Chapter 12 #2
“What are you talking about?” I chickened out at the last minute. I hated confrontation. It made me unsettled and it was something I avoided at all costs.
He rubbed his hands over his face before pinning me with a look that I knew. He was about to lose his shit.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know.” He walked up to me and I held myself firm, pushing against the reaction to step back.
“Jack?” I questioned and then swallowed.
“Yes, Jack. How could you let him move in when you had only been dating a few weeks, for Christ’s sake?” He began to pace. “How could you be so stupid?”
That set me off. “I’m not stupid. I made an error in judgment and I corrected it.”
“You make it sound like a document you mistyped. You let a stranger move into your house. Do you know how dangerous that is?”
I rolled my eyes. Jack hadn’t been dangerous. Annoying, yes, but never dangerous.
“Don’t do that.” Matthew’s voice went up an octave and I frowned, feeling my stubbornness set in.
I got that he loved and cared about me but yelling at me like some incompetent child was something I wasn’t prepared to stand for.
“Stop, Matthew.” I always used his full name when I was mad at him.
“Why didn’t you come to me for help?”
“I got myself into the mess and I wanted to be able to get myself out of it.”
He ran a hand through his hair, turning his back on me. I hated when we fought but some things were worth standing my ground and this was important.
“Look, I don’t want to go on about this. What’s done is done. Besides, it’s sorted and I haven’t seen or heard from him in weeks.”
He shot me a glare over his shoulder. “I should be the person you call when you’re in trouble.
Not the one you should be keeping things like this from.
” He let out a sigh and turned to face me.
“If Mark hadn’t been there, I’m worried things would have escalated and then who knows what would have happened. ”
I frowned. I was still pretty mad that Mark had ratted me out even when I knew he was going to. Maybe I had hoped he wouldn’t.
“Everything’s fine,” I assured with a one-arm shrug.
He shook his head. “Mark should have told me from the start.”
“Look, none of this has anything to do with either of you. I get you guys care but I can take care of myself.” With my hand on my hip, I faced my brother with all the determination I had. “You are both tainted by the work you do and you expect the worst possible outcome. It has jaded both of you.”
“The only reason that sniveling jackass hasn’t come near you is because Mark threatened him.
If it hadn’t been for that he wouldn’t have stopped.
” He let out a heavy breath. “At least Mark had the sense to have you watched the whole time. I don’t know what I would have done had something happened to you and I’d been oblivious. ”
My mind backtracked on his words. “What do you mean he had me watched?”
“He didn’t tell you?” He sounded surprised. “Mark had one of our bodyguards watch you from the time he found out.”
I was stunned. My mouth gaped before I snapped it shut quickly. He had been deceitful and that hurt. Why had he had me watched when I had been staying with him the first week?
This time I paced, trying to rein in my anger and hurt while coming to terms with my brother’s revelation. I folded my arms around my waist, turning my back to my brother.
“He wanted to protect you.” My brother almost sounded like he was trying to defend his friend, and I wasn’t having any of that.
I felt like a fool for believing Mark. And, for the first time, I regretted sleeping with him.
I needed to get out of here before I did or said something I would regret. I grabbed my purse and headed for the door.
My brother followed behind. “Where are you going? We’re not done talking.”
I didn’t answer him. I stalked to the door. Matthew grabbed my arm when I got to my car. “You can’t leave.”
I snatched my arm from him. “Yes, I can, Matthew. I can go where I want and do what I want. You are my brother but you don’t get to dictate my life. And don’t even get me started on your friend .”
My chest was rising with each breath as my anger fueled. ‘Your friend,’ stated exactly how I felt. Mark would always put Matthew’s loyalty above all else and that wasn’t something I could compete with.
“You both feel you can do whatever you want as long as you feel justified, but you can both stay out of my life. Do you hear me?” I yelled.
The front door opened and Mark appeared, but I wasn’t going to stay around to have it out with him either.
I opened my purse and searched for my keys. No no no . I couldn’t find them. I wanted to close my eyes and disappear.
“Why are you leaving?” Mark asked when he came to stand beside my brother.
I ignored him, still rifling through my purse, and when my hands closed over my keys, I wanted to cry with relief. The car unlocked and I yanked the door open.
Mark moved to stop me from closing the door. “Don’t leave like this.”
I glared at him. “I don’t want to talk to you so I suggest you let go of my door so I can leave.”
He didn’t look happy but he complied and I closed my door. I started the car and reversed while Matthew and Mark watched me leave.