Page 120 of Hot for the Jerk

“Mom!”Marco cried.“He’s going to kill Jagger.Why isn’t anybody helping him?”

Because Ozais was a monster of a man, and everybody on this ferry knew it.

But I needed to show my son that I wasn’t afraid of monsters anymore.That we stood up to them.

I still had the life ring around my waist.So I shoved it down to my feet, stepped out of it, and grabbed the rope, running up behind my brother and wrapping it around his neck, then pulling tight.

He roared as best he could, stopped punching Jagger as his fingers tried to pry the rope away from his throat.“Harlot!”he gurgled out, still scrambling for the rope.

“I won’t let you hurt me, or anyone I love anymore, Ozais.You don’t have a hold on my anymore.”I shoved my foot into his spine and leaned back, pulling with all my might.With every memory, every bruise, every moment of terror I felt growing up with such a deranged lunatic for a brother, fueling my strength.

Was I looking to kill him?

Maybe not.

But I definitely wanted him dead.

After a moment, he collapsed to the side, and I didn’t even bother to check to see if he had a pulse.I ran to Jagger, sliding to my knees in a puddle.He was unconscious and barely recognizable.There was already so much swelling and blood.His nose had to be broken, possibly his eye socket and cheekbone too.

Tears spilled down my cheeks as I bent my head against his chest.

Marco raced up beside me.“Is he going to be okay, Mom?”

The blinding lights of the Coast Guard boats had us shielding our eyes.

“This is the Coast Guard,” they announced.

Soloman spun around and put his hands behind his head.A big part of me just wished he’d jump and get sucked into the turbines.Even fish need to eat.

A ferry employee came over and checked my brother’s pulse.“Dammit.He’s alive,” he said, genuine disappointment on his face as he hauled out some zip ties from his back pocket and secured them around my brother’s wrists and ankles just in case.

“He needs to go to the hospital right away,” I said, referring to Jagger.“We need an ambulance on the other side.”

Nodding, another ferry employee got on her radio just as the first of the Coast Guard officers boarded the vessel.

“He’s going to be okay.Right, Mom?”Marco said, nuzzling into me.“Please tell me he’s going to be okay?”

I wrapped my arm around my son and pressed a kiss to the crown of his head.“He better be okay, honey.”I glared at my brother, who started to come to.“Or your uncles are going to wish they’d jumped into the ocean and died.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Jagger

“He’sgotalongroad of recovery ahead of him.”

“But he will recover?Like back to normal?”That was definitely Clint’s voice.

“Define ‘normal,’” Wyatt retorted.

“With physiotherapy and rehab, I’m confident your brother will regain full mobility of his knee.Possibly even better than before it was shattered.”That was probably a doctor.

I was obviously in a hospital after receiving the shit-kicking of a lifetime from one Ozais Romney.

Groaning, not because I was in pain, but because my mouth tasted like the bottom of a fish tank, I stirred and risked opening my eyes.

Luckily, the lights were low and not blinding.

Clint and Wyatt stood in the doorway chatting with my doctor, while Raina—with Marco in her lap—slept on the couch near the window.

---