I follow the direction of his hateful gaze and see Jake standing about twenty feet from him. He has
another few men in front of him, talking to him. He looks completely unscathed, less agitated than Ben
and requiring a lot less force to keep him still, not a hint of anything wrong with his attire at all. I let go
of Leila and run for him, pushing in between him and the man shielding him back with a hand and throw
myself around him. The tears coming from nowhere. He seems to jolt back to reality at my touch, and
instantly relaxes, tension I hadn’t seen in his face seeping from his rigid body. His hands come to my
face and pulls my chin up to bring our eyes to one another.
“Hey … Don’t cry.” He soothes, the furrow on his brow deepening and showing remorse instead of
anger. “Bambino, hey … Stop now.” His arms come around me completely, his face and mouth come
into my neck, surrounding me wholly. He squeezes the life out of me, lifting me from my feet in a bear
hug that almost winds me.
The rage inside of me rises surely and so suddenly now that I know he’s okay, the fact that Jake
physically pushed me out of his way in a nightclub to fight with some idiot over her. It sparks to the
surface without warning, igniting crazily, I shove him off hard and square up to him as best I can, being
so much shorter.
“Don’t ever do that to me again,” I yell at him, tears replaced with anger, his face a picture of disbelief.
He goes to grab me, but I hit him away angrily, the fire inside me fully blazing. Jealousy eating my soul.
How could he behave like that in a nightclub? He pushed me aside and physically attacked someone?
No. He attacked the person who stole Marissa from him, the girl he doesn’t care for anymore—
apparently!
That, more than anything, is at the root of my drunken fury. My insecurity piqued and sensitized and
irrational Emma on a full-blown tirade in her woozy state.
“I’m going home!” I snap, giving him no chance to answer. I turn away, looking around for Leila, for
anyone to get me away from him and the utter rage I am in right now.
“Emma?” Jake comes at me again, apprehension all over his face. I’m beyond livid, I need him not to
touch me. I spin away and march back in the direction of Arrick, who’s standing nearby, looking toward
Leila with Ben. She’s got her arms around her brother’s waist and is talking to him, crying her eyes out,
pleading with him, all the while he’s glaring over her head at Jake with unveiled venom.
He locks on me storming past, pushes Leila aside and marches forward grabbing me by the wrist and
tries at a revengeful kiss on my mouth. He wants Jake to go for him again and he’s using me as a
weapon. I slap him hard across the face as I see it coming, instant defensive Emma, so honed and
acting impulsively. Incensed with anger. I don’t even geta chance to feel the burn wave through my
hand. I’m thrust forward into Arrick Carrero with a hard shove from behind, that makes me fly forward
straight into his arms as though he’s expecting it. Flying like a rag doll and enveloped in his surprisingly
firm hold.
Shocked and winded and trying not to fight, I turn in the younger man’s arms—he’s strong for someone
so lean—and I see Jake and Ben rolling around on the ground, going at it on the hard, concrete street.
Jake is most definitely getting the upper hand and the look of sheer hatred emanating from his face
sends chills down my body. I try to lurch forward but Arrick keeps a tight hold, picking me up off my feet
and marches me away from the craziness. I squeal and struggle in protest but it’s futile, he has Jake’s
strength and iron will and in no way am I a match.
I’m deposited into a waiting car, Arrick slides in holding my arm tightly with a vice grip and looks toward
the scene from the window.
“Take us to Jake’s apartment,” Arrick commands the driver while I wriggle, trying to get my hand free
and protest.
“Hell, no! … Your brother is back there fighting … I’m not leaving him.” I yell aggressively and try
another twist at my arm to get free. His grip only tightens, and it begins to hurt a little.
“Jake’s a big boy … I know him well enough to know this is the only way to get him home and away
from Ben Huntsberger in a hurry … Jake used to spend a lot of his younger life beating the crap out of
people, Emma, I’m seriously not worried. Ben should be though … My brother is an accomplished
fighter and Ben just touched the one thing in the world that flipped Jake’s psycho switch.” He seems
almost proud and is smirking as the car pulls off. Like this he doesn’t look quite so young or immature
as the boy I remember in Jake’s office. He looks eerily like him.
