“Now you have.” Cooper levels his brother with a look. A whole silent conversation is happening that I can’t translate. “Bye.”
“Tell me something, Mac.”
“Give it a rest, dude.” Cooper backs away from me, trying to escort his obviously drunk brother toward the house.
Evan eyes me over the top of his beer. He takes another gulp while pushing his brother away. “I’ve been dying to ask. Do rich chicks do anal?”
“That’s enough, asshole. Leave her alone.”
“Or do you pay someone else to do it for you?”
It happens in a blink.
One second Evan is laughing at his own unfunny joke.
Then he’s flat on the ground, blood pouring from his mouth.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
COOPER
I put him on the ground with one punch. Evan was already well on his way to wasted, or else he might have taken the hit better. I feel a small pang of regret when I see the blood leaking onto the asphalt, but all remorse fades when Evan lumbers to his feet and charges at me.
He drives his shoulder into my gut, grabbing me around the waist as we stumble backward against my truck. Somewhere I hear Mac screaming at us, but it’s no use. Evan is on one now. And when he lands a couple of hard jabs to my ribs, I don’t give a shit who he is anymore. Something in me snaps and my entire world reduces to the sole task of kicking my brother’s ass. We trade blows until we’re rolling around in the middle of the street, picking up road rash. Suddenly my arms are locked up and people are pulling Evan and me apart.
“Fuck you, man,” Evan shouts at me.
“You came asking for it,” I growl.
He lunges again.
My fists swing up.
Bodies crowd the space between us as we’re forcibly separated.
“What is wrong with you two?” Heidi shouts. She and Jay West cage Evan, stepping between us as I shove away the hands of at least three other guys from the party.
“I’m fine,” Evan grumbles. “Back off.” He wrestles out of their grips and storms down the street on foot.
“I’ll get him,” Steph offers, sighing softly.
Seeing the fight’s over, everyone but my closest friends drifts back to the house.
“Nah, let him cool off,” Alana advises.
Heidi side-eyes me before stalking away, Jay trailing after her like a lovesick puppy. I wonder if they came together. I hope so. Maybe then she’ll stop hating on me so much.
Steph and Alana wear matching frowns as they study me. Whatever. I don’t give a flying fuck what they think right now. Evan deserved every last blow.
Mac grabs my face, inspecting the damage. “You okay?”
I wince when her fingers skim over the rapidly swelling spot beneath my left eye. “I’m fine.” I search her face just as intently. “Are we okay?” I don’t regret slugging Evan over what he said—nobody gets to talk to Mac like that—but I am sorry she had to see it.
Fuck, if this is the thing that drives her way …
She kisses my cheek. “You should go after him.”
I hesitate.
“I’ll be here when you get back,” she promises, as if reading my mind.
I don’t have any choice but to believe her. Besides, Evan loaded up on anger and alcohol roaming the streets at night alone is begging for disaster. So I head down the road to find him. I glance over my shoulder once, twice. Sure enough, Mackenzie is still there, standing by my pickup.
Eventually I catch up to Evan, finding him on a bench in a small playground lit only by a couple of dim streetlights.
“Still got all your teeth?” I ask, taking a seat beside him.
“Yeah.” He rubs his jaw. “You hit like a ten-year-old.”
“Still kicked your ass.”
“I had you.”
“You had shit,” I say, eyeing him with a smirk.
We sit quietly for some time, watching the swings waving in the breeze. It’s been years since Evan and I fought this bad. Really going to blows. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t felt it coming. Shit’s been building up with him for a long time now. Maybe I’m the asshole for not talking to him about it sooner. Then again, taking his own issues out on Mac is weak, and I’m not about to let him keep that up.
“You were out of line back there.”
“Ah, come on. It was a little funny.” He slouches on the bench, spreading his legs like he might slip right off the thing in a pool of liquid.
“I’m serious. She hasn’t done a goddamn thing to you. You got a problem with me, grow up and say so. The snide comments and passive-aggressive bullshit, it stops now.”
“Kind of sounds like you’re giving me an ultimatum.” Evan tips his head toward me. “That what it’s come to?”
“Damn it, dude. You’re my brother. We’re blood. Nothing changes that.” I shake my head, frustrated. “So why are you getting so bent outta shape about her?”