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Ever since the day Thomas beat me and Avery and David let him, things have been worse. Avery doesn’t stop by anymore. I wonder if it’s because Thomas is keeping him away.
I know how much he dreads the day his brother finds out the truth about his marriage. As much as he doesn’t care what happens to me, he’ll do anything to make sure the outside world thinks he’s man enough.
Thomas’ fatal flaw isn’t cruelty: it’s weakness. He’s a puppet of whoever he desires the good opinion of. In this case, it’s Avery.
It’s a cold evening in November when Avery finally comes back to the house. I’m cleaning up dinner when his truck rolls up the drive. The headlights flash and the engine dies. He walks in through the front door, and I shrink back against the stove.
In my heart, I know it was him. He somehow saw Westin take me to Sovereign Mountain.
My stomach burns.
He spares me a brief glance as he walks through the kitchen and into Thomas’ office, where he’s working at his computer. The door closes, and I hear their voices rise and fall. After a while, they start rising more than falling.
Hands shaky, I finish the dishes and wipe my hands. I haven’t had a break in hours, and I need the bathroom. Quietly, I tell Billie to stay on the floor before I take off my boots and tiptoe barefoot down the hall. The bathroom shares a wall with Thomas’ office, so I’m careful as I close it.
I use the toilet and go to wash my hands. My reflection stares back at me. I’m in jeans and a thin t-shirt. Carefully, I slip the shirt off and touch my ribs. The bruises are almost completely healed. I got lucky; Thomas didn’t kick me as hard as he made it look.
The knob jiggles.
My breath catches.
“One moment,” I say, but the sound doesn’t come out.
The knob turns. I forgot to lock it. The door opens, and Avery walks into the bathroom and shuts the door behind him.
My body tingles with fear. He’s in a Henley, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, an unlit cigarette behind his ear. The entire room smells like whiskey, and it makes me wonder if he’s sober. It’s hard to tell with Avery.
“What are you doing?” I whisper, backing up.
He’s positioned so I can’t get around him to the door. It hits me just how big the Garrison brothers are. I’m used to seeing them from an arm’s length—I try not to get close—but Avery is easily as tall as Westin.
“I don’t know how a little bitch like you got my brother so tied up in knots,” he drawls, his voice soft.
My mouth is dry. I couldn’t talk even if I had the words to counter that.
He reaches up, and I flinch. It feels like he was going to touch my face…but he stops himself.
“You know what they say: thou shalt not covet thy brother’s wife,” he says. “But are you really my brother’s wife if he can’t even fuck you?”
I can’t get back any further. The towel rack digs into my upper spine.
“Can’t?” He mulls over the words. “Or won’t because he’s got a manipulative little cunt in his ear?”
I wonder distantly if Avery really wants me, or if he just wants to crush the little spirit I have left.
His hand comes out and wraps around my neck. It’s not sweet the way it was with Westin. The pressure doesn’t spark heat in my body. Instead, it makes me wonder how many breaths I have before his grip goes too tight to draw more.
He pulls me closer. The shirt drops from my hands.
“If he doesn’t fuck you, I will,” he says. “I made that deal with Corbin to save your farm. Someone’s getting your pussy out of it.”
He lets me go, and I stumble back. My vision flashes as he turns on his heel and the door slams.
My grace period is done. I crumple to the floor. I don’t know who told Avery, if it was Thomas or if he just guessed, but my time is up. I’m surprised I held them off for this long.
I take a moment to cry myself out. Then, I put my shirt back on and leave the bathroom, ignoring Avery and Thomas’ stares from the kitchen. They burn on my back as I duck into my bedroom and shut the door. I lean against it and listen until their footsteps fade out the back door.
Heart pounding, I creep to the window, the same one I saw Westin through. They’re standing on the porch, smoking.
