Page 23 of Gold Mine (The Diamond Trilogy 2)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Liam
“Hit me again.”
I throw a punch, one that Elijah could block if he wanted to. He doesn’t want to. It slams into his jaw and sends him staggering back. When he rights himself blood drips from his lip. “Goddamn,” I say, throwing in a few extra curses. “If you want a fucking beating, find a dive bar.”
Elijah wipes his face with his forearm. “Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy it.”
A battered picnic table holds a few bottles of water and towels. They’re the only equipment we need for a solid workout. That, and each other. Josh and I are already covered in sweat from our sparring. Elijah joined us, but he’s busy fucking around.
I take a swig of water. “If your goal is to prove I’m like our father, fuck you.”
“Hell,” Elijah says, taking off his shirt. He’s clearly just getting started. “I thought you might want to blow off some steam. Especially after what happened in the orchard.”
Josh perks up. “What happened in the orchard?”
“Nothing,” I growl.
Elijah smirks. “Your brother caught me in a sensitive position.”
“So?”
“So, he thought I was forcing Holly to suck my cock.”
Josh was lying down on the grass, taking a breather after our last round. He sits up now and whistles. “What the fuck? And neither of you bothered to tell me?”
“I’m telling you now.” Elijah points at me. “Now fucking fight.”
“Not if you’re just going to stand there and let me beat you. Fight back.”
He grins. “I thought you’d never ask.”
This time, when I throw a punch, he blocks it and spins around, aiming for my kidneys—a serious shot. I manage to twist but take the impact to my stomach. I jump back to catch my breath, hands up in case he attacks. “I thought you were forcing her because you had her pinned to the ground. And because you called her a whore.”
“Kinky,” Josh says.
“Kinky is handcuffs and a safe word. Not what I saw.”
“You shouldn’t have seen anything.” Elijah throws a roundhouse kick, and I block it, but I’m less prepared for his followup sweep. I jump, and retaliate with a one-two punch that lands on his shoulder. He strikes with a backhand. “It was a private fucking moment.”
“Next time close a door, then. Don’t fuck out in the open if you want privacy.”
“The point is that you don’t have to assume the worst.”
I run a hand over my face, dropping my guard for a second. “I’m sorry.”
Elijah snarls. “I don’t want an apology. I want to know why you thought I was like our father. You think I slap her around, too? You think I throw her into a goddamn well and make her beg for fresh water? You think I laugh when she drinks the rotten sewage and then vomits?”
We only have a few rules to our sparring sessions. No grabbing, no biting. I slam myself into him, my shoulder to his stomach, and he grunts in pain. We tumble to the ground, and I pin him down with my weight alone. “You want to know the truth? I think you’re walking a fine fucking line. And I think you like it that way. Maybe you wanted me to see you in that orchard. Maybe you want me to put a gun to your head and pull the trigger.”
With a hard twist, Elijah flips back onto his feet and slams me down on my stomach. I spring up before he can pin me down. He has more strength, but I’m more agile. And both of us have stamina to make this a fight to the death.
Josh shoulders his way between us. Both of us back up. It’s never happened before. We practice daily to stay sharp. No one’s ever had to break up a fight.
I’m breathing hard. Elijah is, too. Only vaguely I’m aware of the ache on my shoulder and my side from where he nailed me. He coughs, probably because I blasted him in the stomach.
Josh points at Elijah. “You. If you want a bullet in the brain, then fucking do it. Don’t make Liam do your dirty work for you.” Then he points at me. “And you. The worst part wasn’t our father telling us we had the devil inside. The worst part is that you believed him.”
My throat feels tight, and I stalk away and stalk right back. “I don’t believe him.”
“Part of you does. The same part that made you fight your attraction to Samantha.”
I make a sound of possession. “I fought my attraction to Samantha because she was my ward. I was supposed to take care of her, not lust after her.”
Josh rolls his eyes, which makes me want to rush him, too. “We have more important things to do than fight each other. For example, what about the lieutenant colonel?”
Suspicion makes my eyes narrow. “What about him?”
