Page 43 of Van Cort
Rhett looked back at Lara, annoyed that she wasn’t doing what he said, as she dragged the bow over the strings and caused a strained, high-pitched scream of sound. She carried on, going fast over the strings, shoving the bow back and forth to make the sound louder and louder.
“Stop messing around!” Rhett shouted. She didn’t. She smirked at him and danced around, flinging her blonde hair behind her and laughing.
West laughed, too, and joined in with the noise by playing some crappy music alongside.
“Stop. Now!” Rhett shouted again.
“Boring!” she sang, loudly. “So, so boring. So, so dull. So, so weird.” That really started West off. He ramped up the piano and found a rhythm so they could both sing their made-up song. It repeated over and over again – the shrill, strained sound of theviolin, the full, too loud, choppy sound of the piano, and both of them singing and laughing at him.
Rhett felt like his head was about to explode. He hated the sound so loud. It was angry, almost violent, and before he knew it, he was storming over to Lara and grabbing her wrist to make her stop. She shrieked and tried turning away from him. He didn’t let her. He shoved her backwards, kept shoving, until her back hit the shelves and she winced in pain.
“Let go of me,” she shouted, scowling.
Rhett increased his grip and looked right into her eyes, getting himself closer to her than he’d ever been. “No. I said stop.”
“Screw you,” she spat. “Get off.”
The piano stopped playing.
“Rhett, leave her alone.”
Rhett didn’t want to, and he thought he might break her bones with how hard he was holding her while she struggled. He wanted her to say sorry, though, and to do as she was told, and to have some respect for everything they’d let her be part of.
He glared and kept looking at her eyes, and he felt himself harden in his pants. She must have felt it, too, because she suddenly stopped struggling, went almost white, and widened her eyes.
At the same moment, the weight of West hit Rhett and sent him off balance.
They both crashed to the floor and started fighting to get back up first. Lara screamed and shouted at them, and Rhett felt her hands trying to tug them apart. He pushed her away from them, knowing somewhere, deep down, that he didn’t really want her hurt, but he was still so obsessed with the feeling of her in his grip that he wasn’t ready for the punch that West landed to his jaw.
All the anger and all the beatings he’d taken, for West - to protect West - came raging to the surface.
He didn’t remember what he did after that, but when he started seeing straight again, he saw West slumped in the corner of the room with Lara looking scared between them.
Silence.
She backed up a few steps towards West, dragging what looked like the remains of the violin in her grip. Rhett watched her move, flicking his gaze between her and the broken violin. She looked okay – not hurt. And so pretty with her wide eyes and open mouth.
So, so pretty.
He looked away from her, muddled and ashamed about something he didn’t understand, as West groaned and sat upright. Rhett was unsure what had happened and unsure what to say or do about it, but whatever had happened, it happened because of her. He knew that much.
Pulling himself over to the shelves, he leaned against them and gazed at Lara and West. He didn’t like it one bit. Everything felt wrong when it was those two without him, and yet he was desperate for West not to be here with them at the same time. It was all as confusing as she was. Everything had always been about him and West. Simple. Just them. Alone.
“I told you you’d break it,” Rhett murmured, sullenly. “Stupid bitch. You should have done as you were told. That’s what staff do.” Lara looked down at the broken wood in her hand, her bottom lip trembling at his callous words. “Tell your father he owes us money.” He didn’t know how much. Or care. That wasn’t the point. He hated her for what she’d caused. And he hated himself, too, despite his strange need to be near her. It was wrong. Everything was wrong. “Get out.”
He ripped his gaze from her and looked at West, checking for any real damage he might have caused his brother. West smiledweakly, though. It might have been a smile laced with pain, but they were alright. They’d always be alright, as long as they had each other.
That’s all that mattered.
Lara burst out crying and dropped the remnants of wood to the floor before spinning on her heel and running from the room. He watched her the entire way down the hall, desperate to chase after her and tell her he was sorry. He stayed where he was, though. He wouldn’t apologise to anyone.
Especially not her.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
BEFORE
WEST – AGE FOURTEEN
