Page 87 of The Unwanted Wife

The man’s gaze runs over the faces of those gathered, until it alights on Ryot. A look of regret comes over his features. "I’m sorry, I?—"

Before he can complete the sentence, Ryot crosses the room and swings his fist.

47

Skylar

"Oh my god." I clap my hands over my mouth.

On the other side of the room, the new arrival takes Ryot’s hit on the chin and doesn’t flinch, which is saying something. Because Ryot is built like a tank. He’s as tall as the stranger, but his muscles are thicker. He pulls his fist back again, and my husband plants his body in front of me, no doubt, to protect me. It also means I can’t see what’s happening.

I jump up and try to look around him, in time to see the new man take another hit, this time, to his side. Ryot swings a third time, but this time, the other man—who, while older than Ryot, is every bit as fit as him—steps aside, then trips Ryot, who crashes down on his front. The other man moves so quickly, he blurs. The next moment, he has his knee pressed into the small of Ryot’s back. He also has Ryot’s arms pinned behind him. Ryot growls and tries to shake off the other man, but doesn’t succeed.

"You gotta listen to me, mate; it wasn’t my fault. I’m sorry for what happened, but it was a mistake."

"One that resulted in the mission being compromised. You called the airstrike on the wrong coordinates. You killed her.” Ryot’s eyes blaze.

I don’t think I’ve heard him speak before, so it’s a shock to hear his voice.

"It was a mistake," the other man bites out through gritted teeth.

"There are no mistakes. There is only death and no return. Not a single day goes by when I don’t wish it was me you killed and not her." He bangs his forehead into the wooden floor, and the sound echoes through the room.

"I’m sorry, man. If I could, I’d take back my actions. I had no way of knowing the intelligence was wrong. Not a day goes by when I don’t blame myself for what happened."

Ryot looks at the other man with so much venom, I flinch.

The stranger’sjaw flexes. He must loosen his grip, for Ryot shakes him off and rises to his feet. He turns and points his finger at the new arrival. "I hope you go through what I did. I hope you lose the one you love, and then you’ll realize how it feels to live, knowing you’ll never see her again. Never hold her again. Never hear her laugh or hold her in your arms again. While day after day, you have to go through this farce of a life and pretend to live, when what you are is a dead man walking. And there’s no way you’re going to kill yourself because she’d be disappointed in you. So, you keep living, when actually"—he swallows—"all you want is to die, so you can see her again."

There’s silence in the room. Strike what I said earlier. Ryot doesn’t hate the man. He abhors him, which is obvious since he decided to speak what’s on his mind.

He pivots and walks out of the room, leaving the other man on the floor, still on one knee.

His shoulders rise and fall. For a second, he lowers his chin to his chest, head bowed as if in penance. Then, he slowly rises to his feet and turns to face the room. "Anyone else? Might as well get it all out now, boys."

The rest of the Davenport brothers stay silent. The seconds tick past as the other brother’s glower at him. He’s family, that much is clear from the resemblance between him and the others, but he’s not welcome. Not when the animosity in the room is so strong the hair on the back of my neck stands on end.

Edward and Nate exchange glances.

Then, my husband closes the distance to the new arrival and holds out his hand. "Nate Davenport."

The other man does a chin jerk. "M Squadron?"

Nate nods slowly. "You’re X Squadron."

Something passes between the two men, an understanding of sorts.

"Quentin Davenport." The other man tilts his head. "You’re my nephew."

"And you’re a fucking coward." This, from Knox.

"You have the gall to show your face again?" Tyler’s jaw works.

"You fucking hurt him. You turned Ryot’s life upside down and now, you expect him to forgive you?" Brody moves forward.

It’s as if there’s a signal, for suddenly, the four remaining brothers surround Quentin.

That’s when Edward steps in and stretches out his arm to block Brody. "Hold on, chaps, we don’t want to come to blows here in the Club."

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