A Bloody Kingdom (Ruthless People 4)

Stepping out of the ring, I also ignored Ethan and Wyatt. The fact that they looked to us so often for affection and were shocked to not get it proved two things to me: first, we were good parents, and second, we had babied all of them for far too long. When I had taken Dona that morning, Liam had been awake. He hadn’t said a word as I changed and got ready. There was nothing left to say. The shooting had changed everything. We couldn’t protect them every second of the day; it wasn’t possible, no matter how badly we wished it was. We could, however, make them protect themselves…as best as children could, anyway. I took Dona first and early just so Ethan and Wyatt could see her in this state. They fought each other, but now Liam and I were the enemies, the ones hurting them, and their sister. They’d have to work together to beat Liam and I almost pitied them. Liam hated to lose and was not going to go easily.

We are going to need a lot of ice.

LIAM

11:45 AM

Parenthood had taught me three things about myself.

First, it is possible to unconditionally love four people at the same time.

Second, despite loving my wife’s strength, I was still a bit sexist.

And third, I was far more sadistic than I’d thought; I should not have enjoyed beating the shit out of my sons as much as I did.

“Damn it!” Ethan yelled when I sideswiped his legs, sending him to the mat once again. I had lost count of how many times that was now.

“Ugh!” Wyatt screamed like an ape as he ran toward me. He kicked and punched like a madman while I just laughed, putting my hand on his head to hold him back. Ethan got up behind me and tried to hit me, but I outstretched my leg and kicked him right in the nose before punching Wyatt in the gut, gently of course—not to him, but for me, it was gentle.

“Urgh…” They groaned, cupping their wounds as they gasped for air on the ground.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” I smiled, stretching. “It looks like I got two little pansies as sons. Maybe we should bring Dona in to help you two?”

I loved how their eyes glazed over with anger and frustration. Even though they were in pain, even though it was not possible for them to win, they got onto their feet anyway. They couldn’t really move because of the aching in their legs, yet they were up and still willing to fight anyway.

“What now?” I asked them, waiting.

They yelled…again…grinning at me…again…only to get kicked back on their asses.

“Stop it!” I didn’t yell at them, but Dona did. Holding an ice pack to her face, she climbed into the ring. The first thing I noticed was how her legs twitched; I also saw that her mouth was swollen, and worst of all, her eyes were red. She stepped in front of me, glaring at me with so much anger I wasn’t sure what to say to her. She looked like her mother.

Instead of yelling at me, she turned around and faced Ethan and Wyatt. “Stop being stupid!”

“Stop calling us stupid! You can’t even spell it!” Wyatt hollered back at her, wiping the blood from his nose. Dona’s fists bunched up and she pulled her leg back to kick him, but Ethan stopped her.

“Why are we stupid now, Dona?” Ethan asked. Dona stopped, but before speaking, she turned to me.

“Time out,” she said.

“Time out? Who said they get timeouts?”

“Dad. Time out,” she stated forcibly, moving to the corner with Ethan following her. Wyatt didn’t get up from the floor, just lied there.

“Wyatt!” she screamed again.

“I’m comin’! I’m comin’! Jeez!” he grumbled.

What the fuck? It was the onl

y thing that came to mind as I stepped back into my corner, torn between wanting to laugh and staring in amazement.

“She’s a little boss, isn’t she?” I turned to see Cora, her hair pulled into a ponytail, smiling at them. “She reminds me so much of Melody, it’s remarkable. Today, her mother beat her into the ground; Declan came to me pissed at how much Mel had pushed her, yelling not to let Helen get any ideas. Yet here Dona is holding an ice pack to her jaw trying to help her brothers. She’s a lot stronger than anyone gives her credit for. I am shocked, however, that you are allowing her to train. I thought you’d be as hardheaded as Declan.”

“Thanks,” I replied, leaning on the ropes. “Did Declan ever tell you about our aunts, Fianna, and Abigail?”

“No, you know Declan has issues talking about all that. But Evelyn told me they were murdered.”

“They weren’t just murdered. They were tortured. Fianna died before Declan’s father so I barely remember her. I just knew that was the first time my father and uncle worked together, killing dozens; they razed the city in anger.” Just like Ethan and Wyatt, my uncle and father were always fighting. When my father left home, it actually worsened, but Aunt Fianna’s death brought them together again.