“You,” Rory snapped before Kendall could respond. “You, motherfucker. It’s you. You. You. You. Straighten up before Mom kicks you the fuck out.”
“If she tried to leave me, I’d fucking knock her out and take her far away,” Johnnie responded. “She swoons when Christopher says that about Megan. Swoon now, wife.”
“Consider me swooned,” she drawled.
“Swooned? Is that even a word? Christopher’s rubbing off on you in more ways than one.” Johnnie gave a bitter laugh. “You sound as ignorant as him.”
“And,you, motherfucker, sound stupid,” Kendall snapped, fed up. “Stupid, crazy, ignorant, mean, and spiteful. Fuck you. Bash amuses himself by running circles around you. If youwouldn’t have been so fucked up, you would’ve told Christopher everything. Barring that, if you would’ve just met the man as his equal instead of a superior jackass, you might’ve made some fucking headway.” She punched him in his goddamn foul mouth, then clocked him in the eye. “You’ve fucked everything up because you don’t know how to come off your high fucking horses and see these motherfuckers are your equal.” She kicked him, cackling at his howl. “I want to fucking kill you, motherfucker. I’m not fucking Christopher. I’m not fucking Bash. I’m not fucking Mortician. And I’m definitely not fuckingyou. You so freely discussed my pussy? She’s out of commission to you, fuckface.” She had been anyway, but Kendall wanted to humiliate him on the same level he’d done to her.
Johnnie started toward her and Kendall raised her fists, taking on a fighter’s stance.
“I will break your motherfucking teeth. Those fuckers will fall out of your bloody goddamn mouth like Tic Tacs.”
Johnnie turned, so she lowered her fists. The moment she did, he swooped around and shoved her into the wall. Everything crashed to a halt.
Somewhere, on the fringes of her rage, Rory’s gasp reached her. Johnnie’s look of shock penetrated her red haze. She didn’t care that Bash settled his hand on his gun. Or that Rory looked ready to rush his father.
Nothingfucking mattered, except the fuckhead who’d put his fucking hands on her. The one with satisfaction blooming on his face as his surprise receded.
She couldn’t believe fucking believe Johnnie. He’d crossed so many lines today alone. Added to the havoc he’d wreaked over the months and…
A bloodcurdling scream escaped her, releasing all her pent-up anger, frustration, and pain. She barely saw how Bash, Johnnie, and Rory jumped. Rage suffused her, and she sprung.Knockinghiminto the goddamn wall and trying to beat that motherfucker unconscious.
He tried to catch her hands, grab her arms, but she knew better than to allow it. She didn’t trust him not to punch her. The thought crushed her and she pummeled him harder. Tears streaked her face. Hatred welled inside her, then broke apart, crushed by the love for Johnnie that she couldn’t seem to overcome.
“Kendall, stop!” Mortician forced her away, pulling her off Johnnie mid-punch, and wrapping his arms around her. “Stop, baby. Stop.”
She squirmed. “If youeverput your motherfucking hands on me, bastard, I will carve your fucking heart out.”
Sitting up, Johnnie looked at her, his eyes blazing. His face, lips, nose, and eyes bruised and bloody. He had the fucking nerve to look hurt.
Rory stepped behind Johnnie and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, Dad. Let me help you to your feet.”
“Why do you want to help me?”
“Because we’re family, Dad. I love you.”
“You don’t like me. You prefer Christopher.”
“That’s like respect,” Rory said quietly. “You can’t like someone who don’t like themselves.” He raised his watery gaze to her. “Are you okay, Mom?”
“After a bottle of whisky, son,” Kendall said thickly.
Val stepped next to Rory. “Come on, Johnnie. Let’s take you home.”
He glanced at Kendall. “I’m sorry,” he croaked.
“Say it when you mean it,” she replied.
Johnnie got to his feet.
“Dad, maybe, the only way you’ll stop wanting to be Uncle Christopher is to be away from him. Maybe you should resign asan officer, go Nomad again, and run the lab full-time. Or one of the businesses. You won’t be in his shadow.”
Kendall snorted. “He means you want to put yourself in his shadow, because, motherfucker, this was unnecessary.”
Mortician covered her mouth with his hand and she tried to bite him. He wouldn’t move it, so she elbowed him.
“Hejustcalming down, Red,” he whispered.
