Page 43 of The Way We Are

Landon laughs, amused by my apparent humor. I’m glad he took the bit of envy in my voice as playful. I knew Justine’s family was better off than mine, but I didn’t realize it extended this far. Not only did they add a left wing to their already substantial house, but a six car garage and inground pool are also new additions.

“As long as they don’t touch my 57 Chevy, you can put them anywhere you like,” Landon advises.

My jealousy doubles. “You have a 57 Chevy?”

A look crosses Landon’s face. Although I’ve never witnessed it on a man’s face before, I swear he's moments away from creaming his pants. “Sure do. Just finished refurbishing her last week. She’s a real beauty.” He dumps a bag of red cups he collected from the outside patio into the bin on our right before gesturing his head to the garage. “Wanna take a look?”

I shift my eyes to the people mingling in the living room, noticing the number of attendees has dwindled from hundreds to less than a handful before answering, “Fuck, yes!”

Landon smirks at my excitement before ambling in the direction his head just nudged. I follow after him, lugging the ten stacks of chairs with me.

Tonight has been ... fucking awesome. Up until twenty minutes ago when Savannah went to console Justine after she got in an argument with her brother—don’t ask me which one as I wouldn’t be able to tell you—Savannah never left my side. She introduced me to her friends as “my Ryan,” and our conversation flowed as freely as the numerous bottles of alcohol consumed by the people surrounding me.

Although tempted to accept one of the many offers of a drink bestowed upon me tonight, I’ve remained sober. It isn’t that I don’t like alcohol; I just don’t trust drunk people.

Luckily for me, alcohol isn’t required for me to have fun. Chris got smashed during our game of beer pong, and Brax and I dominated the pool when we played water volleyball. I’m going to be honest: I was shocked Brax wanted to play. He generally refuses to do anything athletic. My surprise was curtailed the instant he suggested that Justine hop on his shoulders for leverage against our competitors. It was a smooth move on his behalf—one I followed two seconds later.

After discarding the stack of chairs in the first garage, I follow Landon to a covered car parked in the middle of the greasy-smelling space. The grin Landon is wearing replicates one a gameshow model would use while revealing the top prize for the night. He's in love with three thousand pounds of steel.

Landon has barely pulled the dark gray car cover off his midnight blue pride and joy when a panicked voice seizes our attention.

“Landon!” Justine screams again.

Landon and I glance at each other briefly before we race out of the garage. With his legs double the length of mine, he reaches Justine before me. Ice scuttles through my veins when I spot the tears dribbling down her cheeks. She’s more upset now than she was when Maddox discovered her playing tonsil hockey with Brax in the hot tub. It's lucky Brax has a way with words, or he might have bid farewell to his two front teeth.

“Savannah,” Justine murmurs through hiccups, answering Landon’s questioning gaze with fewer words than I would have liked. She points to the front of her house. “Axel.”

I push off my feet like a rocket, outrunning Landon’s strides two to one. Justine only murmured two words, but they were enough to slam me with worry.

Because the number of party attendees has shrunk in size dramatically the past hour, I reach the front entrance of the Walsh family estate in a record-breaking time. Anger roars through my body when I spot Savannah being dragged down the driveway by Axel. His clutch on her arm is so firm, tears are springing in her eyes.

They nearly fall down her ashen face when I shout, “Let her go!”

Fury lines Axel’s face when his head swings my way. “Walk away, Ryan, while you still have the chance,” he warns before continuing his caveman steps.

“Not happening. The only person leaving is you.” My voice is enhanced by the fury lacing my veins, making it sound older than my years.

When I close the distance between us, Savannah’s eyes meet mine, pinning my legs in place. Her look doesn’t slow my steps; it's the plea in her eyes. She doesn’t want my help. She wants me to walk away.

What the fuck?

“Savannah—”

“It’s fine, Ryan. I’m fine. Axel is just a little upset,” she assures me, her words barely audible through the hammering of my heart in my ears.

“I wonder why I’m upset!” Axel screams, yelling in Savannah’s face. “Did you kiss him like reported?! Did you let him put his lips on you?!” The anger on his face doubles when he spots the faint hickey on my neck. “Was that you?! Did you do that?!”

“Reported?” Savannah asks, starting at the most vital portion of his sentence—the part that relays he has people watching her. “Are your uncles men still following me?” The annoyance in her voice picks up with every syllable she speaks.

Axel’s throat works hard to swallow, but his mouth remains tight-lipped, forcing Savannah to snarl, “We spoke about this. Having his men shadow me wasneverpart of our agreement! You promised it would stop.” She yanks her arm out of his grasp before folding both arms under her chest, amplifying the frantic thrust of her lungs. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at your inability to keep promises. Once a dog, always a dog.”

Anger engulfs me when Axel retaliates to Savannah’s comment with violence instead of words. He backhands her so quickly, no one sees it coming, much less has the chance to stop it.

Savannah is as shocked by his violence as me. While cradling her reddening cheek, she stares at him with wide eyes, stunned into silence.

Fortunately, my reaction isn’t stalled by shock.

Gripping Savannah’s wrist in one hand, I pull her to a safe distance while my other hand slams into Axel’s face. After glancing over my shoulder to ensure not a hair on Savannah’s head was ruffled from my abrupt jerk on her arm, I pole-drive into Axel with the same force I used on my dad weeks ago.

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