Page 12 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 2

“Ethan. Thank God. You have to help me. Izzy didn’t come home last night, and Mari hasn’t heard from her since before ten and she isn’t answering her phone.” Pushing past him, Jake raked his fingers through his hair. “Do one of those… those… things. Where you have everyone looking for her.”

“Jake, the first thing I need you to do is calm down.”

“Calm down? My little sister is missing, and you want me to calm down?”

“Ethan? Who was at the… Oh.” Halfway down the stairs, dressed in nothing but his T-shirt from the night before, Izzy froze when she spotted their visitor. “Uh, hi, Jakey.”

He saw the right hook coming, but he didn’t bother to duck. Jake’s fist connected squarely with his jaw, hard enough for his head to snap back at the impact.

The sound of footsteps running down the stairs was accompanied by Izzy’s surprised shriek. “Jake! Stop!”

Rubbing his jaw, Ethan jabbed a finger at her. “Back upstairs, Isabella. Now.”

“So my overprotective brother-in-law can murder you? Absolutely not!”

“Stubborn brat.” He reached for her, but she danced out of his reach. “This isn’t your fight.”

“I’m being stubborn? I’m not the one who just got punched in the face, you arrogant asshole.”

Everything in him wanted to drag her back upstairs and whip her ass, then fuck her until she begged him for mercy. The woman brought out the sadist in him unlike any submissive he’d had before her. He settled for glaring at her. “Upstairs, Isabella. Now.”

Muttering under her breath and completely ignoring his order, she shoved past them and marched into the kitchen.

“What the fuck is going on?” Jake demanded, flexing his fingers like he was contemplating another punch.

“Don’t. I figure I deserved the first one, but I’ll take you down if you try it again.”

“It might be worth it.” Tilting his head to the side, Jake narrowed his eyes. “How long have you been screwing my sister?”

“Cut the caveman act, Jake. I’m not a little girl anymore.” With an exaggerated eye roll, Izzy brushed past Jake and shoved a pack of frozen peas in Ethan’s direction. “Here. Put that on your cheek.”

Taking the peas from her Ethan pointed to the stairs again. “Go. This is between me and Jake.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said with a forced bark of laughter. “I must have really been out of it because I could have sworn I was the one screaming your name last night, not Jake.”

“Jesus, Izzy.” The pained look on Jake’s face almost made up for the throb in Ethan’s jaw.

Almost.

Fire flashing in her eyes, Izzy spun around and jabbed a finger into her brother-in-law’s chest. “Don’t ‘Jesus Izzy’ me. I’m a grown ass woman, Jake. Perfectly capable of choosing my own bed partners. I’m sorry I didn’t let you guys know I wouldn’t be home, but that is all I’m going to apologize for. And don’t you dare ask Ethan to apologize, either. Everything we did last night was completely consensual, so you have no reason to be pissed at him. Now,” tossing her hair over her shoulder, she glared at each of them in turn. “I’m going back upstairs so you two can talk. Don’t make me come back down here and kick both your asses.”

She flounced - it was the only word that described her exit - back up the stairs, leaving him alone with a thoroughly bewildered Jake.

“I need a drink.”

Ethan let out a strained laugh. “It’s not even eleven in the morning, Jake.”

“Yeah, well. What the fuck, Clarke?”

Maybe a drink wasn’t such a bad idea after all. “She showed up at the Rolands’ play party last night. Apparently, Lucy invited her. For me.”

“What?” Confusion filled Jake’s eyes. “How the hell does Lucy even know her?”

“Ah.” Shit. It hadn’t even occurred to him Mari and Izzy might have gone behind Jake’s back. “You might want to ask Mari about that.”

“Mari? What does Mari have to do with anything?”

“Apparently, she brought Izzy to one of the socials a few months back. That’s really all I know.”

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