The Brothers and I - Book 1

Chapter 38

Lifting the scrub off the floor, I growled in irritation at the sight of the stubborn stain that seemed to be steadily getting worse. The only noticeable difference that my vigorous scrubbing had achieved was the slight change in the colour of the wood and the painful blisters that had begun to erupt on my fingertips.

For fucks sake!

Tossing aside the worn-down scrub, I flopped back down onto the floor and glared at the offending sight.

It had been two days since my last "conversation" with Thomas. Two days since he had taken off and not returned. After working myself into a state of panic and stressing for hours on end, I'd had enough. My nostrils flared with every laboured breath while my insides tightened with mounting frustration. The longer I stared at the ugly stain on the floor, the higher it climbed. Trembling wildly, I shot to my feet. Fuck them all!

A sharp sting of bitterness pierced through my heart, tangling with the swirling rage, until the two emotions began to eat me from within. Like maggots devouring on decay, the feeling turned everything foul in its wake. There was nothing good left to feel.

Nothing to ground me as the resentment and hate burst out of me in unbridled fury.

FUCK!

My foot connected with the small bucket of water lying close, sending it hurtling through the air to the other side of the room, leaving a trail of soapy water in its wake. Red clouded my vision as I turned to grab the first thing, I could find - a dining chair. Grasping it with both hands, I threw it across the room with force, inciting a loud crash as it collided against the kitchen island.

It wasn't enough. It didn't feel...enough. This did not come close to the devastation I was feeling on the inside. And that needed to be corrected. But just as I turned to grab another chair, my body froze, muscles locking in place at the sound of a booming voice coming from the door.

"Mia!"

Jerking upright, my gaze fell on James who stood slack-jawed with Liam by his side, who also sported a similar expression to his Beta. The sight of them in my home, watching me in a moment of vulnerability only served to inflame the rage as my hands tightened on the chair, raising it off the floor. My jaw ticked, my temper redirecting on the two who dared to intrude on a private moment. First Thomas and now him.

"What does a girl have to do to get some fucking privacy around here?!"

James blinked rapidly, his hazel eyes widening with disbelief while Liam winced and lowered his gaze to the ground. A moment of terse silence passed, my hands twitching involuntarily on the chair as my mind warred between action and restraint. But just as James opened his mouth, the last shred of self-control shattered.

A scream ripped through me as the chair flew out of my hands, heading straight towards the two men who jumped out of the way at the last minute and growled simultaneously.

"GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! GET THE FUCK OUT....!"

In a flash James materialized in front me, his arms pulling me into his chest as his eyes blazed a dangerous gold. Without breaking eye contact, he spoke calmly over his shoulder. "Liam, wait in the car."

Somewhere past his towering frame, I heard a set of footsteps leave, followed by a soft thud of the door as it closed behind us. But James and I continued to stare at each other.

Unable to stand the heavy silence, I snarled out in irritation. "What are you looking at?"

To my sheer annoyance, James didn't take the bait. Instead, his expression grew contemplative, head tilting to the side as his eyes remained alert, studying my every move. Before I could think of a scathing response to rile him, his hand grazed my face lightly, fingers tracking the path of a stray tear that had spilled out in frustration.