12 Rounds (Knockout 1)

It also took speeding around town and yelling at myself for that hour for me to talk myself into coming home.

And when I came home, I sat in the parking lot and waited for Hadlee to turn her light out.

Now I’m walking into my condo the following day, relieved that I haven’t seen Hadlee since that awkward ride home.

And I also walk into a pair of intense evergreen eyes.

Add a scowl in with that.

Pale skin with freckles dotting the dainty, pointed nose. Long, cascading auburn curls. Pint sized stature.

But a big bark.

A very big bark.

Mix all of those ingredients together, shake them around a bit then swallow them and choke on them and you’ve got yourself my kid sister.

“Teagan?” She’s shaking her head and huffing. Not a good sign. She’s got my Ma’s temper. Everyone who knew my Ma knew when she was pissed it was best if you kept your distance. At least for a few days. Me, I’ve got my Da’s temper, where I lash out, cause massive waves of destruction and then I feel better. “What are you doing here?”

I try to go around her, but she moves with me. When I finally stop moving and cross my arms she digs her finger into my shoulder blade. “What do you mean, what am I doing here?” She opens her mouth and widens her eyes in mock surprise. “Oh that’s right. You wouldn’t know because you refuse to answer the phone when I call.”

“That’s not true and you know it,” I say and brush past her.

But Teagan doesn’t let me get more than a few steps before she grabs my shoulder and jerks me around to face her. “If you would have listened to my voicemails or answered my calls, you would have known that I said I was coming for a visit.” She takes a step back and folds her arms across her chest. “Because my only brother insists that I schedule my visits.”

“I don’t make you schedule your visits.”

Tee throws her hands up in the air in frustration. “Lies. All lies.”

Truth is, I kind of do. But only because I don’t want her around the shady shit I’m mixed up in. I only do it to protect her. I know she knows some of the shit that goes down, but I don’t tell her more than I have to. “Whatever.” I grip both of her narrow shoulders. She stiffens when I first grab her, but then relaxes when I wrap my arms around her and kiss her temple. “I missed you little sis.” I pull out of the hug and pat her gently on the shoulder. “So tell me about school.”

Tee goes to Brown University. I was so proud the day she got her acceptance letter. She’s the first Reilly to go to college, let alone get into an Ivy League school. “Well it’s…” Her words are cut off by a loud clanking noise coming from my kitchen.

“What the fuck was that?” I go into protective older brother mode and position myself in front of Tee, my right hand slowly creeping toward the gat tucked into the back of my jeans.

“Sean.” Tee’s voice comes out softer than it normally does, but still high pitched. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

A third voice rings out. “Teagan, babe. The only kind of beer in the fridge is Guinness. Who the hell drinks this shit? It’s like drinking anti-freeze.”

My gat is palmed in my hands before I know it and I’m aiming it at the Abercrombie model wannabee in front of my sister and I yell, “Back the fuck up!” I shake the gun at at him. He doesn’t move. “I said back the fuck up!” I ignore the judgmental yelling coming from behind me.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” he whimpers then raises his hands over his blonde, spiked hair. He drops the bottles of Guinness he’s double fisting and they smash on the floor. Tee runs out from behind me, positioning herself in front of the douchebag.

Who the hell is this pansy ass bitch? And why the hell is my kid sister protecting him? She is protecting him. Funny but I thought my parents raised us for it to be the other way around. “It’s okay, Emerson,” Tee says soothingly. She turns and glares at me. “Sean! Lower the friggin gun!”

Oh. Fuck. That’s probably why pretty boy is terrified. “This isn’t a god Damn hold up!”

Tee’s spitting fire. I blow out the hot hair I’ve been holding in my cheeks and tuck my gun in the back of my pants. “Who the hell is this asshole?”

“Sean!” Teagan gasps, clearly embarrased by my rude yet honest comment.

Now, it has been a few years since I’ve been Tee’s age, but I do remember punks like this guy. I knew them in highschool. The popular great-looking jocks whose parents had more money than The Queen of England. They’d walk the halls like they owned them, never having to work for a damn thing their entire life, but somehow they still thought the world owed them a living. My eyes sweep over Emerson’s spiked blonde hair, his pristine white Nike’s. Bronzed arms. Gold band on his right ring finger.

Gold band on his right fucking ring finger.

What.

The.