Page 125 of Dust to Dust

When Callum started around the desk to Isla, I lunged at him. My body slammed into him with such force I crashed his back against the bookcases. With blood roaring in my ears, my hand gripped his throat. “If you even think about laying one finger on her, I’ll fucking end you. Brother or not, no one touches her.”

Callum’s eyes bulged. To my surprise, he didn’t try fighting me. He just stared in astonishment as he gasped for air. Within seconds, Dare, Owen, and Fionn flew to us and began extricating me off of Callum.

After bending at the waist, I pinched my eyes shut and tried to curb the monster roaring within me. I’d never raised a hand in malice to any of my brothers. Since we were toddlers, we’d brawled like brothers do, but it was never out of anger that currently coursed through me.

Callum’s heavy breathing filled the room as he tried to catch his breath. Once he recovered, he shook his head at me. “Did you actually think I’d hurt her?”

“You were within your rights as the leader of this family to investigate any potential compromise to the organization.”

Clenching his jaw, Callum repeated, “Did you actually think I’d hurt her?”

“I was ninety-nine percent sure you wouldn’t. But I had to protect her from that one percent.”

A smirk curved across his lips. “Never thought I’d see a day the notorious Quinn Kavanaugh was brought to his knees by a woman.”

“I must’ve learned from the best since you’re constantly on your knees from Caterina,” I spat back.

A chuckle rumbled through his chest. “Touche, mate.”

Just as I righted myself, the office door blew open, and Kellan stormed in the room with Caterina on his heels. Pure venom—the likes I’d never seen on him—filled his expression. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he blared.

Before any of us could answer, he dropped to his knees in front of Isla’s chair. With remorse filling his face, his hand tenderly cupped her cheek. “Are you okay?”

My heart twisted in my chest as regret reverberated through me. Choking envy cut off my oxygen. I’d never envied Kellan.

But at that moment I did.

I envied his trust. His ability to express his emotions. His ability to put everyone’s needs above his own. He knew he was walking into a fucking firestorm, but he hadn’t cared.

His only worry had been for Isla.

I’d claimed to care for her–to love her even–, yet I’d allowed the travesty of an interrogation to happen. I’d allowed her to be stripped vulnerable to the verbal abuse of my brothers. I’d hurt her because I’d foolishly believed she was cheating on me with Kellan.

I was a fucking bastard.

After tearing his gaze from Isla, Kellan narrowed his eyes at me. Shooting to his feet, he stormed over to me. “How could you do this to her? How could you drag her in here and question her like a fucking criminal?”

“Kellan–” Isla began.

He shook his head at her. “He claims to care for you, yet he allows you to be treated like this.”

Kellan’s words wounded me the same as if he’d punched me. Anguish and regret raged through me so hard I fought to breathe. Choking on the emotions I needed a release.

“Hit me.” At Kellan’s wide eyes, I nodded. “Go ahead. Hit me as hard as you fucking can.”

“Quinn, no!” Isla protested.

“There’s no physical pain that you or anyone else can inflict on me to make me feel any worse than I already do.” As Kellan still stared at me in disbelief, my chest rose and fell with harsh breaths. “Fucking hit me, so I can at least bleed for her!” I roared.

Kellan blinked at me in surprise. “I can’t.”

A mirthless laugh tumbled from my lips. “Come on, boyo. You know you want to have free rein for a piece of me. Hell, I’m giving you my fucking permission.”

“You know that’s not who I am.” He threw his hands up. “Jesus, all this masculine bullshit of guns and fists is why I needed to talk to Isla in the first place. You can’t always take your emotions out on someone. You have to talk about it.”

“So what can I do?”

That question was both for him and for me. I didn’t know what the fuck I could do to stop the agony coursing through me from hurting Isla and losing her.

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