For the first time ever, I note a slight resemblance to Jake in his face, it’s in the smirk, the slight curve
of his mouth, the straight brows and intense glare and it quietens me momentarily.
“Why would dragging me away make him come? He’s back there fighting over his ex-girlfriend.” I snap,
tears biting at my eyes irrationally.
Arrick glances at me with a confused frown then shrugs and murmurs, “Women,” almost sarcastically.
When the car is up to speed on the road, he finally lets go of me and pulls out his phone, sticking it to
his ear casually.
“Hey, Daniel … Tell my brother I’m taking his girlfriend back to his place … Tell him she’s absolutely
livid with him and thinking of packing her bags.” He throws me a triumphant look, as though he’s just
put the best master plan in motion, then sits back comfortably. A master of dominance and
manipulation, just like his brother. “Look, Emma, just relax and let me take you home. I know him better
than most. Trust me to get him home … Deal?” He holds out a muscular, squared hand and throws me
his most charming smile as though asking me to shake on it. Jake’s smile in a face that is weirdly both
like and not like his. I soften a little, despite my head full of anger, insecurity, and chaos and stuck back
somewhere on the street of New York where my boyfriend is reenacting a scene from Fight Club.
“Thanks. I guess. Deal … I’m sorry Jake ruined your birthday.” I shake his hand then look away, my
mind still racing back to what’s happening with him as my insides writhe in chaos.
“Ben’s an asshole. Any chance he gets, he likes to start this shit with Jake, it’s been ten years or more
and he still won’t give it up.” Arrick shrugs in that annoying Carrero manner.
Jesus can he have anymore of Jake’s mannerisms?
“Wait, what? If Ben’s the one who hurt Jake, then why is Ben the one causing an issue?” I blanche at
him pointedly, confusion muddling my already muddled brain.
“Ben’s been in love with Marissa since forever … Even after Jake broke up with her, she just kept
trailing after him and pushed Ben aside … Ben has never got over the fact she still picked Jake over
him.” He checks his phone as it lights up and texts someone back absentmindedly. He’s annoyingly
confident like his brother.
“So, this has happened before? Anytime they meet?” The thought makes me feel sick to my stomach.
“Well yeah, in a way. Never as physical as tonight though … Jake’s normally a lot more in control … He
normally just blows him off with sarcasm and a lot of posturing. Tonight, is the first time he’s hit Ben in
years.” He’s back to looking at me across the back seat. A small smile of assurance on his face.
I guess Arrick does have more of Jake in that face now I can see him up close, he doesn’t have that
devastating, male-dominant thing going on with flawless masculinity, but he has something. More
boyish and cute than rugged. Like a little brother should, especially one who is still so young.
“Jake drunk a lot tonight. Maybe that’s why?” I turn away to watch the passing scenery, a horrid
heaviness inside of me waiting to burst open.
“I think Ben saw something he’s never had before … A weapon to rile my brother, that’s why he tried to
kiss you.” He smiles at me and I shake my head, that inner anguish firing back up and tears
threatening.
“No, the first hit was after he mentioned Marissa … You’re wrong.” I shrug, the emotion inside of me
raw. I start biting my thumb nail anxiously, fingers instantly finding a strand of my hair to tug at as old
Emma insecurity takes over.
“Jake wouldn’t hit him if he weren’t already riled, Emma … He started growling the second he saw Ben
talking to you, I was beside him … As soon as he saw him near you, he put his drink down in readiness
for battle.” He smiles gently and disarms me with Jake’s most annoying trait ever. He pulls my fingers
out of my hair and puts my hand on my lap with a gentle tap before letting it go. It causes a surprised
shock to run through me, just the sheer paternal way he did it, like he’s the older one
here.
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