Page 27 of Keeping Score

“Or what? You think you can take us, on your own?” he mocks. Garrett darts his gaze to me and I plead with my eyes not to do anything stupid.

“He won’t, but I fucking will.” It’s been five days since I have heard his voice and it’s a welcome balm to my tattered nerves. Gary’s grip on my shoulder tightens the moment he feels me relax, a whimper escapes again. I hear him move toward us and tense in preparation for what is to come. He comes to a stop in front of us. I look up and find his brown eyes laser focused on Gary’s hand that is gripping my shoulder in a punishing hold.He snaps his hand out, grips Gary’s wrist and shoves him back a step. Gary rights himself quickly and gets in Darius’s face. D has a few inches on Gary and you can tell from his posture that he hates it.

“You think you stand a chance alone? There are seven of us, you piece of shit!” Gary spits right in Darius’s face. Instead of backing down or rethinking his move, Darius smiles cockily.

“Who said anything about him being alone?” I look past the two guys to see Saint, Corvin, Crue and Beckett marching toward us like gods with fury written over each of their faces. They come to a stop behind Darius, the bond each of these guys shares is awe inspiring. I can kind of see why everyone worships them. “Now, unless you want us to leave tread marks all over you and your band of cheerleaders’ faces, I suggest you get the fuck out of our town.” I’ve never heard Crue sound… so serious or aggressive before.

“Take the warning and fuck off,” Darius says in a tone so low and deadly it sends a shudder through me. Gary pulls back, smiles and brushes the nonexistent wrinkles from Darius’s shoulders then turns to me. The look in his soulless blue eyes has my breath hitching. He tilts his head forward causing his brown hair to flop onto his forehead. The guy thinks he can pull off theJax Tellerhairstyle but he really can’t. His teeth are crooked and the fact he has a tongue ring with a dice on it makes me ill.

“Don’t worry, mouse, I’ll be seeing you again real,realsoon.” I say nothing as he and his band of misfits push their way through Corvin and the others. The moment the restaurant door closes, I sag into my seat, ecstatic that my nightmare is gone.

My reprieve is short lived.

“What the fuck was that, Goldie?” I slowly lift my gaze to Darius’s and a whirl of emotions war in his eyes—anger, confusion, hatred but the worst of all it’s when I see betrayal that it burns me.

“I don’t know,” I say as I stand, grab my jacket and bag. The girls follow my lead and quickly gather their things, while Garrett drops some bills on the tables. I try to move past Darius and the others but they form a wall, a hulking fucking wall full of glares and accusations. “Excuse me,” I grit out.

“Answer him, Leah. What the fuck was Gary doing here?” Corvin sounds pissed and I can’t blame him, I decide to go with the truth.

“I have no idea, we came here to celebrate after practice and then he just showed up.” I hold my brother’s gaze so he can see the truth in my eyes. “I swear, Corv, we were just hanging out and then he… ruined it.” I whisper the last part. Corvin reaches out and places his hands on the top of my shoulders. I hiss and flinch away. Before I can take a full step back, Darius is in front of me ripping the sleeve of my shirt down to expose my shoulder, which I know will already be bruising. His eyes darken at the sight of it, he grips the back of my neck and pulls me into him until his forehead rests against mine.

“You are going to tell me everything, but right now, I have a quarterback’s arm to break.” He releases me and races from the restaurant with the other four following him. I take a second to gather myself before I’m following after them. I break through the door in time to see Gary and his friends peeling out of the car park in their cars, hollering out the window. “Fucking pussy ass bitches!” Darius roars as he watches their cars driveaway. When he turns back to face us, his gaze finds mine immediately. “Say goodbye to your friends, your ass is coming with us!” My mouth unhinges. I look to Corvin expecting him to stop him but the bastard just crosses his arms over his chest and quirks a brow at me, daring me to defy king broody beside him.

“I can take you back.” I turn my head to the side to see Garrett, standing there with his hands in his jeans pockets. Ismile kindly, ready to accept his offer but the king asshole cuts me off.

“Accept his offer, Goldie, and see what happens.” I cut a glare to Darius, narrowing my eyes in warning as I grit out,

“You gonna tell my brother...” his eyes shoot wide, “on me?” I smirk when his face becomes a picture of annoyance. “Just so we are clear, I don’t live with you lot anymore and newsflash, assholes, I’m eighteen!” I shout. The smirk that crosses Darius’s face has the triumphant feeling inside me dwindling rapidly.

“Either Corvin throws you over his shoulder and puts your ass in the car or I do. Those are your only choices!” I look to the girls and shoot them a look that has them grinning like fools before turning to Garrett who just looks pissed off.

“Thanks for tonight,” I say.

“Don’t even think about–”

I cut Darius off before he can finish his threat. “Run!”

Darius

She screams she’s eighteen and then runs off like a fucking child!

“Beck, Corv, get the cars, You two with me,” I bark out as I race after the pain in my ass. Crue and Saint are right with me as we chase down the girls. I see them dart across the road heading for the park. It’s fucking dark out and these idiots are running into a park surrounded by woodlands? Fucking morons. We race across the road. Gaining on them, the moment we hit the grass of the park, Leah looks over her shoulder and shouts.

“Split up!” I growl. She is going to pay for this. Her friends do as she ordered and break away in separate directions.

“Saint get Cody. Crue get Katie. I got the little shit,” I snarl as I sprint after her. I’m only a couple steps behind her when I break through the brush. She chances another look over her shoulder and squeals out a laugh, then darts around a tree and I lose sight of her for a couple seconds. I round the same tree and come to a halt when I don’t see her anywhere.

“Boo.” I snap my gaze to the side where she leans against the tree, huffing. I crowd her space and place my arms on either side of her head, caging her in. Our breaths are coming in rapid pants thanks to her impromptu race. The smile that is plastered on her face pisses me off.

“You think this is funny?” I snap.

“Yeah, I do actually.” Her sarcastic reply grates on my already frayed nerves. “You act all big and tough, and pretend to hate me but look where you are, Darius. You had a choice to chase three girls and from what I heard back there you didn’t even have to think about which one you were gunning for!” She steps into me so our chests brush against each other, then grips the sides of my shirt keeping me anchored in place as she slowly cranes her neck back to meet my gaze. “You either want me or you let me fucking go because I can’t keep playing this game with you.”

“Game?” I snarl as I yank free of her hold, putting a couple feet of space between us. “You think this is a fucking game?” I roar. She shrinks back into the tree but my temper is too far gone to be controlled. “None of this was ever a fucking game to me. This is my life you are destroying just by being near me! I fucking hate you, Leah.” She flinches and drops her gaze to her shoes as her shoulders hunch forward. “I’ll never fucking forgive you for what you did to me, I can’t,” I grit out before storming away from her. I break the tree line to find Beck standing there with a pitying look on his face. Before I can say anything, he holds out the keys to his car and flicks his head toward where it is parked at the curb.

“Saint and Crue have the girls in there, drop them at their dorm and grab her a bag. I’ll get her and bring her back with me and Corvin.” I nod my thanks and begin to move away but his words have me halting. “She’s right, though. You either want heror you don’t, you need to decide.” The only response he gets is a grunt before I’m storming off toward his car.

I made Cody pack her bag and smacked Saint across the back of the head when he offered to pick out her panties. After leaving the girls, we headed straight home and have been sitting in the car for five minutes. I know we have to go in but I don’t want to. Beckett’s words keep replaying over and over in my mind. They may be true but it’s fucking hard to let go of your first love. What makes the whole situation more fucked up is I can’t even escape my first and only girlfriend because she is my best friend’s little fucking sister!

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