Page 196 of Stormbreaker

“Knox, stop this!”

He folds his arms. “You’re always so fucking eager to run from me, aren’t you?”

I inhale a deep breath, searching for patience.

But he has that look in his eyes—the one with the mean streak he loves to indulge.

“Jackson, please,” I say, appealing to a more reasonable source. “Tell him to stop. Just let us go. You don’t have to do this.”

Jackson’s eyebrows jump as he looks between Knox and me.

“He’s not helping you,” Knox says as he pushes Jackson to the side and then strides up to Rook. “This is finally my chance for retribution.” He stops, his chest puffing out. Unfortunately for him, Rook has several inches on him and does a spectacular job of looking down at Knox like he’s a steaming pile of shit.

Knox doesn’t actually care that I’m a Keeper. He cares that I rejected him and that Rook humiliated him so many times. This is all about his ego.

“Is there something I can help you with?” Rook asks.

Knox places his hands on Rook’s chest and shoves, but Rook doesn’t budge. His feet remain firmly planted like he’s been nailed to the stones.

“You can apologize for laying your hands on me,” Knox snarls.

Rook snorts. “Yeah, I’m not doing that.”

Knox shoves him again, but Rook is a mountain.

“Knox!” I say, trying to slide between them. “Stop this right now!”

I’m increasingly aware of how long we’ve been standing still. The Extinguishers could be right around the corner. “Move out of our way.”

Knox’s circle has tightened, cinching us like a noose.

He cracks his knuckles, and I am desperate to end this pathetic B-rate show of fragile male ego.

“No,” he answers, and then he lunges.

Suddenly, Rook is swarmed, and someone grabs me from behind, wrenching my arms behind my back. I’m dragged away as the rest move in on Rook.

“Let go of me,” I grunt as I struggle against my captor’s hold, trying to kick or headbutt or do something to release myself.

“Poet,” my captor says, and I realize it’s Jackson.

“Jacks, let me go. This isn’t you.”

I look up at him, and something like contrition flashes over his expression. He shakes his head. “Sorry,” he mumbles, unable to look me in the eyes.

By now, Rook has been shoved against a wall, each arm pinned by two of the other guys. Knox approaches and makes a fist, punching Rook in the stomach so hard that he jerks. Rook groans as his head droops.

“Stop it!” I shout, struggling against the iron of Jackson’s hold. “You jackasses! Stop it!”

“He humiliated me!” Knox shouts. “You fucking scat! You think you’re so special. So fucking full of yourself!”

“Leave him alone!” I scream, jerking my shoulders, my wrists. “You’re hurting him.”

“And you,” Knox says, glaring at me. “Is this why you rejected me? So you could spread your legs for this animal?”

Knox delivers a second punch to the stomach and then a hook to the jaw. Rook’s head snaps back, hitting the wall with an alarming crack.

I scream. I’m furious with Rook, but I also can’t bear to see him hurt.