Broken Beautiful Hearts(94)
I want to intervene and say something, but my feet are stuck in quicksand again. The last time I was alone with Reed, he was standing at the top of the steps after he pushed me. I’ve imagined seeing him again, and it didn’t feel like this.
I know Reed won’t touch me in front of all these people, but somehow my fight-or-flight response didn’t get the memo.
“This is your ex?” Owen asks.
I try to respond, but all I can do is nod. I can’t find my voice.
“Everything okay?” Cam asks as he comes up beside me.
I’ve never been so glad to see him.
Christian, Grace, and Tucker are trailing behind him. When Grace sees me, she rushes over. “What’s wrong? You’re totally pale.”
“That’s him,” I whisper.
Her eyes flash to Reed and she stiffens next to me. “Oh my god. What’s he doing here?”
Realization hits me.
Reed didn’t come here looking for me.
“I’m fighting tonight, sweetheart,” Reed says. “It’s classic. Ex-boyfriend versus rebound guy.”
“Hold up,” Christian says. “This is the guy?”
Billy crosses his arms and squares his shoulders, and TJ leers at Grace.
“What guy?” Tucker whispers to Grace.
Reed tries to make eye contact with me. “So you’ve been telling everyone about me, Peyton? I guess you miss me more than I thought.” He has always been cocky, but not like this. I wonder if Tess’ big brother is still in there somewhere. I doubt it.
“Yeah. We heard all about you,” Cam says, his tone icy.
Owen moves closer to me. “What’s going on? Peyton, look at me.”
I shake my head.
“She’s fine,” Grace says, trying to cover for me.
“She’s not fine.” Owen reaches for me as if he’s going to pull me into the safety of his arms.
I want to say I’m fine, even though I’m not. But I can’t speak. If I start talking, I’ll have to interact with Reed, and this nightmare will be real.
Cam touches my arm. “Let’s go. You don’t need to talk to him.”
“Does someone want to tell me what the hell is going on?” Owen asks.
Reed ignores Owen and looks at me. “It’s not too late to come back.”
TJ eyes Grace from where he’s standing beside Reed. “And you can bring your friend with you. She’s just my speed.”
“What the fuck did you just say?” Cam’s voice comes out as a growl, and before TJ has time to make a smart-ass comeback, Cameron tackles him, fists flying.
Reed smirks and steps out of the way.
“Cameron!” Grace shouts. “Stop!”
The ref sees TJ and Cam grappling on the floor and signals a huge man wearing a yellow EVENT SECURITY T-shirt.
Grace looks at Christian. “Do something!”
“I wouldn’t,” Billy warns.
Christian’s hands curl into fists at his sides. “Or what?”
One fight is bad enough. If Christian and Billy get into it, someone is definitely going to get hurt. But the man working event security shows up before one of them takes a swing.
TJ and Cam are jockeying for the upper hand, but on the ground TJ has the advantage.
The security guard grabs TJ by the shoulder and jerks him back as if he weighs nothing. Cam gets back on his feet and goes after TJ again. But the huge guy catches Cameron in a headlock. “You need to cut that shit out unless you wanna get hurt.”
“Let him go,” Christian says.
The giant of a man gives Christian a dismissive look. “I’ll let his ass go outside, ’cause they’re both out of here.” He keeps Cam in a headlock as he walks up the aisle, and he shoves TJ forward with his other hand.
“I’m going to make sure Cam is okay,” Grace says. She rushes up the aisle, and I’m left with Reed and Owen, who look like they want to tear each other apart; Christian and Billy, who are squaring off; and Tucker, who looks like he’s just trying to stay out of their way.
The ref walks over to the edge of the cage and calls out to Owen and Reed. “You two aren’t supposed to be out here. Get in your corners, unless you both want to be disqualified.”
I spot Reed’s trainer in the corner opposite Cutter, and he signals Reed.
“It was fun catching up,” Reed says, looking right at me. “We should do this again after the fight. We can celebrate my championship win.”
Billy laughs.
Owen’s posture has turned to stone. He might not know exactly what’s going on, but he knows something is wrong.
Reed notices Owen staring him down. “Why is he looking at me like I’m the bad guy, Peyton? Let me guess. You told them your little fairy tale about me pushing you down the stairs? Did someone actually believe you?”
CHAPTER 38
The Machine
OWEN DOESN’T MOVE. His gaze darts between Reed and me.
He’s putting the pieces together.
Without warning, he lunges at Reed. “Did you hurt her?”
Christian grabs Owen and drags him away from Reed.
Owen reaches over Christian’s shoulder and points at Reed. “If you touched her I’ll tear you apart!”