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I think of the crew who could be seriously injured, and I find the strength. I spit, satisfaction warms my chest as I see it land on his chin.
"You bitch!"
Thunder snaps through my cheek as my head whips to the side. I gasp. Then as quickly as I’m thinking about my next move, Zac is wrestled to the ground.
I barely register Austin punching Zac as I hold my hand to the intense throbbing in my cheek.
"Mia!" Lucas rushes towards me. His hand gently brushes against the one that holds my cheek and lifts it, accessing the damage. "I'm going to get you some ice."
Relief rushes through me at seeing them. Wait, he's just going to leave Austin to fight Zac on his own?
I know that Austin can be independent and pig-headed when it comes to this, but he needs help! I watch Austin gain the upper hand and Zac scurry away from him.
Austin stands, fists held by his sides. "Leave, before I fucking kill you!"
Zac makes a move to leave. Shoulders slumped. Austin turns to me, and I see it.
The heavy wood thunks hard against Austin's back, knocking him forward. Zac grins as he continues to bring that oar down against Austin.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
I charge at Zac, hitting his side and knocking the oar out of his hands. I latch onto his hair, pulling and punching every part of him that I can.
I can see, even as I wrestle with Zac, that Austin isn't moving.
Zac flaps around, trying to jolt me off him. I tighten my arms around his neck, screeching with everything I have. I want to cut off his oxygen so bad! Why does he persist in hurting someone I care about? Why us?
"Mia!"
Someone shouts my name, but I can't register who. Hands grab at me, but I don't let go of Zac until Sawyer steps into my line of sight. I trust Sawyer. I trust them all, but with Sawyer, it's like fighting Superman, and I will always put my money on Superman.
Lucas pulls me away, but I push from him, rushing to Austin. Coach is kneeling beside him, his cell clutched to his ear. I see it, even if no one else does. A gut-wrenching truth sits in plain sight within the blue of Coach's eyes.
We'd warned him, we'd told him that Zac will take things one step further, and now he has. Is he even breathing? The blood gushing from his head smears the features I’ve come to love, ones I want to ingrain into my mind and remember.
My fear of losing him is already pushing me to store his image in my head.
Just in case.
My heart clutches as my hands try to push back his hair, to will his eyes to open and tell me he's okay.The thing that I’d been denying floods my system. There’s no way I can lie to myself anymore. The man I’m falling for, the one who’d protected me, is seriously injured.
I haven’t told him how I feel.
I haven’t shown him.
I need the time to do that.
Weneed the time. I’m not losing another person I love.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO ¦ CONSEQUENCES
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