Page 97 of Stuck with my Brother's Firefighter Besties

Rick’s lips curled into a weak sneer, though I could see the fear flickering in his eyes. “She was going to move in with me. Why do you think she gave me everything?”

My fist connected with his jaw before I even realized I’d swung.

The impact jolted through me, satisfying in a way that scared me. His head snapped to the side, and he let out a groan as his body sagged against the wall.

“Jaxon!” Ryan’s voice rang out from somewhere behind me, but I barely registered it.

Rick spat blood onto the ground, coughing weakly before lifting his head to glare at me. His sneer was crooked now, thanks to the punch, but his eyes burned with that same unhinged fury.

“She was supposed to keep fighting for me,” he snarled, his voice hoarse but growing louder. “Do you hear me? She wasn’t supposed to move on! Not like this… not withyou three! What the hell does she even see in you?”

I felt Ryan step up beside me, his presence a steadying force even as Rick’s words kept coming, like a dam had burst.

“She was supposed to come back to me!” Rick yelled, his voice cracking. “She was supposed to panic about the house move and think that she’d done something wrong. That’s whatalwayshappens. She was supposed to offer more money… but instead, she just cut me off,” Rick spat, his voice trembling with disbelief and rage.

His bloodshot eyes darted between me, Ryan, and Colt, as though searching for someone to blame.

“She was supposed to keep chasing after me! Groveling, apologizing, begging to fix things—like they always do. And then she just stopped.”

“Because you conned her,” Ryan snapped, his voice cold and sharp as a blade.

He stepped closer, his body coiled like a spring, ready to strike. “Because that’s all you ever did, wasn’t it? You manipulated her, took her money, and kept her hanging on while you lined your pockets. You didn’t love her—you used her.”

Rick’s face twisted into an ugly snarl.

“Shut up,” he hissed. “You don’t know anything about me or what we had.”

“Oh, we know plenty,” Colt interjected menacingly.

He folded his arms across his chest, his stance wide and unyielding. “We know you’re a leech who preyed on her kindness and turned her life upside down. But you’ve already got what you wanted. So why the hell are you here?”

Rick’s sneer faltered, but only for a second.

“I’m here because she’s mine,” he said, his voice rising again. “She was mine before you came along, and she’ll always be mine. You think I scammed her just for the money? You think that’s all this was?”

I tightened my grip on his shirt, pulling him closer until our faces were inches apart.

“Then why?” I demanded, my voice a growl. “If this wasn’t just about the money, why are you still here? Why can’t you just crawl back into whatever hole you came from and leave her alone?”

Rick’s expression darkened, and for the first time, I saw something flicker in his eyes… something more dangerous than greed or desperation.

Obsession.

“Because I can’t,” he said, his voice dropping to a near whisper.

His gaze was distant now, as though he was lost in his own twisted thoughts.

“You don’t understand. She was the only one who ever believed in me. The only one who saw me as something more than a failure. She was… everything. And then she justleft. Like I didn’t matter. Like I was nothing.”

“Youarenothing,” I snarled, my voice full of disgust. “She saw you for what you really are—a selfish, manipulative coward—and she got out. You don’t get to stand here and act like she owes you something just because she made the mistake of trusting you.”

Rick’s eyes snapped back to mine, the desperation in them giving way to something colder.

“You don’t get it,” he said, his voice low and trembling. “Ineededher. I still do. And I’m not just going to let her walk away like this. Not when she’s with you. Not when she’s with all of you.”

“You don’t have a choice,” Ryan said firmly, stepping closer. “She’s done with you, Rick. And if you think for one second that we’re going to let you anywhere near her again, you’re even crazier than you look.”

Rick laughed bitterly, shaking his head.

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