Page 32 of Operation K-9 Brothers
Hatred filled the man’s eyes as he stared back at Jack for a moment, but at least he wasn’t entirely stupid.He backed out of the room.“This ain’t over, Nichole,” he snarled before slamming the door behind him.
Jack doubted that the man was going to go quietly away.He glanced at her brother.“You want him gone, too, Nichole?”He’d like to give Mark benefit of the doubt since he was Nichole’s family, but Jack didn’t trust him.
She studied her brother, her expression showing her disappointment in him.“No, he can stay tonight.But one more trick like that, Mark, and you’ll never be welcome in my house again.”
Jack took that to mean that Mark had let her ex into the house.He was relieved that it hadn’t been Nichole who’d let him in.
“Seriously, Nic, you’re gonna let this asshole—”
“Careful,” Jack said.“My bad side isn’t a good place to be.”He hated the hurt he saw in Nichole’s eyes.A brother should have his sister’s back, should be the one protecting her.She was not getting that from him, and knowing that only fed Jack’s protective instincts.It also made him want to knock some sense into the boy-man’s head.“I don’t get it, dude.She’s your sister, and the man who just left is bad news.Why would you want him anywhere near her?”
“You don’t know nothing.He’s never mistreated her.He loves her, and you’re messing things up.”
Nichole marched up to her brother.“I’ve told you repeatedly that he has mistreated me.”She bent over and pulled up the leggings on her right leg.“See that scar?That’s a burn mark from when Lane got mad and pushed me against the hot tailpipe of his motorcycle.”She pointed to a small scar on her upper arm.“That one happened when he hit me, and his skull ring cut me.”
Jack saw red.It was a good thing he hadn’t known about those while her ex had still been here.
“He didn’t mean to hurt you,” Mark said, but his voice lacked its earlier conviction.
“So he claims.”She sighed.“Go to bed, Mark.I’m tired of talking to you.”
The boy-man—that was how Jack saw him, a boy in a man’s body, not sure of his place in the world—dropped his head, his shoulders sagging.“I’m sorry.He said he’d never hurt you, and I believed him.”
Rambo was turning in circles, sniffing the floor.“Why don’t you take the dogs out before Rambo gifts you with a puddle to clean up,” Jack said to Nichole.“Give me a minute with your brother.”
Her gaze darted between the two of them.“Just don’t kill him, okay?”
He grinned at her.“I’ll do my best not to.”
She glanced at the door.“What if Lane comes back?”
“Dakota won’t let him near you, but it would still be best to stick close to the house.”
“I will.”
After she was gone, he crossed his arms over his chest and looked straight into Mark’s eyes.“This can go one of two ways.One, I’ll beat some sense into that stupid head of yours, or two, you can swear here and now that you’ll start treating your sister the way a brother should.Your choice.I’m good with either.”
At least the man-child had the grace to blush.“I just thought she was being dramatic...you know, like women tend to be.”
“I don’t know what women you’re used to being around, but Nichole doesn’t have a dramatic bone in her body.”Well, except for playacting out sexy movie scenes, but he wasn’t about to go there with her brother.“I can see that after only knowing her for a few weeks.You’ve known her all her life.You should be the one telling me that.”
“You really like her?”
A bit of avoidance there in admitting he’d been wrong, but Jack let it go.Mark Masters needed a role model, and much to Jack’s chagrin, he was apparently taking on that responsibility.“Yeah, I really like her.And unlike Lane...What’s his last name, anyway?”
“Gregory.”
Jack filed that intel away.Later tonight, he’d start compiling a dossier on the man.“Unlike Lane Gregory, I’ll never leave a scar on her body.Any man who does that to a woman isn’t fit to live.”
Based on how Mark’s eyes widened, Jack figured he probably shouldn’t have said that last part.He had no intention of killing anyone, but there were people in this world who needed to be taught a lesson, and he was the man to do it.In the meantime, it seemed he had made some kind of deal without any prior agreement with himself that he was going to take Nichole’s brother in hand.He was an idiot.
“I’m busy tomorrow, and Wednesday morning I have time booked at the firing range.After that, I’ll stop by if you want to hang out for a couple of hours.Maybe grab some lunch before I have to go to my physical therapy appointment.”
“Can I go with you to the range?”
“Ah...”Hell, why had he mentioned that?
