FEVERISH UnbRoken

the wall. “You mean her? The young girl in the photo?”
“The one and only.”
Garrett sighed. “She looks as if she doesn’t have a care in the world. Must be nice.”
Maddon turned serious and stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him. “You literally don’t know me from a hole in the wall, but let me give you a little piece of advice. I didn’t understand it then, but as a grown man, I get it. My Big Mama used to say; I don’t look like what I’ve been through. Half the battle is just to keep moving. If you step out of this room looking and feeling like a defeated man . . . they win. I don’t know about you, but I’m competitive. I don’t want anyone to beat me at anything.”
Garrett was slow to respond, but Maddon was right. He’d allowed himself twenty-four hours to feel the pain and anguish of betrayal at the hands of the two people he trusted most. He’d never allowed life to beat him and didn’t plan on starting today.
Garrett leaned his head from side to side loosening up the muscles and cracking his bones in his neck. Steel determination that had gotten him through some tough times returned. It was laced throughout his voice. “That won’t happen.”
Maddon was happy to hear the fight in him, but there was also an edge to it. It was the edge that worried him.
Garrett continued. “Let me grab a quick shower, and I’ll meet you downstairs.” He walked over to his carry-on and pulled out his own toiletry bag. “I’ll do my best not to scare off your sister.”
Maddon nodded and left. He had no idea how ruthless Garrett could be. This situation had taken Garrett by surprise. Garrett may have stumbled in a moment of weakness, but Shannon and Raymond had better hope they made a good contingency plan because one thing was sure, he was going to make them pay for their betrayal.

Chapter 5
Imani sat around the breakfast table watching her family talk a mile a minute. Being home was good. Nothing could heal her hurts faster than being surrounded by their love. It also was never a dull or quiet moment when they were all together except for when her father said grace.
He typically sat at the head of the table while her mother would take a seat at the opposite end. Today, Aaliyah sat across from her but next to Maddon. The chair just to Imani’s right was empty.
Aaliyah snuck a piece of bacon. Imani was starving and thought she’d try it too but was stopped cold. Her mother didn’t even have to raise her voice. She cleared her throat—twice. “We haven’t blessed the food yet.”
Imani wanted to act like a teenager, whine and say, but Aaliyah got one. Her immediate reaction was so silly she almost laughed out loud. The girl was pregnant and clearly eating for two. All Imani could do was ease her hand away from the delicious looking bacon and place them back on her lap. She kept her pout to a minimum. Still, there was an edge to her voice. “What exactly are we waiting for?”
Her father responded. “We have a guest. Hopefully, he’ll be down soon, and we can eat. Maddon, you did invite him to breakfast, right?”
Maddon nodded. “Yeah. He’ll be down soon.”
Speaking of the devil, Garrett seemed to magically appear from nowhere as he stood in the doorway of the dining room. “I apologize for making you and your family wait, Mr. Jones.”
Imani turned towards him and his silky, smooth voice. She stopped breathing. For about five seconds, Imani didn’t move and probably didn’t have a heartbeat. He was so magazine cover gorgeous, she was rendered speechless, which was a pretty mean feat.
Her father waved him in. “No problem. Come on and have a seat. Nothing like breakfast with good friends and family to cure a multitude of ills.”
Maddon stood up from his chair and shook Garrett’s hand before re-introducing him to everyone. This time, he made the introductions while Garrett was sober. “You’ve already met my parents, Michael and Felicia Jones.”
Garrett nodded. “Thank you again for allowing me into your home . . . considering . . .”
Maddon continued, “You also met one of my sisters, last night, Aaliyah.”
Garrett nodded and smiled at her.
Aaliyah waved.
“However, you didn’t meet the Brat. She flew in this morning. This is my sister, Imani. Imani, this is Garrett Hadley.”
Garrett noticed her the moment he entered the room. Who wouldn’t? To put it mildly, she was absolutely stunning, and the spitting image of Maddon only she was sexy. He wasn’t. Her features were softer where his were more masculine. Her big brown eyes seemed to look straight through him – smooth caramel skin looked soft and kissable. Garrett wasn’t sure what, if anything, she could see, but that made him a little uncomfortable. The mere thought that someone could discern all of his deeply held secrets made him cringe on the inside. It was a good thing he was the master of the façade. Garrett used it to his advantage when he coolly responded. “Nice to meet you.”
Imani stared long and hard as he made his way toward the chair next to her. His dirty blonde hair was still wet from a shower, and his strong angular jawline was freshly shaven. Where the hell did Maddon find the sexiest man on earth? His jeans hung low on his hips, and his black t-shirt wasn’t fitted but didn’t do anything to hide the corded muscles in his arms