Chapter 43

CHAPTER 43

SPENCER

I woke up feeling off. Not bad. Just different. Not the same as I had been. Last night had changed a few things.

It changed how I felt about a lot of things. I knew a lot more about Marlow. I understood exactly what she'd been through and why she was so uninterested in working for me or anyone else. She had to break free of controlling men. Thinking about her putting up with Dakota and his bullshit made me wish I would have clocked the guy.

But I had done the right thing for Marlow. Violence would have made me feel better but she didn't need to see me go apeshit on her ex. It was still an option for later, if the necessity arose. Instead, I needed to take action in a different way. Starting with making sure she felt safe.

I quickly showered and put on a pair of jeans and a hoodie. I was quiet as I made myself some coffee. When I didn't see Marlow, I crept into the guest room to check on her. She was still asleep, her face relaxed and her hair tousled around her head. I didn't want to disturb her, so I slipped out quietly and headed to her apartment.

On the way, I stopped at a store specializing in security to pick out locks and security equipment. I talked with the salesman about the best choices for an apartment. He sold me on a top-of-the-line system. It was probably overkill but I wanted the best. She needed to know it was the best so she would feel safe. I paid the man and scheduled an emergency install for that morning.

When I arrived at her apartment, the door was closed and locked. I assumed Rhett would be there. I pounded my fist on the front door until he answered, looking like he had one hell of a hangover.

"Is she okay?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

I brushed past him, my mind on a single mission. "Is he still here?"

"No," Rhett said. "I kicked him out last night. But he, uh…"

My heart sank as I looked around the apartment. The place was a mess. It was clear Dakota had gone to town breaking as much of Marlow's stuff as he could. Furniture was overturned, picture frames were shattered, and random items were strewn across the floor. It was a disaster zone. I bent down and picked up part of a shot glass. It was going to break her heart to know he went after her collection.

"What the fuck?" I asked. "You just let him trash her place?"

Rhett hobbled over, leaning heavily on his crutches. "I tried to stop him."

"Yeah, well you didn't do a very good job," I retorted harshly. Heaving a sigh, I looked around the wrecked apartment again. "We have to clean up before she gets back."

A flicker of guilt passed through Rhett's bloodshot eyes. "Yeah," he agreed thickly. He hobbled his way toward the couch and flopped down.

"This is fucking bullshit," I hissed. "What the hell is wrong with him? And what's wrong with you ? Why in the hell would you invite him in here? Shit, Rhett, I fucking told you he was harassing her!"

All I could think about was how heartbroken Marlow would be to see her beautiful home destroyed like this. I shook my head, unable to contain my frustration.

"He's never done anything like this before," Rhett argued. "Things were fine. You showing up is when he snapped."

"She wanted me to come over here," I reminded him. "She didn't want him here. Honestly, what the fuck?"

"It's not like I knew this was going to happen," he said.

"You'd better have this cleaned up by the time she gets home. You're her brother, man. You're supposed to defend her. Stand up for her. Have her back. Not her ex's. This is a mess."

Rhett's face crumpled with guilt. "Is Marlow okay? Where is she? Can I talk to her?"

I ignored his questions, focusing instead on the wreckage. The guilt was clearly eating at him. It should. It wasn't like he hadn't been warned. I told him Dakota was bad news. Obsessed stalkers didn't usually tone things down as time went on.

"I don't know how valuable this shit is, but he should pay her back every penny," I growled. "You both should."

"Look, I get it," he said. "I'm just as pissed as you are. He used me. I've been nothing but generous to the man. I tried to be his friend because I knew he was going through a hard time. I gave him a lot of leeway and he fucked me over. He cried his heart out to me telling me how much he loved Marlow. I had no idea he was like that. Do you think I would have brought him here if I knew what he was doing?"

"No, but I did warn you," I reminded him. "So did your sister. You should have listened."

"For what it's worth, I kicked his ass out of here and told him we were done. I'm not talking to him ever again. Our friendship is over. I should have cut the guy out of my life a year ago."

"No shit," I muttered.

Suddenly, Rhett seemed to realize something. His eyes narrowed and he cocked his head to the side. "Did you take her back to your place?"

I nodded, holding his gaze. "Yeah, where else would I take her?"

"Not just friends?"

I shrugged, not wanting to get into this right now. Rhett had that look in his eyes. He was onto something, like a dog sniffing out a bone. This was dangerous territory. Marlow didn't want Rhett to know about us unless things got serious.

"Why were you the one who came running to her aid, anyway?" he asked. "Is something going on between you two? Are you hooking up with my sister behind my back?" Rhett started to get in my face, his voice rising.

