Page 65 of Dirty Monsters

It was the moment Rohlen realized my monster was back in town.

Kane was in Florida.

My jaw hung open in shock at the first sight of him before I moved.

I pushed Wren behind me, shielding her from my brother.

Lip was right to call me when he saw a suspicious-looking man carrying Wren into the building earlier today. He said he thought it was me and wanted to know what I was up to, but it sure as fuck wasn’t me. I had been trapped in an all-day, all-night meeting with Mrs. Tessier getting an update on Molly’s accusations.

I had been locked away in the conference room and unable to reach out to Wren. Not until my phone rang for the eighth straight time did Mrs. Tessier tell me to answer it with a frustrated sigh. Once I did, and once Lip told me what he saw, I ran from the room, without even giving my boss an explanation.

My instincts to hurry had been right.

“Well, well, well. The knight in shining armor is here.” His voice grated on my nerves. He was no longer my brother anymore. He was the enemy. The more I learned about Wren, the more I cared for her, and the more I hated Kane for ever touching her.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Kane?” I spit his name out like it was bitter on my tongue.

“Aw, I’ve missed you too, bro. Seems you’ve been hiding things from me. I see why you’ve been keeping her a secret. Our little sister has turned into a hot piece of ass.”

My body tensed at his words.

“What the fuck did you do?” My voice was deep, deadly. I wanted to pull her around and inspect her inch by inch, but I wasn't going to put her in his line of fire.Or turn my back on him.

I was no longer afraid of Kane. I wouldn't let him hurt her anymore. But she was trembling behind my back, and something told me I was too late. Something told me he touched my girl, and I wanted to rip him to shreds.

“We had some brother and sister bonding time. Had to catch up with all the bonding you two have been having. Who knew our little Wren would turn into such a whore?”

I exploded, pulse speeding, anger rippling through my veins with a fierce burn. Charging at him, I threw the first punch. It didn’t knock him down but definitely left him off balance. When he swung back at me, I ducked. I swung again, finally making hard contact and enjoying the satisfying crunch when a tooth broke free from his mouth and fell to his feet.

He tried to tackle me to the ground, but he hadn’t seen me in a while. He hadn’t realized I was stronger than him now. I overpowered him with ease and dropped him to the ground. His head bumped against the concrete, dazing him for a minute before the anger flared again in his eyes.

His lip was bleeding, and his left eye was starting to swell with bruises.

My breathing was heavy as I sat back on my knees and stared at the person in front of me. I wouldn’t call him a man. He was a psycho, a manipulator, hell-bent on causing terror wherever he turned.

Now he’d brought it to my home. He’d violated my sister all those years ago. He violated my girl. It was time for vindication. I was finally standing up to Kane—as a brother and as a lover. He needed to suffer for what he’d done, and for a brief second, I considered killing him. Ridding him of Wren’s world once and for all.

But I was no longer willing to leave Wren to fight for herself. Not again. So anything causing life in prison was something I wanted to avoid.

I watched as he stood, spitting blood from his mouth making a spat sound on the concrete beneath his feet. Our eyes traveled to the mark, evidence that we were just there.

Immediately, I blinked back at him and snarled. This was a choice for Wren, a decision. She’d get to decide how Kane was handled. She deserved that much.

I turn to see Wren behind me, glancing back and forth between my brother and me. I could see the panic, the anger, and the worry as sharply as a colored scene flying by.

Her eyes were heavy with mistrust as she focused on me. A lump dropped to my stomach.

“Wren, babe. It’s okay. Come on, let’s get you home.” I walked toward her slowly, and she backed away.

“It’s not okay.” She paused briefly. “Is this a sick game?” Wren pulled her arms up and crossed them over her chest as if she was trying to protect herself.

From me? Why would she…?

I walked toward her again, but she backed away farther. I reached out, my fingertips not touching her but close enough I could feel the heat of her skin. My voice cracked as I tried to speak.

“Hey, stay with me.” She shook her head, and I lightly reached up to tip her chin. “This is not a game to me. You are not a game. Not anymore.”

Her face was a slate of betrayal. “How do I know, Ro? He says you’ve been talking every week… and you never said a thing to me.”