Unbreakable(49)

Dylan bursts into the room with Axel, Violet, and Peyton hot on his heels. Lilly hangs back near the doorway, studying the scene.

“What the f*ck is going on up here?” Axel asks, looking between Sully and Will.

“I just found out that Maverick’s been doing a hell of a lot more than just hanging out with my sister over the past few days. They’ve got something going on.”

The group grows quiet, and Lilly’s mouth drops open.

Sully glances over at Will again. “You didn’t answer me. Did you f*ck my sister?”

“You’re right, I didn’t answer you,” Will says coolly, meeting his eyes. “And I’m not going to, either.”

Sully turns away, but before I can blink, he whirls around and sucker punches Will right in the jaw.

“No!” I cry.

Will staggers backward from the sheer force of the blow and throws an arm up to block the next one. Sully grabs him by the shirt, and they fall to the floor. The room explodes into chaos as Dylan and Axel try to pull Sully away from Will.

Violet and Peyton lock their arms around my waist and drag me away from the fight. I scream for Sully to stop, but he’s too lost in his own anger to hear me. Tears stream down my face, and I thrash and struggle to get away from my friends.

“Hit me! Hit me, you f*cking *!” Sully throws another punch. “Fucking fight back. Fight for your woman if she means that much to you.”

Though I’m traumatized from watching what’s happening in front of me, part of me wonders why Will isn’t fighting back. He’s trying to block Sully’s blows, but he hasn’t thrown a single punch. Will’s just as built as my brother, and they’re closely matched in size and weight. I’ve seen him fight during games a few times, and he can throw down with the best of them.

“I’m not gonna f*cking hit you, Sully!” Will shouts. “I get it—you’re pissed. But I never meant for this to happen.”

Dylan and Axel finally manage to pull Sully off of Will. They hold his arms so he can’t attack again. Will slowly gets up off of the floor, rubbing his jaw. Blood’s flowing freely from his nose, and his right eye is already swelling closed. It’s ugly and awful, and I feel completely helpless.

“Fuck you and your shitty intentions.” Sully spits on the floor at Will’s feet as Axel and Dylan drag him further away. “You’re f*cking dead to me, Maverick. Do you hear me? You’re dead.”

“No!” I gasp. “Sully, you don’t know what you’re saying!”

Sully’s gaze drifts back over to where I’m standing with Violet and Peyton. He glares at me in disgust before turning away. Right now, he looks so much like my father that it steals my breath away. I know that look all too well.

The guys lead Sully downstairs, and my friends finally release their hold on me. I let out a sob and run to Will, wrapping myself around him.

“Give us a minute,” Will says to them.

Violet nods before ushering Peyton and Lilly from the room.

“W-Will. I’m s-so sorry.” I can barely talk between sobs. I reach out and gently touch his swelling eye, and he winces.

“This isn’t your fault. It’s mine,” Will says, wiping the blood from his nose with the end of his t-shirt. “I’ve got to get out of here, Em. Now.”

I nod and suck in a deep breath. “Okay. I’m going with you.”





Chapter Twenty





WILL




Emmy stands in front of me with her arms wrapped around herself as tears stream down her face. I’ve been punched tonight more times than I care to admit, but seeing her devastated expression hurts just as much.

I shake my head. “No. Out of the question.”

“Yes,” she says stubbornly.

“You can’t come with me, Em,” I say softly. “Things are totally f*cked up. Let’s not make it worse than it already is.”

“Why are you the one who has to leave? It’s your cottage! Kick him out.”

I sigh. “Come on, Sunshine. Legally, yeah, the cottage is mine. But this is our place, Em. The right thing to do in this situation is for me to leave. I’m not going to f*ck up everyone else’s vacation over bullshit that’s not their fault.”

I peel the house key from my key ring and slip it into her pocket. “I trust you, sweetheart. Just make sure everything’s off and locked when you leave.”

“Please,” she begs, throwing her arms around me. “I can’t stay here with Sully. Not after this.”

I pull her close and hug her fiercely, afraid it’s the last time I’ll ever feel her in my arms. “If you go with me, it’s going to drive a wedge between you and Sully.”

“And you think one hasn’t already been driven?” she asks incredulously. “The way he spoke to me, and the things he said to you...” She shakes her head. “I can’t even believe this. He hit you. Look what he did to your face!”

“He’s hurting. He trusted me with you, and in his eyes, I committed the ultimate unforgivable sin.” I run my hands down my face and cringe at the pain. I can barely see out of my swollen eye.

“Why didn’t you fight back?” she whispers. “Why did you let Sully do this to you? You’re no coward. I’ve seen you fight on the ice. You’ve never, ever backed down from anyone. Not until tonight.” She gently runs a hand over my bruised jaw.