Chapter 12
Millie
M y father stands up from his chair. “What are you doing here, Aaron?”
“Can’t I want to see my family?”
“We all know that’s not your thing,” I say. “You don’t do family. At least this side.”
Years of repressed anger at my brother bubbles to the surface and I fight to keep from losing my temper. I’d love to kick his ass. I was his punching bag for too many years. As soon as Dad and Lisa got full custody, they sent me to self-defense classes. I loved it so much I kept studying martial arts. I hold a rokudan in Judo. That’s a sixth degree black belt. Aaron is bigger than I am and outweighs me by a hundred pounds. But he’s big and slow. I’m fast and trained.
“I’m not talking to you, piggie,” Aaron says to me with a sneer.
Wrath stands up, towering over Aaron by a good six inches.
“Watch how you talk to my woman.”
“Don’t talk to me you dirty ni...”
Without thinking, I was out of my chair and punching my brother in the throat. I pull the punch to not do permanent damage, but he grabs his throat and goes down on the ground, gasping. It takes me a split second to realize we’re in public. I go to kneel to check him out when a young man stops me.
“I’m a doctor. I’ll check him out. He must have choked on his food,”
The man says before taking a knee next to Aaron. I feel a hand on either shoulder. I know one is Wrath. I turn to see my dad beside me. He mouths, “Are you okay?”
I nod. He knows what my brother did to me. The owner comes out with two local cops.
“Is there a problem, Mr. Barnes?”
“My son seems to have choked on his big mouth. This kind young man is caring for him,” Dad says, indicating the black man on the floor.
Aaron yells, “Don’t touch me you fucking n...”
A glass of water “accidentally” spills from the table, hitting Aaron in the face, preventing him from saying such an abhorrent word. The two police officers pick him up off the floor and escort him toward the door.
The owner, who we simply know as Fredo, is apologizing to my mom. “I’m sorry for the disturbance, Mrs. Barnes. Dinner is on me tonight.”
“Now, Fredo. We’ll hear nothing of it. If anything, I should offer to pay for the surrounding tables that had to suffer the presence of my son.”
Fredo looks at my dad like he was sizing him up. Then he smiles.
“We shall see, my friend. Millie, where is my hug? Or are you too grown to hug your husband?”
I squeed at the word husband before throwing my arms around Fredo’s neck. “Are you trying to get me into trouble?”
“I would do no such thing. Care to introduce me to your young man?”
“Fredo, this is Wrath. Wrath, this is Fredo. I made him marry me when I was twelve,” I laugh and turn several shades of red.
The two men shake hands. Wrath mock growls at Fredo. “She’s going to need a divorce.”
“How about an annulment?” Fredo says with a smile.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“If you’re with the Barnes, you must be good people. Come any time.”
“Fredo, can you eat with us?” I ask.
“Did you order my favorite?”
“Dessert? Of course.”
Fredo laughs. By the time we all take a seat, our appetizers have arrived. I lean in and so only Wrath can hear me.
“I’m so sorry about Aaron. He’s a dick.”
“It’s not your fault, but that was a wicked throat punch. Where did you learn that?”
“Dad enrolled me in self-defense classes after he and Mom got custody.”
“You don’t learn that in self-defense.”
“That was bad ass, sis. All that Judo paid off,” Tyler blurts out.
“I still take Judo classes three times a week,” I say.
“That’s boss, baby,” Wrath says.
I look up and realize his eyes are dilated. He’s turned on. Fuck. That’s hot. I’ve been sleeping beside him the past few nights. I know he’s being a gentleman, but tonight I’m determined to fuck his brains out. “We should spar sometime. Nay said you have a kick ass gym at the compound.”
He smiles at me. “We do, and I’d be honored to spar with you.”
“No fair,” Micah says.
“We want to see,” Tyler whined.
“You’ll have to come for a visit. We have plenty of room for you to stay. Rooms inside the clubhouse and we have townhouses on the grounds. All of you are welcome anytime.”
“Do you live at the clubhouse?” Lisa asks.
“I do. It’s an old hotel. I basically have a one-bedroom apartment on the second floor. The married brothers have built or are building houses within the compound. I was telling Millie about my President and his ol’ ladies log cabin. I think you’d all like it,” Wrath replies.
“A log cabin in New Orleans. Now that I’ve got to see,” Dad says.