Page 3 of Full of Wrath

“What the fuck happened?”

“I’m still not sure. All I know is I got three kids with GSWs and about a hundred of them terrified and in a panic.”

Three people were shot! Three kids. The chief might use the acronym for gunshot wounds that we all use, but I can tell this is different from anything he’s ever seen before. Usually, he's not flustered or out of sorts at all, but he’s sweating and raking his hands through his hair like he might be digging in there for an answer he isn’t going to find. Definitely not the normal small-town violence we’re used to working with.

“Memphis!” I look up to see my little brother and the little blonde with him. When she spots who is in my arms, she takes off running faster.

“Oh my God! Waverly! Waverly!”

She kneels beside us, but I hold Waverly closer to me.

“She’s hurt.”

I don’t say it to the little blonde but to my brother so he can hold his girl back.

He takes the blonde in his arms but doesn’t break eye contact with me. “Someone came in shooting.”

“God damn it! Did you get a good look at who it was?” My boss starts digging for the answers again.

My brother’s cheeks turn bright red, and he and the girl won’t make eye contact with any of us. I have a pretty good idea what they were doing when it happened. If the look on the chief’s face is any indication, he does too.

“We were actually in the barn when it happened.” His girl finally says. “We heard it, but didn’t really see anything.”

“Fuck!”

The paramedics come to take her from me, but I stand and carry her over to the gurney. One of them looks from me to Waverly.

“You know her?”

“She goes to school with my brother.” Easier to say that than I think I just met the woman who will change my life forever.

“Shit, she’s hot, but has to be jailbait, right?”

“Shut your fucking mouth, man. She just went through some serious shit.”

“Yeah, but she can still be hot.”

I shove the guy up against the side of the ambulance before I can think.

“I told you to shut your fucking mouth about her!”

“What the hell’s going on, Wrath?”

I take a step back and let the guy take his first good breath since I planted my arm in his fucking throat. My eyes still burn with the promise of retribution if he says one more thing about the girl lying on the gurney.

“Nothing, Chief.” The guy wisely chooses to let his partner help me put her in the back of the ambulance. “I’d feel a lot better if I went with Waverly to the hospital. I think she saw something and might be able to tell us what the hell happened since someone was chasing and shooting at her.”

“Go for it! The last thing I want is for someone to come back and finish what they started.”

I climb in the back before he can finish and turn my complete attention back on the woman resting before me. I meant what I said when I told her no one would ever hurt her again now that I am here to take care of her. Somehow my sister’s friend has captured more than my attention, and she wasn’t even trying.

Chapter Four

Waverly

Iopen my eyes to find myself surrounded. Everyone seems to be looking down at me, and I don’t recognize any of them…except Sadie. What stupid thing did I do now? Fall down and knock my stupid self out? Wait, is that…Boston?

“She’s awake! Memphis, she’s awake!”