Page 12 of Breaking Storm

My brother’s eyes haven’t deterred from mine. He takes a sip of his water, places it on the table, and I watch him flex his hands on his lap. I wish he would say something. The silence is killing me.

Leo purses his lips and swallows slowly. “Why did he rape you?”

I blow out a breath, knowing he’s trying to contain his emotions. “Because I told him I wasn’t ready to have sex.”

He catches the waiter’s attention, indicates to his drink, and then focuses back on me. Readjusting his suit jacket, Leo says, “Monkey.” He leans his arms on the table. “You refused to sleep with him.” I nod. “On your wedding night.” I agree again. “And you’re upset he took what’s his?”

My mouth falls open. I’m speechless. Did he not hear the word rape? Did he refer to me as property? I press my shaky fingers against my mouth to keep from vomiting. A tear escapes, and Leo attempts to wipe at it.

“Monkey.”

I slap his hand away and snap back at him. “Don’t call me that. I’m a grown woman.”

Leo’s head keeps bobbing up and down. He’s most likely considering how else he can humiliate me. Shock me. My brother thinks what Joey did is okay.

“I understand you’re upset, Monkey, I do.”

“What did—”

He holds up a hand. “Lower your voice, Teagan. I’m not yelling at you, so stop yelling at me.”

My body falls back as if he smacked me. “Because you have no reason to yell, but I do.”

We catch people’s attention, so I lower my voice. “I can’t believe you think…” I take a moment to swallow and wipe the tears away. “… think what Joey did is okay.”

“Teagan. When you marry, you both belong to each other. Plus, this life we live, it’s not like others. Our life is full of violence, aggression. We don’t see things the same as the rest of the world. At a young age, we learn to take.” He places my hand in his. “Monkey. You denied Joey sex on your wedding day, so he took.”

I snatch my hand back, stand and say, “Even though you accept this life, I still thought you’d be on my side.” He tries to take my hand, but I step back. “Out of anyone, I hoped you would have had my back.” Brushing the remaining tears, I continue, “But most of all, I assumed you believed rape is wrong.”

He calls out to me as I make my way out onto the street and break down. Sean helps me into the passenger seat, and we drive a good while. Offering me tissues, he lets me unleash the pain of learning my brother isn’t any better than Joey. He pulls over and shuts the car off. A light patter of rain dots the windshield while I stare into a residential area. Unaware of where we are, I remain silent aside from a few hiccups. The windows fog.

Sean turns to me and says, “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, and I know you don’t remember me.” I give a half-shrug. “But I want to say something. It won’t explain what happened between you and Joey, but I want you to think about it.”

I hiccup, pivot toward him, and ask, “So, you’re aware of what he did?”

He nods. “Not everything is black and white.”

“Maybe not everything, but rape is pretty much in the red. There’s no explanation or excuse for it.”

Sean purses his lips together, starts the car, and without another word, takes me to my prison. It just keeps getting better. Ever since my father called me to meet with him and James, everything I’ve worked for, everything I believe in, has been flushed down the drain. I don’t give a shit what any of them say, their thinking is fucked. The way they live is fucked. I can only hope Joey gets sick of me and lets me loose. If that happens, I’m running as far away from this place as I can.

Chapter 6

SEAN FINDS ME IN MY home office after Teagan’s luncheon. He fills me in on what transpired between Teagan and her brother. I could have told her Leo wouldn’t side with her. It’s the way the underworld and families operate. Once married, the families mind their own business. It’s a sacred unspoken pact amongst the men. A wife is property, plain and simple. I don’t think of Teagan this way, but her temperament hasn’t made it easy. In the brief time we’ve been married, she argues and fights about everything. Instead of making life simpler for both, she’s set on challenging everything, which only pokes my beast.

Sean sits in a chair on the other side of my desk and says, “Why don’t you just tell her? She’ll—”

“No.” I shuffle through papers. “No one can know.”

“I do.”

I rub my forehead, grit my teeth, and look at him. “You’re different.”

My focus returns to the accounting I’ve been doing for James’ businesses. The dollars shuffle into several accounts, including hidden anonymous ones. Twelve years of siphoning money from my old man has provided me with a healthy amount of money to live off for life. A thousand here, a thousand there, and no one’s ever questioned the numbers. Who would assume a dumb thug, a street fighter, could figure out how to embezzle money from his dad? For all they know, I do simple debits and credits, and dabble in investments.

A door slams, shoes clack toward my office, and the door swings open. Asshole considers this his house. He tosses his coat on a chair and adjusts his tie.

James says Sean’s name as an acknowledgment, and then he turns to me, narrows his eyes, and asks, “What the hell happened to your face?” I wave the question away, but it doesn’t dismiss his opinion. “Did your wife do that?” Remaining quiet, he continues, “Do you have any idea how that looks? Like you can’t control your own wife? I hope you beat the shit out of her, and if you didn’t, I will.”

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