Lucky Stars (Ghosts and Reincarnation #5)(137)

Oh dear.

Belle needed to do something she just didn’t know how.

Or, in fact, what.

“Miles did, of course,” Yasmin whispered before Belle could figure it out.

“She misheard me,” Miles stated quickly.

“She did not,” Jack ground out. “You lied in an effort to cheat during a ridiculous, one-sided competition that I cannot f**king believe we’re still discussing months after the drama was over and only f**king weeks after the woman I love was shoved down the goddamned stairs and lost our child as a result.”

Miles’s torso swayed back and he whispered, “You love her?”

“Jesus, Miles, what do you think this is all about?” Jack asked, planting his hands on his hips.

“You love her,” Miles repeated in a whisper.

Jack didn’t get a chance to respond.

Unfortunately at this juncture, Joy was racing up, calling out, “What’s happening?”

“Belle, take Mum and Yasmin to the house,” Jack ordered, his eyes still locked on his brother.

“Please, no fighting,” Joy begged, arriving and immediately getting close to Jack so she could wrap her hands around his upper arm. “We were all getting along. Let’s not go back to fighting.” Her eyes moved to her younger son. “Please Miles. Especially not now.”

“I didn’t come to fight,” Miles told his mother. “Because Belle is sensitive, I took the chance to incur Jack’s wrath in order to warn her, after what’s happened, to tread cautiously.”

Really, Belle thought in disgust, eyeing Miles, it was high time to stop being meek and mild if her sensitivity set her up for this type of kindness.

“We’ll finish this, once and for all, between you and me,” Jack clipped then again ordered, “Belle, take Mum and Yasmin back to the house.”

Belle thought this was a capital idea and started to move but Joy asked, “Tread cautiously with what?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Miles answered. “She refuses to heed my warning.”

“What warning?” Joy pushed as Belle got close and grabbed her elbow, trying and failing to pull her away.

“It doesn’t matter,” Miles repeated, his eyes on his brother.

Belle froze when Yasmin stated softly, “You took me away from him. I participated but you did it and you did it purposefully. Now, you’re trying to take Belle from him too?”

“What’s this? What are you talking about? What’s going on?” Joy demanded, her hands giving Jack’s arm a shake.

“Belle, get Mum and Yasmin back… to… the house,” Jack growled.

Belle pulled gently at Joy’s elbow, she resisted and Yasmin ignored all of this and asked Miles, “Why would you do that? What could possess you?”

At this, Miles’s head turned slowly to Yasmin. “Possess me?”

“Yes,” she answered quietly. “I’ve known you both what feels like my whole life and Jack has never done anything to deserve this. So yes, when you behave like this, Miles, what possesses you?”

“He sees something, he takes it,” Miles replied and Yasmin shook her head.

“He didn’t take me. I gave myself to him. The same with Belle.”

“He sees something, he takes it, even if it doesn’t belong to him,” Miles went on stubbornly.

“This is f**king ridiculous. We’re talking about women, human f**king beings,” Jack muttered angrily and Miles’s gaze sliced to him.

“Three times, with three women, they were mine and you took them.”

At his words, Belle’s body got tight, she felt Joy’s get tight and she sensed Yasmin and Jack’s getting tight.

“Miles, Yasmin –” Jack started.

“I loved her,” Miles cut him off and Belle, Joy and Yasmin all gasped. “Before you took her, I loved her.”

“Oh my God,” Yasmin breathed.

“You should have –” Jack started again but Miles again didn’t let him finish.

“I didn’t have the time. You saw to that.”

“She wasn’t yours, Miles,” Jack said, his voice less angry. “Neither was Belle and you know it.”

“I don’t know it,” Miles replied.

“You know it, Miles, and there is no third,” Jack returned.

“There’s a third,” Miles retorted.

“Who?” Jack asked.

“There’s a third,” Miles repeated.

“Who?” Jack pushed.

To which, Miles suddenly and frighteningly leaned in and roared, “There’s a third!”

“Fucking hell, Miles, if I don’t know –” Jack began to clip but Miles cut him off.

“You know, you bastard, dig deep down into your goddamned soul and you’ll know precisely who she was and you’ll know she was the worst of all,” Miles bit out.

“Miles, darling, are you feeling quite all right?” Joy asked hesitantly and Miles looked to his mother, his eyes burning in a way that made Belle step back.

Joy saw it too. Belle knew this when she let Jack go and stepped back with Belle.

“No, Mum,” he whispered, his voice strange, sinister, frightening, “I’m not all right. I’ve never been all right and you,” he pulled in breath and seared her with the heat of his gaze, “you’ve always known it.”