“What are you doing here?” I asked, walking over to him, looking through the windows of the diner hoping Katie wasn’t able to see what was about tohappen.
Marco followed my gaze toThe Farmhouse,just as Katie stepped into view. Awesome. He turned back toward me with a cruel smile on his face. “Is that who I think it is?” heasked.
“Who would that be?” I responded, purposely notanswering.
“Oh, little brother. That was all I needed to hear.” He walked over closer. “I see the way you were looking at her. So let me tell you how this is going to work. Whenever I come to you, you’re going to give me exactly what I want.” The smirk on his face confirmed what we both knew. That he had finally won. He had found the one thing in my life I wasn’t willingtolose.
Which is why I can’t explain whathappenednext.
Maybe it was because he threatened Katie, the girl I had just realized I’d been in love with for years without knowing it. Or maybe I was still riding the high that came with thatknowledge.
Maybe I was just tired of taking the blame for everything, for letting people push mearound.
Whatever the reason, I was tired of being thevictim.
I went rushing toward my brother while he continued to give me his evil grin. He wasn’t expecting the punch I threw. I caught him so off guard that he was still smiling a split second after my fist connected tohisface.
It didn’t stay that way for long. Soon that grin transformed into a scowl and he was fighting back. Lucky for me, he was lazy and I had months of pent up anger that had been dying tocomeout.
I landed another punch feeling the satisfying crunch of his nose breaking. I didn’t stop there. Another swing, another hit. This time I connected with his cheekbone, causing him to stagger back and lift both of his hands to his face. When he brought them back down and saw the blood covering his hands, his face contorted into a maskofrage.
“You!” he yelled, as he pointed his finger at me, “are adeadman.”
He came barreling toward me with such force we both landed on the pavement of the parking lot. I hit my shoulder hard, but managed to turn enough that my head didn’t slam into thecement.
We were a tangle of limbs each trying to get theupperhand.
I was barely aware of the crowd gathering around us. It wouldn’t be the first time a fight between us garnered so much attention. I didn’t give them a spare thought. My attention was completely onMarco.
He swung blindly at me, while I worked to clear my head and use the skills I had once been so proud of. I managed to get behind him and wrap my legs around his waist while hooking my arm around his neck, effectively putting him in a scissor hold. He fought the restraints that were my limbs, but I didn’tbudge.
“You are never laying a finger on Katie. Do you understand?” I yelled at my brother, my voicestraining.
Marco didn’t answer, but instead spit a mouthful of blood onto the ground. I tightened my grip around his neck. “Do you understand?” I asked again. The urge to strangle him was overpowering. I had never been a violent person, always choosing to take out any aggression on the mat or some other form ofexercise.
I had finally snapped. The frustration of being bullied by everyone in town, worst of all my brother, had caught uptome.
“Yes.” He choked. “Yes, Iunderstand.”
I loosened my grip and pushed him away from me. We were both panting. I watched as Marco sat up. I got up immediately after him. Expecting to see a look of shame on his face, I was unsettled when he looked as though he was the victor inallthis.
“I won’t touch her. But I don’t think I’ll be the only one keeping my fingers to myself,” he said vindictively before looking past my shoulder toward thediner.
I turned to see a sight that would forever be burned in my memory. Gwen was watching me with her hand over her mouth, her eyes sad. Next to her stoodKatie.
She looked like she never wanted to see meagain.
ChapterTwenty-One
Katie
Istaredup at the ceiling of my house. Not my dad’s house, butmyhouse. My house inFlorida. I’d been here for about a week now, taking up residence on the couch once again. Interestingly enough, after spending the last several months in Idaho, this house didn’t feel rightanymore.
The smells were wrong. The weather too warm. The house too big. Most importantly, I was allalone.
I had left the diner in a rush after seeing a side of Julian I’d never seen before. I vaguely remembered telling Mike I quit and wasn’t coming back. Gwen had followed me to my car as I walked away in shock, trying to convince me to stay. She begged me to listen to her, to listen toJulian.
I didn’t want to listen. I went home, packed my bag, bought the first flight to Tampa and was on my way home. I hadn’t thought I would use the house waiting for me as an emergency escape, not when things were finallylookingup.
