Chapter 114: You’re insane.

I start to sag under Lysander’s hold, my body finally remembering that I am not, in fact, invincible.

But then I remember what Lysander called me yesterday.

His whore.

My anger comes roaring back and I twist in his arms, trying to break free.

"Let me go!"

His arms tighten around my waist.

"Stop fucking moving, Nerissa."

"No! Let me go so I can finish what I started!"

"You’re going to calm the fuck down and tell me why the hell you both are fighting like kids."

I ignore him and struggle harder, attempting to pry his arms from my body...He might be stronger than me, but that doesn’t mean I have to make this easy for him.

"Lysander, I swear to God, if you don’t let me go right now....."

"What?" he snaps near my ear. "What exactly are you going to do?"

"Something you’ll regret!"

"I’m already regretting getting out of bed this morning."

"Then go back to bed!"

"Enough!"

His voice thunders through the kitchen.

Lysander exhales sharply and turns his head toward his brother, still holding me securely against him.

"What’s going on, Jerry?"

Jeremiah opens his mouth, but before he can say a word out, I beat him to it.

"What’s going on is that your dickhead of a brother called me a whore!"

I point at Jeremiah, who is busy wiping the blood and food from his cheek.

"Now let me go so I can have another go at him!"

I twist again, trying to reach the bastard, but Lysander refuses to budge.

"Will you stay still for five seconds?"

"No!"

"Nerissa."

We glare at each other.

His jaw clenching and unclenching. Mine does too.

I have never met a man who can irritate me so thoroughly with nothing more than his existence...Well, except the one currently bleeding across the breakfast table.

"Is that true, Jerry?" Lysander asks, his voice suddenly cold.

Jeremiah straightens.

"She’s a fucking whore!"

My entire body stiffens.

"She’s the cause of all the tornadoes in your life now!" Jeremiah continues, his voice rising. "I got a call from the police department this morning. You’ve been called in for murder! Murder, Lysander!"

My stomach drops.

Lysander’s hold loosens slightly, but he doesn’t release me.

Jeremiah takes a step toward us.

"You killed a man in front of dozens of witnesses at a fucking gala, and now the police want answers. Do you understand what that means? You’ve put a fucking target on us!"

His hands fly outward in frustration.

"As if the whole Nico situation wasn’t enough, now we have to deal with this too!"

I look at Lysander.

He doesn’t look surprised, the man probably expected the police to come knocking eventually. He had slit a man’s throat in front of an entire room full of people. It would have been more surprising if the authorities had sent him a thank-you card.

Still, something twists unpleasantly in my stomach.

He killed that man because the bastard pointed a gun at me and now his own brother is standing here, blaming me for the consequences.

I hate that part of me feels guilty.

When lysnder speaks, he’s voice is full of command.

"First of....I’m your Don, Jeremiah. When you address me, you will do so adequately."

Jeremiah’s lips press together.

"Second, you’re talking to my wife. You do not call my wife a whore."

I find it ironic because yesterday, that same mouth called me his whore.

And now he’s standing here defending my honor?

What a fucking joke.

"Yeah, right. Only you’re allowed to do that, right?"

Lysander goes still, there’s a tightening around his eyes and rhe way his jaw shifts.

"I don’t need you fighting my battles" I snap, turning my head toward Lysander. "I can do that myself!"

"Clearly," he mutters, glancing at the shattered plates scattered across the floor.

I narrow my eyes.

"Don’t start with me."

"You’re standing in a kitchen full of broken crockery with food in your hair, Nerissa. I think we’ve already started."

"I will break another plate over someone’s head if you don’t let me go."

"That someone being my brother, I presume?"

"You’re a very smart man."

"Thank you."

"It wasn’t a compliment!"

"I gathered that."

I could scream...Actually, I might.

Instead, I turn my attention back to Jeremiah.

"And you!" I shout. "Keep my name out of your mouth unless you have something worthwhile to say!"

"Or what?" he challenges.

"Jerry," Lysander warns.

"No, let her answer!" Jeremiah snaps. "Since everyone seems determined to protect her, let’s hear what the great Nerissa Luciano has to say."

"It’s Nerissa fucking Sanchez for you Jeremiah."

I feel Lysander’s chest rise against my back as he takes a slow breath, then he releases me.

I blink.

I hadn’t expected him to actually let me go.

Perhaps he has finally accepted that trying to restrain me is a waste of perfectly good energy or perhaps he’s realized that I’m about three seconds away from biting a huge chunk of him.

Either way, I don’t waste the opportunity.

I step away from him and walk straight toward Jeremiah.

His eyes narrow as I stop in front of him.

We’re close enough that I can see the tiny cut on his cheek where the broken plate caught him. A small bead of blood rolls down toward his jaw.

Good.

"Call me a whore one more damn time," I say quietly, "and I won’t give a damn about this entire alliance. I’ll put a bullet through your head myself. Then maybe we can have another war between our families."

Jeremiah stares at me, trying to decide whether I’m bluffing.

I smile.

"Go ahead, Jeremiah. Test me."

His eyes flick toward Lysander.

"You’re threatening me in my own house?"

"No, sweetheart. This is my house now, you are in my house...."

"You’re insane."

I give him a little smirk. Then I straighten, turn on my heel, and walk away.

My legs are still a little sore, my stomach is empty, and I can feel the sticky remains of breakfast clinging to my hair but none of that matters.

I refuse to give Jeremiah the satisfaction of seeing me break.

Behind me, I hear Lysander call my name.

"Nerissa."

I keep walking.

"Don’t you dare walk away from me."

I raise a hand without looking back and give him the middle finger.

Then walk out the dinning room to my room, so I can have another shower since there’s food in my head.