Killing Me Softly: A Thriller Romance Novel

Chapter 30

MARY JO – JULY 4TH

I knew my husband Theo had been following us around for some time now. Every time Donnie and I were together, Theo had his dark, angry eyes upon us. I knew what he was thinking. That Donnie and I had something going on, but Donnie was not like that. Not with me.

Sure, Donnie had his moments. He could be creepy or scary to other people, but not to me. Some said he was a grade-A psychopath. He could be heartless. I had seen it first-hand, many times. But I knew Donnie loved me. He'd never do anything to me. He was protective, sure, but only because I was all he had left of our family after our dad died.

"He would want it this way," Donnie would say of Dad to me in all things we did. "We're the last of the family, MJ. We must stick together. No matter what."

That's why it killed Donnie when I married Theo. Because it had separated us. When I met Theo, I had spent less and less time with Donnie. We no longer took our road trips, went places together, or spent much time together anymore. When I met Theo, I was Theo's, and Donnie hated that.

"You've chosen him over me," Donnie had said to me the night I told him Theo proposed to me.

I was bursting withexcitement to share the good news with Donnie, but his reaction turned out tobe completely different from what I had expected. Instead of congratulating me, he became angry with me. He distanced himself from me for two whole months. Then returned with a personal vendetta against Theo. I didn't know why until Donnie spelled it out for me the night of July 4th.

I had packed my bag, excited to go out on Donnie's boat with Amelia and Theo and few other friends we had in Corpus Christi who Amelia had invited to come with us. I had my suitcase open on the bed next to Theo's. Mine was almost full. Theo's was empty.

"Come on, babe. We have to get going," I had told him, scurrying around him to start packing his things for him.

"MJ, stop. Stop!" Theo grabbed my wrist and stopped me at the closet, glaring at me. The way he grabbed me startled me.

"Why? What's wrong?" I asked him, jerking my wrist out of his grip.

He looked me from eye to eye with the angriest look in his onyx eyes. "I don't want to go."

"What? Why not? Ugh, don't tell me you're having another one of your antisocial episodes." I rolled my eyes at him, annoyed that he never seemed to like going out or doing anything with me anymore.

"Because, I don't want to. I want to stay home," Theo said firmly, following me into the closet and then back out once I'd took a couple of his Hawaiian shirts off the hangers.

"Theo, don't do this to me. You know how much I enjoy going out on Donnie's boat," I said, zipping past him and folding his shirts at the side of the bed.

"Yeah, a little too much," Theo said in a sardonic manner.

I thought, Oh god. Here he goes again.

"Ugh, what is that supposed to mean?" I put his neatly-folded shirts into his suitcase and faced him, planting my hands on my hips.

"It's just...I don't trust him. That's all."

"Ugh, will you stop being so cynical? Donnie means well. You know that," I said.

"I'm not being cynical. I'm being honest. I don't think you should see Donnie anymore," Theo said and clenched his jaw, balling his fists.

"What?" I shrieked at him and then laughed. "I'm not going to stop seeing him, Theo. He's my brother!"

"Half-brother." Theo had to correct me like he always did.