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Two swift hits to the body had Boomerang dancing back out of reach. Each breath came heavier than the last, a sign that he didn’t have much fight left in him. But he was too stubborn to tap out, and I was too mad to let him.
He shifted his feet and came at me, fists swinging wildly. One fist connected with my arm, but it was nothing more than a sting. Another got me square in the face, jerking my head back. He grabbed my shirt at the collar, ripping it, but I twisted his wrist and elbowed him in the face, then stepped back.
Blood poured from his nose and the cut on his eyebrow, feeding the feral animal inside of me. If only Peyton were around to witness this. Would she cheer me on or be upset that her brother was bleeding because of me?
With that thought in mind, I decided to stop playing around and move on.
A jab and a cross had Boomerang falling to his hands and knees. Leaning down, I grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head back. “I don’t give a fuck if she’s your sister. Don’t ever touch her again.”
Boomerang snarled at me, but he was done.
I didn’t need to permanently injure Peyton’s brother, even if they didn’t seem to like each other. They were still family, and giving her brother a concussion might not make for good pillow talk.
As soon as I was done doling out discipline, I was going to start asking some hard questions about my girl. All I knew was what Wolf had let slip a few years ago, that she’d worked for the government. I hadn’t been able to get him to say more, and all my contacts would have gotten his okay before digging into his niece, so my hands had been tied. But I was breaking the binds. If I had to go to Betty to get answers, so be it. I knew what buttons to push to get what I needed.
The one thing that kept any hope alive was that Peyton wasn’t indifferent to me. She might have gotten better at masking her feelings, but she still clocked my every movement.
I faced the men I considered family. They stood motionless, lined up shoulder to shoulder, shame radiating from them.
When Abraham caught my eye, it was the club enforcer who stared back at him, daring him to be next. I was aware of what he’d done, how he’d filled the newer brothers’ heads with bullshit about Peyton and gotten them to disobey my orders.
“You all fucked up.” They stayed silent, knowing that speaking would only paint a bigger target on their backs.
I prowled the line, ready to pick my next victim. Abraham stepped forward and gave me a nod.
“You won’t ever treat her that way again. She came to save your asses, and you threw it in her face.” I headed into the circle that had been painted earlier, in preparation for this. Wolf and Dad stood off to the side, presiding over the event and ensuring it was fair. I doubted they’d step in even if it wasn’t. They’d completely missed the action earlier, but after I caught them up, I had to remind Wolf that handling this was my job. I’m pretty sure we would’ve been burying bodies if I’d let him handle it.
Abraham flew at me as soon as I entered the circle, and I dodged with ease. He managed to land one hit before he became my human punching bag. He fell too quickly and easily for my liking, but I had more brothers to deal with and a woman to get back to, so I’d take it and move on.
Abraham was slow to get up, but he nodded when I told him to fix it or turn in his cut. I nodded back and called for the next brother to step into the ring.
ChapterTwelve
PEYTON
I thoughtI was over it.
Convinced myself I was. That things might be weird, maybe awkward and hostile, but I could deal with it.
The clock mocked me when I tapped my phone. Twelve forty-seven, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t fall asleep.
My mind wouldn’t stop going over every single shitty minute of my day. I’d known what I was walking into, but I still let them get under my skin. Maybe because it was the first time I’d faced them since I left ten years ago. I wasn’t prepared to be flooded with positive memories of the men who’d been my family for so long. Wasn’t prepared for so many positive emotions after locking down that side of me when I joined Ghost Unit.
Groaning, I got out of bed and shuffled to the living room. Maybe a change of scenery would help. Except when I curled up in a ball on the couch and stared out the windows, my anger only grew.
I’d never stopped being angry.
There. I admitted it. Thought it, anyway.
I was pissed at Reaper. Livid about how the brothers treated me. Hell, if I was being really honest, I was mad at myself for letting them ignore me this long. How I let them treat me like I meant nothing to them.
And I regretted leaving without saying goodbye. But until I’d walked into that room and saw the contract Agent Brooks handed me, I didn’t know where I’d end up, what I’d be doing, or how long I’d be gone. There were so many unanswered questions that it didn’t make sense for me to tell anyone what little I knew.
I thought there’d be time to apologize and let them know what happened. I never got the chance. And now ten years had passed, and every time I saw any of them, they literally turned around and walked away.
I may not have told them I was leaving, but they didn’t give me the chance to explain either. It was one big screwed-up hamster wheel.
Then there was Reaper. Where did I even start with him? He said he was going to stay, but then he left me there with them, probably knowing what would happen. Why did he want to screw with me? I understood why the rest of them were mad, but he had no right.
