by Rye Hart
Quinn slammed the bottle of Jack Daniels he was holding onto the bar and, with his fists balled up at his sides, turned and walked away from us, slamming his way through the kitchen door and into the back of the restaurant.
“Jesus Christ,” Cason said. “Alright, I guess one of us is gonna need to talk to him. Wanna flip a coin?”
“Nah, I got this,” I said, making my way back to the kitchen.
I found Quinn in the back with a butcher's knife in hand, slicing up the ribs, ripping through the meat with fury. I had to wonder if he was picturing me or Cason as he hacked and slashed at the ribs.
“Hey now, don't take it out on the meat,” I teased. “It ain't the pig's fault you're pissed off.”
“I'm not pissed,” he said, not looking up at me.
“You're not?” I cocked an eyebrow at my younger brother. “Sure coulda fooled me.”
“Okay, fine, maybe I am,” he said, shrugging. “What the fuck does it matter?”
“It matters because you're my brother, Quinn,” I said. “Are you seriously into this girl or something?”
He shrugged again and said nothing. As much as my brother tried to act tough, I could see in his eyes that he was struggling with something deeper than I could possibly understand. Of course, the fact that he wouldn't talk to me about it didn't help me understand it any better.
So, not being a shrink, I had to do my best to get it out of him. Even though our father taught us both to be tough as nails and to hide our emotions, I knew the value in sometimes being able to let shit out. It was like hitting a pressure release valve before you exploded or something. To be honest, it was something Quinn did better than all of us.
“You are, aren't you?” I asked.
“It's not that,” he said. “I mean, it is that. But I saw it in her eyes, Ben. She's been abused. And neither you or Cason seem to have a problem with it. Neither of you seem to care – unless it interferes with you guys getting your rocks off anyway.”
“Actually, I have a big problem with it,” I said, my voice rising. “If it's true.”
“It's true,” he said, giving me a look that could have curdled milk.
“Because you saw a bruise on her wrist?” I asked. “It could be any number of things, and until we know for sure, we – ”
He stopped me. “We shouldn't be assholes to her,” he said.
The steely look of determination and anger on his face took me by surprise. I'd never known Quinn to be so vehemently defensive of any woman before in my life.
“Okay, you're right,” I said. “Cason and I are acting like jerks. But it's just between us. It's how we've always screwed off with each other. You know that. And you know that I'd never treat a woman badly. You, of all people, know me better than that.”
His face softened somewhat. “Yeah, I know,” he said with a sigh, wiping the sweat from his brow with his forearm. “Just something about her gets to me, you know? Seeing her look so fragile and seeing the hurt in her eyes – I just want to make it stop.”
“Because you're a good man, Quinn,” I said. “Do you honestly think either Cason or I would go out of our way to hurt her?”
Quinn shook his head. “Nah, I know you wouldn't. It's just – she's different for me, man.”
“How so?”
My brother stared off into the distance for a while before shaking his head again.
“Nothing,” he said. “Forget I said anything.”
***
Ada Roberts laughed when she opened the door and saw me standing on her porch out front. She just looked at me and shook her head, a smile on her face.
“Bennett McCormick,” she said. “What in heaven's name are you doing here?”
“I'm here to see Hailey,” I said. “We have a date tonight.”
Mrs. Roberts raised an eyebrow as she looked at me. “Alright then,” she said. “Though I don't think Hailey is ready. Want to come in for a minute?”
“Sure thing, thank you,” I said, stepping into their home. “I don't mind waiting.”
“Uh huh,” she said, giving me a long, curious look. “Well, let me go talk to Hailey and let her know you're here. I'll be right back. Please, make yourself at home.”
As she walked away, I sat down in an arm chair facing the stairway, and listened as Mrs. Roberts' footsteps echoed up them and then above me.
“Hailey?” her voice echoed down the hallway. “You have a visitor. Another one of the McCormick boys.”
