His voice bellowed through my apartment, already ringing in my ears. Why in the world was my brother so mad? And why was he threatening to lay his hands on my best friend? I threw the covers off my head, slid from bed, and padded out into the room just as Hunter stuck his finger in Lizzie’s face.
“You’ve got two seconds to get the hell outta my way,” he said.
“It’s okay, Lizzie. Hunter can come in,” I said.
Hunter threw Lizzie a disgusted look before shoving right past her. His nostrils were flaring with anger as he headed straight for me. Lizzie slammed the door and ran to my side, stepping in between the two of us. But all it did was make Hunter angrier, and he shoved her out of the way before standing toe-to-toe with me.
“Take a breath, Hunter,” I said.
“You’re gonna talk to me ‘bout what’s goin’ on with you and the Lees right now,” he said.
“Not when you’re like this. Settle down, or get out,” I said.
“I’ll talk to you however I dam
n well please. Have you lost your fuckin’ mind?”
I had no idea how he knew what had happened, but I wasn’t going to talk to him when he was like this. He was an impenetrable wall when he was angry, and I learned a long time ago never to talk to him like that. I also knew that backing down from my brother was also a bad thing because it made him feel as if he had the upper hand. He wasn’t going to bully me into talking nor was he going to treat my friend the way he just had.
“Sit down on the couch and let’s talk,” I said.
“I’ll stand. Thanks.”
“Then calm the hell down, or I don’t say a damn word,” I said.
“Calm down? I’m lookin’ for you to explain why the fuck Caleb showed up at my house preachin’ ‘bout how you quit your jobs because all of you were sleepin’ together.”
“He told you that?” I asked.
“What the fuck’s goin’ on, Katie?”
“What did Caleb tell you exactly?” I asked.
“That they were ‘courtin’’ you, which is Lee brother speak ‘round here for ‘we’re fuckin’ your sister,” Hunter said. “Did you sleep with them, Katie?”
“If I did, why would it be any of your business?”
“Besides the fact that we all grew up together? Because they’re my best friends? And because they can be womanizing assholes?”
I didn’t have an answer for him, so I just held his gaze.
“So, it’s true,” he said. “You were fuckin’ ‘round with them.”
I sighed. “Yes. At first, it was to get over Michael, but it morphed into something more. I care about them, Hunter. I always have.”
I watched my brother clench his fists as his nostrils flared in anger. His face reddened, and he took a step toward me, but this time I backed up. I’d seen my brother in multiple states of anger over the years, but never had I seen him like this. He was livid.
“You’re better than bein’ their little plaything, Katie. There’s a damn reason why I always tried to bat them away from you,” Hunter said.
“Well, you did a shitty job of it, because I’ve loved them all for years.”
“Did you say ‘love’? Katie, the Lee brothers ain’t about love. You got this shit all twisted.”
“Maybe I do, and maybe I don’t. The point is, it isn’t your decision. You don’t get to come in here with your clenched fists and your angry stare and bully me into living my life the way you think I should. I made my choices, and they’ve got nothing to do with you. You don’t get to weigh in.”
“You’re throwin’ your damn life away. Momma would be disappointed in you.”
Before I could catch myself, my hand went flying across Hunter’s face.