Page 42 of The Marriage Auction 2: Part 4

I shook my head. “No, him stealing your family home out from underneath you was the final nail in the coffin. This is all about him. Like you said when we left, it didn’t have to be this way. He could have left well enough alone and let me live my life by my terms. Instead, he schemed, threatened, and hurt me and the people I’ve come to love. All because he wanted to control me like some perfect little robot. Now he has to suffer the consequences of his decision and actions. He’s going to learn he should be careful what he wishes for. Because ultimately, I’m the one that will be his demise.”

Episode 99

One Thousand and One Chances

RHODES

“Who the fuck are you, and why are you in bed with my daughter?” I awoke to the sound of my ex-wife’s shrill screech.

I bounded out of bed naked as the day I was born. “Fuck!” I hissed, searching my bedroom floor where I’d dropped my sweats. I tugged them on as fast as humanly possible and was out the door and down the hall.

“Mom?” my daughter croaked, her voice terrified. “What are you doing here?” I was just about at the door when Portia’s body went flying backward and banged into the opposite wall. Like a Tasmanian devil, my little fiery fiancée had slammed into Portia with her own body. Before I could intervene, Maia was already swinging.

Maia punched Portia in the face, then reached around Portia’s neck, and pulled her lithe body forward as she kneed her directly in the stomach. If I hadn’t been in complete shock, I would have intervened sooner. Alas, Maia yanked Portia to the ground and was on top of her, straddling her and about to rain hellfire down on Portia’s face.

My belated reflexes finally kicked in, and I bolted into the fray, looping my arm around Maia and physically lifting her up and off of Portia. She was scrappy as fuck though, kicking and punching, trying to get more shots at Portia.

I shifted Maia away and plastered her to the wall with my body. I cupped the side of her face as she wailed like a gladiator in the middle of a battle. Her eyes were wild, her snarl feral. She wanted to rip Portia into pieces.

“Maia! Stop!” I barked while looking straight into her terrified eyes. She was lost in the haze of what I suspected was a full-on panic attack, the same way she’d been that first night in Paris when we’d shared a bed. Portia apparently triggered her fight or flight response. But instead of running away, escaping and saving herself, she stayed and fought to protect Emily.

Maia’s gaze went from me to Portia bleeding on the floor, rolling from side to side.

“Emily,” she growled like a wounded animal, still pushing against my chest, a mama bear ready to protect her cub.

“Emily’s fine, Maia. She’s okay.” I bodily turned us so she could see my daughter in Marisol’s arms. She was crying, nuzzled against Marisol’s chest as tears ran down her cheeks. Marisol, on the other hand, looked murderous, her gaze laser focused on Portia.

“What the fuck!” Portia cried, blood seeping from her torn lip and busted nose. She gingerly sat up then crab crawled backward until she was leaning against the wall. “How dare you attack me in my own home. Rhodes, do something!” she whined. “I need help, and she needs to be restrained. I’m pressing charges.”

I ignored her blathering to focus on the precious woman now trembling in my arms, her eyes wild, still seeming scared and ready to strike out. “That’s my ex-wife, Portia. We’ll get to the bottom of this, but no one is going to hurt, Em. Not ever again. There’s no threat here. See? Em’s okay. You protected her, Maia,” I cooed. “She’s safe.”

“Safe.” Maia whispered, and suddenly, her rigid body relaxed, and her bottom lip quivered.

I kissed her forehead. “Emily, honey, come here.” I gestured for Em, and she let Marisol go, avoided her mother entirely, and as I moved back, Maia reached out and enfolded her within her arms.

“I’m o-okay. Just…just got scared for a minute.”

Maia nodded against Emily’s neck but held on. “No one will ever hurt you again. Not as long as I’m alive,” she promised Emily who cried harder and held on to my woman.

While they held one another, fury tore through my body. It took me a full minute to wake up and figure out what had happened.

“Hello? Bleeding over here? I was the one that was attacked,” Portia complained, her blood staining my carpet a bright crimson.

“Mari, please get some wet cloths and the first aid kit,” I instructed.

Marisol simply nodded and then mumbled something profane at Portia as she passed.

“Are you going to help me up, or what?” Portia extended a slender arm.

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared down at her. “How did you get in?”

“I have a key,” she rolled her eyes.

“How did you get past my guards?” I demanded, knowing I would be having an unpleasant conversation with each member of my protection unit.

“Frank was at the gate. If you remember, I hired him,” she smirked. “One wave from me and he buzzed my car right through. Why all the questions? This is my home and that’s my daughter. Though you wouldn’t know it for how little she obviously cares about her mother’s pain,” she snarled, then winced when the gesture pulled at her split lip.

“I warned you that Emily had been through a traumatic experience. One I planned to discuss with you when we got settled. You never answered any of my numerous calls about the situation before. When I finally got a hold of you, we confirmed we’d have dinner in a couple weeks. Did we not?” I growled.

---