I heard the door open, creaking on the hinges, but that was the last thing I was able to make out. Their voices lowered to a mumble, distorting their words. After a couple of minutes, I heard the sound of footsteps coming back down the hall toward me. Only one pair of footsteps, I noted.
Mrs. Roberts looked at me and shook her head, “She's busy tonight, Bennett,” she said. “I'm really sorry you drove all this way and dressed up for nothing.”
Most men might give up after hearing that – but I wasn't most men. It was going to take a little more than that to throw me off. I was a man on a mission.
“Do you think I could speak with her?” I asked. “Just for a moment?”
“I'm afraid –” she'd started to stay, but then the doorbell rang, cutting us off. She shook her head and grinned, “I swear, if this is one of your other brothers...”
She was laughing all the way to the door, and for a moment, I feared it might actually be Quinn or Cason, trying to get in the way of my night with Hailey. I wouldn't put that level of cockblocking past either of them. I cleared my throat and clenched my jaw as I readied myself for competition, just in case.
I followed Hailey's mother to the doorway, staying a couple of steps behind, but when she opened the door, it wasn't one of my brother's standing there. Instead of one of the brothers McCormick, it was a large, well-dressed man with jet black hair and steely gray eyes.
Definitely not someone from around here, and not someone Mrs. Roberts recognized either. Judging by the look on her face, I could tell she was as confused as I was about the stranger on her doorstep. The larger man, without a word, pushed his way into the house, running a hand through his hair as he looked around.
“Where's Hailey? I know she's here, I need to speak to her,” he said.
He paced the living room, talking really fast. And as he walked back and forth in front of me, I gave the guy a once-over - leather jacket, tattoos, but an expensive Rolex on his wrist and hair that was well-styled. He was, by most standards, a fairly attractive, well-built guy. Someone I should probably be jealous of. Competition for Hailey's attention.
“Who are you?” I asked.
He stopped and gave me the same once over I'd just given to him – likely coming to the same conclusion I had.
“I'm Leo,” he said. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Well, Leo, who do you think you are coming in here like that?” I asked. “I think you owe Mrs. Roberts here an explanation and an apology for your poor manners.”
Without a word, the man lunged at me, trying to grab me by the shirt, but I ducked just in time. As I straightened up though, I caught his balled-up fist in the side of my face. The man could hit hard. I almost literally saw stars when he clocked me. I shook my head and quickly recovered, a predatory grin crossing my face as I turned to face him.
“That the best you got, Leo?”
Mrs. Roberts, a stricken look on her face, was screaming, her tone harried and frantic.
“Frank! Frank!” she called out for her husband.
The sound of footsteps rushing down the stairs filled my ears, followed by Hailey's voice.
“Mom? What's going on –” she stopped speaking as Leo turned toward her and a look of near panic crossed her face. “Shit.”
But Hailey wasn't alone – Quinn was with her, standing protectively in front of her. He put himself between her and Leo, preventing him from rushing toward her. It wasn't anything close to the right time for it, but my first question was – what in the hell was Quinn doi
ng there?
“Shit indeed, sweetheart,” Leo said, a cocky grin on his face. “Now tell me, who the fuck is he and why was he in your bedroom? And who is this other asshole waitin' downstairs for you? What the fuck are you doin' out here?”
Quinn walked toward Leo and I approached him from behind. He was outnumbered. He might have gotten a shot on me earlier, but this time, between me and Quinn, this prick was looking at a real beatdown.
“Leo, please, get out,” Hailey said.
Her voice cracked as she spoke, and I saw her standing there, shaking uncontrollably, with tears welling in her eyes. She backed up against the wall and seemed to collapse against it, sliding down until she sat down on the landing.
“Please, just leave,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Please, leave me alone.”
As she slid to the ground, her shirt rode up on her body, showing on her stomach. A large bruise on her right side caught my eye, and I had to wonder – was this douchebag responsible for it? While maybe the bruise on her wrist could have been explained away, this one couldn't. It was roughly the size and shape of a fist.
