Page 69 of Your Last First Kiss

Nothing matters but getting to Kai. The closer I get, the louder their words become.

“You can’t take her, Dad. You shouldn’t be driving.” Kai’s voice slaps me across the face, and I move impossibly faster.

Eddy’s words aren’t clear enough to make out. But the grunts from Kai’s exertion tell me that he can’t fight him off much longer.

“Let him go,” I roar when I’m within striking distance.

Kai’s head snaps up, and Eddy’s lolls to the side, but he doesn’t let go of Kai’s torn shirt.

“I said, let. Him. Go.”

“Who the fuck are you?” Eddy spits. Or at least that’s what I think he says. It comes out in a slur of syllables.

Stepping forward, I wrap a hand around Eddy’s wrist and squeeze tightly enough to feel his bones crunch together before he finally releases Kai’s torn shirt.

Eddy swings at me, and I duck. Kai’s eyes are on me. Eddy’s off-balance, and his wind-up is so blown out of proportion that he strikes Kai just below his collarbone with enough force to knock him back.

It happens in horrifyingly slow motion. Kai staggers back—one step. Then two, and then he collapses, hitting his head on the post of the mailbox.

He crumbles like a stack of blocks. I shove Eddy with all my might and race to Kai. I’m on my knees when the first trickle of blood hits the snow.

Oh my God.

“Kai?”

His eyes flutter, but he doesn’t move. I can hear Eddy cursing, but he doesn’t come near Kai, so I ignore him. Time rolls over in slow motion while I search for the cut on his head. Long moments that cause my fear to roar in my ears like an avalanche. I’m sure I don’t breathe until I find where the blood is coming from. Thankfully it doesn’t appear to be too big but…

“Lia. She’s…” He tries to sit up, but I hold him still.

“Stay down, Kai. You have a cut.”

His eyes are wide and alarmed. “Lia’s in the car. He’s…” Suddenly I understand what he’s saying, and I gently release my hold on him. Jumping to my feet, I see Eddy fall into the driver’s seat.

“Oh, shit.”

A car honks wildly in the background, but I move without thinking. He cannot take Lia in that car. She might not survive it.

I reach the car in seconds, but I hit a patch of ice and slide before coming to a stop. It’s enough of a delay for Eddy to turn the ignition, but I claw for the door. His blurry, startled eyes look up at me when I rip the door open, and he snarls something I can’t understand.

That’s when I catch sight of her tangled hair and hear her soft whimpers in the back. She’s not even buckled in, for Christ’s sake.

“Get out of the car,” I growl.

“Make me,” he spits.

So I do. I drag him from the car by his collar and pin him to the ground. Eddy kicks and gets me right in the nuts, but I don’t loosen my hold. He manages to buck in my moment of weakness though and gets a hand free.

He’s all limbs and hatred as he swings at me. His free fist connects with my eye, and it’s all the shit I’ll take from him. I land one hard blow to his face. His nose erupts. It’s broken, for sure. He rolls to his side just as Miller jumps out of his truck.

Right behind him is the sheriff.

And Penny.

I shake out my hand and stand. I don’t regret hitting the asshole, but looking around at the pale faces, I do regret letting the kids see me like this.

The kids.

Making eye contact with Penny, I say, “Kai. He’s hurt.”