Page 64 of Break

Danny shoves his way past Ethan and out the back door. I quickly check on Ethan to make sure he’s okay and thankGodhe is.

He growls out a low, “Fuck,” then touches his head to make sure he’s not bleeding. After confirming he’s not, he gives me a quick shove. “Go get him!” Then sits down to shake off his minor injury.

I can already hear the peeling of tires through the gravel and know that I won’t catch up to him. My keys are in the other room, along with my cell. Letting out a frustrated scream, I march over to grab my cell, quickly dialing the station.

The moment Cooper picks up, I’m talking as fast as possible. “Coop. Danny Reed just showed up at Max’s place. He knows Mina is here and tried to break in. He’s got wheels and just left less than a minute ago, so I need you to send out a car to go pick him up. I’m not going to ask; I’m just going to assume that what you said earlier still holds. I want assigned to hernow.”

Chapter 28

No Hiding

Max

They can’t fucking find him.

It’s been two days since Danny tried breaking into my house. Two days of trying to convince Mina not to pack her shit up and run as far away as possible. Two days of wanting tomurdersomeone and not having any way to expel this uncontrollable rage boiling inside of me. Two fucking days of Danny being a damn ghost.

I’ve never felt so helpless, sopowerlessin my life. The three of us are doing all we can to track him down, but he’s hiding somewhere we don’t have eyes. He ditched his car shortly after he left my house. His phone hasn’t been used and his parents swear they haven’t seen or heard from him.

Mina’s been quiet since he showed up. I can tell she’s scared, but she won’t talk to any of us about it. While she was sick those three days, we all took turns in her room to keep an eye on her, talking with her when she was awake. Sometimes even sleeping next to her to soothe the nightmares away. Danny’s arrival has set the four of us back, and I’m just lost.

“Nope. Can’t do it anymore.” Vincent announces as he gets up from the couch and heads toward the stairs.

“What? Can’t do what anymore?” I ask, standing to follow him.

Ethan simply shakes his head at Vince, who stops, turning to face us with his hands on his hips. “I’m not sitting here anymore while she hides away upstairs, afraid of Danny, and afraid ofus. I’m going up there to invite her down to watch a movie or play a game or go for a walk. Anything to get her to not feel like she’s still a prisoner.”

He doesn’t wait for an argument, not that Ethan or I give him one, and jogs up the stairs. I stay standing in the middle of the living room, trying to hear what is said between the two of them. There’s some light murmuring and then two sets of footsteps coming back down.

Between battling the flu for a few days and the emotional turmoil she’s been going through since Danny showed up for the second time, she looks like shit. I know enough not to say it out loud, butfuck. Mina looks like she’s lost another few pounds of weight she can’t spare to lose. There are dark circles under puffy eyes and her shoulders are hunched. Even her hair is in a half-assed braid like she just quickly tied it up.Thank God she’s not required to wear that damn sling anymore.

My feet are moving before I realize it and I find myself standing only a foot in front of her. Her head tilts back to look up at me and I feel my heart beat a little harder for her. She’s just so… sad. There’s a brief hesitation on my part when I lift my hand to touch her chin, but she doesn’t shy away from me. Tipping her face slightly to the side, I run my eyes over where the barest hint of bruising is still visible around her eye and look her over.

“You doing alright, honey?” I feel bad for pressing her moments after she joins us, but I can’t help the concern I feel over her well-being.

White teeth poke out when she digs them into the pillow of her lower lip. There is no concern that she’ll hurt it because the swelling has gone down, and the cut is barely visible now. She nods slowly, without dislodging my finger. “I’m doing… better.”

I release my breath and notice a few of the hairs around her face dance with how close my face is to hers. Clearing my throat, I drop my hand and take a step back. “I’m glad. So, Vincent dragged you down here. Do you want to watch a movie or get out of the house for a bit?”

Her eyes flicker over to the front door, considering the risk of going out in the open, and her eyes clench shut. She’s struggling to decide, her fingers twisting and pulling at each other. “Umm…”

“Be right back,” Ethan says, then disappears into the office for only a few seconds, then walks out holding a stack of paper up for her to see. “Show us how to make something.”

Ethan’s suggestion was enough of a surprise to Mina that she completely forgets she’s nervous and her hands fall loosely to her side. “Really?”

“Ooh,yes!You ever see how those people will fold up a dollar bill into crazy shit? Do you know how to do anything with the rectangles like that?” Vincent is perched on the side of the couch, swinging his leg over the arm and completely relaxed.

I swear this guy does it just to piss me off. “Get your ass off the arm of the couch. Christ, Vince, how the fuck old are you?”

“Sorry Daddy,” he teases and then blows me a kiss. “Seriously sweetness, can you do any of those cool tricks with money?”

A lot of her uneasiness or unsureness drifts away as her eyes glitter with some excitement. “I’ve had little opportunity to play with bills, but I know how to make a knife!”

A snort of laughter escapes me as both Ethan and Vincent chuckle. “Of all the things…” I say, trailing off and shaking my head.

Mina’s cheeks flush slightly. “I could try to figure something else out, if you want.”

Vincent whips out his wallet and pulls out a small stack of brand-new bills and smacks them on the coffee table. “Nope. I have my heart set on a fancy money knife. Sit here and show us how.”

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