Page 156 of Beautifully Reckless

I gasp, leaping to my feet, just as a gun comes into view. Everyone else around the fire follows my panicked stare, their own reactions just as shocked.

“Pointing a gun at me isn’t fucking smart,” Ringo snaps, his voice sharp as he keeps moving backwards, and whoever is holding the gun follows him out of the shadows.

“You forced her to fucking marry you?!”

I blink.

And then blink again as I try to make sense of what I’m seeing.

Then, before I or anyone else can stop me, I charge forward leaping between Ringo and the gun.

“Don’t you dare point a gun at my husband, EVER AGAIN!” I scream at my childhood friend as his blue eyes widen.

“What the fuck, Abbey!” Jared yells at me, instantly lowering the gun even as Ringo sweeps me off my feet and spins, shielding me from the weapon.

“Don’t be so fucking reckless, Angel!” he chastises against my ear, but I shove out of his hold, ducking around him to stand between two men I care about and jab a finger at both of them.

“I won’t stand by and watch someone I care about get hurtorthreatened!” I yell, my entire body vibrating with rage.

“Could have fooled me. You stood by while Lexi was getting hurt.”

My mouth drops open in a gasp, but before I can speak Ringo’s fist is slamming into Jared’s jaw, knocking the gun from his grip.

“I’ll fucking kill you for talking to her like that!” Ringo roars, another fist pummelling.

A sharp whistle from behind us snaps our attention around, freezing Ringo’s fist mid-swing. My eyes go wide as I take in JD, standing there with a huge blade at his throat, held by a petite brunette clinging to his back like a monkey.

“Alright!” Ringo calls, quickly straightening, his hands up in defeat.

Jared gets off the ground, dusting himself off before spitting blood from his mouth, but I barely spare him a glance, my eyes trained on his girlfriend.

“Dee, let him go,” I demand, but she just shakes her head, those big dark eyes glinting, wild and a little unhinged.

“Why don’t we all just calm down and take a breath?” Jols steps in, her expression steady as she looks between Jared and Dee.

“Fine. I’m fucking calm,” Jared snaps. “Dee. Let him go.”

She shakes her head.

“Seriously?” he growls at his girl, rolling his eyes. “Fine.Hush.Let him go.”

She shakes her head again, but this time, she flips him the bird.

“Really? You’re going to give me fucking attitude right now?”

When she winks at him, I can’t help but giggle, my heart finally starting to slow.

“Apologise to my wife!” Ringo demands, and all this testosterone is starting to piss me off.

When Jared opens his mouth to speak, I butt in.

“I can speak for myself,” I snap, before addressing my childhood friend. “That was a low blow, Jared. Accurate, but still, at the time, I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Shit, sorry Abs. I know that. I justfucking reacted. Sometimes I don’t think.” Jared steps closer, eyeing Ringo as he passes by, before giving me his full attention. “Forgive me for being out of my fucking mind. But when I heard that he forced you to marry him I—”

“Yes, I married him but itwasn’tforced,” I interrupt with a lie that has me questioning myself.

Marriage isn’t something I wanted, not after what my parents put me through, but I can’t say I hate the situation now.

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