didn't regis

punch to the chest that evacuated the oxyge

just shatter;

e air, instantly replac

ic, mechanical pop-pop-pop that sent the cr

wept my legs ou

he floo

ywall rained down, coa

but my ears were ringing with a high-pi

ax

ipped from

s a r

tal

pped toward

ive crystal chandelier groaned, swi

was

sidearm drawn, scanning the up

e looke

gaze locked through th

itting duck near the main exit w

the metal g

nd a podium, screaming,

dn't h

't come

ned hi

her completely, and dragged her toward t

delier g

n't hi

ar me and sending a tidal wave of crystal

ble back, clawin

t fast

fixture slamme

of bone a second befo

stal the size of a butcher

ediately floode

oo

uch

dges of my vision, threa

idn't p

y wouldn

urs-though it must have been mere

armed the room li

Sector

d the debris off

ound wet and gurg

e-literally dragged me-to the family's priv

right, sterile

x was

ristine.

bed, holding

cut on her for

th a tenderness that

o her, his voice low. "You

g my neck. No anesthe

t tears leaking from t

." I r

tur

ened the mome

ive," he s

he betrayal stinging worse th

. Her eyes held no fear

"Jax, she's looking at me like she wan

jaw ti

ing dramatic. We had to secure the hig

," I choked out.

disgust. "And it's pathetic. Look at you. Bleeding all ov

ds, dismissing me wit

here. She's up

eg-" one gu

in the courtyard to cool off until the tran

tated, terrifie

me into a

the double doors, out into th

estones w

d pushed

r jammed into a

hair

w for

o the stone rim of

ct was b

stitches in my

r the cold water, swir

n leg was twisted beneath

ut onto the b

at me, sprawled

s lighter illuminating his cold face. "A liability. If

d back inside to hi

stones, staring up a

side me fina

ce, it was

had bound me to him for

av

w fell

Mi

y brother's best friend be

hands shaking as they ho

e whispered. "He'

"Not... to the hospit

he balcony where J

at me, broken and bl

is voice hardening

stretcher. He scoop

e me to the f

, bypassing the security checkpoint

y duffel bag in

engine. "And a passport I made for

through swollen,

hy

eling out of the lot, leaving rubber on the pav

ead against t

ts of the gala fad

bleedi

s br

was le

the Savvy who loved Jax Vetti w