MALACHI “You know, Ronan. If you were going to let him hit you like that, maybe you should have waited till we weren’t there to watch.” It feels like hours since Sarah left with Kevin after lying to him. However, it’s only been a few minutes. Ronan’s nose is bleeding profusely as Jaxon sits him down and rushes up the stairs to get the first aid box. And me? I am stuck standing there, thinking of the million and one ways I could have made Kevin pay for that single punch. He might be our friend, but that’s no excuse for what he’s done. Nobody—not a single fucking soul—would ever get away with making my brothers bleed. I don’t care who they are. “In his defense…” Ronan pauses to chuckle. I narrow my eyes on him as he leans backwards against the couch, tilting his head and heaving a sigh as he stares up at the ceiling. “We did fuck his little sister.” Another humorless laugh rips out of his throat as he spreads both hands over the couch. “Do you know how pissed I’d be if Kevin fucked our little sister?” My jaw clenches. “We don’t have a little sister.” “Yes. We don’t.” He angles his head to lock eyes with me. “That’s why we cannot understand the rage he felt. I would have let him drive a blade into my chest if he wanted to.” My fists roll into tight balls. I feel my stomach turn, bitterness on the tip and sides of my tongue. “He would have died on the spot.” My brother doesn’t reply to me. He only scoffs as he returns his head to his former resting position. Jaxon appears seconds later with the first aid box. He doesn’t say a word, but I can tell he’s enraged from the way his hands are shaking. He can’t even keep his eyes on a spot. There’s also the fact that he’s cracked his over seven times since he sat beside Ronan. I’ve been with him for over twenty years. I know when he’s thirsty…for blood. “If you have something to say, Jaxon, say it. Stop fidgeting like a little boy.” Ronan speaks, breaking the awkward silence. Jaxon frowns.“I’m not fidgeting. You’re the one who refuses to stay still.” Ronan sucks in a deep breath, and I study Jaxon’s face. The veins on his neck and forehead are overly visible, threatening to tear through his thick skin. A small smile creeps up to my cheeks. I fold my arms, waiting for disaster to strike. Three. Two. One. “He had no business hitting you like that, Ronan.” Jaxon finally—finally—speaks up. Here I was, thinking he would burst from keeping his thoughts to himself. He’s never really been good at it. Once Ronan’s face is all fixed, he sits up and pats Jaxon’s shoulder. “Let’s call Sarah and make sure Kevin didn’t scold her to tears.” “But…” “Call her, Malachi.” I grunt in frustration. It doesn’t take me time to reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. On Ronan’s command, I call Sarah and put the phone on a loud speaker before placing it gently on the glass table at the center of our living room. Her voice is the first thing we hear once she answers. “Who the fuck are you?! Stop calling me!” What? Ronan stands up in a flash and snatches the phone from the table. “Sarah?” Her deep, panicked breaths are audible. My brows furrow as I frown. Did something happen to her? “Ro…Ronan. Is that you?” A small pause. “Oh. It’s Malachi’s number.” She takes in a deep, relieved breath. “Sarah, is something wrong?” “No.” She replies a tad bit too eagerly. “A prank call from earlier just startled me, that’s all. Are you alright? Is your nose still bleeding? I’m really sorry about Kevin. He was annoyed.” “Is that why you lied to him about us?” Yes. It’s best that I ask and get it out of my head. I didn’t understand it then, and I still don’t. We’ve gone through a lot together already. Why hide? Ronan sends me a glare I skillfully ignore. He can’t tell me he doesn’t feel the same way. His broken nose would only be worth it if Kevin knew the truth. “I’m…I’m sorry about that. I was going to say something, but it went completely out of hand. I couldn’t afford to provoke him any further. I had to do something. He would have…he would have really hurt Ronan. I saw the look in his eyes.” Annoyed, I inhale a long, shaky breath. There’s no need to lose my mind over this. “I know it doesn’t make sense, Malachi. And I know the three of you feel the same way. I know Jaxon is frowning right now. Would you smile for me, please?” I watch my brother’s eyes light up with a smile. “That’s more like it,” Sarah continues. “I’ll tell him soon, I promise. When the time is right.” Ronan and I exchange glances. It makes it easy to know we’re thinking the same thing. There would never be a perfect time to break the news to Kevin. It’s going to be worse when he finds out, because she’s lied to him. And by staying silent, we’ve lied as well. If she thinks punching Ronan is the worst he can do, she’s yet to know a lot of things about her brother. Just like she’s yet to know a lot of things about us. “I’ll take him out to calm him down tomorrow. I’ll make sure he apologizes to you, Ronan. I promise.” Ronan nods. “Just…” his grip on the phone tightens. “Be careful, okay?” She laughs. “He’s my brother. You’re the ones who have to be careful.” I have to admit, it’s hard to keep my smile away at the sound of her voice. “I’ll call you later. Goodnight boys.” And on that note, we all kiss her goodnight over the phone and retire to our respective rooms. But I can’t stop hearing her scream in my head. Was it really a prank call? Is there something she isn’t telling us? ~•~ My Monday morning starts on a bright and fresh note. We barely spoke to Sarah on Sunday, so I make it my duty to visit her office with the bouquet of roses we ordered on our way to the office. Ronan is stuck in a long list of meetings till six and Jaxon is off on… He’s working as well. Hosea, Ronan’s assistant, and I head towards the exit door when a man approaches me. He pauses in front of me, hands tucked in perfectly ironed grey suit pants. One look at him, and I recall where I’ve seen the corky bastard’s face before. Kevin’s party and our restaurant. Bile rises to my throat at the thought. I turn to Hosea. “I’ll meet you in the car.” He bows in silence and walks away. I wait until he’s out of sight before looking at the distasteful little man in front of me. I raise a brow. “And you are?” He scoffs. “I don’t think you would have stood here if you didn’t know who I was, Malachi HawkThorne.” My name leaves his lips with a strange venom that sends an eerie feeling up my spine. He looks down at the roses in my hand, and a smug grin appears on his face. One word. That’s all it’ll take to carve a permanent smile on this silly face. “Are these for Sarah?” He tuts, shaking his head. “Shame. I actually thought one of you was going to know her well enough. She doesn’t like red roses.” Okay. Enough. I take one step forward, my grip tightening and squeezing the white paper as I step forward. His head is just beneath my chin. I’m tempted to place my hand on it to remind him of his place. But first, I want to know his name. So, I give him a bright smile of my own. “I am going to ask you one more time. You would not have the pleasure of being asked again,” in a flash, my smile disappears, leaving behind my obvious lack of fondness for his presence. “Who the fuck are you?” He swallows hard and looks away from me briefly. When he’s able to summon his courage from wherever the fuck he gets it from, he looks up at me again. “My name is Julian Cross. I’m a good friend of Sarah,” he dares to come closer. “And I’m here to seriously warn you.” My smile returns.