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“We did it because we knew you’d never leave one of us behind.” Julian’s voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. He growled and flexed his muscles.
Jagger noticed the considerable bulk that had been added to his tall frame.
Still he remained silent.
Julian began to pace. “I should kick your ass from here to Guatemala and back. Do you have any idea what we’ve all gone through? How guilty Libby feels?”
Julian stomped toward him, until the two men stood toe to toe. Jagger could tell that his brother was more than pissed. Something else was at play here. He could see it in the energy that shimmered in the air around Julian.
He’d changed. A lot. There was an edge of darkness that clung to his powerful frame. Something new. And Jagger wasn’t so sure it was a good thing.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?”
Jagger looked deeply into the golden eyes of his brother, and truthfully, he had so much to say that he didn’t know where to start. So he remained quiet and took the hit to the chest when Julian pounded him in frustration.
“Who the hell is the blond whore you’ve been fucking with? Is she the reason you turned your back on the family?”
Jagger’s eyes flattened to a dangerous hue, the green of his eyes morphing into a shade as dark as night. The growl that hung low in his chest sounded deadly. “Don’t ever refer to Skye in that way again.” The words slipped from between tight lips.
Julian hissed, baring his teeth. “She’s more important than family? That explosion must have scrambled your brain, because I sure as hell don’t understand why you’ve been avoiding us.”
Jagger held his ground as his brother pushed him, ignoring the burning pain that beat at h
im as his jaguar railed against the hostile energy in the air.
“And we’ve known for several weeks that you’ve been alive,” Julian continued, his breaths coming in staccato bursts as his anger continued to grow. “I thought for sure you’d been injured, but to find you out here screwing some blond bitch while major shit is going down in the real world—”
Jagger had had enough. He growled loudly, his fury apparent. “I’m not gonna tell you again. Insult her once more and I won’t hesitate to treat you like any other asshole that’s pissed me off.”
He stepped closer, until he was almost touching Julian. His lips were drawn back in a feral grimace and his eyes were lit from behind with an eerie glow. One that signaled he was close to the change.
Ready to do damage. To inflict pain if need be.
Julian shook his head in disgust. “You have no fucking clue what’s going on, do you?”
For the first time a tingle of apprehension wove its way through Jagger’s veins as his lack of information slapped at him hard. He took a second to gather his thoughts before speaking again.
His brother, corporate CEO, was out here in the jungles of Belize, three months after the DaCosta compound fiasco. That didn’t make any sense. Shouldn’t
he be home taking care of business, instead of running around the jungle playing Rambo?
His mind began to work furiously. Where the hell was Jaxon? He swallowed heavily, feeling his anger dissipate as fear began to choke his airways.
“Where’s Jax?” he asked hoarsely.
“If you gave a flying fuck about Jaxon you wouldn’t have disappeared for three months,” Julian answered, his eyes narrowing into tiny slits.
“Don’t even go there with me. Where is he? He did make it out, right?” Jagger couldn’t even contemplate the thought of Jaxon dead. It wasn’t possible.
Jagger paced back and forth, the air around him shimmering in a dangerous manner as his emotions began to take over. He was losing control. He could feel it. He inhaled deeply and bent over to rest his palms against his upper thighs. His skin burned and the itch that clawed just underneath the surface was becoming unbearable.
“He’s fine,” Julian answered finally. “All of them are just fucking peachy.”
“Thank God,” Jagger muttered, ignoring his brother’s sarcasm. “What about the baby?” he asked, slowly straightening.
“The child, Logan, was found and is safe with Jaxon and Libby.” Julian shook his head. “Why are you out here?” he asked once more. “Why did you do everything in your power to avoid us?”
Jagger was silent for a few moments before answering honestly. “I had shit going on that you’d never understand.” Jagger rotated his neck in a full circle, trying to alleviate the tension that had wrapped around him like a band.
