The Boys Down South by Abbi Glines

19

bray

Brent’s truck was parked out by the barn when I finally came home. So was Asher’s and Steele’s. Only the old, rusted farm truck was missing. I headed for the barn, not sure what I was about to face. There was a good chance they would all take turns beating the shit out of me.

When Brent would be ready to listen, I would find a way to explain it to him. But if he needed to hit me until his hand was bruised, I’d let him. I owed him that much. I handled this wrong. I wouldn’t apologize for needing Scarlet. That was something I wasn’t going to do. Because I needed her. I hadn’t been sure that I could ever feel any real emotion until Scarlet managed to get under my skin and wedge herself firmly in my heart. It was like I had walked through life without understanding passion, jealousy or even love…before her. I’d only known anger. It was a numbness I never wanted to live with again.

Scarlet changed all that for me. Maybe I was obsessed. Fuck, maybe I needed a new medication. But I needed to touch Scarlet and feel her to experience real pleasure. She gave me something I didn’t know existed and now I wasn’t willing to let that go. Not even for my brother.

I opened the barn door and Asher turned to look at me. He was the only one in there. And he was going to hand me my ass now that I was home. I was prepared for that. As long as I had Scarlet. As long as she was mine, I would happily take whatever they wanted to give me.

“He’s out helping Steel,” Asher informed me.

I nodded. I wasn’t sure what he thought I should do. Go find him? He’d be back soon enough. I turned to walk back out of the barn. I needed a shower. Sleeping outside in the back of my truck all night hadn’t left me smelling good. I could still smell Scarlet and sex on my hands, too. I didn’t want to wash her off, but I also knew the sex smell would have told my brothers more than any of them needed or wanted to know.

“She came by to see him,” Asher said just before I walked out the door.

I froze. I didn’t want Scarlet coming to see Brent or anyone else for that matter. I had unleashed some kind of fucking monster last night when I’d allowed myself to lay claim to her. My hands clenched tightly into fists at my side at the thought of her apologizing to Brent.

“When,” I bit out through my teeth.

“About three hours ago,” Asher replied.

I took a deep breath through my nose and tried like hell to calm the fuck down. “What did she say?”

“She said she’d been selfish and she was sorry,” Asher informed me.

My heart slammed against my chest and I grabbed the doorframe to keep from putting my fist through a wall. “Did he touch her?” If he had, I wouldn’t be able to control myself.

“No. She didn’t get within ten feet of him when she spoke to him,” he said slowly. “Bray, what the hell is wrong with you? You’re acting like someone fucked your girlfriend. Not the other way around.”

I ripped off the door and tossed it aside, before glaring back at Asher. “She’s mine.”

Asher raised his eyebrows. “She was Brent’s. You didn’t respect that.”

“No,” I roared, taking a step toward him. “She was always mine.”

Asher studied me, but he didn’t move. He didn’t even flinch. “What’s happened to you?”

How would I explain to him, to any of them, how Scarlet made me feel? What she gave me. I felt my body begin to shake.

“You okay… what’s wrong? Look at me, Bray.” The concern in Asher’s voice snapped me out of the panic that was starting to squeeze my lungs. I had to find Scarlet. I needed her to touch me. To ease this.

“I gotta go,” I said, before turning and stalking back to my truck. I needed to get to Scarlet first; everything else could wait. She’d been here and she’d talked to Brent. I had to know what he said to her. I needed her to tell me it was still me she wanted.

The slamming of a car door caught my attention and I turned to see Dixie standing beside her car with tears streaming down her face.

“What’s wrong?” Asher called out as he walked past me hell bent on getting to Dixie.

“Careful, bro. She belongs to Steel,” I said causing him to stop and swing a warning glare toward me.

Didn’t feel so good when someone told you your woman was someone else’s, did it? Maybe he’d remember that next time.

“She’s gone,” Dixie said, looking at me instead of Asher.

My lungs seized up and my pulse sped up. The world around me faded away. “No,” was all I could get out.

Dixie looked at Asher and covered her mouth on a sob. “She left me a note. She said she wasn’t her mother. She had to fix what she’d done.”

No. No. No.

Scarlet was not gone. She didn’t leave me. She knew she couldn’t leave me. I made it very clear to her last night.

“No!” My voice didn’t even sound like mine. I was moving toward Dixie now. I had to stop her from saying any more lies.

Asher was in my face and he shoved me back until I stumbled. “Get a hold of yourself. Jesus! You’ve lost your mind. What is fucking wrong with you?”

“No!” I yelled at the top of my lungs again, letting all the fear and panic that was trying to take hold of me grip me even tighter.

“Oh, fuck.” Asher’s voice was out there somewhere. I heard it, but I couldn’t focus on what he was saying.

“Go find Steel.”

“It’s his meds. Shit, I should have realized this sooner.”

“What meds?”

“They aren’t working.”

“Asher, what meds?”

Their voices faded out completely until it was all black. And I roared with the pain taking over my chest. She’d left me. I was hollow again.