Love Me (WITSEC #3)(22)

As we left the tent, Isabelle said, “Looks like they haven’t found us yet.”

I looked all around as we walked. “They haven’t even called or texted.”

“Reception is terrible out here.”

Instead of trying to search for the guys, I should have paid attention to where I was going.

“Shi, watch—” I heard Isabelle say as I walked right into someone.

I stumbled back a little before catching myself. “I’m so sorry.”

“If you wanted me, Shiloh, you could have just said. You don’t have to throw yourself at me,” a familiar voice said, and a few masculine laughs followed.

I looked up and my stomach sank. Gabe was here. Gabe, who’d shoved me during volleyball, tossed me into the school pool, helped destroy my car. Gabe, who was Cassy’s equally evil cousin.

Why is he here? I thought as I eyed him and his two friends, who I recognized as his teammates on our school’s baseball team, that flanked him. This was a Desert Stone-sponsored event. Gabe hated Colt and Creed. Unless he’d come to antagonize all of us.

Not wanting to give him the opportunity, I urged Isabelle to walk away with me. “Come on,” I said to her.

“Where are you going?” Gabe’s arm caught me around my waist, pulling me back to where I’d been standing in front of him. “I’m not done talking to you.” His arm moved from my waist to around my lower back and he stepped closer.

I pushed at his chest. “Let go of me.”

His hold on me was unrelenting. “Oh, come on. I just want to talk.”

“Hey!” Isabelle yelled as one of Gabe’s friends blocked her from getting closer.

Smirking at me, Gabe grabbed the end of one of my braids with his other hand and tugged on it just enough to make my head tilt slightly. “I want to see what is so special about you. I mean, you must have a magical cunt or something to satisfy both of the Stone brothers.”

His two friends snickered.

Pushing against his chest with one hand, I went to smack his hand away with my other. He caught me by my wrist before I could. Feeling the marred skin beneath his fingers, he looked down at my scar. An evil glint sparked in his eyes, and I just knew what he was going to imply next. “Or maybe it’s the kinky shit you’re into that keeps them entertained.” He leaned his face close to my ear and whispered, “Since you like being tied up so much, you might enjoy it when we put a noose around that pretty little neck.”

I tried to reel back, but couldn’t go far with him holding me.

“You better drop the charges,” he said in a low voice. “Your time is running out.”

Ripping my wrist from his grasp, I slapped his face and shoved him off me with all my strength. He fell back a step and violent anger darkened his eyes. Gabe’s friends went quiet and appeared stunned. In my peripheral vision, Isabelle took advantage of that and slipped past the guy who was blocking her.

I sensed it in my gut before I saw Gabe’s reach for me. He grabbed the front of my tank with one hand and swung with the other. He was going to backhand me. I blocked the hit by bringing my arm up. Isabelle screamed like a banshee and jumped on Gabe’s back. She began smacking and punching at his head and face.

To defend himself, he let go of me and tossed Isabelle off of him. I reached out to catch her, forgetting I had zero upper-body strength. The impact of her body made me stumble backward until my back collided with a chest. Failing to stay on my feet, I began to slide down the person behind me. Their hands caught me by my ribs and lifted, helping me back to my feet, and I helped Isabelle to hers.

“Did you just put your hands on my girlfriend, Harris?” Ethan snarled as he stormed by and put himself between us and Gabe and his friends. Then Creed appeared and went to stand next to Ethan.

“Are you all right, babe?” Colt’s voice filled my ear. I sagged against him a little.

Gabe slicked back his hair, which was the same tawny shade as Cassy’s, with his fingers. Isabelle had successfully messed up his hair and managed to scratch his cheek. I was calling it a win. “She was attacking me,” Gabe snarled.

“He was going to hit Shiloh,” Isabelle said with a tremor in her voice.

That information didn’t even need a second to sink in for Creed before he shoved Gabe hard. Gabe stumbled backward and his friends moved away as if they didn’t want to get involved. It was at that point I noticed a crowd forming around us.

Creed closed the space between him and Gabe and fisted the front of Gabe’s shirt.

“Hey!” Keelan appeared and got between them. With his good arm, he pushed Creed back, then turned to face Gabe.

Lost in his rage, Gabe tried to shove Keelan out of the way. Keelan angled to the side and caught Gabe by his arm, twisting it behind his back. Gabe struggled against Keelan’s hold, making Keelan wince. It was then that I noticed he wasn’t wearing his sling.

I was moving before I thought to and rushed around Ethan and Creed. By the time I made it to Keelan, he had knocked Gabe’s feet from under him and had him pinned, face-down on the ground.

Knox pushed through the crowd then, security right behind him. He took one look at Keelan restraining Gabe and told security to escort Gabe out. He then told everyone who had been standing around watching to move on and informed them that the run was about to start.

As soon as Keelan was standing, I went to touch him, but stopped myself. Clenching my hands into fists, afraid I’d hurt him if I touched him, I asked, “Are you all right?”