Page 59 of Nitro

My brother shouting at me was the last thing I needed right now.

"Then the first thing I see when I arrived here is this note? Who's after you? I bet Nitro's involved. I knew that biker would only bring you endless trouble. I should've stopped you from leaving," Marc was saying.

He seemed to have plenty of ammunition today, but his last words stopped me cold.

"You couldn't," I said, finally regaining my ability to speak. "Marc, I make my own decisions."

"Poor ones," he muttered.

"And don't talk of Nitro that way. He's been so supportive and wonderful. You know nothing of him," I said.

Being angry was good, I realized. It helped drive the fear hounding me away.

"Nitro isn't good for you," Marc stated.

"Well, too late for that, isn't it?" I said, tugging the collar of my shirt and showing Marc our mating bond.

Marc turned sheet white at the sight.

"Tommy? I'm coming in. Your doorknob looks tampered with," someone, Nitro, said from outside the apartment.

Wait, why was Nitro here? Did he change his mind about his meeting?

Nitro didn't need to break my front door this time around. I'd since given him a spare key to my place after that incident.

Nitro looked relieved seeing me in one piece, then he noticed Marc.

"What are you doing here?" Nitro asked him.

"You," Marc said under his breath. "How dare you put your mate mark on Tommy?"

Marc's every word was laced with fury. Nitro opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Marc lunged at him.

Nitro easily shoved him away.

"He didn't do anything to me. We made this decision together," I said.

"You bastard," Marc said under his breath.

"Marc, hold on a second," Nitro was saying.

"Hey," I snapped.

Neither Marc nor Nitro seemed to be listening to me.

It was like I was invisible, and that was a familiar feeling I never wanted to experience again.

Sometimes Hicks acted like I wasn't there in the background waiting on him.

He often talked over me like I was just a piece of furniture not worthy of his attention.

My gaze slid to the bloody note at my feet. Suddenly, everything became too overwhelming.

Nitro's and Marc's loud voices washed over me. I thought of Dylan in bed, grasping my hand and telling me to take care of myself.

Dylan was hurt because of me. I put him in danger, and this wasn't the first time that happened. My throat constricted.

Why was it so hard to breathe?