CHAINS TO FREEDOM.✔

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Heavy pounding on the door caused Louis to pause. Daniel's voice called. "Louis, what are you doing? Don't beat her, it wasn't her fault! It was me! I kissed her!" He pounded on the door once more. "Louis!"

Louis took his hand from her face and closed his eyes in frustration. Goddamn Daniel! He looked at Jessica once more. She wasn't ready to hear what he had to say and she was right. This moment, the way it had come about was not the right place or time. With a warm smile, he stepped backwards, bowed, and then said, "If you'll please excuse me. I have a situation I need to deal with."

Daniel pounded on the door again. "Louis, let her be. Take it out on me if you have the need to!"

Louis unbolted the door and opened it. The instant he saw his brother his rage returned. He shoved Daniel hard in the chest, causing him to stumble backwards. Hearing the door slam shut behind him and the bolt snap into place escalated his hate for his sibling. "Get the fuck out of my house!" Louis descended the stairs two at a time knowing Daniel was following him. "But before you leave, I have the need, as you put it, to beat the fucking hell out of you!" Louis stripped himself of his coat and threw it onto one of the chairs in the hall.

Daniel said nothing but followed his brother through the kitchen and out into the courtyard.

Louis turned to face him. "Take off your coat, Daniel!"

"What did you do to her, Louis? I heard her scream!"

"It is no concern of yours to know what I did or did not do to her! What your concern should be right now is what I am going to do to you," Louis spoke with deathly calm.

"Louis, it meant nothing." Daniel held his hands out to his brother.

"Even more reason for me to beat the fucking hell out of you. Now take off your coat." Louis stepped threateningly toward Daniel.

Daniel stepped back. He looked away and shook his head. "I'm not going to fight you, Louis."

"Yes you are little brother!" Louis seethed. "You want to play games. Let's play."

Daniel turned to walk away. "No. I'm not fighting you."

Louis grabbed hold of Daniel's arm and pulled him around to face him. "You will fight me, Daniel, because I will not let you leave here until you do."

Daniel shook his head again. "She's just a convict, Louis. I will admit she is beautiful but still, she's just a thieving whore."

Louis slammed his fist into Daniel's mouth, splitting his lip. The force of the blow knocked him to the ground. Daniel sat up and wiped the blood from his lip. He looked at where it marked the skin on the back of his hand.

"Get up, Daniel and prepare yourself to fight."

"Why are you so angry about this?" Daniel struggled to his feet and slowly took off his coat.

Louis didn't answer.

Suddenly Daniel broke into laughter. "Oh! I know why!" He pointed at Louis. "You're jealous. You want to have her in your bed." He cocked his head to one side. "Or perhaps you already have?" He laughed some more. "Ah... but no. That's it isn't it, Louis? You want to bed her but she won't let you." Daniel continued to laugh and shook his head in astonishment. "If she won't let you, what makes you think she'd let me?" Daniel pointed at his brother. "You who have always been the one to succeed in that area more than I!" He stopped laughing and looked seriously at Louis. "I'm sorry for calling her a thieving whore. She is obviously not a whore, just a thief, perhaps." He paused, looked toward the ground, and then back at his brother. "I never thought I'd see this day, Louis."

"And what day is that, Daniel!" Louis hissed.

"The day my handsome brother was truly in love with a woman. I'm sorry, Louis. I didn't realise. She must be really something to have been able to capture your heart." Daniel smiled lovingly at Louis. "I will not fight you, brother." He picked up his coat to walk away, and then turned back toward Louis. "If it means anything, Louis. She did not respond to my kissing her, except to try to push me away. Now with your permission I'd like to go to her and apologize?"

Louis cast his eyes downward and nodded, the fight within him gone. "You had better do a good bloody job of it."

Copyright© 2019 Donna Fieldhouse. All rightsreserved.

Maybe Daniel isn't all bad :(

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