Page 35 of Every Breath

“I believe the lady has asked you to leave and I suggest you take her advice or things are going to get really ugly around here.” Mason grabbed Rodney by the collar. He was half a head taller than Rodney, but he lowered his head so that they were nose-to-nose. “Will you leave of your own free will or do I have to toss you out on your ass?”

Rodney sneered. “Take your motherfucking hands off me! Do you know who I am? I can have you arrested for assaulting an officer.” He pushed himself out of Mason’s grasp.

“But you won’t because you had no right to come into my home the way you did, and you assaulted me first.” Brandi came from around Mason to stand by his side. Both men looked as though they were about to murder each other. She turned to Mason. “Mason, I can handle this.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with him, so you can forget it,” Mason said with such determination that she knew it would be useless to argue.

“Fine, but let me handle it,” she snapped before turning back to Rodney. “Get out of my house now, before I call the police.”

Rodney laughed menacingly. “I am the police, Brandi.”

It was as though she didn’t know him at all. “I don’t know what’s come over you, but I’d like you to leave. I wanted to break things to you gently, but after your King Kong act, I’ll just say it. I don’t want to marry you.” She poked his chest with every word to drive home her message. “Furthermore, I don’t ever want to see you again. Stay away from me, and stay away from my children.”

Rodney went very still. His wrathful look changed to disbelief.

“What?” he asked, as though he couldn’t believe her words.

“You heard me loud and clear.” She turned and went to her room. It only took her a moment to retrieve Rodney’s ring. She returned to see Mason staring down Rodney like a cobra ready to strike. She didn’t know if it was because of Mason hovering over him or that she had told him that she didn’t want to marry him, but Rodney looked a little pale. Brandi didn’t care one way or the other; she just wanted him to go away.

“Here is your ring. Please leave and don’t come back.” She practically threw the box at him and pointed to the door.

“It’s because of this motherfucker, isn’t it? You’ve been cheating on me with this white bastard.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Mason take a step forward and held up her hand. The last thing she needed was two alpha males going at it in her home.

“Rodney, I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer. Are you going to leave or do I have to call the police? You might be one of them, but I’m sure your lieutenant wouldn’t take kindly to one of her officers harassing someone.”

Rodney’s face crumpled and he looked as if he were about to cry. He dropped to his knees and threw his arms around her waist.

“Rodney, what the hell are you doing? Get up!” She refused to feel sympathy at the pathetic sight he made.

“Please, Brandi, don’t do this. You’re not thinking straight. Forgive me,” Rodney pleaded.

Her jaw dropped. She caught Mason’s eye; he looked as stunned as she felt when Rodney began to sob. His head rested against her stomach as he cried.

You have got to be kidding me. Can this night get any weirder?

“Mason, would you leave us alone for a moment? Maybe you can start clearing the table.”

“You’re nuts if you think I will leave you alone with this fruitcake.”

She shot him a pleading look, but he stood firm. Despite what just passed and out of deference to her husband’s memory, she wanted to spare Rodney humiliation. Well, there was nothing she could do about that now.

“Get off me, Rodney. You’re making a fool of yourself.” Brandi extracted herself from his arms.

“Brandi, I’m sorry. I was just jealous. I love you so much. It won’t happen again.” He begged as though he were a member of the Temptations. It was so pathetic, her anger faded but she wouldn’t easily forget him barging into her home and manhandling her.

“You’re right. It won’t happen again because it’s over. Please get up, Rodney. I’m sorry to hurt you, but even you should be able to see that what you did was inexcusable. You have meant so much to me and my family these past two years, but it doesn’t give you the right to act this way.”

He stood up and took a step toward her; she retreated.

“Don’t come any closer to her,” Mason warned.

Rodney shot him a baleful glare. “I see how it is. You’ve chosen this guy over me,” he said between clenched teeth.

“No. I just don’t want to be with you.”

“But I love you!”

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