Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 81018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81018 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Kenny shook his head. “You really live up his ass, don’t you?”
This time, Ryder waggled his eyebrows. “It’s a damn fine place to be.”
My lips twitched. How he managed to stay so chill during times like this always amazed me. I found myself having to consciously keep my fists from curling.
Kenny flipped Ryder off, then faced me. “Open the door,” he shouted, getting right into my face.
“Ken, you’re freaking Mom out with all the shouting and aggressive pounding on the door.” His pupils were blown and couldn’t stop moving, like a fidgety child who’d scarfed a pound of sugar. “Let’s walk up the block for a minute to simmer down before we go inside.”
I never saw the hit coming. In hindsight, I should have. He was twitchy and agitated as fuck, clearly looking for a fight, but we’d never been the type to physically fight. At least before Kenny went off the rails and turned into someone I didn’t recognize.
In the blink of an eye, he balled his fist and rammed it into my face. I couldn’t tell which hurt more, the physical pain or the shock of my brother’s attack. The second hit came just as Ryder let out a feral snarl and launched himself at Kenny. He wasn’t quick enough to stop a second pop to my face, but there would be no third.
My silver-spoon, never-been-in-a-physical-altercation, charms-everyone-he-meets boyfriend slammed my brother against the car with a forearm across his chest. “Hit him again and you’ll spend the next few days watching life pass you by from a hospital bed.”
The words hung in the air like a challenge none of us saw coming. My brother’s hazy eyes went wide, not from fear, but from pure shock. Here was golden boy, Ryder, suddenly radiating the kind of overt menace that made even my hot-headed brother pause. But it didn’t last long—whatever he’d pumped into his system tonight had him feeling invincible.
“Get the fuck off me.” Kenny struggled beneath the weight of Ryder’s hold.
The shock of getting struck passed, kicking my brain back online. I spared a tenth of a second to appreciate how hot Ryder looked defending my honor before jumping in to stop this from escalating further. As it was, one of my neighbors was bound to call the cops.
“Kenny, tone it the fuck down,” I said in a low voice as I crowded in next to Ryder. I wouldn’t ask Ryder to back off or stop, as some might. His aggression toward Kenny didn’t scare me. Hell, it didn’t bother me in the least. Kenny had been pushing at Ryder since we started dating with snarky comments and disrespect. And that came after Ryder helped me rescue Kenny’s dumb ass from violent drug dealers and bailed him out of jail more than once in the middle of the night. I was impressed my boyfriend held it together this long and flattered that he only cracked to keep me safe. I wouldn’t have had the same level of self-restraint.
“Tell your boy toy to get his fucking hands off me,” Kenny yelled, thrashing beneath Ryder’s hold.
I got right in Kenny’s face, “No. You’re out of fucking control. Calm the fuck down and find some place to sleep it off, or I’ll call the cops on you myself.” My left cheek throbbed, and I could feel a slow trickle of blood crawling down my chin from the corner of my mouth.
“Fine,” he yelled, practically spitting the word. “I don’t want to sleep in this fucking shithole anyway. Call your dog the fuck off me, and I’ll go.”
Ryder and I shared a quick look, and I nodded once. He didn’t try to mask the skepticism and displeasure in his eyes, but he relaxed the pressure across Kenny’s chest and then took a step back. My brother lurched away from the car, straightening his worn Black Sabbath T-shirt. “Fuck you both,” he muttered as he stumbled away and began to weave down the sidewalk toward somewhere while Ryder and I stared after him.
The second he turned the corner to the next street, guilt set in. “Shit.” I turned to Ryder, who stood rigid as a marble statue. I scrubbed a hand down my face—something to do with my hands and keeping myself from losing my shit. “Is this a mistake? Should I go drag him back so he can pass out in his own bed?”
Ryder turned to me with a look of disbelief skewing his features. “No. Fuck no. Let him go. He’s too volatile to be in the house with your mom right now. Something has to break this toxic cycle. Bailing him out hasn’t helped, so maybe it’s time for some tough love.”
“Yeah.” The word felt heavy on my tongue. I didn’t want to agree with him, but he was right. I knew he was right. The law considered Kenny an adult who’d be held accountable for his choices and actions. I’d let him skate by with do-overs and extra chances for years, and where had it gotten me?