CHAPTER 21: BROTHER

"Well, well. It looks like my brother has left his protégé all alone." Jude spun to meet her intruder. Of course, she thought. Out of two hundred people, it has to be him. Robby.

He was leering at her from the other side of the bar. His presence immediately unnerved her. He was staring at her like a tiger stares at a particularly vulnerable deer.

"You left me hanging all alone the other day. I've been wanting to…talk to you." Jude could tell that 'talk' had not been the word he had wanted to use.

She tried her best to smile pleasantly while inside she was resisting the urge to flee. But she would be damned if she gave Robby the satisfaction of knowing how uncomfortable he made her. "Sorry about that. Tommy and I had a lot to work on. You know how it is."

He started walking slowly towards her and Jude squashed the urge to back up. "Sure, girly, I know how hard it is. I bet the two of you were really working hard, all day long." He was close enough now that she could smell his strong cologne. It nearly made her gag. She was trying to keep her temper in check. How dare he insinuate…what he was insinuating! It doesn't mean anything, he's just an idiot. Let it go.

But Robby just kept right on going. He leaned in even closer. "What I want to know is what you see in my brother that's got you all hot and bothered." His leering smile was inches from her face. "Don't you know a real man when you see one?"

That was it. Her reign on her temper was gone in an instant. "I certainly don't see any in my immediate vicinity. Do you?" She snarled. She was through being afraid of this moron.

His eyes narrowed in anger. "Bitch. You're just jealous cause you can't have me."

Jude laughed at him. "Isn't that supposed to be my line?" All she really wanted to do was deck him. Or maybe stab him with one of her stilettos. "Listen to me, you jerk, I've tried being subtle but obviously you just don't get it. I don't want anything to do with you. I don't find you scary and certainly don't find you charming. So please, find some other girl to bother." She turned to walk away, "By the way, you'll never be half the man your brother is."

She took a few steps when she felt his hand on her arm. His face was flushed with rage and his voice was a deadly whisper. "You're going to pay for that, you little bitch. Just you watch, you and my brother will be sorry that you tried to mess with me." He turned on his heel and stalked away, pushing people out of his path.

Jude shivered at the hatred in his voice. She looked around and noticed everyone around her was staring at her like she was a three headed monster. She hadn't realized her voice had carried while she was berating Tommy's brother.

She must have jumped a foot in the air as an arm slid around her shoulders. "Hey, easy there. It's just us." Jude nearly melted in relief when she saw Jane and Dani standing protectively around her. "You okay, Honey? We saw you and Robby from the other side of the room but we couldn't get to you any faster. I heard the end of your conversation, by the way, and good on you. I bet half the girls in the room could have said what you did to my pond scum of a brother. I'm so sorry he has to be such a dick. He always was. What did he say to you before he left?" She finally paused in her rush of speech, long enough for Jude to get a word in.

She wrapped her arms around herself trying to warm her self from the sudden chill that ran through her. "He said he'd make us pay, me and Tommy. That we'd be sorry." She shivered again.

Jane eyes widened. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry." She wrapped her arms around Jude again. "He's just being an idiot because you didn't fall at his feet the way he seems to think the entire female population should. He even tried to hit on Dani."

Jude looked at Dani. She nodded. "He's an asshole and he's stupid. A dangerous combination. Don't worry about it, Jane and I have your back."

"Thanks. You two have been the best." She hugged each one, more grateful then she could say for their friendship and their support.

Out of the crowd that had lost interest in her, Tommy stepped forward. "Hey, I trust you managed to stay out of trouble while I was gone?" His smile disappeared as he looked at the grim faces of the three women in front of him. "What?"