“Yes…” She pressed her lips together briefly, holding onto the door as if barring my entrance. “I wanted to see how you were but then thought you might be busy, so I hung up.”
“I’m never too busy for you,” I said and ushered her into the cool foyer, determined to get to the bottom of whatever it was she hid from me. Then I saw it, the bruise marring her cheekbone. She’d made some kind of effort to conceal it beneath makeup.
“Walked into the door again?” I bit out, fury buzzing like a lit fuse.
When she said nothing, I raced up the side stairs.
“Jack!” Marie cried out, her footsteps echoing as she ran after me. “Stop, please stop.”
I stormed into her bedroom. The fucker was seated near the scenic window, staring out at the yachts on the bay, having a leisurely breakfast at one p.m. in the fucking afternoon when most people would be at work.
The suppressed rage inside me since Ray had gotten hurt last night, then flayed by Grandmother’s threats, detonated like a keg of dynamite at the sight of the bruises on my sister’s face. I hauled Curtis Lawson up by his black monogrammed gown.
“What the fuck—?” he snarled.
I didn’t bother with words. I rammed my fist into his face, again and again, the fury within uncontrolled. He got in a few blows, but I didn’t care. Curtis might be six feet tall and have a stocky build, but his hedonistic lifestyle had him going soft, his reflexes poor. He stumbled to the floor—
“Jack, stop! Don’t, please don’t—” Marie tugged at my arm, dragging me back.
“You would protect him?” I shot a furious glare at my sister’s crying face then back at the wastrel son-of-a-bitch, groaning and wiping his bleeding nose and mouth.
“It-it’s not him I’m worried about—”
Me? Like I fucking cared about myself. “What did he do this time?” I demanded.
She shuddered at my harsh tone, making me feel worse, but I was too wound up to soothe her.
“He-he wanted more money…”
Of course, he did.
“I said no. He got angry.”
“And he hit you.” I spun back, wanting to kill the fucker. Curtis whimpered and cowered. “Hurts, doesn’t it, when you can’t defend yourself against someone much bigger and far stronger? Listen to me carefully, you abusive bastard, come anywhere near my sister again, and you’ll wish you never crossed my path.”
Curtis groaned and rolled to his ass to sit up on the floor, eyes burning with hatred. “I’m not just slapping a restraining order on you this time,” he spat—as if I gave a fuck. “I’m going to have you thrown in jail for a long time, y-you asshole!”
“Try. All those gambling debts you owe?” I gave him a cold smile, and his swollen, blotchy-red face turned ashy in fear. “I’ll buy them off and call in every one of them. Now, get the fuck out of this house!”
“Jack—” Marie sobbed, tugging my arm. “Please.”
Anger shook me hard. “You still want him afterthis? After his string of affairs, squanderingyourinheritance, and now using you as his punching bag?” I snapped at her.
She blinked her red-rimmed eyes, then glanced at the waste of space she’d married, who’d blown his inheritance and was now into hers.
Inhaling a deep breath, she shut her eyes briefly and shook her head. “No. Not anymore…”
More tears fell. Hell, she loved this piece of garbage. But I couldn’t stomach his abuse, his lies, the blatant disregard and lack of respect for her instead of treating her as someone he should love and treasure. Thank God, she had no kids from this scum to tie her to him.
“C’mon, I’m taking you to Mother. You—” I cut Curtis an icy stare as he whimpered and clambered to his feet, using the low coffee table as support. He gingerly swiped his bleeding face with his sleeve. “You’ll be hearing from our attorneys.”
Much later, I pulled up into the driveway of the gigantic white mansion in Atherton, the place where I’d grown up and then walked out of seven years ago. I didn’t want to go inside, but I needed to make sure Marie was okay.
I got out and retrieved her luggage from the trunk. She joined me, but seeing her bruised face, a red-hot rage consumed me again. First Ray and now my sister.
Burying my fury deep within my gut, I ushered Marie up the steps, opened the door, and set the bag just inside the spacious, elegant black-and-white-marble foyer. “Will you be all right? Stupid question. Of course, you won’t be.”
A trembling smile appeared. “It’ll take time.”
