Chasing His Brother's Bride
Chasing His Brother’s Bride – Chapter 57

At midnight, Jolie was lying on her side on her bed, having kept the bedroom door open and staring at it unblinkingly. She heard giggling and whispering coming up the stairs and she sat up curiously.

“There she is,” Brix said loudly and when Malik and Elio both chastised him saying he was going to wake Pia, he whispered making wide eyes at her, “there she is. My beautiful wife.”

She shook her head and sighed, “what did you give him?” His eyes were shiny and luminous, and he was clearly off his head on a drug. “He’s high.”

Elio looked at her sadly, “he’s had morphine. He usually doesn’t take any medications and it’s hitting him especially hard.”

Brix looked to Malik with wide-eyed horror, “oh no.”

“What?”

“I’m high. She’s going to fear me. I’m high like Val.”

Jolie giggled at his words, “Brix, I think maybe you need to come to bed.”

He stumbled away from Elio and Malik and reached for her, his hand cupping her cheek. “You’re so beautiful. I love you so much. I will never hurt you. Even though I’m high I won’t hurt you. Don’t be scared.”

She mimicked his action and cupped his cheek. “I’m not afraid of you, Brix. Not even when you’re high.”

“Whew!” he said loudly and spun to look at Malik with a giant smile on his face. “She’s not afraid of me.”

Malik shook his head at him, and Elio grunted again at him to lower his voice.

Elio brushed past Brix and gave Jolie a tight hug. “You did well tonight, my daughter. I am enormously proud of you.” He kissed her forehead.

“Thank you,” she nodded ignoring the sick feeling in her stomach at the knowledge Macey was going to be dead because of her. She forced it away. She had tried to kill Brix. f**k her. She watched as Elio kissed both the men on each cheek and then left the room closing the door behind him quietly.

While Brix was loud and chattering faster than Pia would, Malik was silent, sullen even with eyes which couldn’t meet hers. Had the team let him know what she’d ordered? Had she overstepped?

Malik helped Brix take off the coat he had draped over him. Jolie noticed the thick bandages wrapped around his torso and shoulder and pulled the sheets sideways. Brix sat down and Jolie knelt in front of him and removed his socks and shoes. She undid his belt and he giggled. She had never heard him giggling like this and it was making her wonder if this was what he was like as a boy.

“What are you laughing at?”

“I got shot and all I can think of, is you’re on your knees in front of me and I want a blowjob.”

“Yeah, that’s not happening tough guy,” she shook her head and looked at Malik. He was still noticeably quiet, barely saying anything and being perfunctory. She helped him out of his trousers and then she and Malik laid him in the bed.

“What if I ask nicely?” He tucked his uninjured arm behind his head and lifted his waist upwards.

“As inviting as this is,” she waved at his thrusting motions, “I think I’ll wait until you’re more awake. Go to sleep you oaf.” She leaned over and kissed his lips, “don’t you ever scare me like this again. I’ll kick your a*s.”

“Yes ma’am.” He kicked his foot sideways. “Get in with me. I want to hug you.”

“I will.” She motioned to Malik, “I want to talk to my other husband. He needs a shower. I’m going to talk to him while he’s getting cleaned up.”

“No s*x without me!” Brix said blinking rapidly as Jolie hauled Malik away.

She shook her head at his words, “yes dear.” She started pulling at Malik’s shirt and pushed him towards the shower. Jolie saw his eyes looking away from her and she smacked his bare chest. “Stop it right now.”

“What?”

“Cutting yourself off for me. You didn’t shoot him.”

“I didn’t keep him safe either.”

“Yes, you did. You kept him alive. I love you,” she gripped his face. “I love you, Malik. I’m not angry with you.”

He blinked a tear, and it rolled solitarily down his cheek, “all I could think of was, if he died, I would lose you both because you would hate me.”

She wrapped her arms around his middle. “Silly man.” She rested her head on his chest as he hugged her tight to his frame, his head resting on the top of her hair.

“I don’t get scared easily, Jolie but the motherfucker in our bed gave me a hell of a fright.” His swallow was loud, “there was so much b***d. He didn’t even flinch, you know. I don’t know what deal he’s made with what devil to allow him to not feel pain, but I swear the only reason he passed out was b***d loss. He commented to me he was fine because it was a through and through.”

“I know,” she pressed her lips to his chest.

“How do you know?” he chuckled.

“I watched it. I made the guys pull the surveillance from the office and I watched it.”

“Who let you?”

