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I rear back and punch him right in his still injured mouth, rocking his head hard enough that it slams against the doorjamb and he slumps to the ground.
Chapter Twelve
Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.
When Evangeline strode into our meeting, I wasn’t the only one who reacted like they just took a hit from Tyson, himself.
I was still surprised when she showed up, even though I’d been expecting it. We had a plan, after all.
But I didn’t think she was going to lay Vaughn out like it was the last round of a prize fight and she had something to prove.
Vaughn goes down with the grace of a building collapse, while the room explodes in abrupt chaos.
I rush forward to catch him before his head hits the ground. One blow to the head is probably enough for the week. Simultaneously, I push Evangeline backwards so I’m between her and the guys behind me that are out for blood.
She barely spares me a glance as she stomps away.
Nolan’s voice is the loudest. “You can’t actually let this bitch into Havoc House.”
Brady just laughs. “She’s not in anything yet. Pledges are barely a step above single-celled organisms. But that is the most Havoc thing I’ve seen her do so far. Let her go for now.”
“Vaughn needs to lie down,” I say, recognizing the opportunity. “C’mon, man. Let’s go get some ice.”
Vaughn stumbles on the stairs, and I have to bear most of his weight as we stagger up. I’m a little worried about what being punched in the face means for his other injuries, but I can’t argue that he didn’t deserve it.
Evangeline is out of the sight, but I hear enough banging to know she is slamming doors closed as she makes her way through the house.
I catch up to her in the kitchen and motion for her to come with us upstairs. She looks like she wants to argue, but I don’t wait for a response. I’m not sure she is actually following us until I hear the creak of stairs behind me.
When we reach Vaughn’s room, I let him fall on the bed as he groans. He winces in pain as his body hits the mattress and he brings his hand to his head. “What the fuck?”
Evangeline slams the door shut behind us, loud enough that it echoes off the rafters. “What the fuck is right!”
“Keep your voice down, they’re going to hear you downstairs,” I hiss, gesturing her away from the door. None of the other guys have followed us. Hopefully, they think I’m just making sure Vaughn isn’t seriously hurt while getting Evangeline out of the house.
But she seems patently uninterested in being quiet. “What the hell is he doing here? You told me he wasn’t getting out of the hospital any time soon.”
“I might have exaggerated, but I didn’t think he’d be out of the hospital already.” I might have stretched the truth a bit about his condition, but I’m as surprised to see Vaughn here as she is. I turn to my oldest friend at St. Bart’s, wondering if there’s any explanation for all this that I can stomach. “How did you even get here?”
Vaughn slowly sits up. “Took a cab.”
I survey him, noticing for the first time that there is still a cast on his leg. He must have had crutches that got discarded at some point on our way up the stairs. “The doctors released you this quickly?”
“I signed myself out. My father says I can’t miss anything to do with the Initiation.”
“Jesus, of course he did.”
Evangeline starts toward the bed. “You almost killed me, you fucking psycho.”
“Relax,” I growl, but I have to physically restrain her with a hand around her waist so she doesn’t attack him again.
Vaughn holds his hands up in a supplicating gesture. “Look, I’m sorry. I just thought that if I could clear all of this up and get you to leave, then this could all be over.”
“Because you’re guilty!” she accuses.
“I’m not!”
“You’re lying.”
