Page 58 of Brother In Arms

He tipped my chin with the side of his finger so I’d look up at him and said, “Man, I should have gone for it back then, I actually really regret it now.”

I pushed past him into the free space between my kitchen’s island and my dining room table and said, “Yeah, but you didn’t and it’s too late now.”

He grabbed my wrist, and I’m pretty sure it was supposed to be some compelling romantic gesture, but all it was, quite frankly, was terrifying. I whirled and jerked it back but he didn’t let it go, his grip tightening.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t have to be, right?” he said. “Seriously, Bailey, you should take the money, offload this place and move on. Buy out one of your competitor’s, renovate; make the place yours. You’d still have plenty left over and I could help you invest and grow your money. What do you say?”

He was close now, way too far into my personal space for my liking. I shook my head and said, “You haven’t heard me at all, Ken. I don’t want to sell Blue Hills. I love it here, it’s my home and I’d like you to leave.” I stumbled back and he just kept coming. I tried to pull my wrist free and said, “Let me go!”

“Bailey, come off it! You need to listen to me and stop this foolishness!” he had me back up against the table, the chair digging into me but I wouldn’t sit down. No way. Instead I leaned back and almost climbed the damn thing to get away from him. It was awkward but I couldn’t focus on that right now, I needed to focus on him and figuring out a way to get myself out of this situation.

Shit.

“I’m done listening to Philip and I’m done listening to you. I mean it, Ken. Get out of my house!”

He backhanded me with his other hand and I yelped, stars exploding across my vision. He batted the chair out of his way and before I could register what was happening, he had me up and I was flying, weightless for a moment; but what goes up must come down and this was no exception. I slammed down onto the hard wood of my dining room table top and Ken loomed over me, pinning my body with his, situating his hips between my legs and pinning me down.

Fear spiked in the center of my chest and dread unfurled in the pit of my stomach. Ken shook his head, his hazel eyes cold and his face a mask of irritation below which cold fury roiled, looking for any excuse to escape. It was one of the most terrifying things I’d ever seen but I had to stay strong, I had to stay calm.

“Let me go, or I’m going to scream.”

“No dice, princess. You know, I told him you wouldn’t go for it. I said I’d try to talk you into it but I knew it would probably come to this. I don’t want to hurt you, Bailey, but your obstinacy is about to cost Philip and I a lot of money. We can’t have that, so you need to sign on the dotted line.”

“It’ll be a cold day in hell before I do that,” I said and he shook his head.

“I thought you’d say that,” he said and went for his belt, “I’m going to enjoy this a lot more than you are, Bales.”

My eyes went wide and I opened my mouth to draw breath to scream, kicking out, trying to fight, but before I got the chance my front door crashed inward on its hinges and a blur of muscle and hate barreled past me and pulled Ken off.

I pushed myself up, eyes wide as Rush knocked Ken onto his ass, kneeling over him. Rush wrapped one fist into the front of Ken’s shirt and pulled his other back. Before I could shout or do anything else, the fist he’d cocked back barreled forward into Ken’s face with a sickening crunch. Ken shouted and went limp but Rush didn’t let up, he was going to kill him.

“Rush! Stop! Oh my god, stop! You’re going to kill him!” I wrapped my arms around his one and pulled back and he miraculously stood up.

“He deserves to die, touching you like that.” He spit on Ken’s prone form and turned to me and all I could do was stare open mouthed.

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