I'm just waiting for Carrie to make her full approach out of the room. I watch the final folds of her red dress disappear up the stairs. I want to follow her so badly and assure her that everything's alright, but I have some final words to say to Carter first. I definitely don't want her to hear this. I invited Carter over based on goodwill and he's acted in a totally obscene way. It looks like he's up to his old tricks and I don't know why I'm surprised. I'm gonna have to shut this down fast. Normally I would be a little more apt to indulge his dark fantasies but when it comes to Carrie I just can't. He better not ever lay a hand on her or he will cease to be. Family or not, Carrie's my property now and I will never give that up.

"Listen, Carter, you asshole. This is not a game, understand? This is not like before. She is special. And she is mine."

He laughs like he appreciates my anger so much. He laughs like he has not a care in the world about what I've just said. This makes me fume and I want to rage on him but I hold back.

He says haughtily to me, "Come on old boy. We're practically blood. Don't let some virgin come between us. She is a virgin, right?" His lips peel up in a smile. "Or have you already undone that? I could help, you know. I could show her what a true man is."

"Carter, I'm warning you. I regret that you're here okay? I regret ever showing her to you. You obviously can't handle yourself."

He takes a nice sip of his wine and leans back into his chair. He's eyeing me, wondering if he can call my bluff. I normally let him get away with so much. But not this time, not with Carrie.

"Oh, come on! You always let me play with your toys. I like them. You're so good at picking the right ones. Besides, you break them too quickly. I'll be careful. She's ripe isn't she Jeremy? Let me just finish her off. It would feel so good for me to do that. I could fuck her first."

My eyes are full of anger and I hope he's reading them right. He's treading on dangerous ground. He continues to take this lightly as if we are meant to share everything like he has some entitlement to her.

"She is not yours okay? Get it through your head right now, I am serious and this is different." I'm practically growling the words through my teeth.

"Oh don't be jealous Jeremy. It does not become you. I will fuck her, yes, but I don't mind sharing. Unlike you, I like to spread the good around. I could fuck her nice and slow, and then hard until she's near coming, and then you could come in and take her from behind. That's how you like it, isn't it Jeremy? Don't you just love to take women that way? You love to rip them apart with your cock. I imagine you're planning to do that tonight with her anyway, why not let me join in on the fun? Hmm? We could finish her off, kill her right there with our cum sprayed all over her face like we so often have done. Wouldn't that be nice?"

I fly at him now. I pick him up by the collar and snarl into his face. "Leave her the fuck alone! And get out!"

"Come on man, what are you going to do?" He spits the words out. "I will have her at some point. She's probably aching for it right now." He casts a wicked smile and laughs.

I grab a steak knife from the table and stab him in a meticulous way. It's enough to hurt him but it won't be fatal. I know the anatomy of bodies well enough by now. He will be able to stitch it up at home.

In fact, he laughs again as he steps back, holding his bloodied side.

"Oh, you fucker. Now you've woken the beast. Now I want to see what has you all up in knots. You should know how to control yourself better after all this time. I will know this girl…intimately.”

"Out!" I shove him towards the door and let him rot in a heap on the driveway. Fuck! I slam the giant entryway shut and lean up against it, breathing heavily from the adrenaline of the moment. What have I done? What if I've just revealed too much about how much I care for Carrie? I should never have shown emotion like that. I should've predicted that this could be dangerous. This man, who was once my brother has morphed tonight into my eternal enemy. I know he won't stop until he has his way. I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. I did not expect the evening to go this way. I thought that for once in his life Carter could act civil, but his savageness came out in full tonight and I fear I may have put Carrie's life in danger. The one life I care about, the most precious girl in the world to me, might be in mortal danger because I just don’t know how to be in love with Carrie, or what it is doing to my life. I need to protect her from the only person I used think of as family.