Page 89 of Ghosts Don't Cry

“Stop it!”

Lily’s voice cuts through the haze of tension. I turn my head to see her running toward us, face pale, eyes wide with fear.

Dan looks at her, then back at me. And I know what’s coming before he even moves. His fist swings up, wild and reckless, aimed for my jaw. I shift on my heels rolling back and his fist passes harmlessly in front of my face … and keeps going until it connects with Lily instead.

The sound is sickening. A wet crack of knuckles meeting flesh and bone.

Lily’s head snaps to the side, the force of the blow whipping her around. A sharp, pained gasp cuts through the air. She stumbles backward, hand flying to her face. Blood streams from her nose, dripping over her lips and chin.

Time fractures.

My vision tunnels until all I can see is Lily, swaying on her feet, blood running between her fingers. My head turns to Dan, standing there, mouth hanging open, horror dawning across his face as he realizes what he’s just done.

The world turns white-hot.

Every ounce of control I’ve been holding onto shatters. My body moves before my mind catches up, surging forward. The bag in my hand drops, supplies scattering across wet ground.

All I can see is the blood on her face.

All I can hear is that gasp of pain.

And all I know is that Dan just made the biggest fucking mistake of his life.

Chapter Thirty-Five

LILY

The first thingI see when I pull into the parking lot where the grocery store and Wilson’s are, is Ronan.

His stance sets off alarm bells in my head—straight spine, squared shoulders, his entire body a live wire of tension. Dan stands in front of him,tooclose, his lips twisted into something ugly. Even through my windshield, I can read the threat in Dan’s posture, the way he’s leaning in, and crowding Ronan’s space.

My stomach flips.

I pull into the first spot I see, tires squealing slightly as I brake too hard. I’m out of the car before I’ve even turned off the engine, door slamming behind me as I break into a run. I dart across the wet parking lot, heart hammering.

“Stop it!”

But Dan is already moving. His fist swings, aiming straight at Ronan. I don’t even stop to think. I throw myself forward.

The impact is immediate. A brutal, cracking force slams into my face, snapping my head sideways. Pain detonates through my skull, blooming sharp and nauseating, radiating from my nose outward in waves. My knees buckle. My vision strobes white, then black at the edges. The taste of copper floods mymouth, coating my tongue. My breath stutters, and my ears ring. A distinct roar echoes in my head, blood rushing, panic clawing, a sensation similar to being thrown into ice water.

Blood runs hot down my face, over my lips, and drips from my chin.

Ronan collides with Dan so hard, it sounds like a gunshot in the parking lot. They slam into the side of a car, metal groaning under the impact, and the alarm shrieking. His fist smashes into Dan’s face, once, then twice. Cartilage crunches. Dan lets out a strangled noise, but Ronan doesn’t stop.

This isn’t a fight. This is annihilation.

Dan is already sagging, legs giving out, when Ronan hauls him up by his shirt and slams him against the hood. He swings again, and there’s a sickening crunch. Blood splatters across the car and Ronan’s arms. Dan chokes on a breath, blood bubbling from his nose and mouth. Ronan bares his teeth, arm cocked and ready to hit him again.

Terror cuts through the pain. He’s going to kill Dan. Right here. In front of everyone.

I force my body to move, but everything seems slow, disjoined, like trying to wade through water. My lip throbs. My nose hurts. My cheek burns where the punch landed, a deep pulsing pain that promises bruises by morning.

Nausea rises up my throat.

“Ronan, stop!” My voice sounds weak, drowned out by the rain, the car alarm, and Dan’s groans. He doesn’t hear me.

Another punch lands. Dan’s head snaps back, hitting the hood with a hollow thud. His eyes roll. Voices rise somewhere behind me. Footsteps come toward us, but no one reaches him in time to stop the next punch.