My fists ball at my sides and the savagery I’ve tried to push down for the last week returns with a vengeance.
With my feet escaping me, I hurl at Zed from behind. Slamming into his body and taking us both straight down to the ground. We crash into a couple guys who lose their drinks, one spilling down my back, but the ice-cold beverage feels refreshing against my fired-up flesh. Someone tries to pull me off of Zed, but my arm flails freely as I shove them back then drive my fist straight into the back of Zed's head.
Tucking his hands behind his back and underneath my legs, I grab him by the throat and shove his face into the dry grass. "You fucking played us. Had Willa do your dirty work and for what? So you could escape town and leave us to clean up your mess?"
"I said in time." He chokes out as his body wiggles to try and break free.
"How much fucking time?" I'm grabbed from behind again, and this time, I'm jerked off from Zed and dropped to the side.
"Enough!" Tommy shouts. Coming down next to me, he gets close. "Everyone is fucking watching right now. Let this go."
I brush myself off and get to my feet, and by time I turn back around, Zed has disappeared into the crowd. "You idiot!" I scream. "You just let him go?" I give Tommy a shove and walk away before I do something I'll regret. Like burn this whole place down.
25
"Pack your shit. We're leaving tonight," Lars growls, as he comes storming into the kitchen. I'm mid-chew on a piece of pizza.
Choking it down, I drop the slice onto a paper plate. Marni is sitting right beside me with raised brows and the same look of confusion I'm wearing. "Are you drunk?" Stupid first question, but he's clearly not thinking straight.
"No, I'm not drunk. I'm fucking pissed." With one swipe of his arm across the counter, the box of pizza goes flying to the floor. "I should have killed his ass when I had the chance." He begins pacing the length of the kitchen. Steam rolling out of his ears while he rubs his knuckles.
I push off the stool and walk over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop his movements, but the lack of intensity in my touch has him keeping on his path. "What happened?"
When he responds with only a grumble and a huff, Marni pulls out her phone to call Talon, I assume.
Standing in the middle of the kitchen, I watch Lars but listen to Marni.
"Hey, what happened tonight? Why's Lars so pissed off?" There's a beat of silence and her eyes shoot to me. "He did what?! We all had a deal. He got what he wanted." Another pause. "Alright. Well, I'm leaving. I'll be there in a few." She ends the call and stands up. "I've gotta go. You good here?"
"Yeah. We'll be fine. Thanks for hanging out with me tonight."
"Of course." She pulls me in for a hug. "If you ever need anything, just let me know. You're one of us now." She nods her head toward Lars with a smirk. "And if this one starts acting up, call the guys, they'll handle him."
"I will." I chuckle. When she starts picking up the pizza on the floor, I stop her. "I'll get that. And I'll make sure the house is in tip-top shape before we leave. Tell your dad I said thank you."
"When I see him again, I will." She leaves the kitchen and I take over cleaning up the mess.
A rapid thud against the back wall has me jumping up. "Lars!" I gasp when I see blood running down his hand and a dent in the wall.
"Fuck!" he screams, before slamming his fist into the same exact spot. If he was expecting a smooth blow through drywall, he was sadly mistaken, both times.
"Stop it!" I hurry over to him, grabbing a hand towel on my way. "Would you calm down. This isn't helping anything."
"He played us. He used you, used us, and he's leaving town without giving us any answers."
Just as I finish wrapping the towel around his hand, a sharp nudge in my side has be grabbing my stomach.
His eyes widen, and suddenly he's forgotten all about Zed. "What's wrong? Is it the baby?"
I shake my head. "Just a weird dull pain." I cringe when the stabbing sensation happens again. "Ouch." I take a few steps backward and Lars helps me over to the stool. "Maybe it was the pizza." But the next jab has me second-guessing that possibility. "Ahh." I curl over, holding tightly to my stomach. "Lars, I think something’s wrong."
"Come on." He scoops me up in his arms, cradling me like a baby."
"Where are we going?" I ask, as he carries me out of the kitchen.
"To the hospital."
"No! What if Rick finds out I'm there. He'll track me down."
He sets me down on the couch and goes to the door to grab my shoes. Sliding one on then the other. "He won't know we're there and even if he does, I'll never let that son of a bitch near you again."
Another stab to the side and I whimper, "It hurts." It's not an uncontrollable pain, but it's nothing I've ever felt before and that worries me. Lars is right; I need to get checked out. Even if it's just for peace of mind.
Once he has his shoes on, he lifts me up again. "I can walk."
"No, you're not." With me still in his arms, he crouches down and turns the handle on the front door. "I'm parked out front. You ok?" He looks at me, and I can see the worry in his eyes.
"I'm ok." I assure him, in hopes of assuring myself at the same time. Please, God. Don't let anything happen to my baby.
We arrive at the hospital
