Page 34

Justin’s eyes narrow dangerously.

“So, who are you whoring yourself out to, Mia?” he demands, twisting my wrist until I whimper in pain. “Those guys I saw you with through the window? All three of them?”

Something inside me snaps.

Maybe it’s the culmination of all his insults, all the times he’s made me feel worthless. Maybe it’s the memory of Kane, Finn, and Jace treating me with respect I’d forgotten I deserved. Whatever it is, I feel a surge of courage that drowns out my fear.

“This is over. We’re over. God, I should have done this along time ago. I don’t want to be with you anymore. Not for another minute. Now. Let. Me. Go!”

His fingers tighten painfully around my wrist. “I don’t think so, Mia. I want answers. And you’re going to give them to me, or so help me...”

“This is over,” I tell him, my voice trembling but resolute. “We’re done. I don’t want to be with you anymore.” I try to pull my arm away. “Let me go!”

His eyes darken with rage. Before I can react, he yanks my wrist with a vicious twist. There’s a sickening snap, and pain explodes through my arm like white-hot lightning.

I scream, the sound tearing from my throat as I collapse to my knees on the icy pavement. Salt and grit bite into my palms as I catch myself with my good hand, cradling my injured wrist against my chest. The pain is blinding, making it hard to think or breathe.

“Shut the fuck up!” Justin shouts.

Through the haze of agony, I hear the restaurant door burst open. Footsteps pound across the pavement, and suddenly, Justin is no longer looming over me.

I look up, my vision blurred with tears, and see Finn and Kane pinning Justin against a parked car. Their faces contorted with rage make them almost unrecognizable. Finn’s fist connects with Justin’s jaw, the impact snapping his head to the side.

“You worthless bastard!” Kane snarls, landing a punch of his own to Justin’s stomach. “How dare you touch her! Andyoushut the fuck up.”

“Fucking piece of scum!” Finn growls, his normally quiet voice raised to a shout as if he’s been waiting for this moment. “If I ever see you near her again, I’ll kill you!”

The threats continue, a barrage of insults that blur together as the pain in my wrist intensifies. I’m vaguelyaware of Justin’s curses and threats to call the police, but they sound distant and unimportant.

Suddenly, Jace kneels beside me, his face tight with concern.

“Let me see,” he says gently, reaching for my wrist. I cry out when he touches it.

“It hurts, oh my God, Jace,” I whimper, tears streaming down my face despite my efforts to control them.

Jace’s eyes darken dangerously as he glances at Justin, his expression suggesting he wants to join the fight.

“I think your wrist is broken,” he says, his voice tight with controlled fury. Without another word, he slides one arm under my knees and the other around my shoulders, lifting me as if I weigh nothing.

I cling to him with my good arm, burying my face against his chest. His heartbeat is strong, and I try to focus on it instead of the blinding pain in my wrist.

“Kane! Finn!” Jace calls. “We need to get her to a hospital.”

They break away from Justin, who is now slumped against the car, blood streaming from his nose. Part of me feels a savage satisfaction at the sight, even through the haze of pain.

Kane and Finn sprint toward us as Jace carries me to a sleek black SUV parked nearby. Kane opens the back door, and Jace slides in with me still in his arms, unwilling or unable to let me go. I’m too consumed by pain to care.

Finn jumps into the passenger seat while Kane takes the wheel, starting the engine with a roar. As we pull away from the curb, I catch a glimpse of Justin by the restaurant, his face twisted in rage as he shouts after us.

“Ignore him,” Jace murmurs, his lips close to my ear. “We’ll take care of you.”

I nod weakly, the pain making it hard to speak. My wrist throbs in time with my heartbeat, but somehow, cradled inJace’s arms, with Kane and Finn keeping watch in the front seats, I feel safe for the first time in years.

twelve

. . .

Mia