Page 13 of Kissed By the Trillest Thug 2

“What happened?”

I stepped back automatically because her father’s words were replaying in my head. He wanted me to stay away from his daughter, and I swear I was trying to honor his request. The movement pulled at my arm. And when it did, pain shot through it immediately. My expression tightened before I could stop it. The change was small. Small enough that most people probably would’ve missed it, but Maliah didn’t.

Her eyes dropped instantly, and the frustration disappeared from her face. Then confusion followed as her gaze locked onto my arm. For a second, she just stared. Which caused me to look down. The edge of the bandage was visible beneath my shirt.

“Damn.”

The word barely left my mouth. Slowly, her eyes lifted back to mine. The color had drained from her face.

“What is that?”

I didn’t answer. I mean, I couldn’t because now we were standing at the edge of a conversation neither one of us was ready to have.

“Tahari…”

Her voice came out more quietly this time. It’s like she was scared to dig for answers. But I knew her, so she would anyway.

“What happened to your arm?”

I looked at her. Then I looked away. And somehow my silence told her more than words ever could. My quietness lasted a second too long. Maybe two. Whatever it was, it was enough for her to jump into action. Before I could stop her, she stepped forward and grabbed the sleeve of my shirt.

“Maliah.”

She ignored me as her fingers pushed the fabric higher up my arm. The second she saw the bandage wrapped around it, her face changed completely. The color drained from it. It was like all the frustration she had been carrying since she got here disappeared. Now she just looked scared. Really scared, and her facial expression made me look down automatically.

I had noticed something I hadn’t noticed before. A small patch of red had started bleeding through near the side of the bandage.

“Damn.”

The word slipped out under my breath. Maliah’s eyes immediately locked onto it. For a moment, she just stared. Then she slowly looked back up at me. Her eyes were wide.

“Were you shot?”

The question sat between us. I didn’t answer, I didn’t need to. The look on her face told me she already knew.

“Tahari.”

I rubbed my hand over my face.

“You need to go home.”

The fear immediately disappeared beneath irritation.

“That’s not an answer.”

“Maliah.”

“That’s not an answer.”

I exhaled slowly. Everything about this conversation was going exactly how I knew it would. I kept hearing her father’s words in my ear.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I said softly.

Her mouth fell open. Then she laughed. A short, disbelieving sound escaped her lips.

“I cannot believe you right now.”

She stared at me for another second like I would take back what I said. She poked out her full bottom lip before shaking her head and stepping around me. I could tell that her mind was made up.