Nothing.
Hesitantly, I knock once more for safe measure and grip the knob to check it. It’s unlocked. When I open it, I find that it’s empty, no sign of Sam anywhere in sight. But I hear the faint sound of voices around the corner.
“Don’t touch me, asshole.”
Sam?
I rush forward, glancing over my shoulder to be sure I’m not being followed before focusing on her voice.
“You’re going to learn to keep my name out your mouth, bitch.”
That’s Jackson’s voice.
Red blurs my vision as I close the distance in three long strides. I turn the corner to find Sam stuck between a wall and Jackson.
“I’ve already broken one knee; don’t make me break the other,” she bites out.
“And you’re going to pay for that. Maybe I’ll finally do to you what I did to that bitch Gracie. Only you’ll have to be awake through it when I fuck you.” He reaches for her, and I snap.
I storm forward, my hand palming the back of his head as I shove him from in front of her. Relief flashes in Sam’s eyes. Positioning myself between the two of them, I take him by the throat and force him to look at me.
At the same time, he blurts out, “What the fuck?”
When he realizes it’s me, his face goes slack. Without words or warnings, I drive my fist into his face. He stumbles backward, falling to the floor and attempting to crawl-walk away with a bleeding nose. But I’m on him immediately, throwing blow after blow to his body. Then I yank him by the collar, drawing my hand back in an attempt to knock his head off his shoulders.
A small hand wraps around my bicep, stopping me.
“Bryden. Stop. Stop.” Sam’s voice breaks with emotion. “He’s not worth it.”
Jackson groans beneath me, holding his ribs with one hand and blocking me with the other. I tug him close, and glare at him.
“If you come near her again, I won’t stop. I’ll be sure to break a lot more than a knee.”
“Bryden. Let’s go.” Sam pulls me up and I allow her to.
Jackson moans on the floor as Sam drags me away, searching around before pulling me into a room at the end of the hall. Alex’s family library is covered wall to wall in books.
I step inside the darkness while she closes the door behind us. I hear the lock click. Staring at the large, uncovered windows, I try to gather myself. I hate that she’s seen me like that, but I don’t regret it.
Then she’s behind me, a gentle hand on my shoulder to ground me. I face her, and Sam’s eyes fall to my bruised hand.
“Your hand.” She takes it in hers to examine me.
I pull away. “It’s fine.”
She sets her clutch down on the nearest surface and snatches my hand back. “It’s not. It’s bruised. The game. You could have broken it.”
“I didn’t.”
“He isn’t worth you risking the game. You shouldn’t have let him make you lose control.”
It feels good that she recognizes how important my hand is, how important these games are to me. But I straighten my spine and bring myself to eye level with her so that she knows how serious I am.
“I’ll lose every ounce of control when it comes to you.”
Silence slams down on us and all we can do is stare at each other. She searches my face like she’s trying to determine if I mean it. And I’m reading her to make sure she understands exactly where I stand.
“I’ll hurt anyone who tries to harm you. Do you get that?”
