Page 122 of Mother Parker
I stumbled backward as Bloaty kicked his foot back, aiming right for my chest.
I crossed my hands to my front, pushing back the foot before it crashed into me.
The impact reverberated through me and pain spread like a spider web, but Bloaty lost his footing. I punched his face just as Bulky backhanded the side of mine.
I fell to the ground on my shoulder. A new sharp pain prickled my upper body. Bulky kicked my stomach.
And then he was on the ground, Maddox on top of him, coloring his ugly mug with bruises.
Bloaty dove for him but ended up face-first on the ground as I grabbed his legs and tipped him over.
Blue and red lights blinded me, and Maddox and I got to our feet and put our hands up as officer after officer aimed their guns at us.
An officer came up behind me and handcuffed me. Hwan put his phone down and ran to me.
“Parker!” he shouted. “You’re bleeding.”
I looked down at his hand brushing over my wound, and all I could register for a moment was the electric current running from him to me.
“It’s fine. I probably popped the stitches,” I whispered.
He pulled back. “Stitches? What stitches?”
“It’s a long story.”
The officer pushed me away, but Hwan put his hand between us.
“He didn’t do anything. They didn’t—look, I’ve got it all on camera,” he told him and showed him the live stream from just moments ago.
“You filmed them?” I asked.
He shrugged.
“I thought doing a live would deter them from hurting me. You know, with millions watching.”
“Millions?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Fine. Thousands, Mr. Pedantic.” He snapped to the police officer next. “Is that enough? Can you let him go now?”
The guy undid my handcuffs, but I watched Hwan, my beautiful man who I’d almost lost tonight.
Hwan put his phone away. I guessed there was some good use to that social media crap he was so obsessed with.
“We’ve got a runner,” the officer behind me yelled as I brought my hands forward and rubbed my wrists.
We all turned to take in the scene. The evidence of our fight was layered all over the ground, the red and blue lights making it look more ominous and dangerous.
A man was running down the other side of the road, where Maddox had parked the car. The smaller man I’d smacked with a bottle stumbled his way, trying to escape the authorities.
But the bastard was running toward Autumn.
I opened my mouth, but before I could say something, she lifted her hand up to her side, and the guy’s face collided with it, bringing him to the ground.
Autumn tried to fist pump the air but yelped in pain and shook her arm with a grimace.
“I did it,” she shouted at me.
I shook my head and turned to Hwan as the officers handcuffed the small man too.
