20. Brothers #2
"And?" Andreas prompted him because he realized I wasn't in a good state of mind to question my brother about this. I needed to smash something. I never felt such a strong urge to break somebody in half. That impulse almost consumed me whole.
"And nothing." Peter shrugged, looking directly into my eyes. "She nodded in agreement, so we continued having fun."
"Nodded?" Andreas repeated, flashing me a glance. "She didn't express her consent?"
"For fuck's sake, she didn't start yelling, biting, and kicking either!" he countered, anger appearing in his dark orbs. He was convinced of his truth that they didn't hurt her.
"She might have been scared," Andreas continued, pushing him. I wasn't sure what he wanted to prove, but I knew that he was mostly intensifying the tension in the room. In my head, Peter forced Electra to submit to him and his friend. That was all that was on my mind.
"Did she say that?" Peter yelled, standing. He was angry, but his emotions were nothing compared to mine. I was raging, burning with fury from the inside out. I was seconds away from exploding. "Did she say we forced her to do something against her will? That we raped her!"
"No," I replied as calmly as possible, rising to my feet. "She said that she enjoyed it."
"Then why are you accusing me of hurting her?" he shouted, throwing his arms in the air. I bit my tongue to stop some poisonous comment from leaving my mouth, and instead, I walked to the bar, taking the half-empty bottle of whiskey.
"She lied about your first meeting," I responded, pouring us a drink. "How should I know that she didn't lie again?"
I motioned for him to take one glass, but he didn't move. He was watching me through narrowed eyes, cautious about my every move.
"I begged her not to tell you anything," he admitted, his face darkening. It was like he was ashamed that he had asked something of her. "Believe it or not, I don't want to mess things up."
"Yes, because you need us," Andreas growled, his expression mixed with disgust and anger. He couldn't get past the thought that we had a brother who wasn't our mother's son. He tolerated Peter only because the others put up with it.
"Why is it so unimaginable for you two to digest the fact that maybe I want to be part of the family?
" Pete rumbled, shaking his head and smiling sadly.
"I didn't sleep with Electra to hurt you, Bastian," he stated.
His voice was dripping with certainty, and I believed him.
"I didn't decide to be born to destroy your parents' relationship. "
"But you're here," Andreas spat, his words soaked with venom. "And you're proving to us every single day that you're only a disgusting stain on our family's reputation."
That was harsh, and even though Peter was like a tornado, unpredictable and unstable, he didn't deserve this.
Yet I was pissed at him. I still wasn't convinced that Electra slept with him because she wanted to, and if I had to choose a side at that right moment, I would pick Andreas, no matter how idiotic his words were.
"Our father is a man who sticks his dick in everything that moves, and I'm the problem?" Pete shouted, and I frowned, thinking when the conversation turned so sharply. They were seconds away from jumping at each other, as always.
"Your mother is the problem!" Andreas yelled, slamming his glass on the table. "She didn't know her place, and she also gave birth to filth like you!"
I didn't have time to react, and honestly, I wasn't surprised that Peter's first instinct was to strike his fist into Andreas’ face. Before I got to them, they were lying on the ground, kicking and punching everywhere around them.
Aston and Damien, my other security guy, tried to separate them, but they were too eager to break each other's noses.
I groaned when I realized that I planned to end up with Pete like this, but of course, Andreas couldn't pass up the opportunity to give our brother a black eye.
It wasn't his nature to meet him and leave without a fistfight.
It took me and two bodyguards a long time to isolate them on opposite sides of the room while they were shouting profanities and insults. It was worse than at the MMA match. I forgot about my anger. I had to make sure that they wouldn't hurt each other.
"You fucking prick!" Andreas roared, trying to get away from Aston, who was holding his arm. His nose and mouth were bleeding, and he had a big purple bruise developing on his jaw. He should have a closing speech tomorrow at the court, but given his appearance, it probably wouldn't be possible.
"What? Do you want to go another round?" Peter yelled back, almost hitting Damien's face with his fist. He was determined to continue in this battle. I had to stop this nonsense. They both needed medical attention and some time alone to cool down.
I looked at Pete, whose face was covered in bruises, and his forehead was dirty with blood.
Somehow, my anger dissipated when I glanced at him.
All he ever wanted was to be part of the crew.
But for a very long time, my brothers didn't know about him, and they found out in the worst way possible.
He shouldn't be surprised that they had a hard time taking him in.
"That's enough!" I shouted, and when they still didn't stop, I nodded at my bodyguards to show those two assholes who were in charge.
Andreas didn't want to end up with a dislocated shoulder, so he halted his movements against the brick wall named Aston.
However, Peter was too stubborn to admit defeat and too heavy and robust for Damien to hold him alone. So, I had to help.
"Stop, damn it!" I grabbed his jacket under his chin with both my hands and started shaking with him.
We were of similar height and build, and he instantly stopped.
For some reason, he always listened to me in situations like this.
"Have you lied?" I asked in a much calmer voice, still holding him. We both ignored Andreas’ grunting and mumbling.
"What?" he whispered, barely audible, glancing at me with confusion. I let go of him, nodding at Damien to do the same.
"Have you lied about Electra?" I repeated, studying his face. My princess was the only thing that mattered in all of this.
"No, I swear," he stated, maintaining eye contact. "She wanted to tell you everything after our meeting in the office. This is my fault, not hers."
"She picked your side. Why? "I raised my eyebrows at him expectantly, but he only shrugged.
"You’d need to ask her. I really have no idea what changed her mind," he answered, wiping the blood from his mouth.
"Okay." I nodded, acting calm and collected, but jealousy and suppressed anger slowly poisoned my soul, feasting on it.
I had to find a way to force my brain to discard the image of my girl with my brother from my mind.
I just didn't know how. I should have run to her, apologized, and forgotten about this stupidity, but I couldn't. All I wanted to do was avoid her and lick my wounds.
Shit! She hit me pretty hard with her confession.
"See you tomorrow at ten in my office," I said as Peter turned to leave the bar. I still had to deal with Rose and her filthy mouth. It should be fun with her and my brother in one room, playing by the rules.
"I'll be there," Pete confirmed, stopping in his tracks. "Anything else?"
"I almost forgot," I mumbled, coming closer to him, and out of nowhere, I punched him straight in the middle of his already beaten face.
He fell to the ground, groaning. Tears were streaming from his eyes because his nose took the full blow.
I didn't break it, yet it'd hurt for a few days, reminding him that he should reconsider how to spend his free time.
"That's for being disrespectful towards my woman," I announced, crouching next to him and staring at his bloody face. "If I ever find out that you're doing this shit again, I'll put you in a hole so dark that you'll be lost forever. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," he confirmed, breathing hard. I waved at Damien, who instantly jogged over to us and commanded him to take Pete to the hospital. I was planning to do the same with Andreas. At least I had an excuse for why I was avoiding coming home.