Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 133886 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133886 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
“Donny,” Ducky hesitated, removing his headphones. They were absently placed on his desk as Ducky got to his feet. The faint sounds of music explained why Ducky hadn’t known Donny was in the apartment, let alone about to bring all this down on Dallas.
“Shut up.” Donny’s aggressive tone and sharp point of the finger stopped Ducky from saying anything more. “Dallas’s been an asshole all week after being an asshole for several weeks. He’s gonna ruin every damn thing we’ve been working for.” Donny waved his hands through the air in a show of theatrical frustration as Dallas cast a menacing stare back over his shoulder.
“Nothing’s ruined,” Ducky said calmly. “Greer says it’s fine.”
Ducky’s reassuring gaze followed Dallas who at the mention of Greer’s name suddenly felt like a caged tiger.
Dallas started for the kitchen then pivoted toward the center of the living room. The damn walls were closing in on him.
Dammit!
He lost the battle of restraint.
Dallas spoiled for a fight. He balled his fists at his sides. He rounded on Donny who stayed disarmingly close. Dallas had inches of height and brawn on his brother who wasn’t the least bit daunted by the threat of Dallas bearing down on him. Donny came within half a foot of Dallas’s chest. His brother’s balled hands came to rest at his waist. Donny’s chin tilted up. He wanted answers, and if they came by way of fists, that was clearly fine.
God, his family was so fucked up. Donny had taken a hard, determined turn into their father’s aggressive footsteps.
How did they always end up right here?
As Dallas stared down at his brother, the faces of his father and brother began to mix in his head. The two men were so similar. His father had done this exact same move countless times throughout Dallas’s life. Thrown either a mental or physical punch to get inside Dallas’s head.
Fuck that. Dallas was done with this life.
He matched Donny’s angry move with one of his own. He stepped into his brother, bumping his chest.
“Relax. Everybody, relax. We’re good.” Ducky wedged his body between him and Donny, pushing apart their bowed chests. Dallas kept his death stare on Donny’s troubled eyes.
“Every fucking thing is waiting for your goddamn approval. We can’t even begin the rebranding or the move into the new building or make changes to the fucking website, because you aren’t doing what you’re supposed to be fucking doing. Do you even know we’ve hired four new instructors?” Donny yelled, his hand coming over Ducky’s shoulder, pointing in Dallas’s face. “Skye’s working with them to get them ready because you’ve gone MIA. What the fuck?”
The only thing that saved Donny’s finger from breaking under Dallas’s grip was Ducky moving Dallas backward. Of course, his asshole brother followed, not taking a clue to defuse matters.
There was no way anyone could understand the awakening happening within Dallas. The pain of living an unwanted life, of being miserable over something he couldn’t change no matter how hard he had tried, of finding ever-lasting love in someone who wasn’t meant to be his.
Dallas wanted out. Off this merry-go-round ride he’d been on for years. Every minute of every day for more years than he could count, Dallas had been going through the motions, hating himself for being so weak, and hating everything about his life.
Ducky, his kind, compassionate, misunderstood little brother, kept Dallas balanced. Ducky cared about Dallas as much as Dallas cared about his younger brother. Donny only ever looked out for himself in every damn situation.
“Nothing’s waiting on me, asshole. You two agreed on everything. It’s the majority, like we agreed upon from day fucking one,” Dallas countered. “Stop trying to jump my ass for no good reason.”
“Not anymore.” Donny threw his hands in the air as if Dallas were the dumbest shit on the planet. The shouting upped a level as he said, “We all have to sign off on everything.” Donny’s frustration shifted to Ducky who reared back against Dallas’s chest. “You told me you were going to talk to him. I trusted you to take care of this.”
“After tomorrow,” Ducky said defensively. “I said I’d talk to him after tomorrow when he’s done teaching.”
Donny’s angry gaze blazed a fiery trail back to Dallas’s. “Why is your ass not right here when we need you the most? This was the worst possible time for you to go crazy nuts.”
Dallas’s anger exploded inside him.
They’d been over this a thousand times.
“Because I can’t pay my fucking bills. We wouldn’t have a place to live if I didn’t do something. I need to be taking as many sub positions as they’ll give me or we won’t have a roof over our heads. Why can’t you get that through your head?” The banging overhead began. Each drop of the broom on the ceiling above was like nails on a chalkboard to Dallas, grating on his last nerve. Dallas couldn’t take anymore. He pushed past his brothers and grabbed his keys off the kitchen counter. He was out the door, jogging to his car.