Here Lies a Saint (Here Lies #2) - C.L. Matthews Page 0,8

Mel my dorm key." A self-deprecating laugh leaves me, the sound choppy even to my ears.

No one litters about, and I take that as a blessing in disguise. At least they won’t have reason to further their vamp calling torture. Instead of wallowing, I do something I know I'll regret later. I pull out my cell and text Ross. I'm outside Crystal. Covered in blood. Need a shower.

My text is impersonal, wrong, vacant like my current state-of-mind, but if I offer more, he’ll think I’m going to give in to his poor excuse for a relationship he’d always deny.

His response is nearly immediate. I'll let you in, but the guys aren't going to like seeing two dudes with you.

I nearly forget they're territorial. Instead of a pissing contest, they do stare downs and asshole remarks that aren't funny at all.

How do you know people are with me?

You’re literally in front of the main lobby’s windows.

I roll my eyes at his response. He must’ve been hiding from the others.

Please, Ross. I'm desperate. I'll pay the repercussions later.

"So?" Just asks, breaking me from my texts.

I'm going to respond, but the door unfastens, and Bridger is the one opening it.

"The fuck are you doing here?" he barks at them. Not me. Them.

I stare up at his hollow gaze and shiver. It's already been a traumatic night. There's no reason we should be hostile. There's enough going on as is.

"Bridger," I whisper, hoping he can sense my fragility, something I would never willingly put to the front.

Ross comes running a second later. "Looks like socio over here was watching the feeds again," he jokes, but I see the stiffness in his posture and the troublesome expression on his face.

Bridger is daunting. Tall, broad, with a lying face and terrifying eyes, he’s formidable to anyone who dares stand against him.

“I’ll repeat,” Bridger growls, his palms balling into fists. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

I turn to Just and Pru, wanting to protect them, but I know they are fine by themselves. The thought is still there though.

"We're here to keep her safe," Just practically spits.

It takes me away from the moment, settling in my stomach as I get nervous. His voice dropped a lot, almost callous and cruel. It’s a tone I've never heard him use around me. And the way he enunciated safe? It's like Bridger was supposed to protect me and didn't, and that makes my chest ache on a whole other level.

"Yeah, what about six hours ago? When she was about to be slaughtered?" Bridger prods, and I turn back to him. His normally impassive tone, flat expression, and smooth exterior are nowhere to be found. He's towering, his frame hulkish. Chills skate all over my skin. I hate it, and I love it, and it's scary as fuck, but it's also his way of showing something.

"What about you? You live here, and you didn't keep her safe!" Just throws back at him, and I'm stuck wondering what the fuck is happening and why they're yelling at one another as if they know each other.

"Guys, we need to get her inside," Ross interrupts the yelling, sidestepping Bridger. His hands clasp my shoulders, and he peers at me with so much worry, but it's not him who has my attention. It's Ten five or so feet behind him. I can barely see him, but Ten’s face seems distraught.

He stayed behind while the EMTs checked me out. He watched from afar as the cops questioned me, and it wasn't until my moms left that he walked away.

Tears begin to prick again, reminding me how broken up I still am.

Ten moves past Bridger and the twins, pulling me inside the place I used to call home, but before I can fully enter the door, I stop him.

"Guys, come on." I'm directly speaking to the twins, not wanting them too far. They'll keep the guys from pulling their normal pranks on me.

They start to follow me, but then we're all stopped by Jordan and Lux.

Goddammit. Nothing comes easy nowadays.

Chapter Four

Jordan

Covered in crimson and appearing as deathly as her nickname, Colt is still hot as fuck. It's kind of annoying that she does this to me and has since before she knew I existed. She's trembling now, though, and knowing me or one of the guys aren't the cause has me rattled.

No one gets to make her feel this way but us.

She's not anyone's to toy with.

I hear the tail end of their conversation. Apparently, Colt