Page 70 of Ruthless Blade

"Kayden, stop!"

Hands grabbed me from behind, and I heard two familiar voices come up along Dylan. I fought against them, and my vision blurred. I didn’t think I’d been so angry in my fucking life.

"Let me go!" I shouted.

"Not happening," Kellan said, his voice firm. "You're not doing this."

Garcia was on the ground now, blood dripping from his nose, his eyes blazing with fury. "You're dead, man. You hear me? Dead."

"Get out of here, Garcia," Torin said, stepping between us. "Before we let him finish what he started."

Garcia glared at me, then at the others, before finally pushing himself to his feet and stumbling away.

I was still breathing hard, my chest heaving, my hands shaking. Dylan and Kellan were still holding me, but their grip loosened. I heard Torin on his phone, talking to the cops. “Hi, we were confronted by one of the people involved in the incident tonight at SilverCrest University and I wanted to make a report...”

"You good?" Dylan asked quietly.

I didn't answer. I stared at the spot where Garcia had been standing, my mind racing. Fuck, I lost my shit over that asshole.

"Kayden," He urged, "You good?"

I nodded slowly, even though I wasn't. No, I’m not good. I’m losing my fucking mind.

"Yeah," my voice was hoarse, as if I hadn’t drank anything in hours. "I'm good."

No you’re not. And you’ve shit in the bed you sleep in.

Now it was going to be one hell of a ride.

Hopefully I didn’t screw up everything I’d worked so hard for.

Chapter Thirty-Five

LEXI

The room was too quiet after Mom left the room for a break.

She'd been sitting beside me for over an hour, and even though we'd barely spoken after our conversation earlier, her presence was a reminder that I wasn’t alone anymore. At least, for now. I still had my doubts about whether or not she’d actually be there for me.

She left to get coffee, and I wished I could go with her. To escape, and to get out of this fucking hospital bed.

I shifted slightly, wincing as pain shot through my side. The doctor had said I was lucky. Bruised ribs, a black eye, some cuts and scrapes. Nothing broken and not permanent. That meant that I would heal and maybe get on the ice sooner rather than later.

Lucky.

I didn't feel lucky.

It was like I’d been hit by a truck all over again.

The door opened, and I turned my head, expecting to see Mom walking in with coffee, but it wasn’t her.

My breath caught.

Kayden.

What the actual hell happened to him?

There was blood on his shirt, and his lip was split, swollen on one side.