Page 57 of Wicked Attraction

“You have nofuckingclue what the rest of us have been through, Sadie included.”

“I know she let it happen.”

I pressed the gun harder to his forehead, leaving Cal trapped between the wall and my gun.

“You don’t know shit because we all protected you. We shielded you from the horrors of growing up in this fucking house. She didn’tletshit happen. She was as much a victim of Colm’s greed and cruelty as the rest of us.”

I shook my head and released the safety, pressing the gun a little harder into his forehead.

“Bullshit. You’re so blinded by your fucking loyalty, you have no clue!”

Virgil stood tall and wide beside me, growling angrily. “You’re the clueless one,littlebrother. He pimped us out to perverts to pay off his debts, and each time Ma tried to say something or do something, he beat the fuck out of her.”

“Yeah, well, she wasn’t the only one. While you two were out, who got the beat downs for not being manly enough? Who was constantly beaten and berated and told he was a pansy-ass little boy? Me. Not you or Sadie, or you, Virgil.”

“You think that makes you special? Fuck that,” I roared and raised the gun just above his head, bringing it down on Cal’s cheek.

He smiled as blood poured down his face, not bothering to wipe it as he struggled to stand.

“Maybe not, but I have a right to my fucking anger. Just because you two are willing to sit by and lick her boots, no matter how much hell she put you through, I’m not. I wasn’t.”

Cal had lost some of his steam which was too bad for him because I was still mad.

Mad as fuck. “She avenged us, you asshole.”

Cal stood and stared me right in the face as if we were on equal fucking footing and produced his own gun, matted silver, and pressed it to my temple. “I don’t give a shit. You deal with your trauma however the fuck you want, and I’ll do the same, big brother.”

I glanced at Terry, who stood just behind Virgil, ready to do whatever he thought I needed. I asked Virgil, “Does this motherfucker actually have a gun to my head?”

Outrage and disbelief were more prominent in my mind than actual fear. “This fucking pussy who only picked up a gun to shootour fucking motherthinks he can shoot me?”

Before Cal could respond, I turned quickly and landed an uppercut just under his chin, sending his head snapping back and buckling his legs. The gun tumbled to the ground. “Next time you do something that fucking stupid, be prepared to pull the trigger.”

Cal smiled and stood, that wild, crazed look on his face, turning his green eyes bold. “I pulled it once. I can do it again.”

I felt a smile cross my face, but there was no amusement or joy behind it. Instead, it was the kind of smile that came when you were about to brawl.

“Except I’m not some little old lady. If you want to shoot me, Calvin, you’ll have to look me in the eyes. Not hide away like a fucking pussy.”

My knuckles landed on the open split already on his cheek.

Cal stumbled, but he recovered quickly. “Ask and ye shall receive, Jasper.” He took a step forward and twisted his upper body to land a jab straight to my chest before he landed another on my side.

“You want to fight, Calvin?” I laughed. “Guess all we needed for your balls to drop was to kill your crackhead wife.”

That pissed him off. Fury exploded within Cal, and he barreled forward, landing two jabs to my side, a hook to the jaw, and then the chest. When he advanced on the cross, I ducked and sent two quick hits to his midsection. “You piece of shit!”

“From the asshole who shot his mother all because he couldn’t control his bitch.”

I spit out the words, angry as fuck every time I had to say them.

“That’s right. Let’s talk about the truth, little brother.”

I stepped forward and went in for a combo, two jabs to the nose and a cross to the jaw.

“You tried to kill Sadie to ease your own fucking guilt. You saw how Bonnie was acting, suspicious and shady as fuck. A new mother leaving at all hours of the night. A real man would have at least suspected she was getting fucked by another man. A man in our line of work, well, he would have followed her and done something about it, but you didn’t do any of that, did you, Cal?”

“Fuck. You.”

---