to kill each other, throwing out her arms toward both with a vicious expression on her face.
Hissing, I rose to my feet, grabbing his weapon and pocketing it. Without saying a word, she turned her head toward me, pleading with me with her eyes not to kill the unwanted visitor.
When I lowered my weapon, she nodded, returning her attention to the young man with the bloodied lip. I returned and kept my gaze locked on him. The resemblance between the two was in their facial features, but the muscular, inked man was scarred in body and mind from how life had treated him. His eyes held no prisoners.
“Danny, what the fuck are you doing here?” she demanded.
“I told you I needed to see you.” Danny was edgy, shifting from foot to foot, thoroughly unhappy that I was standing only a few feet away.
He’d learn to deal with it. I had no intention of going anywhere.
“This is my house. My space. You broke into my house. Mine.” She was spitting fire in her rage. His eyes darted back and forth rapidly. “My God, are you high right now?”
He wasn’t high. He was twitchy with anxiety we weren’t alone or that soon we wouldn’t be.
“I told you before. I haven’t done drugs in over a year.” He continued casing the room, trained to memorize every inch. I knew the characteristics well.
“God,” she hissed. “I can’t do this right now.”
I limped to her side, keeping the weapon in my hand. “Who is he, Fleur?”
“The question is who the fuck are you?” Danny shot back.
“Shut up, Danny. Do not say another goddamn word.” Her voice rang loud and clear. “You don’t have any right to interfere with my life.”
Danny threw me a furious look, the look in his eyes one I’d seen before. He would just as soon put a bullet in my head as heed her demand.
“Fleur. Answer my question.” I studied the young man, scrutinizing his clothing and demeanor. He was dressed in black, and what troubled me was he resembled the man I’d briefly seen behind the wheel of the truck.
She turned to face me, taking several shallow breaths. “He’s my brother.”
I briefly kept my eyes locked on her, noticing the tic in the corner of her mouth, but I didn’t trust the man or his intentions. Her reaction provided certain details. She did not want him in her house.
And possibly in her life.
“Fleur. We need to talk,” Danny told her, constantly tossing me looks. “It’s important. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t.”
“I told you that there’s nothing to talk about. You betrayed me years ago. Years. First, you say you’re clean, yet you broke into my house. There was a distinct reason I chose not to invite you into my life and you know exactly what that is. Not again. Now, I need you to leave.”
After shaking his head, he made the bad decision to take a single step closer, which prompted me to do the same.
As she’d done before, she threw her arms out toward us, swinging her lovely head from her brother back to me. The venom in her eyes had been years in the making. “I can handle this. Montgomery, please go to the kitchen. I’ll be with you in a few minutes. Okay? Don’t fight me on this. It’s my battle to fight.”
I didn’t budge because I didn’t trust the guy.
“Okay?” Her nose wrinkled from the harsh emphasis.
“Fine,” I said through clenched teeth. “If you touch her, you’ll face my wrath.”
