Mrs. Davenport fought back, shouting obscenities at her husband and calling him a “lifeless prick.”
I shifted uncomfortably and leaned towards Ash. "Are your parents always like this?" I asked him.
His unfocused eyes looked down at me. "Yes. They hate each other. My dad is a lifeless prick, though. He shouldn't be talking to my mother that way."
Jon came over holding his own drink. "Our father is a dangerous man. He's vicious to those who go against him." He turned to Ash and sneered. "But you know all about that, don't you?"
"At least I'm not a Daddy's Boy."
"No, you're a screw-up who got lucky a few times. No wonder our father regrets giving you his name. You don't deserve it."
Ash looked down at his drink, paused, then threw it in his brother's face. Jon stepped back, dripping with Scotch, a scowl over his good looks. "See what I mean? You're a barbarian. No class. You're a disgrace and Cat deserves better than an untamed animal like you."
Ash stuck out his chest and got within an inch of Jon's face. "Keep talking and you'll find out just how untamed."
I reached for Ash's arm just as Bridgette pulled Jon away. Jon shrugged it off, wiping off his face and pouring himself a double, but Ash still seemed riled up. When he calmed enough to light a cigar, I pulled Bridgette into the house. "Come with me to the bathroom. My makeup needs… something," I said by way of an excuse to get us both out of there.
She closed the door behind us and snorted. "Your makeup needs 'something?' Sometimes you make a terrible girl, you know that?"
"Well, if our men are any indication, I wouldn't make a very good man, either. God, they can be so stupid." I took lipstick from my purse and applied another coat of red as Bridgette patted her nose with a light cover up.
"I love Ash more than anything, but sometimes I just want to smack him," I said, dropping my makeup back in my purse.
Bridgette looked at me, head tilted. "I think Jon will propose soon."
"Wow. That's…" My smile faltered."…great."
She frowned. "I know tonight has been… off. But you do like him, don't you?"'
"Of course."
"Then what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"You don't…" She paused, frowning. "There's nothing going on between the two of you, is there?"
I glared at her in anger. "I can't believe you would accuse me of that, Bridgette. That you would think I would, A: Cheat on Ash, and B: Cheat on Ash with your boyfriend. What kind of person do you think I am?"
Bridgette reached for my hand. "Ah, shit, I'm sorry Catelyn. That was a stupid question. Of course you would never do that to me. Or Ash. It's Jon I worry about."
I let my anger diffuse, knowing she didn't really mean it. Hoping she didn't really mean it. "Has he—"
"He's been faithful. As far as I know. But he's a Davenport. Women see him as a prize more than a man. Maybe one day their games will work and he'll forget about me, even just for one night, and it'll be enough to crush me."
"Don't worry. You've already won him over. Everyone else is too late." I hugged her and smiled.
We walked arm in arm out of the bathroom and she leaned in and whispered, "Now I'm just playing for keeps."
Something crashed outside and we both ran out in time to see Ash push Jon down to the grass. Jon got back up and held up his fists as if ready to fight.
Ash just stood there, body deceptively calm and still. I knew better. "Come on," Ash said. "Do it."
Jon's face was red and he and Ash both looked a bit wobbly from too much liquor. Jon backed away but Ash stepped forward. "Come on, Jon. You want what's mine, come take it."
"Ash, let's go inside," mumbled Jon.
"So you can hide behind Dad again? Scrawny Jonny hiding behind his fucking daddy, like always."
Jon's face contorted into something ugly and angry and he swung at Ash, but I could tell he didn't have much training and Ash easily stepped out of his way, then spun around and put Jon in a neck hold, pushing him to the ground. He choked Jon as Jon fought to escape.
Bridgette and I rushed to them. "Stop!" I pulled on Ash's arm. "Stop! Let him go, it's not worth it!"
"Say she's mine," Ash screamed at his brother.
Jon, stubbornly refusing to reply, kept fighting.
"Say she's mine!"
Jon still struggled to free himself.
Ash let go with one hand, made a fist and was about to bring it down on Jon's face. "Say—"
"She's yours," coughed Jon. "She's yours!"
Ash looked up and finally noticed us standing there, staring. He backed away, kicking Jon in the leg with little force. "Don't forget it." He stormed into the house and toward the front door. I chased after him, the alcohol finally catching up to me as I ran in my heels. "Ash. Ash! What happened?"
Ash turned, the anger rolling off him like a storm of waves. "He said you're marrying the wrong Davenport."
"Ash—"
"Are you?"
"No!"
Ash nodded. "And that's what I told him. In my own way."
Chapter Nine
Deadly Secrets
PRESENT DAY