Page 189 of Wish

“We got him too,” I said.

“Come on inside. You need to warm up,” Win said, going ahead of us to open the door.

“Max?” The hesitation I heard in Wes’s voice made my heart ache.

“What, baby?”

“I didn’t want to kiss her. I don’t want to kiss anyone but you.”

The distress in his voice physically hurt, and I made a jagged sound. “I believe you. And when you’re ready, I’ll kiss you as much as you want.”

“I’m ready now.”

I laughed. “How about we wait till the police leave?”

He glanced around as I stepped into the diner from the kitchen. Red and blue lights flickered through the windows, and uniformed officers stood in the center. Between them was a cuffed and bloody, beat-up Rinkin.

Guess I wasn’t the only one who got in a few hits tonight. I glanced at Ryan and Jamie, and they confirmed it with their stares before smoothing their features and coming toward us.

“I didn’t know you guys were here,” Wes said, wiggling against me to get down.

I squeezed him tighter. “Don’t bother,” I rumbled beside his ear. “There’s no way I’m taking my hands off you.”

A delicate shiver worked through him, and satisfaction curled inside me. But then his teeth started to chatter, and I swore under my breath.

“Anyone got a blanket?” I asked.

Win pulled the hoodie off his body and draped it over Wes. Jamie and Ryan did the same.

“You guys,” Wes groaned, shifting under the heap of large sweatshirts piled on top of him.

“What happened?” Ryan asked, frowning.

“We’d like to know that as well,” one of the officers said, stepping up to our little group.

“They drugged him, knocked him out, then locked him in the damn ice machine out back,” I said, my tone becoming harder with every word.

“Brooo,” Jamie drawled, spinning to pin Rinkin with a glare.

Ryan turned as well. “You’re out,” he spat. “Don’t even bother coming back to Elite. You’re a fucking disgrace.”

“Screw off, Walsh!” Rinkin yelled at Ryan, his face turning purple beneath all the blood. Or maybe that was just bruises. Either way, he looked like a rotten eggplant. “You might act like the boss around Elite, but we all know it’s Coach.”

“And we all know the last time Coach went against Ryan, more than half the team walked,” Jamie deadpanned.

“Maybe then! But now that he’s letting this little fag call the shots? People won’t stand for it.”

I moved fast, sliding Wes into Win’s arms and bursting across the space to plow my fist into Rinkin’s nose. He fell back onto his ass, his body sprawling out over the diner floor.

One of the officers stepped in front of me, putting a restraining hand against my chest.

Rinkin pushed up, fresh blood mixing with what was already there. “I want him arrested. I want to press charges! This is assault.”

“You got off easy,” I spat.

“Back off,” the officer warned me.

“I want him in cuffs!” Rinkin demanded.

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