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CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ADAM
“Bloody hell.”
I sat in my Porsche staring at my sister’s SUV, which was parked in my driveway. I lowered my head, not ready to handle another round with my family. Especially not with my little sister. Had she come armed with my brothers?
Holly had a key to my place, so they were probably all inside, waiting to pounce. I got out of my car and went into my house through the side door.
The lights were on in the living room, and all three of my siblings were sitting there, side by side on the couch, hands bracing their thighs.
“We were five minutes from taking off.” Sean stood up, shoving his hands in his khaki pockets. My younger brother and sister remained seated on the couch.
I dropped my keys on the end table. “Please, don’t let me stop you.” I waved my hand toward the hall that led to the door.
“We’re here to help you.” Ethan’s fingers twitched against his thighs. Was he worried I’d raise my fist to him? Jesus, my brother was scared of me. What the hell had I become?
I took off my leather jacket—noticing the smell of something sweet on it, like honey. It was the smell of Anna. What had I been thinking kissing her again? My tongue met my lips as I remembered her taste.
I tossed my jacket next to me as I sat on the couch opposite Ethan and Holly. The living area was a massive space, but it felt too small to hold all of us and our tempers.
“How’d you know I’d be here?” I asked.
Sean’s eyes flashed my way. “We tracked your car.”
“What the hell, Sean!”
He held his hands in front of him. “Kidding. Jesus.” He came in front of me, and I resisted the urge to stand, to square off with him.
“We went to your flat in the city, and the security guard mentioned you hadn’t been there in a while. And Sean figured you were staying here—ya know, because of the gym.” Holly pushed her fingers through her hair and chewed on her lip.
“Why are you here?” But I knew. It was round two, and they were looking for a one, two knockout punch—a KO.
Well, I wouldn’t go down so easily. Not even when it was three against one.
“Da will be back next week from China. You know Ma will tell him what you’re doing. And he’ll lose his mind. After everything you put the family through . . . please, don’t do this again. There’s still time to back out of this all.” Holly’s lower lip quivered, and she rubbed her arms.
Why did everyone feel that they needed to remind me of what happened five years ago? I knew what happened. I lived it.
Holly cleared her throat and stood. She moved with slow steps to stand alongside Sean. “Either you never changed, and you fooled us all into believing it over the last five years,” her eyes captured mine, and a slow chill crawled up my spine, “or Donovan is threatening you. Or someone . . .”
Holly didn’t know Donovan—none of my siblings did. They’d only heard city gossip and whatever tidbits of insight I’d given them about the man who had taught me to throw my first punch when I was eighteen.
“He’s not threatening me,” I bit out, and then popped up to my feet. I couldn’t sit with them staring down at me like they were.
“Then what is he doing to get you to fight? What is worth throwing away everything you’ve worked so hard for?” Holly’s eyes narrowed on me as she folded her arms.
“Maybe I’ll always be a fighter. Maybe I never belonged in a suit and tie.”
“Don’t be a tool—you enjoy what you do. I don’t see you complaining when you’re off in Rome managing the team, do I?” Ethan spoke for the first time. “You’re going to give Ma a heart attack, ya know.”
Ethan knew how to cut me, to slice me open and make me bleed. I tipped my head back and rushed my hands to my face, holding them there as I tried to think. “It’s not so simple.” I blinked away the darkness and the tiny flecks of stars that appeared when I relieved the pressure from my eyes.
“Then Donovan does have something hanging over ya, doesn’t he?” Holly moved in for the kill, and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to lie to my baby sister. Of course, she was nearly twenty-four now—not such a baby anymore. But it wasn’t so long ago that she was in high school when she needed my protection. Her blood-curdling scream still haunted me.
Her boyfriend had tried to go too damn far. He’d had her against the wall in her room, groping her, all while her hands were pushing, beating against his chest. The bastard was lucky Sean had come home with me when we walked in and heard the commotion. Otherwise, I might have killed him. I might have gone to jail before I even finished college.
“Adam?” Holly snapped her fingers in front of me, pulling me back to the present. “Tell me. What has Donovan done?” Her hands pressed to her chest, and she took a slow breath before releasing it through her teeth. Was she remembering the past, too? Remembering the time her boyfriend attacked her? Or the time when I actually did end up in jail?
