“What the hell, man?” Spencer swore.
“Did you fucking for a second think I was going to ignore the fact that you’re fucking flirting with my girlfriend in my own fucking house right in front of me?”
54
GRAYSON
Iwas seething with jealousy.
An abstract ceramic sculpture toppled to crash on the slate floor as I shoved Spencer against the bookcase again.
“Damn, what the hell is your problem?”
“You,” I snarled at him. “You think I don’t see what you’re doing? Lexi is mine. You fucking touch her again, you even fucking look at her, and I’m going to rip your face off.”
I didn’t see Aaron’s fist until it was connecting with my nose.
I whirled on him and shook my head, flinging the blood dripping in my eyes.
Aaron slugged me in the stomach, and I hardened my core, taking the punch.
“Don’t attack my brother, you fucking asshole. I knew we couldn’t trust you after you left us to die. I knew you’d never change.”
“I didn’t leave you there to die. I saved you,” I choked out.
“Liar. You were Stuart Richmond’s little shit-eating sycophant. You were just as bad as him. You tortured us just like our father did.” Aaron took another swing at me.
I blocked it but didn’t fight back.
“I still have the scars you gave me.”
“I did it to save you,” I howled. “I did it to save everyone.”
“No, you didn’t.” Aaron was spitting mad. He tackled me, sending us careening into the grandfather clock. It toppled over with a loud clang, and the chimes started to sound.
“You sold us out. We were supposed to be brothers, a family surviving together, but you sold us out.”
We circled each other.
Aaron shrugged off his jacket.
I did the same, removed my tie, and threw it on the ground, our movements mirrors of each other.
“Poor Lexi.” Aaron didn’t look at her. His green eyes remained locked with mine. “She doesn’t know what kind of a monster she’s been living with. Grayson used to torture us, Lexi,” Aaron called. “Did he tell you that? Did he tell you how he burned me with a fork that was red-hot from a candle, how he would hold Spencer down in the toilet until he went limp, how he pulled out his own mother’s fingernail?”
“Grayson?” Lexi sounded like she was about to cry.
“I had to,” I pleaded, needing them, needingherto understand. “I had to. It was the only way.”
“Stuart wasn’t making you do those things,” Aaron raged. “You did it because you wanted to, because you wanted power.”
“No,” I shouted, “I did it because I had to make him believe I was like him, so he would take me outside so I could save you. I did it to save you.”
“Fucking bullshit,” Aaron swore.
Lexi let out a sob.
I looked over at her, needing her to understand.
