Page 68 of Crossed Up

Sebastian growls deeply, the knife digging in even further when I whimper. The man in front of us looks vaguely familiar, but with the way my head pounds, I couldn’t place him if I tried.

He definitely looks like he could be a bodyguard of some kind. With his dark jeans, black tee, and coiled earpiece, he would look like an off-duty Secret Service agent if not for the full sleeves of colorful tattoos lining his arms.

“I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, but this is my fiancé, and I’ll be leaving here with her whether you like it or not.”

The knife moves, slicing my throat enough that I feel blood dripping down my neck. I bite my lip so hard blood wells where my teeth pierce the thin skin. The man’s eyes widen minutely, and his gaze darts over my right shoulder less than a second before a deafening pop rocks the alley around us.

Bas drops like a rock, only with the way he has me gripped in his arms, he takes me down with him, landing on top of me so we’re face to face. I feel a thick, viscous liquid seeping into the front of my shirt and vaguely realize what I just heard had to have been a gunshot.

His weight is quickly ripped off of me, and then Cal’s face is hovering over mine, his hands moving over my body like he doesn’t know where to start. “Fuck, oh fuck, Lyla, I’m so sorry. I didn’t— I had to get Crew back to the suite, and I called Ryett in for backup, but it took y’all so long to get downstairs. We didn’t want to risk breaching the hallway and him hurting you even worse. Goddamnit, I’m sorry.”

Cal’s words are a frantic mess of apologies and incoherent mumbling, and if I wasn’t in so much pain, I might laugh. As it is, I think I’m in shock because the first thing out of my mouth is, “Who the hell is Ryett?”

He huffs, sounding mildly relieved. “You didn’t think the exorbitant price you paid was just to hire little ol’ me, did ya? I was just the first one able to be here so last minute this morning. The other men on my team, Ryett, Beau, and Atlas, are all here securing the scene and getting all the different branches of law enforcement up to speed.”

The other man, Ryett I remind myself, joins us on the ground, his critical eyes looking me over until they meet mine and soften. “Sorry we had to meet like this, Miss Taylor. My name’s Ryett and I’d like to look you over if you don’t mind?”

All I can do is nod silently, and it’s only when he begins to examine me that I realize I’m trembling intensely. I try to lift my right arm to swipe at the blood dripping into my eye and cry out. Ryett winces. “You’ll need x-rays to confirm, but based on visual exam alone, I’m going to say your wrist is broken. Did you hit your head?”

Another nod earns me a shared look of concern between the men in front of me. “Let’s get you sitting up, Lyla. The EMTs should be here any minute to get you to the hospital,” Cal says gently. They do exactly that, going slow enough that the world doesn’t spin this time.

We sit in silence for a moment as I get my bearings, at least until the back door slams open again. Both men in front of me draw their weapons but lower them when they see a shocked Copeland with his hands in the air. “Woah, hey! Wren came and got me. As soon as I was off the field, I ran straight here.”

He’s telling the truth. He’s still in his full uniform, cleats dragging against the concrete as she shifts from side to side. Ryett and Cal separate, having formed a wall of muscle in front of me when they sensed a potential threat.

Cope’s eyes land on me and widen. I must have a worse head injury than I thought because I see what looks like tears gathering in his green eyes.

“Tiny,” he breathes. In three large strides, he’s on his knees in front of me. His large hands skim over my shoulders and down my arms, but he pulls back quickly when he touches my wrist, and I wince.

Fury twists his features into the scariest look I’ve seen on him yet, and suddenly, he’s on his feet and stomping over to where my ex lies, moaning on the pavement. Copeland lands a swift but brutal kick to the asshole’s ribs, a loud crack reverberating around the alley walls.

Sebastian screams, his face going purple from both pain and rage. “You motherfucking asshole! I’ll sue you for that!”

Cope snorts, swaggering my way. “Good luck provin’ I did shit to you, you pathetic prick.”

My ex seethes, but the effect of his anger is dulled by the fact that he’s face down on the ground with his hands zip-tied behind his back. “There are witnesses,” he threatens, spit flying everywhere with each heaved breath.

Some of the shock is finally wearing off, so I look around at the four security guards and my friend. “Did you guys see anything?”

They all shake their heads with large grins.

I shrug delicately, my ribs protesting at the motion. “I must have gotten a good kick in when we were tumbling around in the stairwell.”

Bas starts to retort when the alleyway suddenly floods with police and press alike, lights flashing as the officers attempt to clear a path for the ambulance. The door bangs open again, producing the one face I’ve been dreading seeing.

“Aidan.” The word is barely more than a whispered breath, but it’s enough to catch his attention. His eyes land on my battered face and fill with tears, but when he notices the blood soaked into the front of my shirt, a hand flies up to cover his mouth as a choked cry escapes.

He hits his knees in front of me and gently, oh so gently, pulls me into his arms. “Angel, fuck. When Wren came to find us, I wanted to come right away, but I had to stay and make sure Crew was okay. I came as soon as I could, baby.” Aidan’s hands move to cup my face, bringing my gaze to meet his red-rimmed eyes, darkened with worry and anger. “I’m so fuckin’ sorry I wasn’t there.”

I shake my head quickly. “No, Aidan, I’m sorry!” I cry. The shock has completely worn off now, and harsh sobs wrack my aching body as the pain and reality of what just happened finally registers. “C-Crew w-was there. He s-saw Sebastian take me. I t-tried to reassure him, but h-he was s-so scared!”

Aidan chokes on a sob of his own as he lays the softest kisses all over my sore face, his lips coming away slightly bloody. I cringe, reaching up to wipe it away, but he kisses my finger instead. “My sweet, perfect girl. You did everything right, my love. You did what you could to keep Crew calm, and you kept him safe. But what matters most right now is that you’re alive. You made it out and came back to me, Lyla. To us. Sebastian can never hurt you again, do you hear me? You did that on your own.”

I must have a guilty look on my face still because he raises his brows at me and pointedly glances around at the beefy men forming a protective barrier between us and the rest of the world. “Okay, so maybe you had a backup plan. We’ll talk about you sneakily hiring security later, by the way. You beat me to it.”

He grins briefly before growing serious. “I am so proud of you, angel. You’re truly the strongest woman I know, and I can’t imagine a better mother for our children.”

The EMTs are rushing our way with multiple stretchers, but I keep my focus on Aidan. “Children? Do you know something I don’t?”

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