"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Jeremy asks from the back seat and i grit my teeth.
I am not sure i want to listen to Lee explain what the fucking law of surprise means.
"According to 'The Witcher' book series. The law of surprise dictates that a man saved by another is expected to offer to his savior a boon whose nature is unknown to one or both parties." Lee says more to me than to Jeremy but i chose to ignore him. I am driving and i can't let his words get to me.
"Shut the fuck up, Lee." I warn him griting my teeth the more and I involuntary clench the wheel. I feel rage surging through me and i am trying hard to forget that my asshole of a brother is in this car.
"In most cases, the boon takes the form of the saved man's firstborn child, conceived or born without the father's knowledge." I glare at him and he gives me a sadistic smirk.
"For the love of all that is holy, shut your goddamn mouth or help me God!" He is infuriating me and i can't seem to control it.
We are on the a free way and a slight mistake will kill us all. I want to pull myself together before i cause a one hell of an accident but my brother is pushing my limits.
" I saved Gilbert, twice. So Belle is promised to me." And that's enough, that's all it takes for me to reach my fucking tipping point.
I bang my hands of the wheel and i turn towards him ready to choke life out of him, that's when i lose control. I almost hit a Lamborghini that's in front of me from the back and when the driver honks at me i come back to my senses and i quickly pull the car out of the road. We almost hit the railing guard but Lee quickly helps me stabilize.
I bury my face on the wheel totally ignoring Lee and Jer. They are busy cussing and calling my name but i am busy trying to calm down.
If i make a mistake of facing Lee right now, he will be a dead man. The last thing i want if going to prison for murdering my brother, i have Belle to take care off. She is the reason why i am holding it together right now.
I can't believe that Lee came out of prison some few minutes ago and yet he is already messing me up.
"Lucas. Lucas." That's Lee and he is tapping my shoulder.
"Get your freaking hands of me, Lee." I hiss at him.
"You really don't think that I can snatch your girl, do you?"
"Fuck off, Lee." Jeremy tells him getting Lee's hands off me and i silently thank him.
"Gosh, i was only messing with his head." Lee defends himself and i shake my head in disbelief.
"You like the resluts now?" Jeremy asks him. "He loves her, Lee. And you had to mess his head using Belle's name?" Jeremy is furious and i must admit, i always feel like the last born when he defends me like that.
Jeremy has always defended me against Lee ever since time immemorial. Lee is a freaking bully but Jeremy always defends me from him.
"I had no idea that you like Belle that much." I take a deep calming breath and i face him.
"It's love and she is strictly out of your fucking bounds." I tell him.
"Copied," he says.
"And never pull a prank about her on me ever again."
"Copied too." I give him a long glare before i start the car.
We drive in silence for some minutes but the mood is back to normal after a long ass silence.
*****
"He is coming here?" I just told her that her birth father will be coming over and her reaction is rather subtle. I don't know, i was kinda expecting her to get all furious on me but there is no slightest hint of fury in her voice.
"You don't have to meet him if you are not ready." I tell her taking her right hand in mine.
"Tell me, Lucas. When am i supposed to feel ready to meet the man who left my pregnant mother to fend for herself and never turned back for twenty five years?" And her question makes me feel like the world's biggest fool.
"I am a fool for even suggesting that, i am sorry." Honestly, I can't blame her. I would do the same in her shoe.
According to Lee, Gilbert really wants to meet Belle, i was against it at first but Keith told me to let Belle decide, and here we are.
Clearly, she doesn't want to see him. And i am glad, she has been through a lot and i didn't want to pressure her into meeting a deadbeat father. She buried the only father that she knew yesterday. She haven't even mourned her family and i feel we should let her do that in peace.
"But honestly, i am curious?" She tells me a minute later. "How does he looks like?" She doesn't look curious at all, she looks bored.
"I haven't met him yet." I am curious too.
"Maybe Lee can tell us something about him?"
"Lee is an asshole, i have begged him to tell me anything that we should know about Gilbert but he kept saying that he is a nice man."
"He is calling a man who knocked down a girl and left her without a turn back nice? That's quite ironic." She says pulling her hand from mine.
"Maybe he is nice." That earns me a glare from Belle.
"He was in prison, Lucas. Probably for murder." She reminds me squinting her beautiful eyes at me.
"And we have lots of innocent people in prisons Belle, don't judge him by that."
"I don't give a flying shit if he was innocent or not. The fact that he left my mom and us is enough for me to judge him. He is a deadneat and that disqualifys him."
"For some reasons, my brother thinks that we should give Gilbert a chance."
"Are you sure we can trust him?"
"He is a pain in the ass most of the times but he is my brother, i trust him." I trust Lee. He might be a bloody murderer but i know he would never do anything to hurt me.
"I am talking about Gilbert, are you sure you want to bring a stranger in all this?"
"Lee trusts him enough and i know he can't take a risk. He can't sabotage this." If Lee trusts the guy, then i am trusting him. But i want to listen to his story first.
"Do we even know why he was in prison? I think you guys are making a very huge mistake." I know it's hard to trust someone especially if the person in question is a man that was supposed to protect you from the world but instead he left you to fight the world all by yourself.
"He might hurt me or you or..." I take both of her hands and she looks at me.
"I will be with you the entire time. I will protect you." I press her hand slightly, a sign of assurance.
I love this girl and God knows i can take a bullet for her. I just hope that Gilbert won't be a disappointment.
