Psycho Ex Boyfriend (Standalone New Adult Romance) (The Alpha Brotherhood Book 2) (10 page)

Ian doesn’t get up. I could easily beat him to the weaponry and that adrenaline isn’t exactly muted anymore, but I’m pretty battered and I bet he’s still angrier. Sabrina’s smiling face flashes in my mind. Perhaps anger isn’t my primary motivation anymore.

I lock eyes with my brother and all I see is regret and apprehension. We don’t get along that well, yeah, but this is ridiculous.

“I want fifty percent of that Lincoln Park deal,” Ian says.

Ouch. The caveman way of settling this spat just got a lot more appealing. But this is a negotiation and I’d rather exit with all my appendages attached.

“Twenty,” I counter.

“Forty.”

“Goddamn it…” We smirk at each other, our eyes drifting over to the arsenal. I bet he’s as curious about how it would go as I am.

“We could do this the interesting way,” Ian says, interlocking his fingers and cracking his knuckles. “But I’d rather walk away richer. You’d probably prefer to walk away, period.”

“Fuck you.” But he’s right. “Fine. Thirty five percent. But if you ever fuck with Betty, I’ll gladly meet you down here again.”

“Done.”

I lay on my back, staring up at the ceiling. My mouth is filled with the metallic taste of my own blood and my brain is taking an inventory of every damaged part of my body. What a waste of time and energy. I don’t even want to do the math of the financial costs.

“I’d never actually hurt your dog, Adam.”

Turning my head, I eye him skeptically. “You wouldn’t?”

“Jesus, dude,” he laughs. “That’s fucked up.”

“You’re fucked up.”

“Fair point.” Ian pinches the bridge of his nose, testing its stability. “So did you get the rules are only broken if you get caught speech, too?” he asks.

“I did indeed.”

“Do you think that applies to that other rule?”

My heart sputters and I search his face for any indication that he knows what I’m doing with Sabrina behind closed doors and intends to use it against me. Nothing. I think he just wants to get laid, so I answer, “I’m not sure.”

“I bet we’d be okay if we kept away from the girls at school.”

“Probably.”

“Think it’s worth the hassle?”

“What? Sex?” I ask. He nods his head. Holy shit, an apprehensive hand job is totally worth it, but I can’t tell him that. “I don’t know. I guess.”

“Could Father be any more difficult to understand?”

“Right?” I laugh. “I thought I was fucked.”

“As did I.” Ian laughs along with me for a moment. Then he’s quiet and he obviously wants to say something. I should hold out and let him. You never know. He might confess something I’ll be able to use to my advantage in the future. “So your sister is dead.”

How did he even find out about that? Probably the same way I did, through a newspaper article. My eyes close automatically as I try to get a hold of my emotions. Every time I think of Molly, it’s like my chest starts to collapse, but never quite does. It just twists and pulls and burns for as long as it takes me to push it away. “What’s it to you?” I shoot back, but my voice is shaky and weak.

“I don’t know…” Ian doesn’t sound confrontational in the least. “I suppose I’m just offering my condolences.”

“Oh.” That’s not what I expected.

“And…”

“Spit it out, Ian. I’ve had a
long
fucking day.”

“I know a guy. He finds things. People. He helped me get in touch with my mom when we were back in New York.”

“You what?” I roll on my side, trying not to wince. “Fuck, Ian.” Father might turn a blind eye to fucking and fighting, but he’s made it crystal clear from Day One where he stands on contacting our real families.

“I know. It was stupid. And not worth it at all. Turns out she’s still a selfish cunt. Who’d have thought? My little brother is doing alright, though.” I can’t believe he’s telling me this. Talk about ammunition. “So anyway, if you need to find anything. Or anybody…”

I shouldn’t trust a word he says, but there’s no hurt checking it out. “Give me his contact info at school. Not here.”

