“A lot,” is all I give him, and he punches my arm. I look at him with a raised brow but he is the one person who never cowers from me. Others know who I am and how hotheaded I can be, Hayden on the other hand gives no fucks.
“Start talking because the idiot in that ring was twenty miles from here and won the fight by the skin of his teeth. So what the fuck is going on?” he asks again, and I sit on the stool, dumping the rest of the water over my head.
“You know the Radleys right?” I ask knowing how much he despises all the founding families but us.
“What did they do now?” he asks, sitting down on the bench next to me.
“To make a long story short. They have my girl. They won’t let us near her and I’m at my wits end. Her phone has been disconnected, and I can’t seem to get her alone, but fucking Mav and Casp have both been with her recently. I’m livid about it,” I spit, and he laughs. “This isn’t funny Hayden. You of all people know what it feels like to have the person you love ripped away,” I snap, and the smile immediately wipes off his face.
“The difference is her dad is the judge and he put me away for years for something I didn’t do just to keep me from her. The Radleys hold power but not like that. Stop being a bitch and go get your girl. What's the worst that could happen?” he says, and I shake my head.
“You don’t understand. The things they do to her. I just don’t want to put her in more jeopardy then she’s already in, but fuck, man. I just want to hug her. To tell her to never stop fighting, that I’m here and I’m not going anywhere!” I spit, and he nudges my shoulder.
“Then go fucking do it. She’s at her house right?” he asks, and I nod. “Then sneak into her room. Fuck it! That’s what I used to do with Ophelia. Her house is heavily guarded and I still made it through the idiots and spent plenty of nights without getting caught,” he tells me, and I laugh.
“Until you did,” I nudge him back, and he laughs.
“Not like that, that’s a story for another night. Go get cleaned up and go to her! Fuck them motherfuckers,” he laughs, slapping me on the back. He gets up and walks away and I head for the showers. He’s right, why am I being such a whiney bitch? It’s time to go get my girl and tell her how much I fucking missed her.
A few hours later, I pull onto the block behind hers, shutting off my headlights and parking my car along the curb. I reach inside my glove box and grab my brass knuckles, sliding themonto my fingers. Getting out, I pull my hood up over my head and walk through her neighbor’s front yard around to the back.
Stepping on some logs, I look over to see if anyone is patrolling. Seeing no one on the grounds, I hop the fence, keeping my body low and staying within the shadows until I get to the balcony steps. Slowly, I walk up the stairs and see a guard sitting on one of her chairs, smoking a cigarette. His back is towards me so I creep up to him and wrap my arm around his neck tightly. He struggles, thrashing in my hold, burning my arm with his lit cigarette, but I don’t let go. I apply more pressure until his body goes limp. Releasing his neck, I lay his head back against the seat and stomp out his cigarette. Walking to her window, I peek in and see she’s all alone, sitting in her bed drawing. I pull at the window, but it's locked, so I tap on the glass and pull my hoodie down so she can see it’s me and not get frightened. Her eyes collide with mine and widen for a second before she’s climbing out of bed and rushing over to me. She unlatches the lock and I slide the pane up, stepping into her room.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she whisper-shouts, but I don’t give her an answer. Instead, I grip her by the hips and pull her into me. She wraps her arms around my shoulders, leaning her head against my chest. She looks so fucking sexy in nothing but an oversized t-shirt with her hair messy in a bun. Her face is makeup free, and I growl as I lift her chin up to look at me.
“Lil’ Mama. What happened to your face?” I ask, trying to stay as calm as possible.
“Jacob Lee happened,” she seethes. “But I hit his ass back. Hopefully, he has a black eye from my right hook.” She smiles, and I snap, slamming my lips against hers as my hands grip her face. Her tongue swipes against mine, and I groan into her mouth, loving the way she tastes. I pull away, and she whimpers.God, I miss her little noises.
“I’ve missed you. I know I’m not supposed to be here, but fuck, Lil’ Mama. I couldn’t take another second without seeing you,” I confess, pressing my lips gently against hers.I can’t help myself. I miss kissing this girl. I wish I could take her home with me so I can cuddle her in my bed.
“I’ve missed you too, Brax, but you can’t be here. If we get caught, I’m fucked,” she says, but I place my finger over her lips to silence her.
“We won’t get caught. The guard outside will be out for a bit. I just wanted to see you,” I tell her, and she smiles up at me, hugging me again.
“I’m going to tell you the same thing I told your brothers. You have to let me go. There’s no way out of this—this time. Before, I might’ve had a chance, but now, I’m done,” she says, and I shake my head.
“You fight–and don’t stop. You hear me. You give them hell any chance you get. I got something for Jacob Lee. If I see another ma—”
“I know. Caspian said the same thing. I know. I just don’t know what to do. If I keep fighting back, they will kill me. I’m left with no choice,” she says, but I shake my head.
“I swear to you, Lil’ Mama. We will find a way to get you out of here. One way or a-fucking-nother. We can just kill them all and run,” I tell her, and a tear escapes from her gorgeous eyes. Lifting my thumb, I wipe it away, looking into her eyes. “Don’t cry. I’m sorry I can’t be here saving you from their clutches, but know I’m always in your heart,” I tell her, placing my hand against her chest.
“Brax–I-I–” She hiccups as the door swings open, and I quickly move her behind me.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here? The harlot’s sneaking boys into her room I see,” Mr Radley states as he walks in with two of his goons.
“Fuck you!” I spit, and he laughs.
“Fuck me? Ha! You are just in time for the show,” he says, taking off his suit jacket and snapping his fingers at his goons. They charge me, and Presley screams as I rear back, slamming my fists into one of the guys’ faces, making him stumble back, as the other slams into me, causing me to fly into Presley's vanity. The mirror shatters as other items fall to the wood floor. We scuffle around as I try to right myself, but the other goon grabs my hands. Presley's screams have me growling and laying punch after punch, but I’m getting absolutely nowhere. Then, an electric zap in the neck sends me to my knees as one of the goons zip ties my hands together while the other lifts my body into a chair. I look over at Presley who has tears streaming down her face.
“Get the fuck away from her!” I growl, and Mr. Radley laughs walking towards her and pressing his lips against hers. My eyes widen and bile threatens to spill from my lips. He then looks at me with a smirk.If only I could smash his skull in and remove that smirk from his fucking face.
“No, I don’t think I will,” he says, lifting her shirt over her head. I thrash in the chair, trying to break free from my restraints, watching my girl give up as her eyes give me a pleading look while her lip trembles in fear of what is to come. He unbuttons his shirt, taking it off and folding it over her bed post.
“Presley, darling. Knees,” he orders her.
“Pres, don’t! Fuck him! Don’t listen to him!” I yell, but she shakes her head at me as she sinks to her knees. My heart falls in my chest knowing that whatever is about to happen is going to destroy me and her for eternity.
