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Tex hitched the flowery print higher on his shoulder and glanced down at his cut over black tee and ripped up jeans. “Doesn’t matter,” he said. “You’re with me, you’re not carrying anything. Any guy tries to date you and acts like you should carry your own shit, you send him my way. We’ll get that sorted in a hurry.”
He caught Cassie’s eye roll, “You’ll be worse for my love life than Brick. And he was a train wreck.”
Tex shrugged, “What’d he do? Scare off some fuckboy who thought he’d tag the hot prof’s hot daughter?”
She grinned up at him, “Did you just use the wordfuckboy?”
“I know shit,” he shot back on a shrug.
Cassie giggled, and Tex realized he liked the sound. “Nothing wrong with having a few of the brothers looking out for you,” he said.
“That’s the truth,” Cassie agreed. “Best wrestler at the U was about to ask me out, and then Brick growled at him.”
Tex smirked, “He run?”
“How’d you know?” Cassie asked, cutting a glance his way.
“I know grown men who’d run from Brick. Some punk ass kid?” Tex shook his head.
They stopped for a red light, and Cassie faced him, crossing her arms with a scowl, “That’s exactly what Brick said. How do you guys come up with this stuff? You get memos or something?”
And just like that, Tex knew that she came at this the same way her mother did. Open minded. No judgment. Good sense of humor and a lot of hope.
And that’s when it happened.
Two vans squealed to a stop, thugs dressed in all black pouring out, matte black AK’s flashing gunfire in the early morning sunlight.
Tex clocked the men and the guns, grabbed Cassie, shoved her in front of him, ignoring the red light and the crosswalk, and pushing her toward the brick cafeteria.
The first shot caught him in the shoulder.
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.
Wide-eyed, Cassie glanced back, “Are you hit?”
“Get to the building,” Tex yelled, fighting the current of students surging around them in hysteria.
Cassie turned and picked up the pace, students scattering, leaving them open and vulnerable.
The second bullet hit Tex’s thigh just before the third got his ribs.
Tex’s vision went, and he’d had enough experience with gunshots that he knew he didn’t have long.
Screams echoed as he dove on top of Cass, his weight taking her to the pavement.
He swallowed and blinked hard, trying to stay with her, “They take you, stay alive. Do whatever you have to do, but stay alive. You get me?”
Cassie nodded, tears filling her eyes, “I get you.”
Tex dipped his shoulder and let the backpack fall to the concrete beside her. “Take it with you. Nine’s coming. He’ll find you.”
His vision blanked, but the last thing he heard was Cassie’s whispered, “Please, God, let him live.”
*************************
Jenna
Talon caught me on my way to the floor.
