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I have his hoodie balled into my fist before I even realize what is happening. We stare at each other, his scowl no doubt matching mine. He digs his fingernails into the back of my hands, and I can feel the blood pooling against my skin. “I’m in charge here. You questioning me isn’t going to lend me more control, is it?” I growl into his face.
His reaction is to stare me down as if his silence and my labored breathing prove a point. With a shove, I release him and take a step back. It isn’t the girl turning my vision red, but my dipshit brother who enjoys pushing every button I possess.
“Why are you trying to start a fight with me?”
He shoves me back hard enough that I hit the chair. “Because she’s about to be your downfall, brother, and you can’t even see it coming. You’re fucking blind. Maybe I should save us all some time and take care of our little problem that’s down the hall. I bet she won’t even put up a good enough fight to make it interesting.”
The red haze clouding my vision wavers, and I swallow it way down to maintain control. “Leave her alone. I won’t tell you again that she is the centerpiece of my plans. If she doesn’t go up for auction like planned, then all this will have been for nothing. I won’t let you ruin this for us.”
His face doesn’t shift, doesn’t betray a single thing, save the rage it usually sports. “And you hinged all your dreams of sweet vengeance on a little girl? Yeah, fucking great idea.”
I shove him back again, and he hits the chair and tumbles into it. “If I have to explain the hierarchy here one more time, you’re going to be out on your ass. Do as I say and don’t worry about anything but what’s in your lane.”
The defiant jut of his chin and the clutch of his palms against the leather are the only warning I get before he walks around my desk and launches himself at me. His head and hands slam straight into my gut. Expecting it, I shift enough to the side, so he makes minimal contact. Soo lurches to his feet as I hold on to my brother’s scrambling form. He flails and punches at my midsection until I squeeze him into a headlock under my arm. Frustration and anger mount, zinging through the air.
“I don’t want to fight you, brother. Calm the fuck down, and I’ll let you go.”
“Fuck you,” he wheezes, renewing his effort to cause damage.
My lungs burn, and my ribs ache, but I hold tight, waiting for him to still again. A few more half-hearted punches, and he stops, sagging in my grasp.
I shove him toward Soo, who grabs him by the nape of his neck. Lucas isn’t having Soo touch him either, and instead, shoves out of his hold to escape the tangle of furniture altogether.
Soo rounds to stand between Lucas and me. Something Lucas doesn’t fail to notice. “Hiding behind your little bodyguard won’t save you.”
Soo shoves his hands into his jeans and shifts on his feet like he doesn’t have a care in the world. “You want to fight with me? You better know your brother won’t be able to save you.”
Soo can outfight both of us at the same time, and Lucas knows it. I sit on the edge of my desk and rub the sore area below my armpit where I’d squeezed his stupid hard head. He’s a stubborn asshole, but he’s my little brother.
Lucas stays in a face-off with Soo until finally he balls his hands into fists and glares at me over Soo’s shoulder. “You think you can order me around and throw me away when you don’t have a use for me anymore?”
I grit my teeth, my jaw aching. “Are you fucking kidding me, Lucas? Didn’t we just have a conversation right fucking here outlining how important your role in this entire night will be?”
We stare at each other, Soo still standing between us. I shove at his shoulder, and he shifts out of the line of fire. I don’t need a protector. “If you want to be a part of this, then you need to stop fighting me about every tiny detail. I make the rules, I make the plans, and you follow them. If you have a problem with it, then walk the fuck out now and don’t bother showing your face here again.”
“Is that right? Will you kill me?” he asks, all menace and malice.
I shake my head. “No, I won’t kill you, but you’ll likely wish I had when I let Soo finish with you.”
Lucas drags his gaze to Soo, who wears his easygoing smile like we’re talking about the weather and not torture and death.