My brother nods, rising to his feet and stepping toward me. He offers me a hand up off the floor and I take it. The air shifts between us, ushering in a new era of official cooperation that’s long overdue. It’s time to put away childish things. We both know this life wouldn’t be nearly as interesting without the other to keep us on our toes.

Sabrina

Age 15

Ian doesn’t come to school on Friday. Adam isn’t there either. He didn’t call Thursday night like he said he would, and his phone goes directly to voicemail the few times that I break down and call him over the weekend.

By Monday I’m really starting to lose it. Even though it’s freezing outside and I have bare legs, I wait anxiously on the lawn for the chariot of princes to arrive. I don’t care if it’s too risky and Adam wouldn’t approve, I can’t take this anymore.

The stretch limo pulls up to the curb and I start counting. They’re all wearing coats and hats, making it impossible to identify Adam by his trademark blond hair. It’s hard to make out faces through the falling snow, but there are ten of them. Unless they got a new brother, he’ll be here today, so I decide not to push it and go inside. If I didn’t know I’d be able to see him in first period, I’d probably stick around and get a closer look.

I probably should have. I drop my books and folders on the floor when I finally lay eyes on him, drawing unnecessary attention to my reaction.

The sight of his bruised and swollen face steals the air from my lungs. We’ve been together for a while now and it’s only been getting more difficult to ignore him every morning. The urge to run over to him now is so overwhelming that I gather my scattered papers and step back into the hallway for a second because there’s no way I’ll just be able to sit there and wait for class to begin.

What the hell happened? My question is answered as I eavesdrop from outside the door. Obviously Adam and Ian got into a fight and Ian won. The bell rings and I slip inside right as the teacher is closing the door.

I steal a look at Adam, who actually makes eye contact for a change and gives me a split second reassuring smile. My gaze drifts over to Ian, who indeed is sporting his own set of facial scrapes and bruises, but the damage isn’t nearly as extensive as Adam’s.

They’re seated next to each other in this class, even though they’re last names aren’t in alphabetical order. I believe that ‘Father’ pulled some of his many strings to make that happen. There’s always visible tension between Adam and Ian, but today I actually see them exchanging comments and even a little laughter.

Third period is even more difficult than first because none of his brothers are around and the teacher is lazy today and gives us most of the period to read yet another book I’ve already read.
Lord of the Flies
. How ironic. I’d skim through it like I usually do with these repeat reading assignments, but Adam’s made too many comments about how much it reminds him of growing up with all those business-moguls-in-training, so I’m rereading it closely in an effort to better understand his world. God, do I pity whoever had to play the role of Piggie.

The only way I’m able to resist walking over to him is knowing that I
will
get to talk with him during the lunch hour. And it better be in the damn library where we can have some privacy.

We’ve got a signaling system for that. Adam crumples a sheet of paper and tosses it into the trash can if he wants to meet in the library. I click my pen three times halfway through class if I’d like to. I can’t wait until the midpoint this time, so I click that pen frantically as the bell rings. His eyes fall to his desk and he actually lets himself smile, glancing over at me for way longer than is usually allowed. A crumpled scrap of paper flies through the air soon after and I finally get a breath of relief.

Adam made me a copy of that contraband master key in case I ever want to hide from the world in the library closet and I’m so glad that I finally started carrying it. It’s only a matter of time until we get caught in here, especially since it’s cold outside now and more students are studying in here instead of outside.

I slip inside easy enough, but then I hear a hushed conversation between two girls outside the door. Just pick a damn book and get out of here already!

Adam finally sneaks an agonizing ten minutes later.

“What happened?” I ask before he closes the door behind him.

He doesn’t turn around, lingering in silence with his head hanging low. That’s when I realize that I’ve asked the wrong question. It doesn’t really matter what happened, I want need the details, but I don’t need them. The only thing that I care about is whether or not he’s okay.

I step up behind him, clearing my throat so that he knows I’m close before I tentatively lay a hand on his shoulder. He tenses up a bit, but doesn’t jerk away. I take that as an invitation to gently wrap my arms around his waist, but even that little bit of pressure makes him inhale sharply through his teeth in pain.

