Beneath the Stars (Falling Stars #4) - A.L. Jackson Page 0,34
gonna let him go without me? Like I could abandon the fear that burst in my blood?
Shit.
This was stupid.
Stupid bad.
Didn’t matter.
I snatched the keys out of his reach.
“You think I’m gonna let you drive my baby?” I drew it out like the idea was ludicrous as I whirled around, walking backward with my arms stretched wide.
Good excuse.
Everyone knew the love I had for my car.
Royce didn’t argue. “Then hurry up, asshole.”
He angled around me, and I turned at the same time, following him out into the heat of the day.
Sun obnoxious as the rays blazed down.
Daggers of fire.
Or maybe it was just the worry.
The antsy irritation that slicked my skin in an instant sheen of sweat.
We raced for where my car was parked in the circular drive, car bleeping as I pushed the fob to unlock it. We both jumped in, and I had the engine turned over and was peeling out of the drive before either of our doors were shut.
Zero to sixty in a blink.
The powerful engine roared as I gunned it the second we hit the street.
Royce gave me quick directions as I flew around the corners.
Normally, driving was my freedom form. Where I felt like I could outrun my ghosts. Where nothin’ could catch up to me.
It was pure fuckin’ fun.
Not today.
“She’s fine. She’s fine,” Royce rumbled in the seat next to me. “Talked to her myself.”
“Yeah. Sure she’s good, man. She’s good. Would have gotten a call from the hospital if it were something significant.”
Think both of us needed to see it to believe it, though.
Because saying it out loud didn’t seem to soothe a thing.
I took a sharp right, the tires squealing as I fishtailed around the corner. The wheels caught, and the car righted, and we shot down the road.
“There.”
I was already coming to a screeching stop when Royce sat forward to point to where Maggie sat off to the left side of the road with some old dude hovering over her.
Royce was out of the car and rounding the front before I could put it in park.
“Maggie,” he shouted.
The guy was all fury and darkness, and I think I got it then, his devotion to this girl.
His fear.
The truth that he would do absolutely anything to protect his sister.
Could feel it coming off him in staggering waves as he knelt in front of her.
Didn’t mean I didn’t want to push him out of the way so I could get to her when I climbed out from the driver’s side.
My own shout of protectiveness rose to fill my chest.
My damned hands twitched with the urge to run them over her. Search out every injury.
Had to physically restrain myself from busting through to toss her over my shoulder and carry her away to safety like some kinda fatheaded dolt.
The blotches of blood staining her light-blue running shirt and the webs streaking from her knee sure weren’t helpin’ things.
My bad behavior was about to get worse.
Charcoal eyes found me from over his shoulder.
“Mags.” It was an exhale from my lips.
The hair knotted on her head was sprinkled with dried grass, and a little scrape was starting to swell on her chin.
But what got me most was the girl was clearly wired.
Shaken and agitated.
“Hey, Rhys,” she answered, breathing heavily.
“You good?”
She forced a brittle smile. “Yeah.”
Shit.
Wanted to gather her up and promise that she was okay. That I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. That I’d take the brunt of any injury or harm comin’ her way.
I had to remind myself fifteen thousand times that danger was me.
“What the fuck happened?” Royce demanded.
“It was nothing. I just tripped,” she told him.
“Fuck,” he hissed, but in it was torment. Like the guy was just waiting on their peace to be stripped away. “You tripped? How? Look at you…you’re a mess. Maggie. Shit.”
“I wasn’t paying attention and must have—”
The ratty guy who’d been standing by her cut her off, “I was in my yard right over there and this car came speedin’ up the road like some kinda maniac. Got this close.”
He pinched his finger and thumb, leaving a sliver of space. “Sure thought we were gonna have us a tragedy right here on our quiet street. Damn kids. She’s lucky she’s only banged up a bit…though she scared me right and good with all that blood.”
Slack-jawed, I realized I was just staring at the dude.
Mortified.
I pried my attention from him and slowly turned it to Maggie, trying not to freak the fuck out.