Page 50 of Now You're Mine

Fine, I’ll take it. Anything to shift his focus away from Lux.

I take a step forward, holding my hand out, palm up. “Give me the gun, James. This isn’t you. You don’t want to fucking do this.”

He turns to face me fully, Lux still trapped behind him. His gaze shifts from me to the rest of the guys, his wild eyes sweeping over their shocked expressions. I don’t think they’ve ever seen James this manic.

“Why are you all here?” He asks, squinting like he’s trying to sus out our collective motive for being here. “This is a private-fucking-matter, guys.”

My gaze shifts back to Lux, and she’s up against the desk, using the edge of it as a guide to slowly inch away while James is distracted. Smart girl.

“We need to talk about this, James,” I say, taking another step forward, ready to tackle him, if I need to. James and I have fought many times over the years like brothers do, and we’re pretty evenly matched physically. A gun adds a whole new and very fucked-up element, though. “Come on, man. What the fuck are you doing?”

“Roman, leave us the fuckalone,” he yells, spit flying from his lips. He’s drenched in sweat now, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s managed to get his hands on some kind of substance. He just looks so unhinged.

He walks up to me slowly, bringing the gun up and pushing it against my forehead.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the fuck? Hold on,” Lucas says, stepping forward. But I hold my hand out and stop him from approaching. I don’t need James panicking, and shooting my best friend, too.

“It’s okay, Lucas,” I say, my gaze never leaving James. “He won’t shoot his own brother. He wouldn’t do that.”

James shakes his head. “You don’t get it, Roman. It’s her. Only her.Nothing. Else. Matters,” he yells the last three words, bending at the waist like the words are being ripped from his soul. Then he sucks in a breath and straightens. “Lux is the only good thing on this rotting piece of rock that matters,” he whispers.

That’s one thing we agree on.

In my periphery vision, I see Jackson slowly making his way around the sofa on my right, headed toward Lux. Lucas isstill behind me, and Ash and Christian are on my left, creeping forward, flanking me.

I can feel what’s happening. The guys are positioning themselves, getting ready to tackle James and take him down.

That’s a bad idea. They know James. They know him well, but they don’t know this version of him. And I’ve only seen it once before—two years ago, when he got into that fight, and nearly killed that kid. At the time, I just thought it was an extreme reaction to a dumb insult. It was a weird, shocking moment. But that was it.

Really, it was the first sign that something was wrong.Verywrong. And everyone in James’s life missed it. Everyone, including me. And I’m his brother. I’m supposed to know him better than anyone.

“You need help,” I say, the gun still pressed against my head. “Let me help you.”

He stares at me like he’s trying to figure something out. “Are you trying to fuck my woman?” he asks darkly. “Is that why she was in your bed?” He glances over his shoulder at Lux, then back at me suspiciously. “You want her.”

“This isn’t about her,” I answer. “It’s about you and your mental state. Let me help you, brother.”

He shakes his head, the movement broad and frantic. “Nah, man. Nah.” He takes a step back and points the gun at Lux. “You don’t get it. Lux and me, we’re going to be together. That’s all I need.” He swings the gun back around and points it at me again. “And I’ll stop anyone who gets in the way. Even you, little brother.”

I don’t even know this person standing in front of me. This isn’t the guy who protected me from my dad, who took the beatings, so I wouldn’t have to. That guy would never threaten me like this.

“She’s pregnant,” I say. “And the baby is mine.”

“Roman!” Lux gasps, but I hold my hand out to reassure her. I know what I’m doing. James will be thrown by that comment, and it’ll set him off balance.

And…if I’m honest, there’s also a part of me that wants him to know Lux ismine.Irrevocably.

“What the fuck did you just say?” he yells, his eyes narrowed to slits as he glares at me. Then he turns abruptly and looks at Lux, lowering the gun to his side. “Is that true? Are you Roman’s fuckingwhore?”

In that split second, with his back turned, I tackle him. He goes down hard, and I grapple with him, trying to get the gun out of his hand, praying it doesn’t accidentally go off. He punches me in the face and twists, trying to throw me off him, but I manage to get a few blows in.

When it’s over, I have the gun, and I’m standing over him. I comb my fingers through my hair to smooth it back from my face, sweat dripping from my temples. I’m breathing hard, sucking the air into my lungs as I train the gun on my brother.

He’s on his knees now, and he leans forward, wincing with the motion, a grin stretching across his face. There’s blood on his teeth, and when he speaks, his voice is a low, raspy whisper. “Lux was mine first, Roman, and I won’t stop until we’re together. In life, in death, doesn’t matter. She belongs tome.”

It’s never going to end. He’s never going to let her go. I see that now. It only takes me a split-second to make a decision that I know will alter my life forever. A decision that will give Lux her life back.

I finch as police sirens wail in the distance, getting closer by the second. One of the guys must have quietly called 911. I can sense the guys behind me, supporting me, each one practically vibrating with anger and impatience.

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