Page 76 of Fight for You

Jordyn stirred beneath the heavy quilt beside me, her breath catching before her eyes opened.

“You okay?” I asked. Last night, seeing her beneath Rocket. Man, that still gutted me.

“I wasn’t. But sleep … And you—and your emo black hair …” She grinned as if just noticing my dye job.

“I’ve gotta wash this out.” I started to rise.

Jordyn wrapped her arms around me, not letting me go. “No ya don’t, Mr. MacKenzie. You haven’t been relieved of duty.”

I laughed, hugging her back. My arms became a shield around her body as I pressed my lips against hers. “We can’t continue doing this indefinitely. Me. You. Same bed. Maybe once more … If I marry you tomorrow, will you say?—”

“I’ll say yes.” Jordyn cackled.

I flipped her until she was on top of me, and my fingers tangled into her hair. Then I caught myself. “Yeah. Can’t do this.”

She got off me with a groan.

I grabbed her thigh. “You said yes, Jordyn. Remember that tomorrow.”Apparently, I had twenty-four hours to find and kill Chelomey.

“Boy, if this is a joke, I’m the butt end of it.”

“You’re not, but we both know I have a list. I just have to cross a few things off first.”

“Like what?”

“Aleksandr.” We sat up in bed. “I’ve got something to discuss with you. First, where’s Rebel?”

Compassion warmed Jordyn’s face as she wrapped a flannel blanket around her shoulders. “I’m so sorry?—”

Terror tightened my chest. I’d bought the pup from a kid. That sick kid was trying to drown her. I named her, trained her, and loved her. Rebel was my little girl. “She’s dead?”

“No. Okay, so I’m sorry for the inference as well. You know you’re the first person I’ve really socialized with. You and your mom.” Jordyn shook her head. “Big Brody, Leith, Camdyn, and Lachlan had to take her to a veterinarian in San Bernardino. Apparently, the nearest place was all out of antibiotics.” Again, she murmured an apology.

“Ugh. I can’t reprimand them. We had a Rottweiler once. Of all our dogs, she was the best.” I shoved a few fingers through my hair, pushing it out of the way. “So, it was just you and Mam?”

“Your other brother dropped by with Rocket around dinner time …”

One of my brothers brought Rocket here? I knew the answer but chose to play dumb. Best to err on the side of caution before I killed a man—my blood. “Which brother? You only named half of them.”

She chewed her lip. “Little Brody. You … uh … just got quiet. Weird quiet. So, I’ll just say this—you can’t kill him.”

“Why not?” I climbed out of bed.

“Because … because Brody had good intentions.” She explained about Mam and the others, and how Brody had made Rocket apologize and then followed him down the hill.

“I hear you, JorJor. However, all I understand is that Brody’s here now, right?”

“Ye—”

“And he allowed this to happen.”

“N—”

Before I reached the door, Jordyn flew past me.

My brow lifted. “What are you doing?”

“Stopping you from murdering your brother.”