“You know, Bailey said the same fucking thing. I’m not small. I’m leaner, but I have muscles. I could take you in a wrestling contest.”
“Right,” I snorted.
“I could. You don’t believe me? Let’s go right now.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Because you think I can take you,” he accused. “You’re scared.”
I stopped and stared at him. “You’re right. I am scared. Scared that I would crush you like a bug, and then Ma would kill me.”
“Hey, I’ll have you know that I’m quite quick on my feet.”
“I’m sure you are,” I muttered.
He scrambled over the top of the dresser, slamming his foot into my face in the process.
I stumbled back, hitting the wall hard, but the damage was only a bloody lip. Swiping at the dribble with my thumb, I snarled at him.
“Just what the fuck was that?”
His eyes darkened as he stared me down. “War.”
Letting out a banshee cry, he leapt from the dresser, landing on his feet with more agility than I would give him credit for. I was so mesmerized by his moves that I didn’t move fast enough and he slammed his shoulder into my gut, pushing me into the wall again. I was a big guy, so I was surprised at how easy it was for him to move me.
But I had skills he didn’t know about.
Years of military training had prepared me for pissants like him. I grabbed his arm, twisting it up behind his back. I expected him to cry out, but instead, he stomped his foot down on my toes, then slammed his elbow back into my gut.
I held my grip on his arm as I stumbled back a step, but he quickly twisted and slammed his boot into the side of my knee. I lost my hold on him, stumbling as my leg nearly gave out.
“Son of a bitch!” I shouted.
Waggling his eyebrows at me, he motioned me forward. “Are you scared?”
“You know, I was taking it easy on you before,” I growled, stalking forward.
He backed down the hall, laughing the whole time. With every step toward him, a little bit of the old Michael Parker resurfaced. I was trying to keep him under control. I’d left him behind in Pennsylvania.
Or so I thought.
A slow grin spread across my face as I stalked toward him. Suddenly, my little brother didn’t look so confident anymore. He moved quickly, swinginghard. I jerked my head back, and his hit missed, giving me the opening I needed.
A single blow to his jaw stalled his body. But I didn’t stop there. I slammed my fist into his jaw again and ended with a boot to his chest, knocking him back into the wall.
He slumped down to the ground, his head lolling to the side as blood dripped from his mouth.
“Well, this is interesting,” Mav drawled.
I craned my neck to the side to see Maverick leaning over the dresser in the doorway. Shoving the dresser easily through the door, he sidled over to Jeff, kneeling by his side as he pressed his fingers to Jeff’s throat.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
“He attacked me,” I argued, though it seemed pretty damn weak the moment it left my lips.
I heard Blake come running in from the kitchen, and the gasp that left her lips as she stared at my brother.
“What happened?”
