Page 194 of Stick It
I catch Ethan’s gaze. “You’re not to be out of our sight, Thorn. Not for a single second.”
It’s a promise and a warning.
And just like that, the brief taste of normalcy I had is gone. Replaced with fear. Control. Watchful eyes.
58
GRIFFIN
It’s beendays since Kyle slithered back onto campus like the spineless snake he is. Days since our girl started flinching at shadows again. Since the light dimmed behind her eyes.
I’m going insane.
I pace the length of the living room, hands balled into fists, breathing sharp and uneven. I can still recall the absolute terror that rocked me at seeing her wet, limp, lifeless body in Jax’s arms, the memory a never-ending loop in my mind. Her bruises might have faded, but the damage is done. He tried to take her from me—from us. And the fact that he walks free while Dylan curls in on herself like prey, it curdles my blood.
If it weren’t for her, I’d have ended him already. Snapped his neck without a second thought and slept like a baby after. I still could. I could walk out that door right now, find him, and make him choke on everything he’s done.
But I gave her my word. A fucking promise I hate myself for making.
And I regret it—God, I do—but I’d make it again if it meant she looked at me the way she did in that moment, face open and expression vulnerable, eyes shining with emotion. That’s thesick part. I’d give her anything, everything, even when it costs me pieces of myself. Because if Dylan wants me at her side, if she needs me in this house instead of out there hunting him down, then here I’ll fucking stay.
Even if it kills me.
The front door opens, and Finn steps inside, brushing snow off his shoulders.
I’m on him immediately. “She get there okay?”
He nods. “Yup, delivered her right into Coach’s arms myself with a promise from her to message one of us when she’s ready to leave.”
His words do little to settle the storm inside me. One that has been constantly raging for days now and shows no signs of blowing out anytime soon.
I see a similar war being fought in Finn’s eyes, too. And in Jax’s and Ethan’s. We’re all on edge. All in need of an outlet. Friday’s game was the most brutal one of the season—all of us using the excuse of the game to let out our frustrations, but it was the wrong person’s blood coating my knuckles.
“So, what are our plans for the night?” Jax asks, twitchier than I’ve ever seen him. “I don’t think I can sit in.”
“Same,” Finn agrees.
Ethan doesn’t vocalize it, but I see the wildness in his eyes. He’s struggling just as much as the rest of us.
We’re all worked up. In need of a release—and sadly, not the dirty kind.
“I’ve got something in mind.” I don’t know if it’s the tone I use, or the fact that they know me well enough to know if I’m suggesting an idea, it’s probably not a casual drink at the bar or a night at the cinema.
Jax perks up immediately. “What kind ofsomething?”
I smile, slow and sharp. “The kind that ends in blood.”
He doesn’t hesitate. “Fuck, yes!”
Finn grins, cracking his knuckles. “That fight the other night barely hit the spot.”
Ethan, always the golden boy leader, crosses his arms, looking at me skeptically. “We’re not going after Kyle.”
He’s a broken fucking record. It’s like he thinks if he says it enough times, I’ll put to bed my revenge plans for that fuckwit. I swore to my little Steelhawk that I wouldn’t do anything to get myself arrested, and I won’t. Ethan nattering on in my ear every fucking day isn’t going to change a damn thing.
Instead of saying any of that, though, I roll my eyes at him. “Who said anything about that fucking asshole?”
His eyes narrow, lips thinned, but thankfully, he doesn’t contradict me.
