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I felt time almost slow down as my brother turned his head toward Russ.
Wrong fucking thing to say, I thought as I dropped my cup with a clatter and started toward them.
My brother wasn’t that guy. Not when it came to me. You didn’t mess with his sister.
I was still sprinting toward them when I saw Torin’s hand shoot out, knocking the bottle of beer out of Russ’ hand. He shoved Russ against the fridge, his big hand cutting off the other man’s airways.
“Torin!” I cried, and he brought Russ’ head back and slammed it against the freezer door.
“I don’t let people talk about her like that,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Let him go!” Drew said, trying to pull Torin’s arm.
Second mistake, I thought, as my brother backhanded Drew across the face, at maybe 30% of his strength.
But I knew him. I came up on the other side, watching as Russ’ face began to turn an ugly, mottled purple.
Torin smashed his head back against the freezer door, keeping his strong fingers around Russ’ throat.
Drew came back as if to grab Torin again.
“Stop!” I told him sharply. Then I turned to my brother. “No killing him,” I said flatly.
Torin’s fingers loosened slightly, then released entirely. Russ staggered back, shaking his head, and Torin hit him, a queasy, brutal blow that rocked the other man’s head back and sent him crashing to the ground.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Torin said.
Russ sent one frightened glance back, and started crawling to the front door and out, trailing blood all along the polished wooden floors.
“I’ll make sure he goes the fuck home,” Torin said to me, and then I saw his tall, long body disappear into the dark after Russ’s car.
“Laoise, you have to contact the police about this,” Drew said, his long, elegant hands holding mine, pinching my skin.
“No,” I said. “I’m not going to.”
Drew’s handsome jaw dropped as he looked at me.
“Laoise!” he said sharply. “I know he’s your brother, but he choked Russ.”
“Russ started it,” I said. “He shouldn’t have insulted me around Torin.”
“It was a joke,” said Drew disbelievingly. “Can’t he take a joke?”
“Not about me,” I said.
Drew’s lips tightened angrily. “He needs to understand the consequences of his actions,” he said. “I’m going to call Vick to report this.”
I looked at Drew and it felt like I was looking at a stranger. That primitive feral instinct deep inside me unfurled again. “If you do, I’ll report Russ for tax fraud,” I said. “I know how he’s been cutting corners at his car dealership. If Torin goes back to jail, I’ll make sure Russ does, too.”
Chapter Eight
Drew had gone angrily into his office. “I am afraid of what will happen if you don’t put up boundaries with your brother,” he warned me. “Maybe you need consequences too.”
I shoved open the door to the backyard, hoping to cool down my flushed, angry cheeks.
I felt a sudden shiver go through my body as I looked into the dark garden, the barely-visible leaves of the neat trees that lined my quiet suburban street. But for once the view didn’t soothe me. I felt stifled and trapped.
There was something uneasy about the dark.