“Are you alright?”

“I hope so.” He wraps his fingers into mine and squeezes. “Just a little blood in my piss.”

“Oh, my God. Did you go to a doctor?”

He lets out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, right.”

“Will you please let me see your face?”

“No.”

“Adam…”

“Walking around like this is humiliating enough, Sabrina. The last thing I need is your pity.”

“You don’t have to be embarrassed around me.” I rest my forehead on his back and plant a tiny kiss on his shoulder blade.

With a sigh, he spins to face me, avoiding my gaze. I stifle a gasp as I get a closer look at his injuries, especially the swollen, purple flesh around his bloodshot left eye. I stand on my tiptoes and press my lips to his forehead, which is the only part of his face that isn’t demolished. How the hell are the teachers not concerned about this? Isn’t there someone from the state checking in on these kids?

Adam’s eyes flutter closed and he leans into me, pulling me closer by the small of his back. I take his hand in mine and kiss all the scrapes on his swollen knuckles.

“Did you and Ian work it out at least?” I ask.

“Yeah, actually. We did.”

I can’t keep it together anymore, letting out a sniffle as a tear rolls down my face. Adam’s eyes fly open in surprise.

“Hey…” he says soothingly. “Don’t cry.”

“I can’t help it. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” he replies as I choke out a sob, wrapping my arms tighter around his neck. “Sabrina, don’t worry about me.”

“I don’t want you to be in that place anymore. It’s too messed up.”

“Bree, calm down. It was just a fight.”

“But—”

“
Sabrina
,” he says firmly, startling me. “Stop it.”

“How would you feel if I came to school looking like that?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. That wouldn’t be the same.”

“It’s the same to me.”

“We’re guys. We fight. We get over it. Nobody else gives a shit when two boys beat the shit out of each other. Why should you?”

“Maybe because I love you,” I confess. Adam’s defensive posture drops away, blinking at me like he’s not sure he just heard that. “Sorry I didn’t say it back that night. I just… It was kind of unexpected. And if you just said it to make me feel better—”

“I didn’t.”

His breathing gets deeper as I brush my mouth across his apprehensive smile. There’s a split in his lip that scrapes against mine, but that doesn’t stop me from giving him an apparently much needed kiss. He groans, grabbing the back of my neck and slipping his tongue into our kiss.

“Sorry about the missed phone calls,” he rasps. “I need to get a new one.”

“It’s alright.”

“Can I see you tonight? I know you have piano practice, but—”

“I’ll get out of it.”

“You sure?”

“Definitely.”

His fingers circle my wrist, dragging my hand lower to his rigid groin. Normally, there’s a 50/50 chance that I’d pull it away, but I find myself fumbling with his zipper instead. With a grunt, Adam pushes me into our favorite corner, wincing painfully at the impact as he pulls his mouth away from mine.

I take this rare opportunity to turn the tables on him, guiding him to switch places with me until he’s up against the wall for a change. A shudder rolls through his body as I graze my lips over his throat and finally get the button of his trousers undone.

“Sabrina,” he whispers as I sink down to my knees.

Anticipation bubbles in my stomach. I’ve never actually done this before. I look up at Adam’s battered face, strengthening my resolve to get over my shit and finally give him the satisfaction he deserves.

There’s a giant blackish purple bruise on his lower abdomen that extends upwards, but I don’t want him to think about it, so I resist the urge to investigate further. A soft moan escapes his parted lips as he watches me take him into my mouth.

His hips push forward and heat crawls across my body. He likes this. A lot. I tickle his hipbone with my fingertips as his trace circles on the sensitive skin of my neck. I try to go deeper but it’s too much for me. The tip of it seems to be the most sensitive part anyway, so I concentrate on that instead, covering the length of him with my hand.

“Stop,” Adam gasps.