Mockingbird (A Stepbrother Romance #2)(52)

"What are you doing?" he demands, softly. "You-"

"Shut up," Diana hisses, "Don't talk. Apollo told me everything."

I don't know what's going to happen. I guess a million things could. He could attack me, he could try to spin some kind of a story to Diana's mother and claim that I'm crazy and trying to drive a wedge between them so I can get my hands on Diana, it could be anything. The last thing I expect is for him to turn tail and run.

He does exactly that. He hurls the glass at me and bolts. I slap it out of the way and barely hear it shatter. He runs into the living room, heading for the front door, barreling through the guests. I charge in behind him and tackle him, hard. We go down on the carpet in the sitting room, and he drives his elbow into my gut and kicks at my legs, and the wind goes out of my lungs. He almost gets loose, until I get my hand on his belt and drag him back with all my might, bellowing in wordless fury. We roll.

He lands on top of the coffee table. In a movie, it would crack in half and the legs would bust out from under it. In real life he howls in agony as the edge drives into the small of his back and the force of the impact tips the table over and dumps him on the floor. He gets to his knees, takes a clumsy swing at me, I duck out of the way and drive my fist into his stomach. Somebody grabs my arm.

"Stop!" Diana's mother shrieks, "What the f*ck are you doing?"

Holy shit, she said f*ck.

The entire scene freezes. I must have taken a punch to the face without even realizing it. I feel my split lip now, and a touch draws blood. My lips pull back in a sneer.

"Apollo," Diana cries out, clutching her mother's arm. "Stop."

"Party's over," I grunt, "Everybody get the f*ck out. We need to have a family meeting."

"Everyone," Carol says, sounding rather dazed. "Please leave. I'll call you all later. I'm sorry about this. Please. Go."

The burly security chief puts his hand on her shoulder. "I'm going to go check on some things over at the exhibition hall."

What he really means is I'll be around the corner if you want me to kick their asses.

He's the last to leave, glaring at me like I did something wrong. It's not like I came in holding my stepsister's hand and started wrestling with the groom in the middle of the reception.

Oh. Right.

Dad sits up, glaring at me.

"You stupid little shit. Do you have any idea-"

"Be quiet," Carol hisses.

Dad goes quiet. I never take my eyes off him. If he makes a move I'll f*cking destroy him.

"Is it true?" she says, her voice on the edge of cracking. "Did you really do all this to get the combination to the vault?"

"I have the combination. I need the rotating encryption key." He never looks at her. He glares at me instead.

What comes next, I was not expecting.

Carols starts crying. She gasps for air and starts sobbing, falls on Diana's shoulder and starts sobbing like a little girl, complete with screams. Her anguished gasps and moans of sorrow slice through me like a knife. Diana glares at me, but only for a moment.

"Look," I growl at my father, "Look at what you did."

He looks at Carol, and Diana, and looks at me.

"So f*cking what."

"You miserable piece of shit," I snarl.

"You go down, I go down," he says. "You think you can do anything to me without going up the river yourself, you stupid little fool? I always knew you were mad for cunt but I didn't think you'd get so stuck on one you'd f*ck us both over. You realize I'm going to have to do this the hard way now."

"What hard way?"

"You should have searched me."

The gun comes out so fast, his hand blurs. I barely have time to move.

He aims right at Diana.

"Don't move. You so much as twitch and I'll blow the little tart's brains all over her bitchy mother. And shut the f*ck up, Carol."

To my surprise, Diana's mom goes quiet.

"Nobody. Move. Understood?"

I nod.

"Don't f*ck with me. My life matters much more to me than any of yours. Especially you, traitor. I taught you everything."

"You ruined me. I'm a piece of shit because of you."

"Whatever. Now, let's all do exactly as I say. You two," he shakes the gun at the girls, "By the front door. Slowly. If you try to make a run for it I'll f*cking shoot you."

Diana nods. Carol stands up, and her eyes never leave him as they walk to the front door and stand there. I think about lunging, but he just knows. He looks right at me.

If looks could kill, he'd be a greasy smear on the floor.

"You're not my father. You're just some guy that f*cked my mother."

"To think I thought you had some potential. I started buying higher quality rubbers after you, by the way," he says, almost casually. "Get up and go over there with them. No sudden moves. Try anything and I'll empty the f*cking gun into that little bitch's back. Understood?"

I nod, and rise to my feet. I keep my hands away from my body, and my eyes on the gun. He's smart not to point it my way. It wouldn't stop me. If I go at him now, he'll shoot Diana. Just the thought makes it feel like my bones are grinding together.