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“Ezra, please stop.” I continuously tugged on his arm to get him up, even as I heard sirens getting closer. Brenda must have called the police, but if they saw Ezra here, he might get into trouble too. Sure, I could claim he was only defending me, but anyone else with eyes would take one look at Brick and know Ezra had taken things way too far.
“Come on, Ezra. The police are coming.”
That didn’t phase him. I started to get frustrated because I was pulling for all I was worth, and he still wasn’t budging.
“Please.” A sob escaped as I started to get more and more desperate. “Please, Ez.”
It was the final plea that got through to him.
He finally turned to me, and one hand came up to wipe a tear I didn’t know I’d shed. Then he laid his hand over my stinging cheek. I didn’t flinch when I saw his hand move because I knew he would never hurt me. Despite what he did to Brick, I knew he would never turn that rage on me, and I was entirely confident of that.
He caressed my cheek, and his jaw tightened.
“Please,” I said again. Ezra’s nose flared slightly, but he ultimately nodded, and he finally let me pull him off. I pulled him away from the scene, pulling him back into the crowd inside the bar.
“What happened?” Brenda asked when she saw us. “Why’s his hand bloody?”
“I can’t explain it. Look, I think someone called the police, and Brick is seriously hurt. Can you call an ambulance for him? But don’t tell them you know anything.”
Brenda immediately got it because she nodded. “Alright, get out of here.”
“Thank you,” I said as I made my way toward the entrance with Ezra in tow.
God, what a mess. I was fairly sure Brick would keep his mouth shut about what happened. He didn’t talk to the police on principle because he didn’t want to get a reputation as a snitch.
But what if he did talk to the police this one time? What would I do if Ezra got into trouble because of me?
I would never forgive myself.
TWENTY-TWO
EZRA
The minute we got into my car, Tillie spun around to stare at me incredulously.
“What was that?” she demanded. “You were going to kill him!”
I didn’t answer. I could still see the red against her cheek and still see him grab her and force that kiss on her. In my mind’s eyes, the scene played again and again, and each time, the murderous intent got even stronger. I still wanted to get out of the car and beat that guy up until he could no longer breathe. And why not? I’d killed people for this fucking country. I could do it for her.
“Well…” she said. “You’re not saying anything.”
I reached out and gently touched her cheek again so that it wouldn’t hurt. It was slightly swollen and would need to be iced. Without a word, I got out of the car again, ignored her yelling, and walked back into the bar. The police were driving up, but I didn’t care. If they found out and locked me up for the rest of my life, then oh well. At least I went while protecting someone important.
I just wished I got to finish the job first.
The crowd parted for me as I walked in, probably sensing the aggression on my features.
“Ice,” I barked at the bartender, and the man must have seen something in my eyes because he handed a bag of ice over without a word. I turned to find Tillie right behind me.
“Come on,” I said, catching her hand once more in my other hand before walking back to the car with her.
Once inside, I wrapped the ice in a clean handkerchief and placed it slowly on her cheek. She winced once at the contact, but I simply held it until she relaxed.
“Has he ever hit you before today?” I asked, breaking the silence.
She shook her head.
“Has anyone ever hit you before?” I needed to know. Before I went mad, I needed to know how much abuse she’d taken thus far.
