Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 151097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
“Sorry!”
“I’ll survive.” Chucking, he hugged me back. “How are you? Did he hurt you?”
“No, of course not,” I rushed to say, realizing too late how that must sound to him. Ocean hadn’t obtained me peacefully, so how did I explain to my brother that the last two months had been the happiest of my life?
Roshaun looked around warily and then grabbed my hand before walking off. “Come on. Let’s talk in the car, where it’s private.” Nodding, I followed him to his car and climbed into the passenger seat. As soon as both doors were closed, Shaun spoke. “So I’ve been hearing some wild shit on the streets, little sis.”
“Wild?” I frowned as I ran my sweaty palms down my jeans. Why was I nervous? It was just Shaun. “Like what?”
“You’re engaged to Ocean,” he announced. The way Roshaun stared me down had me feeling like a teenage girl again—back when he had to step out of his big brother role to parent me. “Tell me that’s not true.”
I unconsciously reached for my ring, twisting it around my finger to assure myself it was still there. I refused to feel ashamed now that I’d fallen for Ocean, so I held my head high and met my brother’s gaze. “Why would you care? Are you not the one who gave me to him to do whatever he wanted?”
“That’s not the fucking point!” Roshaun punched the steering wheel, making me jump. “Have you lost your goddamn mind?” he roared.
“Calm down, Shaun. You don’t know the whole story.”
“I don’t need to know shit! You’re not marrying him!”
“You don’t get a say in what I do! I’m grown!”
“I don’t give a fuck if you were a hundred years old! I raised you! You owe me more than fucking the opp!”
“He’s only your enemy because you stole from him!”
“So!”
I gaped at him.
He did not just say that.
“Are you serious?” I screamed back. “I’m the one who’s cleaning up your mess, Roshaun, so I’d say we’re about even. And by the way, you didn’t raise me. I appreciate what you did for me, but I was fifteen when our parents died and barely eighteen when I moved out. I am who I am because of them, not you. Get over yourself.”
Shaun’s arm whipped out faster than a snake. His hand was like a hot brand on my cheek as he slapped fire out of me—hard enough to knock my head into the window. The blow dazed me for a moment, so I couldn’t hit him back or get the hell away from him immediately.
The stars I was seeing had barely begun to dissipate when the glass in his window shattered. My eyes widened in horror when I saw two gloved hands reach inside and pull my brother through the broken window.
The jagged edges of the remaining glass sliced into his skin, making Roshaun scream in pain before he was thrown to the ground.
“Wait! Stop!” I opened my door and scrambled out to help my brother, but I didn’t get far before I was lifted off my feet and forced to watch as my brother was beaten to a pulp.
“You don’t want to do that,” a familiar voice warned. “The last thing he’ll forgive is you defending that piece of shit right now.”
Knowing Abel was right, I slumped in his hold and watched helplessly as my brother got his shit rocked. It wasn’t even a fight. Roshaun had long since stopped fighting and had curled into a ball, but Ocean kept going, viciously stomping my brother into the pavement.
I couldn’t see his face, but I knew it was him.
He wore a hood, and his back was turned to me, but his muscular build and the line of his shoulders were all too familiar to me. After an eternity, he finally stopped, but Roshaun didn’t move again. Ocean turned to me, and I gasped when I saw the blood all over him. There was no way it all belonged to my brother.
Ocean had been busy.
HUNTER
The bedroom door slamming closed startled me out of my pre-bed warmup. I lifted my head, ready to cuss whoever was responsible for ruining my nap, when my gaze collided with Coby’s. Coco left his bed and went over to sniff Coby out of concern, but she was so upset that for once she barely noticed him.
“What the fuck?” I croaked as I sat up, seeing she was dressed and crying. “Did you just come in?”
It wasn’t until she ran over to the bed to sit next to me with her hands clenched tightly in her lap that I saw the terror in her eyes. “I think I’m in trouble,” she said while staring at the door like she was expecting someone to come barreling through.
“What do you mean? For what?” I take one nap and look what happens. “Did you leave the apartment?” Coby only nodded. “Why? Where did you go?” The questions just kept pouring out until I saw her eyes becoming glossy.