Page 50 of Deliria

I have to be better than that. Smarter than that.

“I understand,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper. “I won’t...I won’t do anything to upset you again, Alex. I promise.”

He smiles then, a cold, cruel thing that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Good girl,” he purrs, reaching out to stroke my cheek with a gentleness that belies the brutality of his actions moments before. “I knew you’d see reason. Now, let’s go up, shall we? I think we both could use a drink after all this excitement.”

He extends his hand to me, waiting for me to take it. And what choice do I have but to obey? To follow him into the lion’s den, knowing full well that I’m just a lamb to the slaughter?

I place my hand in his, my skin crawling at the contact and I let him lead me up the final set of stairs.

Rafferty

Istand in the dim light of the old barn. It’s rickety on a good day, and the gnarly wood creaks in protest every time the wind picks up. But this space is mine. My bolthole. My escape from them, the rest of my family.

In my hand I clutch a wrench, tinkering with my motorbike. It’s a classic. One I’ve meticulously rebuilt part by part. It’s not ready to go yet, but it will be.

A few metres away is my other pride and joy, my Triumph Tiger 1200, bought and paid for through my own businesses, notthrough anything my family gave me. It gleams under the dim light, tempting me to sneak off, to take a break.

But the Norton Commando won’t build itself.

The metal creaks and groans beneath my touch, a familiar sound that’s always soothed me. Even as a kid I was always out here, building something, creating a way to escape the confines of that stifling mansion and my toxic as fuck family.

The thought of hitting the open road fills me with a sense of freedom I’ve been craving from the minute I returned to this damned island, but I can’t leave yet. I have to see this through.

I had an agreement -and I intended to follow through on it.

The sound of heavy footsteps crunching over the gravel alerts me to the fact someone is approaching. I don’t need to look up to know it’s my brother. Even his walk is distinctive enough to single him out.

As he storms in, I glance up, wondering what possible reason he has to grace me with his fine presence. But the fact that his face is twisted into a snarling mask of anger gives me enough of a hint.

“Stay away from Scarlett,” he barks, his voice dripping with menace. “Stay away from my wife.”

“Excuse me?”

“You fucking heard.” He says, jabbing me in the chest like we’re still kids and he’s still got the ability to bully me. Only, those days are long gone. Seven-year-old me might have taken his shit, but the thirty-seven-year-old man I am now is a completely different story.

I drop the wrench, raising an eyebrow. “What if I don’t…?” I say, squaring up to him, loving the fact that physically I’m so much bigger than him now. It took me years and years of honing my muscles, turning myself into a beast. Oh, Alexander may play pretend at working out, he may be physically fit enough for mostpeople’s tastes but compared to me, he looks what he is; weak. Pathetic.

“…What if I find her wandering down a dark corridor, all drugged up and confused?” I continue, “What if I decide to take a nice little bite and see how she tastes?”

“You fucking dare.” He hisses, shoving me, only I don’t budge an inch because I’m not the little boy he can beat up and hurt anymore.

“You lay one finger on her…”

“And you’ll what?” I sneer. “Go running to dad? Like he gives a fuck. You’ve been whoring her out to him…”

“I’ll have you gone. They won’t welcome you back. Your invite will be rescinded.”

I let out a loud laugh. He was always a pompous prick. Always full of fancy words and fancy phrases, as if they’re some sort of shield he can use to prove his superiority, but right now he’s out of his depth. I could squish him like a bug, snap him like a twig.

“Dad won’t do that.” I state. “He likes me here. He likes that I’m back in the fold. The great prodigal son, all rehabilitated.”

He glares, but he knows it’s true. Alexander may provide the stability, maybe the future of Forster Enterprises, but I’m the true favourite. I’ve ensured that’s the case, despite his desperate attempts to oust me.

“But you, brother.” I add. “You need to watch yourself. Mother’s already sick of your shit. It won’t be long before father is too. Once this situation with your wife is over, maybe he’ll have no further uses for you. Maybe he’ll disinherit you, cut you off, and I’ll get everything you’ve worked so hard for.”

Alexander’s face turns a deeper shade of red, his fists clenching at his sides. “Our dad will never disinherit me now,” he snarls. “Not after what I’ve done for him. Not after I’ve allowed him free rein with Scarlett.”

My laugh is bitter, my eyes glinting with malice.

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