BREATHE: A Billionaire Romance, Part Five by Jenn Marlow Read Free Book Online

blast of lashing punches to Stephen’s face, and I cringed as I watched blood spew from his mouth and cheek, clearly having been ripped open from a multitude of punches.
    My mouth was agape in both shock and terror, as I watched Joey beat my brother-in-law to a pulp.
    “Get off of him, Joey!!” Derek bellowed, but Joey didn’t listen. He didn’t care; he only kept on and on.
    Over and over…
    I could do nothing more than stand and watch the incredibly dangerous and terrifying scene unfold in front of me. My breath was caught in my throat, and my legs were quaking with fear and adrenaline.
    I couldn’t move.
    I could hardly breathe.
    I didn’t know what to do.
    I didn’t know how to stop it.
    And as soon as my eyes shifted to Derek, I knew that he didn’t know how to either.
    He clicked and clicked at his call button, clearly trying to get anyone’s attention, and hopefully he would before Stephen got hurt. However, Stephen seemed just fine as he grabbed Joey by the shoulders and tossed him backwards like he was nothing, apparently finally getting sick of being hit.
    It was crazy how far Joey flew backwards. He was far from tiny. In fact, he was a pretty muscular guy—not as muscular as Stephen, but muscular nonetheless.
    The two were screaming, roaring bellows of war cries, their lungs fueled by adrenaline. I wondered how in the hell no one had gotten there yet. Where the hell was security!
    And just like that, I could hear feet scrambling down the hall, and I knew that security was finally on their way. I sighed, almost too little, too late.
    However, when they appeared around the corner, it wasn’t just security guards, it was also a hoard of police officers. And I was glad to see it—especially when Joey was restrained by three men and handcuffed almost instantaneously.
    I zoned out for a moment on anything Joey related and tended only to my brother-in-law who leaned breathlessly against the wall, bleeding profusely.
    In fact, I stopped caring so much as they dealt with Joey, that I caught only a glimpse of his face as they hauled him away. And I couldn’t tell exactly what emotion was plastered over it. Hell, I wasn’t even sure he was capable of real emotion.
    But his expression was unsettling, nonetheless.
    I wasn’t sure if it was despair, or if it was just what ultimate defeat looked like, but whatever it was, I was glad that he was gone, and that I would never have to see that expression or any other expression on his face again.

Chapter 11
     
    Derek was silent the entire night. And I understood why…
    His parents had called…both of them…at separate times and then together, but he wouldn’t speak to them.
    I was sure he couldn’t.
    He didn’t have the emotional stamina. However, it didn’t matter, his mom showed up anyway; and she stayed, along with my family.
    But he spoke to no one—not even me.
    He felt betrayed. I knew that; and not only that, but I was sure he wondered if he could fully trust anyone ever again.
    I sat beside him, with his mama to my left, my mama to my right and Laura just beside her. I wasn’t sure exactly why my family was there all of a sudden, but it did seem like they were standing guard. Over what, I had no clue. Joey Freeman was going to be locked away for an incredibly long time. I had no idea what they were worried about.
    But still, I accepted their presence, cherished it even. And I was sure that Laura wanted to be around us, just as much as I did her, because her husband was currently down the hall—out of sight—being stitched and cleaned up from his epic battle.
    I sat in my signature seat, flicking pages of the one Vogue magazine that I found in the nightstand beside Derek’s hospital bed. I was unsure of what to do or say to make it better.
    Hell, as far as I was concerned, I was perfectly content staying silent because I knew that there was nothing that anyone could say to make whatever just happened any better.
    His brother had tried to kill