I whirl on Jack as soon as the door shuts, landing a blow straight across his traitorous face, the force making his head swing back.
“Stop! Austin, please!” Penelope screeches as she flings herself on my back, but her tiny frame is no obstacle for what I want. My brother’s annihilation.
I was able to hold back, pushing reality out of my mind enough to retrieve my stepdaughter and bring her back home—but all that went out the window when I saw her up in his arms, his hands on her ass.
I had to do a double take as I walked past the study, unbelieving what my eyes were seeing. We hadn’t even been back twenty-four hours and he was already disrespecting me under the same roof.
“Austin, stop.” Jack’s words come out garbled as I grip both hands around his neck when I realize it. He isn’t fighting me back. Motherfucker.
“Fight me, damnit!” I growl in his face, refusing to weaken the hold I have, all while Pen pounds her fists into my back.
“No. I deserve it…” His red face is turning blue now, the discoloration surrounding his lips a warning sign. “But if you don’t stop… I’ll die.”
A ragged sob reverberates against my back, and I know I can’t do this. Kill my own brother. Not in front of Pen, at least.
Reluctantly, I drop my hands, but not before shoving Jack against a wall—hard. “Fine. I’m stopping, but that doesn’t mean this is over. I expect answers.”
Pen’s tear-streaked face comes into view as she grabs my hand, pulling me down into a chair. “Sit. Please. I promise I’ll answer whatever you ask. Just please, don’t take it out on Jack. This isn’t his fault.”
My lips pull back and I sneer at my brother, “What? You going to say something or just let my stepdaughter do all the work and defend you?”
Jack shakes his head, walking toward the bar. “I’m just trying to get my wind back.”
He pours two rocks glasses, bringing one to me before sitting himself across from mine, Pen walking to his side, standing there like some sort of guardian angel.
I snort, supposing she is because if it weren’t for her, Jack would be six feet under.
“Look, I never intended this to happen. For the love of my life to come in such a forbidden package.” His face turns toward Pen and I can see it, the adoration in his eyes. It makes me sick.
“Why? Why her, Jack? Out of everyone in this entire fucking world, why did it have to be Blanca’s daughter?”
His face whips back toward mine, a fire I recognize all too well lighting his eyes. “It’s not a choice, Austin. When it happens to you, you’ll fucking know. It’s like an indiscernible pull, a driving force that drags you like a damn magnet toward your other half. Hell, I still don’t fully understand it. All I know is that I can’t live without her in my life.”
Pen scoffs, “Is that why you sent me away?”
Jack reaches for her arm, yanking and pulling her down into his lap, the vision sending me reeling. “Princess, you know why I did that.”
My eyes narrow, trying to understand what he’s saying. “You sent her away? When? After you had your way with her?”
“Yes.” “No.”
Pen and Jack answer simultaneously, but Jack is the only one who elaborates. “I thought I knew what was best for Pen. Letting her go was my way of letting her live her life, not letting her tie herself down to an older man, so that she could experience life on her own terms.”
Pen smacks Jack on the chest. “You were wrong. I’m not like other girls and you knew that, but you still did it anyway.”
God. I’m in the middle of a damn lover’s quarrel. “Both of you, stop. I don’t want to hear any of this shit. All I need to know is that Pen isn’t being manipulated or forced. Now that she’s eighteen, there’s nothing I can legally do, but so help me, if I so much as get a whiff of her being coerced, I’ll have your head on a spike, brother.”
Pen shakes her head vehemently. “No. He didn’t force me. He’s the one that’s always pushed me away.”
“Never again, baby.” Jack squeezes her tiny frame to his body, making me want to hurl something until the vision before me shatters.
“Enough!” I press the pads of my fingers into my lids, wanting to erase what I’ve seen. “I can’t handle seeing you two like this. It’s too much.”
I hear some shuffling, and when I open my eyes, I see Pen is standing next to Jack again and no longer on his lap. Thank God.
“I figured this would happen.” Jack stands from his chair and heads toward his desk. “I’m calling Sam and seeing if your cabin is ready.”
My brows push together as my eyes narrow. “My cabin?”
“Yes. I knew this would be a little awkward.”
“A little!?” My brows shoot up at his words.
“Yeah, well, my point is that I expected this, so I had one of the resort cabins set up for you. There’s more than enough room for you, the kids, and Anaya.”
His words have my stomach tightening. “Anaya? Why is she coming with us?”
“She’s the nanny, Austin. She’s always been just down the hall from the kids in case they’ve needed her. It would be cruel to separate them.”
I nod, though I don’t like the idea of this one bit. “Look, I agree that us all being under the same roof right now is a little intense, but can’t you two just keep to yourselves? Keep the PDA to a minimum and I promise to keep my homicidal thoughts to myself.”
Jack laughs, though there’s no humor in his tone. “We both know that’s a disaster waiting to happen. We’re already going to have enough close contact now that you’re taking over the ranch and I’m handling the family business.”
Pen’s eyes nervously flit between Jack and me. “Is that set in stone?”
She’s worried, and I don’t blame her. Pen’s biological father, a very powerful cartel leader, allowed us to bring her home with the promise that Jack would be the head of his familia in the event of his untimely death.
That means’ he’ll be under his tutelage soon, giving us a very small window for me to take the reins over the ranch.
Jack sighs, his eyes heavy with this burden. “You know it was the only way.”
“Yes. The only way without bloodshed, anyway,” I add, regretting my words as soon as they’ve left me.
Pen’s face has soured further, her hand drifting to her abdomen where life is growing within her.
My chest tightens, the sudden urge to vomit hitting me hard and knocking all the air out of me. She’s pregnant. With my brother’s child.
With a hard thrust, I push out of my chair. Maybe living under a separate roof is necessary. There’s no telling what the constant reminder of their relationship will do to me once she starts showing.
“I’ll go pack our things. Let me know when Sam’s here.” Without another glance back, I leave, knowing there’s not much more I can take before I have Jack back in my grasp, his face turning a pretty shade of blue.
