Page 168 of Cruel Steps

“I’m Dillion, and he’s Eric,” the taller one said for them both.

“Taylor’s my best friend, so if you hurt her or do anything sketchy, you’ll answer to me. And you both know who I’m dating, so if I don’t scare you enough, they should. But just so we’re clear, I’m a whole lot scarier. Capeesh?” Their eyes widened, and they gulped before nodding, almost in sync.

“Babe, I can take care of myself,” Taylor protested.

“I know. Doesn’t mean I can’t help.” I kissed her cheek. “Text me their address when you’re there and when you’re headed back. The parade is at noon.”

“Got it. Have a good evening yourself,” she teased before stepping between the two guys. I narrowed my eyes at them before I walked away, reminding them what was at stake. On the way out, I spotted Rose and my dad, so I bid them goodbye. Holden and Colter waited for me at the door and took my hands as we walked out together.

Again, people stared, and this time I stared back. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as judgy as I’d expected. Either they were getting used to the idea of us or were scared of pissing off Holden enough not to say anything. I never thought having a scary boyfriend who was good at football could be so advantageous.

The cold night air sent goosebumps racing over my skin when we stepped outside, so I dropped their hands to rub my arms. Holden tossed the car keys to Colter, then shrugged off his suit jacket, draping it over my shoulders.

“Ah, man. I wanted to be the gallant one,” Colter whined.

“Snooze, you lose.”

Laughing at their back-and-forth, I didn’t notice at first when they both froze. At the bottom of the stairs, a guy with a bouquet of roses stood with a sign that said “Princess.”

Holden looked over my head, telling Colter something with his eyes before taking off down the steps. I moved to join him, but Colter held me back.

“Wait,” he said.

“Why? He shouldn’t be going on his own!”

Colter’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t budge. Huffing, I crossed my arms as Holden approached the guy. We watched as he talked to the man, pointing to me when the guy didn’t hand over the delivery. I imagined Holden was using his scary face when he hesitated again, because the guy shoved it into his arms and stalked off. Holden inspected the bundle, dropping the roses into the trash can. He took out his phone and snapped a picture, then turned his back on the items, blocking my view.

“Let’s go,” Colter said when Holden nodded. I wanted to protest, but these shoes were killing me, and at the reminder of Monsieur Owen still lurking about, exhaustion filled my bones.

Holden didn’t budge until we passed the roses, joining us. I could only guess what was on them he didn’t want me to see. Shuddering, I burrowed into Colter’s chest, feeling a semblance of safety in his arms. The three of us were quiet as we moved to the SUV, and I worried our car wasn’t safe. It was the last thing I wanted to deal with tonight.

“Should we call Detective Jennings?”

“I sent her a text to come and pick them up.”

“Oh, that was smart. Is our car safe?” I looked around the parking lot, wondering if he was there, watching. Always watching.

“He sent someone else, so I’d say he doesn’t know what vehicle you’re in.”

“Could be watching,” Colter said, echoing my thoughts.

“He could. But do you want to wait for another ride on the off chance he is?”

“Not really. I want to go home.” My voice was small, and all the earlier confidence left me at the reminder that we weren’t safe. I wasn’t safe.

“Hey. Look at me, Wildcat.” Holden stepped closer to me. “He’s not going to get you. We’re not going to let him.”

“You can’t stop bullets and bombs, Holden.”

“Wanna bet? I can do anything with you, Wildcat.” The live wire inside me crackled with energy, warming me from the inside out. I wanted to believe in his optimism.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

“Get in the backseat,” Holden ordered.

I did as he asked, and Colter climbed into the driver’s seat. Holden followed me into the back, pushing me to the other side.

“I knew football players took up a lot of space, but two seats is a bit much, Hol.” He chuckled, spread his legs, and then reached over and dragged me into his lap.

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