JARED-1(Lane Brothers, Book 4)(6)

“What the fuck do we look like, bro? I would never say anything to hurt her and neither would Ellie. Now calm your beat and breathe, yeah? We’re here to see our sister and make sure she’s okay,” Wyatt interrupts, squeezing my shoulder with a brotherly smile that eases some of the tightness in my chest. “She’s one of ours, no matter what came before. Family takes care of family, end of story. Now cool it and let’s go see how she’s doing.”

The nod I give him is one of thanks and gratitude because he understands what I’m going through right now, and I’m so glad not to be the only one feeling this shit.

“No! I told you to leave me alone! Haven’t you done enough?”

Everything inside me stalls and then starts beating a wild rhythm when I hear her voice, and I march into her room, Wyatt and Ellie hot on my heels. Cupcake is sitting up, close to tears and so pale, her sheets have more color.

I spot her parents standing beside her bed, their faces twisted with what I can only describe as malice and desperation.

“Paulette! You will come home right now and stop this nonsense at once!” Tanya Hayes says shrilly, making me grateful that my girl is nothing like this washed-up old windbag. “You have commitments to this family, and by God I will see you carry them out.”

Her voice makes me think of nails on a chalkboard, and that pinched expression reminds me of old Mrs. Talbot, my math teacher and the bane of my existence in the fourth grade.

And that father of hers…

“What the hell is going on here?” I snarl, stalking over to Cupcake when all the Hayeses do is glare and lift their noses at me. “Paulette?”

Her eyes are swimming in tears and I curse when I look down to see half-moons dotting the skin of her delicate arm where her mother must have grabbed hold of her.

“I didn’t do this, I swear,” she says softly, her lip trembling. “They just came in and started demanding I go home. Andrew is—”

“Dead if he so much as breathes near her again,” I finish, lifting my eyes to glower at her parents.

“Now see here, young man. Andy is within his full rights to want his fiancée back. Paulette—”

“Is hurt and in need of care right now. Care that I will be providing her as my fiancée. Now you’re either here to check on her and show some fucking well-earned concern, or you can get the hell out and leave her alone. She’s been through enough.”

They all still, Cupcake included, and I want to kick myself when her eyes start going glossy and a lone tear slips free. This is why I stay away from her. The woman only has to turn those hurt eyes on me and I’m ready to fall to my knees and promise her the world.

The Hayeses finally collect themselves, no doubt shocked at my words, and start yelling all at once, making my teeth ache because I’m grinding my jaw so hard.

“Your fiancée? Paulette! You know that you’re promised to Andy,” Tanya starts screeching, making us all wince.

My baby just glares and curls her injured lip in disdain.

“No. I know that you’ve been trying to sell me off to the highest bidder for years and that I never once agreed. I’ll marry that no-good, lying bag of excrement the day a snowball makes it out of hell intact,” she hisses, gasping for breath when her agitated movements wrench her injured ribs.

Her words are received about as well as my earlier statement was, and I watch in fury as the witch lunges forward and grabs hold of Cupcake with a snarl, her fingers digging into the purple bruise on her right wrist.

I’m about to rip her fingers clear off when I see Ellie move so fast, I feel the air stir around us before she grabs Tanya and whips her into the wall behind them.

“You touch her again and it’ll be the last Goddamned thing your miserable hide ever does, Cruella. Now back the fuck off my sister and skedaddle before I drop this civilized exterior and take off my earrings.”

“You—”

“Nuh-uh, I’d rethink whatever you’re about to say lady, or I’m going to get real mad about the fact that you dared slither your ugly ass in here and upset Paulie while she’s in pain and recovering from surgery,” Ellie warns, taking a step closer as Tanya’s mouth flaps open.

“Ellie, baby—”

“Hush, Wyatt,” she says softly before turning her glare on the father and spitting crudely. “We all know exactly what sort of family you people are, and I’ll be Goddamned if I let our Paulie deal with you yahoos a moment longer. Now you’re either here to show concern or you aren’t. Your choice, but the end result will be the same. Paulie is coming home to us where she belongs, and there’s not a thing you can do about that.”