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A thundering boom startled the both of them and Marley barely contained her girly shriek of surprise.
Chapter 14
Justin’s gaze flew to the door as Nate Wade stepped forward and slammed the door shut.
“Get the fuck away from my sister!”
Justin glanced at Marley to see her trying to cover herself. With a muttered curse, Justin bent to swipe his shirt off the floor and handed it to her.
“Nate—” she began.
“Settle down, man,” Justin warned. Nate swayed with his next step and Justin suspected he was drunk.
“Don’t tell me what to do, you son-of-a-bitch.”
Reasoning with him looked to be out of the question. Justin shifted his attention back to Marley to see her shrugging his shirt on and buttoning it up with shaking fingers. Tears shimmered in her luminous green eyes and his breath caught in his throat. He really did not like her brother.
“You okay?” he asked in a low tone.
“Fine,” she bit out. “Pissed off, but fine.”
Justin turned and heard her alarmed gasp at the same moment he realized he should’ve remained focused on Nate. If he had, he would’ve been able to keep the drunken idiot from getting the damned pistol from the closet. Too bad she hadn’t moved it.
“I said get away from her.” Nate walked toward them, the gun pointed unsteadily at Justin’s bare chest.
“Nathan, what are you doing?” Marley demanded.
“Protecting you from this asshole.”
Marley went one way, so Justin went the other, to keep the gun from pointing anywhere near her. He stopped within five feet or so of Nate as Marley grabbed her brother’s arm.
“You can’t do this, Nate. Give me the gun.”
Justin’s blood thrummed in his ears. “Marley, get away from him.”
“Shut up,” Nate ordered before looking at Marley. “Geez, Mar, what the hell are you doing with him?”
“It’s none of your business.”
Nate shook her off his arm, his attention and the gun focused on Justin. “There’s more to this than you know,” he lamented to Marley.
“What are you talking about?”
Tension coiled Justin’s muscles tight. “Nate, you’re drunk. Put the damn gun down before someone gets hurt.”
Nate’s laugh sent a shiver of apprehension down Justin’s spine. “What’s the matter, Blake, afraid you might get what’s coming to you and yours?”
“Nathan! That’s enough. Justin’s right, give me the gun.”
When she took hold of his arm a second time, Nate shoved her away. Justin lunged forward and grasped the gun with his left hand, thrusting it upward while swinging with his right hand. His fist connected with Nate’s jaw at the same instant the gun discharged.
Marley screamed.
Dazed, Justin realized he now held the pistol and Nate was on his ass in front of him with a split lip, blood dripping down his chin. A smoky-sulfuric smell stung his nostrils as Justin fought past the painful ringing in his left ear. He maneuvered the weapon in his palm until it pointed at the floor, then leaned forward to fist his other hand in Nate’s shirt and haul him to his feet.
“You stupid bastard,” he growled in Nate’s face. “You could’ve killed someone.”
r /> Marley rushed forward and tried to pull Justin’s iron grip free of her brother. “Let him go.”
