Page 3 of Healed
“Nothing! There’s not a damn thing wrong with me.”
“It’s 10:30 in the fucking morning, Remi! You haven’t been to work before noon in the last three weeks, on the days you happen to show up at all!”
“I already told you I’ve been doing accounting from home!” Remi said, angrily as he snatched up pieces of his door and tossed them through the opening it used to seal.
“No, Remi. You haven’t. You haven’t logged into the fucking program in at least that long.”
“Bullshit!” Remi yelled.
“I already had Angelle pull up the log in history. The only person working in the books is her.”
“You know what? Leave my sister out of this. This is nobody’s business but mine. As a matter of fact, you stay out of my fucking business, too!”
Brandt’s chest rumbled as he stalked over to Remi. They were very close in height, with Remi being slightly taller, but there was no question who the Alpha was. Brandt pressed his body against Remi’s bumping into him, daring him to stand his ground as he let go of the hold he kept on his Alpha powers.
Remi winced as a high pitched noise began to ring in his ears. He squeezed his eyes closed and tried to resist the urge to curl in on himself.
“You will abide by my rules, or you will get the fuck off this property. The rules are anyone you bring onto this land will respect all of your clan members. They insult or treat anyone with disrespect, they don’t get to fucking come back, if I don’t decide to feed them to our resident alligator. You get me?” Brandt demanded.
“You can’t…”
“I can do whatever the fuck I want to do. You might have paid to have your house built here, but I own this fucking land. Not only that but it is my place as Alpha to keep them all safe, keep them all happy, and keep them all thriving. You having fucking drug parties over here all goddamn night, keeping up the families next door who not only have little kids, they have to get up the next morning and go to work — where you’re supposed to fucking be.”
“I turned the music down!” Remi yelled defensively.
“Yes, while your little fuck toy is shooting dirty looks at whoever dared to ask you to turn it down. That shit ain't right, Remi!”
“She didn’t do that! She’s a nice girl.”
“To who? She’s a selfish, confrontational bitch, who will drop your ass the moment you stop feeding her whatever it is she’s in need of.”
“You will not talk about her like that! She’s good for me! So good for me! She loves me when…”
“She’ll milk you dry, Remi. Why are you falling for her shit? Why are you looking the other way when she’s treating your people like shit? Why are you allowing it? If your idea of happy is to put distance between you and everyone you’re close to, you’re doing a hell of a job.”
Remi tossed the last piece of wood out onto the front lawn and stood by the door frame the door used to be in. “Can you just leave?”
“No. I came here to find out what the hell is going on with you. You think I haven’t heard about you running around town with a different girl every night? I’ve heard. And I looked the other way until you hooked up with this one.”
“She cares about me. You just don’t know her!” Remi insisted.
“Remi, she’s not even met us and she’s causing trouble. She’s threatened me and shot dirty looks at your neighbor and her little babies. What the fuck kind of woman tries to intimidate a woman and her little kids?”
“She was just tired. We stayed up all night.”
Brandt nodded. “What night was that?”
Remi grinned, like he thought it was funny. “All of them?” he asked with a laugh.
“That’s not funny. It’s not cute and it’s not even slightly amusing. What the fuck are you doing to your life?”
“What life?” Remi bellowed at Brandt. “You want to stand there and lecture me about my life? I have no fucking life! None! I lost the woman I love because fate decided to give me a different mate! And now she’s dating my fucking neighbor! Andthe mate… the mate won’t even fucking talk to me, because I still love my girlfriend! I’m alone, Brandt! I’m fucking alone, and I’m so, so, so fucking miserable that I can barely breathe! Do you understand that everybody else gets to go home to their happy little houses with their happy, perfectly loving fucking mates and I come home to this miserable fucking place with nobody! Nobody, Brandt! And when I do I can’t even fucking get drunk for longer than an hour before I’m sober again! What kind of fucking relief is that? None! Then I get to wake up bright and early the next morning and go to work where I’m surrounded by all you happy, glowing, can’t wait for every hour of your fucking days to get even happier motherfuckers again! What the fuck did I do that I get to be so fucking miserable every moment of my fucking life? I’m good to every fucking body! I’m kind, and I’m patient, and I do anything for anybody - family or not — and I get ripped apart coming and going! I’ve had efuckingnough! I can’t do it anymore! I’m not okay! And nobody fucking knows or takes the time to even pretend to care except Olivia!”
“We are your family, Remi. We love you. We’re trying to help you.”
“No, you’re not. All you want is to be sure your peaceful little lives aren’t interrupted. That’s fine. There won’t be anymore interruptions.”
“That’s not the point, Remi. How can we help you if you don’t turn to us? You keep all this shit inside and when we ask you pretend everything is just fine and you’re enjoying your bachelorhood. You tell me what you want me to do to help you and I will.”
