Take (Need #2)(76)

“Shut your face!” I scream, folding his arm under mine, trying to punch at his ribs again until I can get to his head. I need to knock the f*cker out.

The crowd is far enough away they might not hear the shit coming out of his mouth, but he needs to stop, and I’m determined to shut him the f*ck up. He doesn’t get how what he’s saying affects Kira, too.

I don’t give a f*ck anymore if people know how I feel about her, but Kira does, and I’ll be damned to let this * put her through that.

A siren goes off and suddenly I notice the blue and red lights flashing, bouncing off everything around.

Shit.

Austin lands another hit to my face, setting a ringing off in my head and my vision to blur.

Damn.

I swing blindly back at him and connect with something, just as the booming authoritative voice ends it all.

“Break it up, boys.”

Fuck all that is f*cking f*ck.

We’re both breathing heavily, reluctantly breaking apart.

“Get on your knees, hands behind your head.”

“Kira, catch.” I pull my phone out of my back pocket and toss it to her before complying.

I get a dirty look from one of the two cops, who eyes Kira. She looks at me in confusion, but there’s something else in her eyes I can’t make out.

“Call my mom,” I say to her. The last thing I need or want right now is my father finding out what happened, at least not first.

The theater manager is there now, talking to them.

We’re only on our knees for a minute or two, a spectacle for all to see. Whispered words, gossip in the making, but it’s all about the fall of Brayden Hunt and Austin Reed’s friendship. A few talking about protecting my stepsister.

It’s all people we went to school with and a few curious onlookers.

One cop walks around and pulls my hands behind me, linking, caging me with metal handcuffs before hauling me up to my feet. This is a moment I never expected to happen to me.

A hand on my head as I’m stuffed into the back of the patrol car.

I look back to Kira. Her brow is furrowed, my phone clutched in her hand. I want to kiss the worry from her lips, but I have a feeling the next few days are going to be full of nothing but shit.

The cops enter the vehicle. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Austin being shoved into another car. Of course they wouldn’t put us in the same patrol car together. We’d probably f*cking kill each other, even cuffed.

I focus on Kira again. The tears in her eyes kill me.

Fill me with hope.

I pray she can see how much I love her right now. I love her for not looking away from me during that fight, not even once. Love her for showing me how much she still cares by simply standing there, all of her defenses gone.

The cops talk among themselves, but I pay them no mind. It takes them a few minutes to start driving; I stare at Kira the entire time, and she doesn’t stop staring at me either.

Her heart’s breaking for me. She hates seeing me in this like this and it’s obvious in her expression.

Finally.

I’m finally getting the real her. The raw truth. It took this, but for the first time in a long time, I’m once again sure.

This girl still loves me.

She wouldn’t look at me the way she’s looking at me now if she didn’t.

I feel warm liquid leak down into my eye.

Blood.

Kira flinches, her eyes filling with tears.

The car pulls away from the movie theater, heading to the precinct. I crane my neck to keep her in my sight for as long as I can, my heart pumping wildly.

She still loves me. Fuck, she loves me.

I’m on my way to jail, and it does nothing to diminish the relief in my veins. I exhale slowly and let my head fall back on the headrest, my mind churning.

I hope she knows there’s no going back now. Not after what she just allowed me to see.

As soon as I’m a free man again, we’re going to finish this.

As soon as they let me out, I’m making her my girl once and for all, and there’s nothing that can stop me.





I want to scream. Break things. I want to tear out my own motherf*cking hair.

My body is motionless. Incapable of moving. Signals fire off in my brain, commands sent to limbs that have no plans of responding.

Austin’s face was destroyed.

So was Brayden’s.

They almost killed each other, and it’s all my fault.

Most girls would be thrilled that two guys fought over them to that extent. I’m just sick to my stomach. On the verge of a panic attack. I’m worried for Austin.

But I’m f*cking terrified for Brayden.

Is he okay? Oh God, he needs stitches. What if he gets a concussion? Austin had pounded into his ribs really bad. What if something was cracked? Are they taking him straight to the hospital for a checkup?

I can’t think straight. Can’t function.

“Kira!”

I recognize the voice calling out to me, but I don’t respond to it.

This is going to go on Brayden’s record. There’s no way it’s not. I don’t know enough about the law to even begin guessing how this is going to affect his future.

A hand lands on my shoulder, and I’m urged to turn around. It’s Ashley. She’s panting, blue eyes worried. Distantly, I wonder where the other girls are. I lost sight of them when Austin approached me.