Page 111 of The Twins

Andrew moved toward me, the business end of his gun still trained on Vince. “Make yourself scarce,” he threw at him.

Vince glowered at Andrew then at me.

“It’s okay, Vince,” I said. “We’re just going to talk.”

“I don’t want you with this guy,” Vince said. “He’s going to get you in trouble, or worse…killed.”

“You know nothing about me,” Andrew said. “And that’s okay, but know this, I love your sister, I’m not going to do anything to hurt her or put her at risk.”

“You already have.”

Andrew bristled. “And that was my wake-up call to make sure it never happens again.”

“She’s a killer because of you.” Vince stabbed his finger in Andrew’s direction. “That’s on you, asshole.”

“It was self-defense,” I said. “That guy had been about to strangle and rape me.” I shuddered at the memory of the back alley and hateful Brian Dix who I’d put a bullet into. “He would have killed me.”

“I won’t let anything ever happen to her again,” Andrew said, his words slow and deliberate. “I promise.”

“Huh, as if your word means anything to me.”

“It should,” Andrew said. “Believe me, it should.” He jerked his head in the direction he’d come up the drive. “Now fuck off, me and my woman have things to discuss.”

Vince made a strange growling sound.

“I mean it.” Andrew waggled his gun. “And don’t think I don’t know how to get rid of a body. I’m a professor of criminology, remember, I’ve spent my life studying this shit.”

“You wouldn’t kill me, she’d never forgive you. She’s lost so much already.”

Andrew glanced at me.

I tucked my hands beneath my chin. My heart was going so fast it felt like it would race right out of my chest.

“Maybe I wouldn’t kill you.” Andrew directed at Vince. “But it would be hard to ride a bike with only one hand.” He dropped the gun toward Vince’s right side.

“You’re an A-list twat, you know that? And don’t think I’m ever going to sit around a dinner table with you pretending everything is fucking hunky-dory.”

“I don’t want that, I just want your sister.”

Vince raised his eyebrows. “I think you need to ask yourself if she wants you. The lies you’ve spread about our mother, we should be suing you for slander.”

“Nothing has been said outside of the group, and we thank you for bringing us up-to-date intel.”

Vince spit on the gravel. “If you were all so fucking clever, I wouldn’t have to.” He jerked his head at me. “Watch your back, Chelsea, you’re playing with fucking fire, and I’m not always going to be around to put out the flames. I’m warning you, you’ll get burned by this guy.”

I bit on my bottom lip. I had no words to say to that. Andrew was dangerous. He did live on the edge when he wasn’t in his professor persona. It couldn’t be denied that he was a killer, a seeker of retribution, kidnapper, blackmailer, a man who was determined in his mission to rid society of evil no matter what that took or how violent it had to be.

Vince suddenly spun around and stomped to where he’d parked his big black motorbike on the lawn. He straddled it then whacked on his helmet. The bellow of the revving engine echoed around the high walls of the house and rattled through me.

Andrew set his attention my way and tucked his gun into his waistband.

“You shouldn’t be here. Go away,” I snapped and turned from him. I rushed up the steps and into the house, spun, and slammed the door.

But it didn’t connect. His black trainer stopped it. His hand curled around the wood and pushed.

“Get out!” I shouted and fought his entry. “You have no right.”

“I have every fucking right.” He stepped in and banged the door closed. “To come find you.” He paced up to me.