Leo ignored us and walked toward Hailey, pure menace in his eyes. Seeing that bruise on her body, and feeling the pain radiating in my cheek from his cheap shot, made the anger within me boil over. There was no way in hell I was letting him get close to her.
I rushed toward the man, knocking him to the ground before he could get to her. Mrs. Roberts was standing with her back to the wall, her hand clamped over her mouth, a look of absolute terror in her eyes. As I moved on Leo, Quinn fell in beside me, helping me take the asshole down. I jumped on him and threw a few quick punches to the face, smacking him right in the side of his head.
“How does that feel, asshole?” I screamed. “Huh? Like that?”
Quinn was right there, holding his arms down as I took shot after shot on the guy. Blood poured from his mouth and nose and was smeared all over his face. Through it all though, he looked at me with eyes that were angry, defiant, and promising retribution.
The sound of sirens approaching filled the air, growing louder until they stopped right outside the door. Still, I wasn't about to let the asshole up from the floor. As cops rushed through the front door, I struggled against him, but Quinn managed to pull me off of Leo. Only when he was in cuffs did I stop fighting to knock the shit out of him.
Wiping the blood from my face he'd drawn when he sucker punched me, I glanced at the stairway. Hailey was gone. In the madness, she'd run away, and I was glad for that. She didn't need to see that. Because as he was being taken away, Leo screamed, his voice echoing through the house.
“I'll come back for you, Hailey,” he raved. “I swear to God, I'm coming back.”
Mrs. Roberts gave us both a look that said she was thankful that we'd been there to protect them. Turning, she followed the cops outside to give her statement, leaving us standing in the foyer of their home.
“God, I hope she didn't hear that,” Quinn said.
“Don't see how she couldn't have,” I said. “Where'd she go?”
He shrugged. “Probably upstairs.”
I looked over at my brother and we both shared a smile, but now that the madness was fading and the adrenaline wasn't flowing quite as much, I had to ask the question that still nagged at me.
“So Quinn, what were you doing upstairs in her room, huh?” I playfully smacked him in the arm and grinned. “It was my night, remember?”
“Yeah, well, when did the McCormick boys ever play fair?” he said. “Come on, let's find Hailey.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN - QUINN
I'd only been over at the Roberts’ house for a few minutes when Bennett arrived. I had no intention of staying – I'd just stopped by to check on her, to make sure my brothers weren't bothering her too much. I really didn't want any of us bothering her. But, one thing led to another, and yes, I ended up in her bedroom, but not for sex.
When she'd opened the front door and saw me standing there, she sighed and shook her head, a momentary flash of irritation in her eyes.
“What do you want, Quinn?”
“I just want to make sure my brothers aren't driving you crazy,” I said. “I can only imagine how overwhelming this has to be for you.”
“Yeah, tell me about it,” she said and laughed, the irritation in her eyes fading.
She invited me in and we started talking about books and writing. She'd asked me upstairs to read something she wrote. That was it.
In Ben's mind, however, there was only one reason I'd be in a girl's room, because there was only one reason he'd be in a girl's room.
After the fight with Leo, I was ahead of Ben as we ran back up the stairs to Hailey's room. Taking two steps at a time, I reached the top first and ran straight for her room. The door was closed, so I knocked softly. Ben, however, didn't wait for an answer and opened the door right up, barging his way inside.
Hailey was on her bed, curled up in a fetal position with her pillow. Her eyes were red and puffy and there was a look of absolute fear mixed with shame etched upon her face. My heart ached when I saw her, and she jumped when we came in the door.
“Is he gone?” she whimpered.
“He's gone,” I said, walking toward her with Ben following closely behind. “The cops took him away.”
She wiped at her eyes. “He'll be back,” she said. “He has money and he never gets put away for long.”
