Page 71 of Atlas
“What’s so funny?”
“You are.”
He gave me a sideways glance. “Why?”
“Because you’re like the big brother I never had. My friend Bree had an older brother who was over-the-top protective. She hated it, of course, but I always envied her a bit.”
“I’m not your brother.” His words were a bit harsh, and he added in a softer tone, “I’m your friend.”
His hand was on the manual gear stick. With a smile, I reached out and touched it.
“Friends.”
He smiled back at me. “Tell me about Bree’s brother. Why were you envious of her?”
I sighed and thought back to my teenage years. “JD was almost eight years older than us and worked as a lifeguard and surf instructor in the summer. One time when we were sixteen, Bree and I were at a party, and being young and stupid, we went with a group of guys to pick up some food. Only, they tricked us and drove out in a forest. Bree and I objected and were scared shitless. The whole situation just felt frightening, with the three of them exchanging secretive looks and refusing to turn back. We were sure we were about to get raped and murdered.”
“So, what happened?”
“Bree and her brother had a code in case something like that ever happened. She managed to send JD a text, and because he had tracking on her phone, he found us.”
“What happened when he found you?”
“Wow, I haven’t told that story in over ten years.” I placed a comforting hand on my throat. “JD had a bit of an anger issue. I think the reason they were so close was because they lost their mother when Bree was four. With JD being twelve at the time and their father working two jobs to support them, JD took on a parenting role with her. That night, he arrived in his Jeep with a friend. The boys we were with had parked the car, and the driver told us to give them a blowjob or walk home.
Atlas frowned. “You refused, right?”
“Of course, but they wouldn’t let us out of the car, and who knows what would have happened if JD and his friend hadn’t showed up? He was like the Hulk, making skid-marks when he arrived and parking so that the lights from his Jeep blinded us. I remember how the driver’s door got flung open, and the boy was torn right out of his seat. When Bree and I told JD about the boys’ ultimatum, he threatened to stuff his cock down their throats to teach them a lesson.”
“Did he?”
“No. But he took their names and addresses and warned them to never come near us again. He also had them stand in front of the car while he gave a speech about how to treat women with respect. It was beautiful.”
“Did they listen?”
“I would like to think so. JD said one thing that I’ll never forget. He said that the boys were low-life hyenas, and if they wanted to be alpha lions like him, they needed to grow up and start by apologizing to us. I thought it was fitting.”
“Did they apologize?”
“One did, the other two claimed they hadn’t done anything wrong. Jim made them apologize anyway in his Hulk manner.”
“He beat them up?”
I shrugged. “He pushed them down on their knees and slapped them hard enough to get the message across. Not that I condone violence, but considering how angry he was, it was a miracle that the boys got away without broken bones.
“After the boys were gone, JD held Bree in his arms. She was crying and shaking from the fear and shock, and he held her in that protective big brother way while muttering that he would never let anyone hurt her. I stood alone, hugging myself because I didn’t have a big brother to come and rescue me.”
“You had a dad.”
“Sure, but he wouldn’t have held me like that. My dad would have brought his gun to scare the boys off, and then he would have grounded me for a year for being stupid enough to leave the party with a group of boys in the first place. JD could be a dick too, and hard on Bree when it came to school and stuff, but in situations like that, he was amazing.”
Pulling into a parking lot, Atlas nodded ahead. “There’s a toystore in that shopping center. It’s the biggest mall in the area.”
“Great.”
Getting out of the car, we walked a few steps before he stopped me with a hand to my arm. “About Bree and her brother.”
“Yes?”