“I let me,” she grimaced at his annoying question. “I reminded them I’m the Dona and they will damn well do as I say. I wanted to see what happened.”

“It was a freakish accident.”

“No, it wasn’t,” she looked up at him. “The entire time he was being worked on, what were you doing?”

“Pacing. Worrying about how you were going to leave me after feeding me my own balls for letting him get hurt.” He frowned down at her, “what do you mean it wasn’t an accident. I was there.”

“You didn’t even start to investigate? Yet you say you two don’t have romantic love for each other.” She saw his mouth open, and she shook her head, “She looked right at him and fired. I watched it at least twenty times. She narrowed her gaze, sought out her target and fired her weapon. The minute Brix said he loved me she wanted him dead.” She stared back at him. “You can watch it yourself, but I know what I saw.”

“She’s in police custody for now. She’s not going anywhere. I’ll deal with it tomorrow. Like Brix, I want to go to bed and hold my girl.”

“But, Malik,” she realized nobody had updated him. What was he going to think of her if he knew she ordered a hit on Macey?

“Shh,” he put his lips to hers. “I need a shower and bed. Go lay down and keep Brix company and I’ll be in soon. Okay?”

“Sure.” She frowned and made her way back to the bedroom as he finished undressing and started the shower. She entered and watched Brix moving his fingers in front of his face. How much morphine had they given him and was it from an FDA approved supplier? He was wasted.

She crawled into the bed and lay on the pillow beside him. “Hi.”

“I am, aren’t I? High. Hi. Get it?” he giggled again.

She patted his hand and pulled it down to lay flat between them. “You need to get rest, Brix. Pia will be up early tomorrow morning and she’ll want to see you. You’ll need your energy to deal with her.”

“Pia,” he tried to sit up. “I didn’t check on her.”

“Brix, lay down. Please. I checked on her. Alfonso checked on her. Rosa and Kendall both were checking her when I came for a lie down earlier.”

“You had to come lie down?”

“I was scared Brix,” she turned his head to look at her. His pupils were huge. She caressed his scruffy beard. “I was very scared you were hurt. I kept my s**t together in front of everyone but then I needed a minute and so I came up here, cried and then went back downstairs and continued to keep my s**t together.”

“You were scared for me?”

“I love you, Brix. You’re not only my husband but my friend and my lover and the father of our daughter. You’re also Don of our family and we don’t work without you.” She noted the way he blinked, and his bottom l*p trembled. “Oh, baby,” she leaned forward and kissed his soft lips. “You need to sleep.”

“I never want to die, Jolie. It means less time with you.”

Her heart was going to explode with the love she felt for her very inebriated husband. She looked up when the bathroom light flicked off and Malik strolled in.

“How the f**k is he still awake?” Malik grunted as he crawled in on the other side of Jolie. “We shot him up with enough stuff to take down a rhino.”

She looked to him quizzically, “why?”

“Because I’m big and strong.”

“Because you refused to let anyone near you to put stitches in. He punched out one of the guys when he came round in the clinic. Barely had time to get the tubing into him for b***d.”

“Who did he hit?”

“Jerome.”

“He’s a scary bastard,” Jolie said with wide eyes. “I mean he gave Trey a look and Trey backed and there isn’t a person in this house who f***s with Trey.”

“Trey isn’t scary,” Brix quipped as his eyelids drooped. “He had a shitty childhood with an abusive b***h for a mother and she ruined him for all women but he’s not scary. Though,” he held up a finger, “he’s got it bad for Opal. It’s the way she defends her kid. He told me the way she would die for her kid made his d**k hard.”

“Aww,” she smiled at the thought.

“I don’t think Brix was supposed to tell you this,” Malik chuckled. “Bro code and all.”

“My lips are sealed,” she giggled. She gently draped her arm over Brix’s tummy as Malik spooned her from behind and covered her arm on Brix with his, lacing his fingers through hers. His breath was warm in her hair.

“I’m hungry,” Brix said suddenly, his eyes closed. “I know Rosa was making pasta tonight.”

“And she boxed everything up and we’ll have it tomorrow as a family. I had Luiz take her and Kendall home around ten when your dad called us the second time to say you were coming around from the sedatives and they were prepping to move you home.” She explained the second half to Malik. She looked at Brix, “are you really hungry? I can make you a sandwich?”

“No.” Brix shook his head. “I feel you could burn peanut butter on white bread.”

Malik snorted and then gasped when she elbowed him in the gut. “Ouch.”

