Slowly, Brick lowered his weapon, but he didn’t take his gaze off Keetan’s.“You run, I’ll find you.You come near my woman and kid again, and I’ll torture you until there’s nothing left of your ugly face.”
Keetan exhaled a hot, angry breath through his nose.
“Understood?”Brick barked.
“I don’t fucking want them.Natalie’s only good for one thing, and that kid of yours is a loudmouth brat—”
Brick slammed the butt of his gun into Keetan’s nose.His eyes snapped shut, knocking him out cold as blood splattered from his nostrils.
“Shit,” Zain mumbled.
Brick removed his foot.“He’s not dead.But that’ll fucking hurt later.”He jerked his head toward the living room.“Look for a laptop or any other device he could’ve stored that recording on.I’ll stay with him.”
“Roger that,” Zain said, as he stepped over Keetan’s unmoving legs.
While Zain stormed through the house, Brick quickly changed the passcode to Keetan’s phone while it was still unlocked.
A minute later Zain returned with a laptop under his arm.“This is all I found.”
“Good.Let’s go.”Brick swung open the door and they breezed out, leaving Keetan unconscious on the floor.
The sensation of spiders crawling up Brick’s spine gave him a warning.
I should’ve killed him...
***
Natalie woke witha shuddering breath.Her heart raced frantically.Bray’s soft breath against her neck made her muscles relax, but for once, it wasn’t fear for her son that’d woken her.Intuitively, her body had sensed his nearness.The sharp panic currently splitting her mind in two was for one big carbon copy of her son—Brick.
She looked over Bray’s head at the clock on the nightstand: 10:02p.m.She hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but pure exhaustion and snuggling her sweet baby had given her so much comfort that her body had finally rested deeply.
Light from the hallway spilled in through the open door.She didn’t want to leave Bray, but he hadn’t budged since she got into bed with him.Surely he’d be out for a while.The sound of voices downstairs caught her attention.The deep, rumbling one sounded like Brick’s, but maybe that was hopeful thinking.
Desperate to see with her own eyes if Brick was home, she gently scooted away from her son without disturbing him.She moved from the bed and into the hall.This time she closed the bedroom door a little bit more so less noise would float toward Bray.
The soft click of the front door sounded, sending a pulse of worry through her senses.Then she reached the top of the stairs to see Brick staring up at her.She moved as if carried on air, silently padding down the steps toward him.
Emotion caught in her throat.He set his rifle against the wall and opened his arms just as she launched herself at him from a few steps up.He caught her easily around the waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.Her bruises ached from the brush of his arm, but she didn’t care.He’d made it.“Oh, my god,” she whispered.“I’m so glad you’re back.”
He pulled her legs tightly around his waist, walked into the living room, and dropped to the couch with her straddling his lap.
She pressed her palm to his prickly jaw and studied his face.Strain flickered in his eyes, and maybe regret.Biting fear chilled her skin.If he’d killed Keetan, this could be one of their last moments together.A sob rushed from her mouth.“Tell me what happened.”
He stroked her cheek.“I’m sorry to tell you...Keetan’s still alive.”
She exhaled a broken breath and pressed a kiss to his bristly cheek.“It only matters that you’re alive.”
“He couldn’t have hurt me,” Brick said with a grunt.
She chuckled.“I don’t care about him.But I’m glad you didn’t do anything that could put you in jail.”
He winced.“I definitely broke his nose, and forcefully entered his house.Mighta stole some things, too.So there’s that.”
She arched an eyebrow.“I hope that’s not enough to put you away.”
“A good lawyer will help,” he said, grinning.“You waited up.”Some of the tension left the firm muscles of his shoulders.
She let her hands roam down his thick neck to his biceps.As much as she’d had faith in Brick’s capabilities, she much preferred having him back in her arms.
