Storm shakes his head. “I didn’t see nothing. Did you, Jett?”
“Honestly, couldn’t tell you.” Jett says with mock sincerity. “One minute Duke was letting his mouth run away on him, the next minute he was complaining about being assaulted. That seems unlikely. Unless… were you asking for it, Duke?”
“Bastards.” Duke spits out a wad of blood and spit.
“See.” Owen stands up and walks over to Duke. I know from experience how intimidating he can be. “No one hurt you, Duke. You got what you deserved.”
“Fuck you,” Duke snaps.
Owen’s fist cracks against his mouth.
Duke lets out a snarled cry. A tooth bounces on the floor. “Fuck.”
“The first one was for Summer, but this one was for Violet. I don’t know why you hurt her or why she won’t talk about it, but it was you.”
Duke opens his mouth like he’s going to argue.
“That was a taste of what we’ll rain down on you if I see one more bruise on that woman’s face,” Owen says before returning to his chair.
“I didn’t hit her. Didn’t hurt her,” Duke says. “Maybe she fell.”
Owen pauses. His shoulders rise and fall. “Are you telling me she hurt herself?”
“Look, it’s none of your business.”
“I’m making it my business.” Owen must have changed his mind about sitting because he goes back to standing over the bastard. “Stay the fuck away from Violet. And stay the fuck away from our sister. You and your goons. Don’t talk to either one of them. Don’t look at either one of them.”
“I wouldn’t touch your sister. She’s a fat bitch.”
The hell he says that about the woman I love and gets away with it.
Owen is smart enough to step aside as I launch myself at the asshole. My fists connect; one after the other.
When I regain my composure and step away my knuckles are bloody. Whether it’s his blood or mine, I don’t care.
Storm grins and nods. “Hollywood.”
“I’d tell you to be careful what you say about our sister, but it’s too late for that.” Owen tells the prick while he snags the dish towel next to the sink and hands it to me to wipe my hands on. He digs in his pocket and tosses some keys to Jett. “Go bring the truck up.”
“Won’t be long.” Jett saunters out.
Owen looks at me. “You want to piss on him, Hollywood?”
“Sure.” I reach for my fly. Maybe the threat will make him more likely to tell the truth.
“What the fuck?” The whites around Duke’s eyes becomes more visible as he stares at me in horror. “No. No, don’t do that.”
“He has a bad habit of urinating on pets and people who piss him off,” Owen tells Duke. “So you might want to be careful what you say to our brother-in-law.”
“You’re Summer’s husband?” Duke is drooling. His lip is swelling. But he can’t help himself apparently because the stupidity keeps leaving his mouth. “You’re a chubby chaser? Fat women get you off?”
I don’t correct Owen about the husband thing. As far as I’m concerned, Summer’s my everything. The Hearts including me tonight and claiming me as their brother is a bonus. I’ve accomplished my reason for coming to Devil’s Bend.
“I warned you.” My knuckles connect with his eye socket.
“Oh-ho.” Storm laughs. “Now he’s got one to match Violet.”
“Good arm, Hollywood,” Owen says with gruff respect.
