Page 133 of The Risk Taker
“How the fuck could you?”
The hairs on the back of my neck spring to attention at the sudden shout.
“It has to happen sooner or later,” Halliday says. Her eyes pinch as a giant crash rings out, as if someone’s thrown something in another room.
“Want to watch that fox cub video on my phone?” Tate asks Molly, pulling her phone from the back pocket of her jeans and turning the sound up as a video plays.
“They’ll be fine, leave them to it,” she adds, looking at me.
Another crash blares out and I rush across the room, ignoring everyone as their heads whip in my direction.
I follow the hallway where the rage-filled yell came from. My heart hammers as another shout spills from an open doorway.
“You’re so goddamn selfish!”
I swerve around the doorway, rushing into the room just in time to see Sullivan hurl something against the wall. It smashesinto pieces. He turns back and advances on Slade who’s standing his ground, glaring at his older brother.
I see red.
I storm into the gap between them, throwing myself in front of Slade like a shield.
“Back the fuck up!” I yell.
Sullivan slams to a halt, his head snapping back in shock.
“How dare you!” I scream, not caring who hears me. “You deserted him! His own family. You turned your back on him. You think that was protecting him? You left him alone! Andyou’rethe one callinghimselfish.”
It takes everything in me not to step forward and hit Sullivan across his perfect jaw. The fact he looks so much like Slade is the only thing stopping me.
“What did you just say to me?” Sullivan steps closer, his eyes hardening like piercing daggers.
Slade steps forward, pushing an arm across my body as he moves in front of me. “Take another step toward her, Brother, and you’ll regret it.”
Cold blue eyes narrow at me before Sullivan redirects his wrath back to Slade once more.
“You’d know all about regret, wouldn’t you,Brother?” He sneers. “You’re the king of monumental fucking mistakes. You have no idea what you did to us all that day, do you?”
His eyes drop over Slade in disgust.
“Of course you wouldn’t. You’ve been living it up on a beach somewhere, working on your tan.” His eyes slide to mine, and his lips curl into a sneer. “And being every woman’s vacation fuck.”
I lunge forward but I’m beaten to it.
Slade’s fist connects with Sullivan’s cheek with a bone-crunching crack.
A scream pierces the air from the doorway as Sinclair rushes to Sullivan. He waves her away, wiping beneath his nose where a trail of blood is snaking to his lip.
“It’s fine, Sis,” he says, his eyes pinned on Slade with a menacing calmness like he wanted him to hit him. “Just brothers getting reacquainted, that’s all.”
37
SLADE
Jude pressesa fresh ice pack to my knuckles.
“I’m fine.”
“Ssh. Let me, it makes me feel like I’m doing something,” she grumbles, cradling my hand in her lap as she tends to it.
