Page 88 of Chaos at Westbrook High

KAI

I’m seeing red as I pace the kitchen, listening to James tell us everything that’s gone down in the forty-five minutes since I dropped Hailey off at home. Forty-five fucking minutes ago, this happened, and I’m only just finding out about it now. If he wasn’t like a little brother to my dad and an uncle to us, I’d beat the shit out of James for not calling me sooner.

“Derek needs stitches, but he’s refusing to go to the hospital so your dad’s sending a doctor?—”

Picking up my phone on the island, I take him off speaker. “Put her on the phone.”

“The doctor?”

“Hailey, you idiot.”

James pauses, whispering something I can’t make out before he clears his throat and says, “She can’t talk right now.”

I growl under my breath. “Make her talk to me.”

“You want me to put hands on her?”

Fuck.

“Because she’s already pissed at me for calling you, and I’m pretty sure she’ll beat my ass if I?—”

“I’ll be the one beating your ass, motherfucker.”

He sighs, and I hang up on him, smashing my phone down on the counter. Dropping my head into my hands, I rip my fingers through my hair, feeling sick at the thought of my girl over there without me, probably shaken up and terrified and worried about her piece of shit brother.

Glancing at the time on my watch, I snatch my phone back up and send her a text.

Kai

It’s been an hour, baby girl.

She replies immediately.

Hailey

Don’t.

I grit my teeth. She’s infuriating.

“Kai,” Wren says, breaking the heavy silence.

I look right to find four pairs of concerned eyes on my face. Damon cocks his head at me, and I nod.

“Let’s go,” he says.

Smirking, I lead the way to the elevator. Hailey might hate me for this, but fuck it.

I’m done playing games.

I take the steps three at a time, my siblings at my back as I pound on Hailey’s door. James opens it, wordlessly shaking his head at us as he steps out of the way. We walk inside, and I immediately look for Hailey, finding her standing in the living room with her arms wrapped around herself, worrying her lip between her teeth as she looks down at Derek. He’s covered in blood, lounging back on the couch, drinking vodka straight from the bottle while our family doctor tends to the gash on his temple.

The fucker has the nerve to glare when he sees me as if he’s plotting my slow death. Despite the circumstances, it makes me grin a little. He can want me dead all he likes, but his sister is mine now, and he’s just gonna have to deal with it. Same way I’m gonna have to deal with him being in her life. Even though I’d love to, I won’t force her to choose me over him. I just hope she doesn’t choose him over me. That would fucking wreck me.

Hailey follows his line of sight, her eyes widening as she steps between me and her brother. “Kai?—”

“Is that yours?” I ask furiously, rushing over to her to clutch the gray hoodie she’s wearing.

She looks down at the blood on it. “No.”

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