He freezes, blood flowing freely from his lip.
For a long moment, the silence is deafening.
My arms tremble. Tears stream down my face, hot and unstoppable. My whole body is shaking, but I’m so fucking grateful in that moment for the hours of training Vincent and Brady insisted on.
“Get out,” I whisper.
“Sera,” he says.
Yeah, he’s worried now. Motherfucker.
“I’m sorry if I was rough. I got carried away...”
The words make my stomach twist violently.
“Get out.”
His eyes are wide when he takes a step toward me. “Let’s just take a beat, don’t do something you’ll regret… I’m sor?—”
“Get the fuck out,” I scream. “Or I will shoot you. I’m not playing, Aaron. Get the fuck out of my house!”
I try to process the confused expression on his face, but I keep my gaze on his chest, recalling my lessons.
“Center mass—any shift tells you which way they’re going.”
I’d thought my brother’s constant drills were overkill, but right now… I suck in a deep breath and narrow my eyes.
Aaron must see I’m serious because, with his hands still up, he backs away slowly.
Not two seconds after the door closes, I’ve crossed the room and locked it.
I set my alarm and then run through the house checking the windows and doors—heart still racing, hands still shaking.
I can hear him outside my door. “I need my keys, Sera.”
“If you’re not gone in fifteen seconds, I’m calling the cops. Let’s see how that works for your family’s legacy.”
“Sera…”
I don’t answer. I don’t know how he got home, but in the morning his car is gone.
I sit upright all night with the gun in my lap, my mind replaying every second, trying to understand how the last year came to this.
Did I miss something? Do something wrong? Did I overreact?
He loves me. I didn’t misunderstand that… He wanted me. He could have anyone…
He tried to rape you, Sera. My rational brain kicks in. You need to call the police.
I pick at my cuticles, staring at my phone. I have no proof. My brother had been a cop, so I know how things work. There’s nothing they can do. Other than a red mark on my wrist, I have no proof he assaulted me. It will be a he said/she said situation. And with the connections and money his family has...
Call Brady.
The skin at the edge of my nail tears.
No, I’ve spent my whole life watching him rescue our mother. I won’t be that for him.
Angrily, I swipe tears away. I’m not helpless. I know what to do.