"Oh, look who finally found some balls," I said, shaking my head at him. "Don't get all protective brother now." I jabbed a finger into his chest, my temper flaring. "You're not in a position to question me or your sister. I happened to be on the phone with her when she came home last night, that's all. There is nothing going on between Marlow and me." I leaned in close, my voice low and dangerous. "And even if there were? It's none of your fucking business. You are the last person to judge who your sister should be with."

"Okay, yeah," he said. "Point taken."

I nodded. "Now you and I are going to fix this mess, install new locks, and be here when the security company shows up."

Rhett swallowed hard, with all the fight drained out of him. He nodded, his shoulders slumping. "Let's get to work."

We spent the next few hours cleaning up the apartment. Rhett apologized repeatedly, his guilt palpable. He was trying, but I could tell he still didn't fully grasp the gravity of what he had done.

As we cleaned, I thought about Marlow. She deserved so much better than this chaos. I wanted to protect her, to make sure she never had to deal with Dakota again. But I also knew that she was stronger than she realized. She had kept her cool the night before when a lot of people would have crumpled.

When the security company arrived, we worked with them to install the new system. I wanted Marlow to feel safe in her own home, and this was a step in the right direction. I didn't want her to have to move.

By the time we were done, the apartment was starting to look more like itself again. Rhett and I stood in the living room, surveying our work.

"She's going to be upset," Rhett said, his voice heavy with regret.

"You're damn right, she is," I said. "But she'll appreciate that we put things back in order."

He nodded, looking defeated. "I really fucked up, didn't I?"

I didn't sugarcoat it. "Yeah, buddy, you did. I know your big dumb heart was in the right place, trying to help out a friend, but in doing so, you betrayed your sister. And you put her in danger. But the most important thing right now is how you make it right."

He looked at me, determination and shame in his eyes. "I'll find a way. I promise."

"Good," I said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Because she deserves better than this. And Dakota is psycho."

"I truly had no idea he was capable of any of this," he said. "The guy's off his rocker. The son of a bitch had me fooled."

"Do you think he's ever hurt your sister before?" I asked quietly.

He shook his head. "Definitely not. Marlow would not put up with that. She would have told me. Or my parents. Or the cops."

"Good," I said. "At least it never got that far between them."

"When my parents find out about this, they are going to be pissed."

I laughed. "If I was Dakota, I'd be looking for a new zip code. Even Shoop would have his balls for breakfast."

"No shit," Rhett muttered.

"Do you know anything about that shot glass collection?" I asked him. "She mentioned it last night."

Rhett grimaced and slowly nodded. "Oh yeah. She's been collecting those things since we were young. Every family vacation she chose a shot glass for her souvenir. I used to always tease her about it. What ten-year-old wants a shot glass?"

"Apparently, Marlow."

"He went after the collection because he knew it mattered," Rhett said. "I stopped him about halfway through. He was yelling that they were half his or some shit."

"Well, they're not half his anymore," I said, glancing at the few remaining glasses on the shelf.

"So, for real," Rhett said. "Is she okay? I've never seen her like that. She was terrified."

"No shit," I said. "He was off the rails. I don't think Marlow is the type to scare easily. Do you understand why she reacted the way she did?"

"If you want me to say you're right, fine, you were right," he said.

"Thank you. It doesn't make me feel any better. But you know him best. Is this really over?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Is this guy going to stay away or am I going to have to worry about him coming back to the office or here?"

He gestured around the room. "I think you've got this place locked down like Fort Knox. He's not coming in unless he's invited, and I don't think she's going to be rolling out the red carpet for him."

"And what about you?" I asked.

"Fuck off," he grumbled. "I already told you we're not friends anymore. Leave it alone."

"Alright, I'm going to trust you on this," I said. "Don't let me down again. Your sister needs you."

He nodded. "I know."

"I'm going to get out of here. I need to stop and pick her up some breakfast."

"Did she sleep alright?" he asked softly.

"She was in the guest room, so I wouldn't know," I said, understanding the undertones of his question. "Probably not. She's going to be working through the trauma from last night for a while. I think, in time, she'll be fine. She was shaken up, but you know her. She's resilient."

He smiled. "Yes, she is. Thanks for getting her out of here last night. It was the right thing to do."

"You're welcome," I said. "Do you need anything, other than some common fucking sense?"

He nodded sheepishly. "I deserve that. But no, I'm good."

I nodded and walked out of the apartment. I wasn't sure if things between Rhett and me were good, but he was not my priority right then. Marlow was the one that needed me. Quite frankly, I was still a little pissed at him for the whole damn debacle.