“Our wife is getting violent.” Brix chuckled, “won’t be long and she’ll be in one of our cellars. She’s made for this.”

“What’s a cellar?” she asked curiously.

“Torture cellars,” Brix said smugly.

Malik spoke over him, “Nothing you need to know about. Brix needs to stop talking in case he causes nightmares.”

“Wait, you have torture cellars?” she asked curiously.

“Reserved only for the worst of the worst of our enemies,” Malik said as if trying to sugarcoat the words.

“You torture people.” She noted the glare he gave to Brix. “Malik, you don’t simply execute people? It’s not a quick bullet to the back of the head like in the movies?”

“I’m an expert in torture.” Brix said proudly, “trained by the best of the best in the art of interrogation by torture. Fabrizio is great at it too. He taught me a lot. He skins people alive.”

“Okay!” Malik snapped loudly. “Brix one more f*****g word out of your mouth and I will punch you in the sack.”

“That’s not nice!” Brix commented making eyes at Malik. “Jolie, he’s being mean to me.”

“Because you’re freaking our wife out. Brix, did you forget your stupid brother tortured her?”

“Malik, I’m fine,” she squeezed his hand. “I’m fine. I mean, I didn’t need to know Fabrizio’s specialty, but it makes sense I guess.” She turned her head and looked back to Brix, “I’m fine, really. Can we go to sleep now? It’s already nearing one and Pia is going to be awake before six like she always is. I want a bit of rest before she wakes us up.”

Brix motioned for her to come closer to him, patting his chest. “I need to hold you.”

“I don’t want to hurt your shoulder.”

“It’s the other shoulder,” he argued and slid his arm under her and drew her close.

Malik shuffled closer behind her.

“I love you,” Brix said squeezing her to him. “I love you too Malik. Thank you for being my husband and wife. I love you both.”

“I love you too,” Malik reached his hand and ruffled his hair. “Now sleep.” He whispered lowly, “now I remember why we don’t let him get high or drunk. He’s a f*****g sap. Once his wound is healed, I’m going to have to take him to the basement and beat the s**t out of him.”

Jolie giggled and kissed his cheek. “I like him like this. It’s adorable.”

Malik grunted and nuzzled her neck, “I missed you today, beautiful. I’m sorry we were so late. I’m sorry I didn’t get him home safe to you.”

“He’s home and it’s all which matters, my love,” she whispered as she watched Brix’s eyes stay shut this time and a gentle snore escape his lips. “I was scared, Malik. I was very scared, but I knew, so long as you were together, we would be all right.”

He cleared his throat, “I will be implementing a different security protocol for Brix. Tonight, reinforced how lax we got in our own house. We’ve always kept Cacciola and BrixWith separate entities in terms of how aggressive we get. With him as Don, the threats will be coming at him increasingly and we need to adjust.”

“But tonight, wasn’t about Cacciola.”

“Wasn’t it?” he asked quietly. “The entire reason Agent Jax was in our building was because he’s a Cacciola. Because we were on BrixWith property we held back in dealing with the situation the way we would if the entire organization were watching. Moving forward all security will be managed the same way. We’ll have our lawyers on standby for the things which occur directly in the public eye but” he gave a quiet smirk, “neither individual should have left the offices alive, and police shouldn’t be involved. We certainly wouldn’t have let it escalate the way it did and I sure as f**k would have ordered a bullet in Macey’s head the second, she pulled a weapon.”

“Malik, I agree changes might need to be made but this was not your fault.”

“It was. I should have implemented tighter protocol over Macey, especially once you pointed out she was f*****g the FBI agent.”

Gingerly she turned away from Brix and faced him completely, “hey, I’m not letting you do this. You are correct. Changes might need to be made and I agree making sure all situations regardless of whether he’s acting as a Cacciola, or a Beckwith need to be overseen with the same level of concern is a good option. However, this was an odd situation and not one I want you beating yourself over. He wouldn’t let you blame yourself and I’m not letting you do it either. Take your pity party and shove it because I’m not listening to it.”

He smiled at her and cupped her cheek softly. “f**k you’re amazing Jolie.”

“I know,” she giggled as he moved to k**s her softly wrapping her arms around his waist. She sighed happily as his mouth connected her with hers, sliding back and forth. This was where she belonged. In the arms of her husbands, safe and secure in their bed, feeling loved and adored. They were all safe now.

When Malik whispered goodnight against her lips and held her close, she wasn’t long behind him falling to sleep, a silly memory of the men promising her Sunday mornings were for staying in bed and cuddling curving the smile on her lips.