She spoke with a knowledge that only comes from having experienced it all before.
I sat down on the floor beside the bed while Ben sat on the end of it. I stared into her eyes and remembered how much I'd crushed on her back when we were in high school. The quiet girl in creative writing class that had so much talent, yet she wouldn't talk to me. Even when I tried, she would stare at her shoes and mumble her responses. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable back then, and I certainly didn't want to make her uncomfortable now.
I couldn't help myself as I reached up and stroked her cheek, half expecting her to pull away. Instead, she closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh, her body relaxing into my touch.
“If he comes back, we'll kick his ass again,” I said. “Won't we, Ben?”
“Of course,” he said. “And we'll keep kicking his ass until he gets the hint that he's not wanted around here. He's done hurting you, Hailey.”
“He's no match for the three of us,” I said, knowing that when he found out what happened, Cason would be on board as well.
“You don't know him, Quinn,” she said, opening her eyes and staring at me once more. “He's persistent. He won't stop until he gets what he wants.”
“Yeah, well, stubbornness happens to be a McCormick family trait,” I said.
Her voice cracked. “Why would you do that for me?”
I wanted to tell her that I'd always found her beautiful, even back in high school when she didn't believe it. I wanted to say that I admired her talent, her sweetness, and everything about her. That I could see myself one day falling in love with her. Ben answered for me, “Because we don't put up with men treating women like that,” he said. “It's not right, Hailey. He needs to be put in his place.”
I nodded, resting my head on her bed, but never taking my eyes off her. Her eyes filled with tears, but she wiped them away, sitting up and sniffling. I could see the effort she was making to regain her composure and sense of dignity.
“I still don't get why you guys are all over me,” she said, a small smile on her lips. “Since I came back, it's like I can't get rid of you.”
My heart sank. “Do you want to get rid of us?”
“No, it's just-- where did ya'll come from?” she said. “We weren't close before, and suddenly – poof – I can't get rid of you. Any of you. I show up more attractive and suddenly you're all over me.”
“We've always been here, Hailey,” I said softly. “Some of us more than others.”
I didn't mean it as a direct attack at Ben, but he looked down at me, scolding
me with his eyes. I continued since it was the truth.
“Remember that short story you read aloud in high school?” I asked. “The one Mrs. Howards made you read even though you fought tooth and nail to stay quiet in your corner?”
She nodded.
“I told you afterward how much I loved it,” I said. “And I meant it. I tried to talk to you then, but you pushed me away.”
“Because I was scared,” she admitted.
“Scared of what?” I asked. “Scared of me?”
“Scared that you were only being nice because you felt bad for me or something.”
“No, that wasn't it at all,” I said, standing up so I could join her on the bed. I sat down on the other side of her, sitting opposite of Ben. “I just didn't want to be the kind of asshole who kept pestering you until you talked to me just to get me to leave you alone.”
I shot a pointed look over at Ben who wouldn't look at me. Hailey stared down at her hands and didn't answer. A knock came at her door. “Yes?” she said, wiping at her eyes and smearing the mascara even more.
“It's me, sweetie,” her mother said. “Can I come in?”
“Uhh sure,” she said, giving us both a look. We scooted further from her, so that I was pressed against the wall and Ben was practically off the bed. “Come in.”
Her mom and dad both came into the room, making me realize just how small the room was with all five of us crammed in there. Her mom looked at me, then Ben, and cocked her head to the side in a questioning manner, but she tried to give her daughter a reassuring smile.
“Are you okay, honey?” she asked.
“I'm fine, Mom,” she said. “Now that he's gone, I'm fine. I'm feeling a lot better now.”
“I just want to thank you boys for everything,” her mom said. “I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here.”
“No need to thank us,” Ben said.
“If you weren't here – well, I don't know,” she said. “Frank was out back in the shed and he never heard me calling for him.”
Her tears started to fall as well, and Frank held his wife, while reiterating what she'd said.
