Page 124 of The Broken Note

My stomach churns and I grit my teeth. What the hell is wrong with her? She wasn’t angry when I took her home yesterday. Embarrassed, maybe. A little shocked at all the ways I made her see stars, sure.

But she wasn’t pissed off.

I step forward only to be jerked back by both of my brothers.

“Yeah,” Sol says, his eyes sliding over me. I can see him hiding his smirk.The bastard. “Yeah, let’s talk.”

“Cadence,” I growl.

“We didn’t get a pop quiz during algebra, did we?” Cadence says, walking beside Sol.

“No.”

“Good. I was worried I might have missed something important.”

“I’ll share my notes with you,” Sol offers.

I feel my anger hitting the roof and there’s no holding me back. I wrench my shoulders, shaking my brothers off me.

My footsteps are heavy and dangerous.

My nostrils flare like a bull.

I head toward the exasperating, whip-lash inducing, pain in the butt who happens to be the queen I would die for.

Cadence senses my violent stride because she stops and turns instinctively. Her eyes widen, but that’s the only reaction she can make before I scoop her up and over my shoulder.

“Dutch!” Cadence shrieks.

Everyone turns to look.

Cadence kicks and punches my back. She even tries that maneuver she did outside of Paris’s party that time. But I’m ready for her. My arms are steel bands over her hip and I don’t let her go.

My eyes spear Sol.

He’s mashing his lips together, face creased in frustration.

I don’t say anything.

I don’t have to.

My eyes whisper one thing:she’s mine.

If he wants to lose everything, he can challenge me on that.

“Stop being a freaking caveman and put me down!” Cadence yells at my lower back.

Once I’m certain Sol’s gotten my message, I stalk down the hallway. The corridors are crowded. People slide out of the way when we pass, but it’s not enough. There are too many eyes. Too many people watching us for me to feel comfortable hashing this out in a stairwell or the practice room.

I need more privacy.

So I take her out to the parking lot.

“Dutch!” Cadey shrieks. “This is kidnapping, you know!”

I don’t answer.

“I have class!”

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