Her Mafia Brothers

Hitting Logan

A week or so after the pool party, I met Jaxon properly. I mean I knew who he was, Logan's mates hung out at our place all the time. But I'd never known that it was Jaxon who had told Logan about the asshole entering my bedroom that night. So in a way, he was my hero.

I smiled shyly at him every time I saw him and he returned my smile. He always asked how I was, and seemed to genuinely care about my answer. Logan, of course, hated it. It didn't help that Jaxon was one of the cutest guys at school - everyone said so - and the increased attention from him at school made me even more of a target from Blondie and her minions. As far as she was concerned, it was bad enough that Logan was my brother. But now that one of his mates, one of the most popular guys at school regularly smiled at me? Yeah, I think she wanted to kill me.

Logan refused to let me hang out with them, though. I'd never been interested in hanging out with them before, I much preferred the company of my own friends, but now that Jaxon was friendly to me, I wanted to join in on their XBox tournaments. If for no other reason than to annoy Logan.

"Get lost Carrie," Logan said as he followed his mates into the games room. "You're not playing."

"Please?" I gave him my best puppy-dog eyes but he wouldn't budge.

"Oh come on bro, let her play!" Jaxon said.

I begged silently with my puppy-dog eyes again and gave him my best cheesy grin. Jaxon told Logan to let me play again and Logan groaned but he did stand back and let me in.

"One game only!" he warned. "Then you're gone, all right?"

I nodded eagerly, hurrying into the room before he changed his mind, and plonked myself down on the couch between Logan and Jaxon.

I played against a few of Logan's mates for the first game and lost, of course. Because I'd never really played video games until I came here, I wasn't very good at it, and Logan and his mates had been playing forever. I would probably never be in their league. Normally, when it's just me and him, Logan doesn't taunt me much but this time, he laughed in my face and called me a loser.

"Shut up Logan, I'll punch you!" I threatened angrily, deadly serious. I would totally punch him, too. I wasn't afraid of my brother. Even though he was bigger than me and way stronger, I knew he wouldn't hurt me, even if I punched him first.

He pushed me sideways, sending me crashing into Jaxon.

"Try it bitch," he snarled at me, but there was a teasing tone to his voice. He was never deliberately cruel to me and usually, when he called me names, it was jokingly. The weird sibling banter that I still didn't completely understand and likely never would. Showing off to his mates, probably.

I punched his arm in retaliation to him pushing me and he glared at me ferociously, looking so much like Nick, that I froze, low-key terrified. But Jaxon put another game on and pressed a controller into my hands and Logan's, distracting both of us, and we played again.

Once again, I lost.

"Ha! Loser!" Logan yelled at me, thrusting his hands into the air triumphantly. "You suck!"

He leaped in the air and high-fived Leroy and Toby, the boys I'd been playing against, who had beat me. Anger welled up within me. Why did he have to mock me so much and make me feel so stupid?

I stood up and kneed him right in the balls, just like Nick had taught me.

Logan groaned, bent double, clutched his manhood, and swore at me furiously, threatening to kill me at the top of his lungs. I stood there and watched, transfixed. I'd never kicked anyone in the balls before and so of course had never seen their reaction, and it was quite interesting. It was like he literally couldn't move. I wondered if he could even breathe, if the color of his face was anything to go by. It was red, and getting redder by the second.

He advanced towards me, still bent over with one arm covering his nuts, a murderous expression on his face.

He was going to hit me.

I knew, without a doubt, that he was going to hurt me. Revenge, obviously. But he wasn't just going to get revenge, he was going to do some serious damage. I'd clearly crossed a line.

Jaxon and a couple of other boys grabbed him and held him back, stopping him from hurting me, and yelled at me to run, but I didn't listen. I was too busy watching Logan. I'm not sure if I was curious or stupid, or maybe a bit of both.

The boys couldn't hold Logan back for very long. He broke free from their grip and lunged at me, grabbing the front of my shirt and raising his fist, ready to hit me. He slammed me backwards into the wall and I screamed.

Jaxon and the boys grabbed him again but he flung them off. It was like the pain I'd inflicted on him had given him superhuman strength and he shook them off like they were flies.

"Logan!" a deep, commanding, authoritative voice made me jump, but Logan ignored it. He didn't react at all.

"Logan!" Damon said again, slightly louder this time, and with a whole lot more authority. Honestly, the icy tone of his voice made me freeze in fear. Tingles went down my spine.

I watched as Damon gripped the back of Logan's neck and hauled him backwards, away from me, and threw him down onto the couch.

"Go upstairs to your room," he ordered me in that same icy tone, and I didn't stick around to be told twice. I turned tail and fled, scampering up the stairs as fast as I could go.

Guilt overwhelmed me. What was Damon doing to Logan? What would he do to him once his friends had all left? What was Damon going to do to me?

Fear flooded me. My blood ran cold. My pulse raced.

I couldn't hear any noise from downstairs which probably meant Damon wasn't beating Logan to a pulp, but I couldn't really be sure.

I sat in my hanging chair, pretending to dangle there without a care in the world, but it was a lie. Secretly, I was listening for any commotion downstairs, but none was forthcoming.

Just a few minutes later, I heard footsteps on the stairs and a couple of seconds later, Damon appeared in my doorway, his face like thunder.

I pressed myself deeper into the hanging chair, so hard that the cane back pressed painfully against my spine.

"Explain yourself, Carrie." Although Damon spoke quietly, there was no doubt that he was demanding I answer, and I didn't dare disobey.

"What did Logan tell you?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Damon shook his head. "It doesn't matter what anybody told me. I'm asking you for an explanation. Don't keep me waiting." I watched, terrified, as Damon's hands clenched into fists at his sides.

I gulped. Oh shit. This was not good. This was not good at all.