Page 53 of Hush (Fighting Fate)

I fumed the whole way to Kaeli’s house, and to be honest, I wanted it that way. I wanted to make sure I was good and pissed when I got there. Kaeli didn’t speak either, but she didn’t look worried or uptight. She actually looked relaxed if anything.

Fuck, if it was my mom laying in the hospital, I’d be happy to think the guy responsible for putting her there was going to get taken down a peg too.

I didn’t bother going down the back alley this time. I just pulled straight into the drive.

Without looking at Kaeli, I threw the door open. “Grab the bag,” I said before slamming it shut

.

I didn’t bother knocking. Fuck him. Throwing the door open, I strode straight towards the den, following the sound of the TV.

Ken was on his feet before I rounded the corner. His eyes widened when he saw me, and his face paled a little when he took in the rage that was rolling off me in waves.

Without breaking my stride, I punched him right in the mouth before grabbing him and shoving him hard against the wall, making sure the grip I had on his throat was nice and tight. Pulling my piece from the waistband of my jeans, I pushed it into his temple.

“Jesus, man! What the fuck?” Ken croaked.

I glared at him. “Take a good hard look at Kaeli, and you tell me what the fuck!”

Ken’s gaze swung over my shoulder, then back to me with sudden understanding. “It was an accident, man. She got in the way when her mother and I were having an argument. I swear!”

“I don’t give a fuck if it was an accident or not. You don’t touch her! You gave up your right to her the second you decided to send her to the Den. She’s mine now. Do you hear me? MINE! If you so much as look at her the wrong way from now on, you’ll be walking with a permanent limp for the rest of your miserable fucking life! Got it?”

Ken’s eyes narrowed slightly as he mulled over my words, then he nodded. “Yeah, I got it.”

I gave him one last hard shove before releasing him and stepping back. I glared at him for a while longer, then turned to face Kaeli. I knew my eyes were still raging with anger. Even I could feel the tension rolling off me like a living breathing thing.

Taking a step towards her, I grabbed her upper arm and walked her back out the front, not releasing her until we were back beside the car. It wasn’t until I looked into her eyes that I saw the fear there. It was like a sucker punch to the gut.

Fuck. I needed to calm down. Closing my eyes, I took several long, deep breaths.

Thankfully, when I opened them again, the fear was gone. This was so fucked. All I wanted to do was take her in my arms and hold her. I wanted to kiss the mark that fucker had left on her and make it go away. I couldn’t stand seeing it there. It hurt something inside me.

Unconsciously, I moved closer, until I was standing only a few inches away from her. I could feel the heat of her body against me. I knew I should go, get away from her before I did something stupid, but I just wasn’t ready to leave her yet. I hadn’t had enough time with her.

Taking her hand, I gently pulled her to the passenger door. “Come on. I’m not ready to leave you here with him yet.”

She didn’t resist. She just nodded a little and slid in through the open door. I took the seat belt and, leaning across her, clicked it into place. I needed to know she was safe.

Pulling out onto the road, I drove. I didn’t know where I was going, I just needed to get her away from that house.

A few blocks later, I pulled over to the side of the road and cut the engine. There were no street lights on this section of the road, so with the car lights cut, I could only just make out her features. Unfortunately though, I could still see the bruise on her cheek. My heart clenched at the sight of it.

Turning in my seat, I unclicked my seatbelt and reached out to cup the side of her face, gently brushing my thumb over the blackened mark. “Does it hurt?” I whispered.

Her gaze was locked on mine. She shook her head softly. “Not really.”

Leaning forward, I pressed a soft, lingering kiss to where my thumb had been caressing. I heard her breath catch and felt her tremble. Fuck. I didn’t know how those two little things could make me want her so bad, but they did.

I squeezed my eyes shut tight, my lips still lingering over her skin. Damn she smelt good. I fucking loved her scent. It was so sweet. Mouthwatering.

Forcing myself to pull back, I almost groaned. She had her eyes softly closed and her lips were parted like she was trying to catch her breath. My heart tripped, going into some tripped out, erratic beat. Fuck me, she was beautiful.

As I watched her, her eyes fluttered open with a slightly dazed look. It was so adorable I just wanted to kiss her. With a lot of effort, I reigned the urge in, focusing on the bruise instead.

“I hate that he hurt you,” I said. I was a little surprised by the pain in my voice.

Her eyes turned sad. “I know,” she whispered.

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