Page 15 of The Last Time You Break Me

As I walked through the door, I could feel the brittle bite of cool air hit me all at once. We kept it freezing in the training house. Once we built up a sweat, we needed the reprieve.

“You’re late,” Reg grunted, his back to us as he placed a weight back on the rack. He was dressed in gray sweats and no shirt. Muscles rippled and bulged, glistening from the sweat trailing in beaded droplets down his spine. Across the top of his shoulders, Reggie had half a skull that blended into his arm piece. It was broken and vivid and sitting within one of the skull’s glassy eyes, was a woman, one who looked awfully familiar but it was difficult to tell with the shading and the face darkened. It was etched as a sugar skull with a sand clock in her hand, roses, and a raven surrounded her head. It was beautiful, and it struck me every time I saw it.

“No fucking around, we have a lot to do. We fight and we stop when I tell you you’ve done enough. I need to know your endurance level.” As he stalked toward me, I shut everything down. The other night was long forgotten. “And, princess, I want to see the psycho today. I need to see just how reckless she truly is.”

That brought a victory smirk of joy to my face. This time, I’m fighting for myself. For everything that was taken away from this family. All the hatred over the years, all the wars and deceit.The betrayal of Smithy. I carried it all with me. Anything and everything that had ever hurt us. It’s kept in a vault, ready to be cracked opened in my darkest hour.

To push me, drive me, and see me through to the end.

He wanted crazy? I was about to give him a psycho.

“Oh, shit, things are about to get fucked up. I’m going to ring Dylan,” Dallas quipped as he reached for his phone.

“Out. We don’t need an audience today. This is serious, boys, and if she does get a seat, it’s on the three of you to protect her,” Reg growled, snapping his teeth as he turned on them.

They both balked, shocked by the aggressive tone he used. It pissed me off like nothing else. How dare he put that on them. “Like fuck it is. We’re a family. We protect each other, but if something happened to me it isnoton them. It would probably be because of some reckless stunt I pulled. Don’t you dare put that on them, Reggie!” I seethed as I took a few more steps onto the mat.

His storm gray eyes flicked toward mine as he looked me up and down in silence for a moment before he grunted with a little lift of his shoulders. His black hair, peppered gray at the temples, glistened. “Exactly.Yourfault. Remember that.”

“Bastard,” I gritted as I moved the braid from my shoulder rougher than normal in my temper that was flaring to life. It was bright and it was ugly, and it was ready to play.

“You two good?” Dalton asked without batting an eye, assessing us as if he was trying to read between the lines.

“Of course we are,” Reg bit back. “But we got work to do.” Then he swung at me.

As I ducked his right hook, I was expecting his counter so I blocked it with my left arm. I followed through by capturing his other right hook and kicked out, hitting him in his core.

He grunted as he stumbled back and I charged with a right hook of my own that landed heavy on his jaw that snapped hishead to the side. He spun into it and got me with a side kick which sent me sprawled onto my back as I hit the mat hard with a resounding thud.

“Impulsive. Uncontrolled. You got too close,” Reg narrated and he stepped closer to me. It gave me the perfect opportunity to circle my legs in the air, using the momentum to bring myself to my knees and I took his legs out from under him in the process. I grabbed his arm and flipped myself over his body as I pulled him with me, getting him into a hold which would prove difficult for him to get out of when he could no longer breathe.

He choked and spluttered. But instead of tapping out, he elbowed me in the ribs, making me cough and wheeze. I held my position and point blank refused to relent. I wrapped my legs around his abdomen and pulled with everything I had inside of me, willing him to cave.

“Sloppy. Arrogant.You got too close,” I whispered with harsh and broken breaths into his ear making him growl. The sound sent vibrations throughout my body, which caused me to shiver in delight. “That’s it, big boy, show the reckless girl what you got.”

Reggie shifted as he pulled his feet out from under him and strained to get to his knees. Then he just let it all go and fell backward, crushing me beneath him. I lost my hold as I fought for air, choking on the saliva that had built in my mouth from the shock of having a giant land on top of me with abs made of iron. I groaned as I tried to push his deadweight from my body.

Both my brothers gasped. Dallas stepped forward, a look as cold as ice chiseled into his face. I knew he was about to say something as I stared at him from the ground, but I shook my head subtly and warned him not to.

After all, when we’re trained, it was without the gloves.

Reg rolled away from me as he stood with heaving breaths and glared down at me with something wild burning in his eyes.They were brutal this morning, filled with so many emotions it turned into the riot of a great thunderstorm that thrashed in their depths.

The creases around his gaze were beautiful, written within the fine lines of history.

A history I had always dreamed of becoming a part of. I wish I knew more about the man that he was before he turned into the man he had now become. There must be countless stories about him from his youth, just on the tip of his tongue waiting to be heard.

“You need to think of all—” he started with his tirade just as I lurched from the ground and threw a punch straight and center to his face. I felt bone crunching under my fists, beading against my knuckles as the hit landed perfectly.

The cold and defined demeanor of his cracked wide open as the blood ran free. He clutched his nose, a sneer on his lips as he stalked me with his fury-filled eyes. “I think you broke my nose, Hellcat.Fuck!”

“You’re welcome. Nobody shouldthinkthat they arethatpretty,” I deadpanned as I ungracefully stood to my feet. “It's so unbecoming. That’s all I got today. I can’t show you the psycho, Reg,” I uttered truthfully, letting him know this wasn’t all I’ve got. I saw the sadness in his eyes. The disappointment. But I couldn’t let her out.

“Yeah and why’s that?” he asked around a scoff of derision.

“Because nobody survives it.” Then I turned and headed straight toward my father’s office.

“We’re not done!” he shouted after me but I was already gone.

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