Page 90 of Chokehold
Jackson goes to say something against my ear, but I slam the back of my head against his face, turning in his hold and punching him in the throat. He gags, and one of his little friends catches the gun he drops, but Allie stands in front of me.
“Don’t you dare hurt him. We didn’t agree to this. You said you’d beat up Blaise. No one mentioned Cole.”
“You’re still defending him?” Jackson spits. “He’s been screwing his brother behind your back. You saw the video of them on the first chase night.”
I frown and move Allie from standing in front of me. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
He grins. “Did you think no one would notice you hiding your identity so you can force him to blow you?”
I glance over my shoulder. The music is too loud for Blaise to hear, but still. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“And the second time in the classroom. You wanked him off, still hiding who you were.”
Allie crosses her arms. “You didn’t mention that time,” she says to him.
“That’s why he has no interest in you. He’s gay.”
The term doesn’t make me uncomfortable. Before, I was in denial, but now? Yeah, I am fucking gay, and I don’t wait around to hear another word from this asshole’s mouth. My knuckles burn as I punch him again, again, and a third time to throw him on his ass. I climb on him and grab his throat. No one stops me, They watch as I slam the back of Jackson’s head into the ground.
“Stay the fuck away from Blaise,” I snap, cutting off his oxygen. Squeezing, I pull him to me, so only he can hear my next words. “Or I’ll sneak into your room at night, tie you to your bed, and I’ll carve his name into your skin. I’ll cut you. I’ll snap your fucking bones one by one with pliers and make you drink your own piss. And when you’re still alive and begging me to stop, I’ll silence you by cutting off your cock and making you choke on it until your body is found weeks later, because no one cares about you enough to check in.”
Not that I would lower myself to getting into trouble with the law for this asshole, but with how pale he goes, I’ve driven my point home. I release his throat and stand, glancing over at Allie.
“Unlock the fucking door.”
She nods a few times and runs out of the room. I wait for someone to hit me, to feel a fist or a bat or even a bullet penetrate my skin, but they all stand back as I step over Jackson and leave them there.
“You’ll regret threatening me,” I hear Jackson call out.
Yeah, probably. But I’m not caring.
As soon as Allie unlocks the door and I step out, Blaise barges through the crowd and runs straight for me.
My hair tickles my brow as I watch Cole from beneath my lashes. He puts a bottle of antiseptic and a cloth on the bathroom sink before reaching for my cut hand. His touch is gentle as his blue eyes flick up to mine, and my heart thuds harder. While the thought of being in love with him should scare me, it doesn’t anymore. I feel safe around Cole.
Even when we dropped Mia off at her friend’s house, I couldn’t stop looking at him.
“Are you sure your nose is okay?” I ask, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. He’s different tonight, touching me as though he’s worried he might hurt me.
His fingers ghost the deep gash, and his brows furrow. “Does it hurt?”
“No,” I whisper, and his fingers pause.
“Don’t lie to me, Blaise.” A muscle tics in his jaw as his touch resumes its journey across my palm. “Always be honest with me.”
I wince when he applies pressure with his thumb, and I try to pull away, but he tightens his grip and drags me from the edge of the bathtub. Rising to my feet, I let him pull me close.
“I could have killed Jackson tonight,” he admits, holding my gaze and stroking his thumb back and forth across my wrist. “I saw fucking red when I realized he was planning to hurt you.”
“I can handle myself,” I tease, but Cole looks away and grinds his teeth. “Hey,” I say, trying to coax him to look at me. “I’m okay. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I don’t have to worry about you? Really?” His eyes flash with anger, and he steps away to create space between us. I grab his hand, ignoring the sharp sting in my palm. “I’m okay, Cole.”
Looking down at our interlaced, bloodied fingers, he nods once and swallows. “If I hadn’t arrived… What then?”
“I would have taken them all on, like John Wick.”
Cole’s lips twitch, and fuck me, it feels like I’ve won the lottery. I pull him closer, my chest swelling when he finally meets my gaze.
