The cop’s expression shifts instantly.
“What the fuck—” he starts.
Another cop skids to a stop beside him, then another. Their eyes roaming our bodies, taking in the sight of the blood coating our skin as their radios crackle to life all at once.
“Hey!” someone shouts. “Masks off now! Hands above your fucking heads!”
The people in the crowd sense the tension before they actually see it. They all start backing away, gasps rippling outward as eyes lock onto us with interest. Some people even pull their phones out, wanting to document it, no doubt so they can later post it on some social media site for free views and likes.
Kade moves on instinct, shoving Aeri back a step, his body angling in front of her as the space around us explodes.
“Police!” a voice barks. “On the ground! Now!”
Hands grab me hard from behind before they wrench my arms back, and twist until pain flares sharp and bright. I barely register it over the sound of Aeri screaming my name.
“Kross! No?—”
Metal cuffs snap shut around my wrists.
Another set of hands slams into Kade, forcing him forward. He doesn’t fight it, but his head snaps up, eyes locked on Aeri as they haul him away from her.
“Kade! Stop it! Get your hands off them!” she screams, shoving forward, trying to break through the line of cops forming between us. “They didn’t even fucking do anything! You can’t just arrest them!”
A cop steps straight into her path, palms up. “Ma’am, step back and let us do our job,”
She doesn't. Of fucking course she doesn’t. Because Aeri is a goddamn menace. A miniature little firecracker who challenges authority and thinks danger is fucking foreplay.
So, she fights. She lunges for the cop, and thrashes hard enough that her friends barely manage to get hold of her arms and drag her away. Harper’s eyes meet mine for a split second over Aeri’s shoulder.
“Jesus fuck. Get her out of here,” I bark.
Harper nods without hesitation, tightening her grip and hauling Aeri back into the crowd as she kicks and screams.
For one horrible second, I think she’s going to rip free and charge straight at them.
If she does, this turns into a bloodbath. Because if they put their fucking hands on her, I will gut them like the pigs they are.
Kade meets my eyes across the chaos.
No panic. No questions.
Just a silent understanding that he’s thinking the exact same thing I am.
Pure rage, and fucking fear.
Not for us. For her.
They drag us backward through the crowd, shouts following, people scrambling to get out of the way. Someone yells “Oh my god.” Someone else gasps like they can’t believe what they’re seeing.
They shove us into the same cruiser.
Hard, and rough. All elbows and barked orders, metal biting into our wrists as we’re forced down onto the back seats. The door slams shut with a hollow, final sound that echoes through the cab, sealing us in behind cage bars and scratched plexiglass that smells like disinfectant.
The world collapses fast.
No more crowds or lights. Just the inside of the car, the weight of the cuffs, and my breathing coming a little too quick no matter how hard I try to rein it in.
I snap.
