AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Marcus snaps out of his haze and slams his hand down on Jackson's chest, forcing the pissed off hulk to stop his steps toward me. "Jackson," Marc warns.
"Get your hands off me," JJ growls, his raging eyes locked on my shoulder.
My heart thunders. My body and my mind aren't working together to really understand where all this anxiety is coming from. "Jackson. It was an accident. A couple was stumbling out of a closet, and I was just there at the wrong time." His jaw unclenches a fraction. Which is swiftly rectified at my curse when Leo places the ice pack on the overheated bruise.
"Rylee. What happened after the door hit you?"
My knees tremble.
My wrist twitches.
Saliva pools in my jaw for the second time this morning.
Fight, flight or freeze...
It's time to fucking run.
ChapterThirty-Two
MARCUS
Idon't know how to describe the change that overcomes Rylee, but it's enough to my make my stomach drop and my heart stutter. My hand on Jackson's chest goes numb and falls to my side. It feels like the entire world comes to a halt.
Her once-heated cheeks drain of all color. Her shoulders stiffen, the injured one jerking away from the ice pack in Leo's hold. Rylee's damaged wrist fucking twitches, and that's my cue.
"Rylee," I begin, only to be cut off by Jude. He grips her chin and forces her gaze to his. I cringe at the hardened gaze he levels my girl with.
"Tell me. Now," Jude snaps, his dominating side taking hold of the situation. Rylee's glazed eyes flare with the jolt back to reality, but she doesn't relax in his hold. Nor does she pull away, though, so that’s a good sign, right?
"I-I need to get home. Now," she declares, clearing her throat of emotion. Jude and Leo nod, yet JJ and I tense, hating that plan.
"You tell me what is going on, and I swear I'll bring you home. No matter what you say. Be a good girl and tell us." Jude's voice vibrates through the kitchen, making me shiver and want to throw up at the same time. I definitely don't want to take her the fuck home.
A deep breath inflates Rylee's sternum, giving us the illusion of calm. We all see the shake of her hands and the tremors rippling up her forearm from her previously broken wrist.
Fuck.I watch as she retreats inside her body. Everything that is the lively, fierce, protective woman we have come to care for fades away. Except for the twitching. She's in there somewhere beneath the mask, and she is fucking traumatized.
"He's come for us." A ripple of growls sound through the kitchen. JJ's pacing and yanking on his hair. "Mason is here."
"Where did you see him? You're sure it was him?" Jackson asks, a deadly lilt to his words.
Rylee frowns, and Jude allows her head to turn. "In the hallway. It was dark. His eyes were black. I-I think it was him." Her eyes water as she wraps her arms around her stomach, looking far more fragile than she did a minute ago.
"Let's get you home. We need to talk to Tate. I'll call him on the way to your place," Leo says before Rylee can break down or Jack can freak the fuck out. "Let's go!" He yells, striding for the door. Breakfast forgotten.
Rylee is like a damn zombie when she walks out our front door behind Leo and Jude. Barefoot with her purse and heels clutched in her quivering hands, I slip my sandals on beside a muttering JJ.
"I wasn't there," he hisses.
I tug on a lock of his dark hair. "Hey," I whisper. "Youwerethere. You got her to safety. Hopefully, it wasn't actually Mason, but we need to be there for her right now, okay? Don't go down the guilt trip right now. I promise I'll fuck it out of you later." Slamming my lips to his and pulling away almost as fast, I yank him out the door with me. The sound of it locking behind us is loud in our silence.
The drive to Rylee's house is tense. I swear I can hear teeth grinding and nails being picked all around me. Thankfully, when we pull into the driveway, Tate is just jumping out of his car with a solemn look on his face.
"Tate!" Rylee screams, running into the arms of her brother as last night’s heels clatter to the ground.
Scooping to reach her discarded pumps, I catch the sounds of sniffling and Tate's hushed whispers. "Shh, it's okay. It wasn't him, Ry. Everything is okay. My guys have eyes on him just outside of California, okay? I can show you." She doesn't let go even as he shuffles her around and yanks his phone out of his back pocket.
She whimpers against his shoulder when she sees what's on the screen. I hold out my hand, asking to see it without breaking their moment. I incline my head in thanks and show the rest of the guys the email a guy by the name of Wyatt sent over.
