Page 46 of The Masks We Break

Right before I start down one of the long halls, I hear her. Her faint, muffled cry shoots straight into my stomach, loosening the knot just a little.

I barge into a room near a back exit and immediately see the makeshift barricade against the closet door. Wrenching the bench press free, I swing it open and immediately have the wind knocked out of me from Remy colliding with my chest. Her arms latch around my neck, but I detach her.

Holding her by the shoulders, I let my eyes rove her body, the decision still lingering in the air if I kill the man downstairs or not. “Are you okay? Did he touch you?”

She simultaneously nods, then shakes her head, and the relief is instant, washing through me like a tidal wave. But it's short lived.

“H-he grabbed my arm and threw me in there. I hit my freaking head-d. But he hadn’t touched me in that sense.”

My jaw clamps shut, the pain of my molar cracking has nothing on the pain radiating through my chest.He needs to be dealt with.

“Stay here for one—”

Remy grabs onto my biceps, her hazel eyes red-rimmed from crying, burning into my face. “Please, just take me home.”

And that’s all she needed to say. I scoop Remy’s small body up, letting her wrap her arms around me and cradle her head to my chest. Small shivers rack through her core, and I tighten my grip as I walk out of the door.

We move through the chaotic atmosphere in seconds. The football team has settled up with the frat, but other squabbles have broken out, keeping everyone busy breaking them apart.

Bellamy’s surveying gaze reaches mine before he meets me halfway, his lip swollen on the left side. “She good?”

I nod. “Yeah, thank you. Let’s head out.” I rub my thumb along the corner of her elbow, reveling in the way she grips me tighter. “Do you have your keys?”

“Front pocket,” she whispers.

Glancing down, I see the key ring hanging from her pocket near my forearm. I loop it out with my index finger and fling it toward Bell. He nods, not requiring further instruction, and I disappear outside, Remy secured to my chest.

When we reach my bike, I slowly let her down, making sure her feet are secure before I give her space. Questions course through my head, but I decide to wait and ask her once she’s home safe. I hold out my helmet. “I would like for you to ride with me, but understand if you want to be in a car. I can have Bell—”

“I want to stay with you.” She blinks twice, wiping at her cheeks with the back of her hand, before taking the helmet and shoving it too roughly over her head.

Without another thought, I swing a leg over and sit, but before I have time to turn toward her, Remy’s small hands grasp onto my shoulders as she hoists herself up. She doesn’t hesitate, hugging me around my waist and pressing into my back perfectly, reminding me of how well she fits me.

The warmth from her body spreads through mine, calming my heart rate, alleviating some of the anger. While I would kill to fuck Ricky up right now, Remy’s heavy breathing fills my ears, and nothing else matters.

I have her, she’s safe, and she’s coming home with me.

My bike revs to life, burning the rest of my thoughts, and pushes us into the night. We cruise through the neighborhood as I ride relatively slower than I normally would. I want to get her home, but I’m also not ready to let go of the feeling of her pressed so close against me. The feel of her holding on as though I’m everything pinches in my chest—a multitude of foreign sensations swirling inside.

It’s so much, I can’t narrow it down to one feeling, but I fixate on it, committing the new emotion to memory. Whatever it is, it feels damn good.

When we arrive at the Square, we pull into the back entrance to my apartment. It’s meant to be a private covered patio with a gate, but since mine faces the forest, it serves as a garage for my bike.

I stop at the tailgate, jumping off and unlatching it, before helping Remy off. We walk the bike inside together, silence stretching in the space between us. When I kick down the stand, I turn and find Remy gazing at the open gate.

“Can we stay out here for a minute? I don’t want to go home just yet.” Her eyes stay trained on the ground as she waits for my response. Like I would actually deny her anything right now.

Hell, I wasn’t going to let her go home alone anyway.

It’s a brief thought that dies nearly immediately, and as much as I think this woman is mine... she isn’t.

But I’m finding it harder to not make it a reality. “Of course.”

She purses her lips in a sideways grin, whispering a quick thanks.

We stay in the small space for some time, only the wind in the trees and sporadic frog croaks filling the stillness. I fight the urge to ask exactly what happened, counting to six before taking a breath and starting the cycle all over again. I don’t want to upset her, nor send myself back over the edge and drive back to the frat house and finish the job.

“I’ve never heard you yell before.”

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