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His fist hitting my jaw is the only sound in the room.
When he comes at me a second time, I hit him back. He doesn't come at me again. Instead, he just stares at me. We are standing a few feet apart, both dead serious about one thing – Bresin.
"I know you think I'm just going to fuck her over, but I can promise you that I will never do that. I love your sister." I don't care if it pisses him off anymore. I'm going to tell him exactly how it's going to be. I'm tired of the bullshit between us. He's been my best friend for far too long to have this shit still hanging between us. "I don't care if you don't like it. She's it for me, man, and I will do anything for her. You can hate me all you want, but that isn't going to change."
His eyes narrow at me, but he still doesn't say anything. I scan his features. He looks nothing like the man I've known since we were kids. He looks pale, his cheeks sunken in. Whatever he's on right now is slowly taking away the man he is.
"You need to get fucking clean, Ridge. If you want anything to do with your sister, you need to get your ass back into rehab. I won't let you continue to hurt her. She may not realize it yet, but I do. I've been down this road with you once already and I covered for you. I paid to get your shit cleaned up, but it’s hurting her this time. I can't let it continue."
"I never asked for your help,” he finally bites out. He can be pissed all he wants. I don't care. I'll be the bad guy if I have to.
"You didn't have to. You've been my best friend for years. I know you need it. I am aware that you’re falling down that fucking cliff with nothing but the ground to break your fall. Bresin fucking loves you. She would do anything for you, and that includes putting her life on the line to save your sorry ass. I won't let that happen. She deserves to be fucking happy. If I am the one to make her that way, what does it matter? Are you mad because I didn't tell you before? Fine. My bad. I accept you being pissed about that, but don't drag her down with you."
His eyes drop to the floor and he stares at the tile, blowing out a few breaths. "She's always had a thing for you. I should have seen the writing on the damn wall. I knew you'd be the one she would go for." He kicks at nothing on the floor before starting to itch his arm just below the elbow. “Bres always watched you when you were over, always called you when she needed something." He laughs to himself. "I didn't want that shit to happen, but she's happy. That’s all I've ever wanted for her."
I relax my stance a little before taking a few steps back and sitting against the back of my couch, watching him. “I’ll always do everything in my power to make her happy.”
He runs his hands down his face, not saying anything.
“I need to know why they are coming after your sister. What is the reason behind this shit? I already have the Draconic Crimson guys trying to get their hands on a sex tape some dick says they have of her.”
“Who made a video of Bresin?" He gives me a dirty look, so I hold my hands up.
“You know I’d never do that to her. The guy she lost her virginity to is the one who originally had it.”
I watch him clench his hands a few times before he looks at me. “I’m going to kill that little prick,” he grounds out. He turns to look toward my bedroom where Ireland went running off to. I can’t see either of them, but I’m sure they are both in my bed.
"He gave it to someone named Jackson Abrams." I watch his face harden. "You know him," I state. “Who the fuck is the little prick?” I need more information about him if I’m going to be able to make him go away.
"He's a dealer. Not mine, though. He wanted me to do some shit for him, but I told him no. I didn't want to get mixed up in more shit than I could handle, so I stuck to just using. He didn't accept that."
Grabbing my phone, I send a group message to Beck and Mad, telling them they need to get over here now. We need to figure out what we are going to do about this shit.
I used to look up to Ridge, but that’s slowly slipping away. Our friendship may never be what it once was, but I’ll always have his back. I may not agree with his choices right now, but I know things will go back to as normal as possible once we get his ass clean again.
“You want something to drink? They probably won’t come back out for a while.” I motion to the door. His eyes land on it before coming back to me.
“How long?”
I pause, thinking the best way to answer that. I can give him the answer to the question he’s looking for, how long I’ve been with Bresin behind his back, or I can give an answer that will just piss him off more, that I doubt those two will come out of there until morning.
“The first time? Not long after she turned eighteen." He stands to his full height, but he doesn't come at me again. "I've always wanted her, Ridge. I pushed her away for years, finally caving because I couldn't take the disappointment written all over her face every time I turned her down. More recently? The night we took the blonde at the party. She called for a ride. I never planned for it to happen.”
I run my hand through my hair, tugging slightly at the longer strands before continuing. "I dropped her off after she teased the fuck out of me. It didn't take her long to continue her teasing, and I ended up back at her dorm. She told me about the shit you pulled at your parents’ place. I was pissed as fuck at you, so the thought of breaking my promise to you didn't mean shit anymore. If you could treat her like that, I could be the one to protect her. I would go back to being her safe haven."
I watch as his expression goes from anger to sadness. I don’t know if he feels like shit for the way he’s treated her lately or not, but he should. He called his own sister a whore and told her we should just treat her like we do any other woman.
“As much as I hate this, I get it.”
"You hurt her. She cried in my arms more than once because of the shit you said to her. I told her my secret. I told her everything I did, and she is still standing here. You want to take me down? Fine. Do it. I don't care anymore, as long as she is safe…even if I have to protect her from you.”
He swallows and nods, not saying anything.
"I love you, Ridge. You’re my brother. I've always respected the hell out of you, but now? I don't know where we are anymore. You'll always be family to me, but for as long as your sister and I are together, she'll come first. I won't sacrifice her happiness just to keep you from being pissed at me."
"I get it. I do," he whispers. He looks toward my room again. When I see the expression on his face, I know he’s in love with Ireland. Always has been. Whether or not he does anything about it is a different story.
The door to my apartment opens, both Mad and Beck walking in, stopping when they see Ridge standing there. "Should we be concerned with you two in the same room as each other right now?" Mad asks, eyebrow raised.
