Page 97 of Married to Number 22
“You fucking bitch!”
And turn just in time to see my brother and father barreling through the back door of Gram’s house.
The karaoke—a rendition ofDon’t Stop Believing—cuts off.
The yard goes quiet as everyone turns to see what the commotion is.
And I feel my temper snap.
This again.
This a-fucking-gain.
Why do they have to keep coming into my life and messing up beautiful moments?
Why do they have to keep trying to control me?
Why do they have to keep ruining my life?
But before I can let any ofthatloose?—
I see a flash of brown hair as Aiden tucks me behind him, protecting me, not knowing I’m ready to breathe fire.
“Don’t call her that!” Bri shouts, rushing in front of us, in front of Jean-Michel and Jace.
She puts her arms out to block my brother and father from proceeding.
But they don’t care—about women, about people they think are below them, about anyone other than themselves and their wallets.
My dad lifts a hand…
And shoves her.
And the entire yard goes deadly quiet.
Thirty-Seven
Aiden
The first one toget there is Gray.
He crouches down and hesitates when Bri flinches before he murmurs something.
A long heartbeat passes before she nods and he carefully helps her up to her feet, tucking her behind his big body.
The music has cut out and pride flickers through me when I see that every single one of my teammates who are here today is standing, silently staring down Luna’s brother and father, murder emanating out of their bodies, filling the air with tension strung so tightly, one tiny spark is all it will take to set it alight.
All at once, Frank and John seem to realize that they’re in danger.
Criticaldanger.
Frank’s eyes go wide, and he steps back, halfway shielding himself behind his son.
Fucking coward.
“Who the fuck is that?” I hear Jean-Michel growl, and if murder is the name of the game in Luna’s gorgeous, flower-filled-huge-oak-tree-shaded back yard with twinkly lights my mom had my dad and me stringing over the last week, Jean-Michel’s tone is somehow even more deadly.
It speaks of kings who’ll decapitate, who’ll give the order for drawing and quartering, who’ll display bodies from city walls, and who’ll do it with enjoyment.
