Page 116 of 4-Ever

Van leaned in and kissed Brodie long and hard.

Until Holls gave Brodie back his own advice. “Suck face later.”

No surprise, Brodie made a rude gesture with his fist.

“Dee’s right, Van,” I offered. “We met you and things changed. It wasn’t just the record deal, it was your belief in us, your unwavering support. Through the good times and all the bad shit that came along. It gave us the courage to be better versions of ourselves, not just in our music, but in our life. And because of that, great things happened. Love happened.”

I looked at Ronin and he leaned down to kiss me.

“Faise, that has to be the corniest fucking thing to ever come out your mouth,” Brodie announced. “And yet, it’s the goddamn truth!”

We all laughed and cheered to that.

Ronin

After another round of shots, we hit the dance floor and partied until the wee hours of the morning.

We stumbled out of the private event at 3 am, joking, bickering, you know, being our usual selves. It was a short walk from the exit to the SUV, and I noticed that the streets were lined with partygoers. LA was like Vegas. The shows, the parties, they go on all night.

Suddenly, I heard someone shouting.

Lennie and Petyr yelled “gun!” and shoved us to the ground so hard, my bones rattled, and the breath was knocked right out of my body.

What the fuck?

My ears were ringing as screams filled the air. People scattered like a stampede.

I blinked and suddenly, Dallas was there in front of me, tumbling to the ground. Regan was on top of him, knee to his back, yelling out orders as more security team members rushed around them.

Dallas was back in New York. How could he be here? Now? What the hell was going on?

Then I realized that Faise was underneath me, shaking badly. But I knew enough not to move. To stay where I was, shielding Faise. I’d protect him no matter what.

“Is everyone okay?” Len asked as he ran back to us, phone to his ear.

Regan and Petyr tied Dallas’s hands behind his back. The guy was yelling his head off, swearing and struggling to get loose. Other team members were holding on to him. He wasn’t going anywhere.

I rolled off Faise and checked him over. He launched himself at me, and I gripped him harder than I ever had. He was hyperventilating.

“It’s okay, baby. Everything’s all right,” I reassured him.

Jesus Christ, was it? Faise’s shaking calmed a bit as I rubbed soothing circles on his back.

“Dee? Holls?” I called out and finally looked around.

Van and Brodie, as well as Dawson and Holls, were lying on the ground nearby, same as me and Faise, shaken but okay.

“We’re fine. I think,” Brodie called out. “I don’t know what the hell just happened, but thank fuck for our security team.”

Police sirens wailed in the distance. Here we go again.

“Please tell me that asshole’s not going to get out on bail this time,” I whispered to Faise.

Then, I fainted.

I woke up in the hospital. Again.

Faise was asleep in the chair at my bedside, his dark hair sticking up on end, a soft snore echoing in the room. Just the thought of that asshole hurting him… Shit, my eyes welled up.

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