Page 122 of When the Storm Breaks
He swiped his hand over his nose. “I don’t know what my sister told you, but she has a habit of twisting the truth. Blows everything out of proportion.”
“Are you calling your sister a liar?”
“I’m just saying that you shouldn’t be so quick to believe everything she says.”
“Where the fuck do you get off badmouthing your own sister?” It was the drugs talking, I knew it. People got braver and stupider and said shit they regretted later. But right now this asshole was in my face, spouting shit about his own sister and I couldn’t just let that go. “You don’t know me. Why are you telling me this?”
“Just thought you should know what you’re getting yourself into. As soon as she gets tired of you, she’ll toss you aside and move on. Maybe you think you’ve won this round…”
I stared at him. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I know you’re the one who talked her out of singing that duet. I don’t know what else you’ve been putting into her head, but she’ll soon figure out that her loyalties lie with the people who really know her and care about her best interests.”
This guy was fucking unbelievable. I laughed harshly. “And I guess you think that’s you.” I stabbed my finger at his chest. “If you cared about her so much, you should have given her your unquestioning loyalty instead of stabbing her in the back every time she turned around.”
Let it be known for the record that he shoved me first.
We were equally matched in height but that was where the similarities ended. His muscles came from working out in a gym, and he wasn’t a fighter. So why the fuck was he picking a fight with a guy who could lay him out in two seconds flat? It was a mystery to me.
I shoved him back. Just a shove. Not a punch. Not a kick in the balls like he deserved. Just a warning not to mess with me. His back slammed against the pillar behind him. I would have thought that would be the end of it.
I turned and started walking away. He grabbed my shoulder, spun me around, and punched me right below the ribs. Motherfucker. I returned the favor. One punch. Two punches, and he doubled over. I hauled him up by the shirt collar and got right into his face. “Don’t you fucking mess with me. I will defend her until my dying day. And until you’re ready to act like a decent brother and make amends for all the shit you’ve put her through, stay away from Shiloh.”
I released him and he staggered back. Then I turned and walked away, avoiding the stares of everyone in the lobby who had stopped to take in the show. As I was leaving, security showed up. A little late for that, boys.
I stabbed the elevator button and tried to regulate my breathing.
“Brody.”
Great. Just what I needed. Marcus. “We need to have a word.”
“If it’s all the same with you, I’d like to get back to Shiloh.”
I should have known that wouldn’t be the end of it. “This will only take two minutes.” He was texting on his phone as he led me to an empty room next to one of the hotel restaurants. It must have been a conference room.
I leaned against the wall next to the door and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for him to speak.
“What happened?”
“He was talking shit about Shiloh and I wasn’t about to put up with that.” There was no apology in my voice. I wasn’t the least bit sorry.
“So you thought you’d punch him to shut him up. In a public space where anyone could see you?”
I shrugged one shoulder, not bothering to defend myself. Although I did add, “Nobody knows who I am.”
He laughed. “You really are stupid, aren’t you? Luckily, Naomi is here. She’ll deal with the damage control.”
Damage control.
Marcus pocketed his phone and held my gaze. “Shiloh doesn’t need to know about this right now,” he said. “I don’t want any of this to affect her performance tonight.”
My eyes narrowed on him. “You want me to lie to her?”
“I want you to keep it to yourself for now. Shiloh is my number one priority. If you really care about her, you’ll do what’s best for her right now and keep your mouth shut. She’s under a lot of pressure. There’s a lot of stress between her and Landry and if she hears about this, it will only add to it.”
I considered his words. It was hard to tell if he cared about Shiloh or if she was just his meal ticket. I rubbed the back of my neck. “It doesn’t sit right with me to withhold the truth from her.”
“But it sits just fine with you to punch her brother.”
