I'd Kill You First: when bad meets bad

Chap. 27

Soda picture ^^^

SODA:

"You better have a good reason for shoving my little sister on a pole because I'm about two and a half seconds from shoving a broken glass bottle down your throat," Brody growled at Matt.

Matt just gave him an extremely calm look as he leaned against the cool brick wall with his hands stuffed in his front pockets. Once I got off the stage, Brody promptly dragged me and Matt out of the club, nodding for Keenon to follow too. Now we all stood by the wall at the side of the club, me next to Keenon since Brody refused to let my anywhere near Matt.

"It was a harmless inside joke," Matt said with a shrug.

I cringed at the way the veins in Brody's neck stuck out. Matt had no way of knowing that I had never told Brody about my stripper days, so yes, this was more than just a harmless joke to my brother.

"Harmless joke?!" Brody yelled, getting in Matt's face. "You are one sick bastard if you think putting a nineteen year old on a pole is funny!"

I took a step forward when I saw Matt tense up in his dangerous way. This wasn't going to end well if Brody didn't get out of Matt's personal space.

"Brody!" I yelled, "Leave him alone. He didn't do anything wrong."

Brody's angry eyes snapped to me while I felt Keenon shift stiffly next to me.

"Nothing wrong?!" he said wildly, "he put my little sister up on a strip stage! Why were you even dancing?!"

I had had enough of this at that point as I stalked up to him so fast he took a step back, looking down at my finger as it poked his chest.

"Shut up!" I screamed in fury. "What right do you have to ever be protective over me? You failed miserably at that years ago, so stop acting like you get to give a shit about me now!"

Brody shrank back from me with a shocked look on his face, but it quickly morphed into anger like it always did. "You're my bloody sister, Soda! I have every right to get pissed when some asshole puts you at risk like that! What were you even doing up there?!"

"It was a joke from a long time ago!" I yelled, feeling my anger get out of check. "But it's not like it's any of your business! You and Trace didn't give a shit about me until a few years ago, and now you act like you have the authority to have a say in my life?! You sick, twisted, cruel, pathetic waste of air!"

I hadn't realized I had my fist back and ready to swing until Matt's large hand wrapped around my raised one and gently pulled me into his chest, locking his arms around my body to keep me still.

Brody's face had morphed into one of extreme hurt and something that might have been shame as he looked at me with empty eyes. "I'm sorry, Soda Pop," he choked out, awkwardly stumbling backwards and away from us, running back into the club.

"Calm down," Matt murmured into my ear, tucking his chin into my shoulder. "He was just angry with me."

"He has no right," I bit out, clenching my fists at my sides.

"You have to forgive him, Princess," he said quietly. "He simply didn't know about-

"I don't give a shit!" I spat.

Matt clamped a hand over my mouth and sighed. "Let me finish. He only saw some guy shoving his little sister at a pole. Any brother would have reacted like that. Hell, if someone did that to Tami, I would kill them. I didn't realize you hadn't told him about being a stripper, and he didn't know about our dare, so you can't blame him."

I wanted to argue so badly, but I couldn't. Man, I hated it when he was right! Why did he have to be so calm and wise?

"Whatever," I muttered, wriggling an arm out of Matt's hold to look at my phone. I sucked in a breath and looked at Keenon.

"I'm gonna be late," I said in my irritated tone.

I could see in his eyes that he knew what I was talking about. "What do you want to do?" he mumbled out, looking awkward with me and Matt.

"What are you gonna be late for?" Matt asked.

"Meeting dad," I said with a sigh, too tired to be angry anymore.

"Okay," he said slowly, "So just leave now."

"I can't. I have to get everyone home," I huffed.

"Oh, well if that's the case," he said with a carefree grin, "I can help you get everyone in the car. Just send me their addresses and I'm sure I can get them home for you."

I turned around in his arms with surprise. "Really? You would take them home for me?"

He nodded instantly. "Of course. It's enough stress for you to have to go see the old man without fooling with drunks. Just help me get them in my car and you can go."

I beamed at him, his smile making my heart hurt because it reminded me of how beautifully perfect this guy was. I hated letting him go all those months ago, but a threat was a threat, and I couldn't let anything happen to him. So, I had lied and told him I had never really loved him, but just cared for him a lot. I told him I don't want to be his, and that I wanted to leave the gang. The look on his face as I broke his heart kept me from sleeping on most nights since then.

"You're incredible," I grinned, pressing a kiss to his soft lips.

"I know," he chuckled, swooping down to steal another kiss before letting me go. "Now let's go wrangle up some drunk people."

I laughed and turned to go back in the club, eyes locking on Kenoon for a minute. His eyes were trained on the ground, shoulders slumped, but his face remained emotionless. I felt something funny squeeze in my chest at seeing him turn back into the closed off guy who had first moved into my apartment a few weeks ago. I didn't want to lose the bright-eyed Keenon. I wasn't sure what was wrong with him, but I made a mental note to find out.

Leaving Matt's hold, I went up to Keenon and kissed his cheek, gesturing to the club. To my sudden and rare disappointment, he flinched away from my lips and just turned emotionlessly back to the club.

I wanted to see him smile again more than anything now.