Page 29 of Shattered Rhythm

As soon as we saw that creep reaching for her the first time, we should have acted. Now Jaxon is charging through the crowd, shoving everyone out of his way, with Chase hot on his heels. Ryder and I follow closely, my hand gripping onto Ryder’s shirt at his back so I avoid getting lost in the crowd.God, I hate clubbing.

Amidst the chaos, we hear yelling, and as we finally break through, we see Jaxon ripping the guy away from the cage and beating him to the ground.

“Ryder, stop Jaxon before he kills that guy! River, help me get Liv out of here,” Chase calls out to us.

We make our way to the cage, where Liv is cowering in the back corner, shaking and trying to catch her breath. Her fingers are bloody, and her eyes red. Chase tries to open the cage door, but it’s locked.

“I’m going to find someone with a key. Stay with her,” he tells me before disappearing into the crowd, I move around the cage to get as close to Liv as possible.

“Liv, it’s me, River. We’ve got you,” I say gently but loud enough so she can hear. “Jaxon is taking care of that asshole, Ryder is with him, and Chase is getting the key to get you out. You’re not alone, beautiful.”

Liv looks at me, still shaking, but she nods her head. I reach out through the bars to touch her knee, which is dangerously close to her chest.

Focus, River.

There’s a loud bang as the cage door flies open, and Liv and I both jump as Chase enters the cage.

“Sorry,” he says with a grimace before assessing Liv’s condition. “Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you out of here?”

Liv looks at the crowd outside the cage and shakes her head slightly. It’s even more packed now, with people trying to get a glimpse of the commotion, and the music is still blasting, adding to the overwhelming chaos.

“Help me?” she croaks out, her eyes filling with tears.

At that moment, I realize I would do anything for this girl.

* * *

Chase

Liv trembles like a leaf in my arms as I hold her close. She buries her head in my neck, clutching my shirt above my chest, while I feel her sobs more than hear them. A fierce urge to protect her surges through me, stronger than any I’ve ever felt before, not even for the twins when they were little. Jaxon is the protector of our family, but with Liv, I feel an overwhelming responsibility to keep her safe. She’s too precious, too delicate. I want to wrap her up in bubble wrap.Jaxon might be onto something.

As we head towards the others, I glance at the crowd and spot the security guys keeping the jerks' buddies in check.

Ryder, who’s still struggling to hold Jaxon back from the creep, or what’s left of him, spots us. “I can’t get him to stop!” he yells, so River places a hand on Jaxon’s shoulder.

“Jaxon, we have Liv,” he shouts. “We need your help to make our way through the crowd, so we can get her out of here safely.”

Jaxon freezes with his fist poised mid-swing, but when he turns and catches sight of Liv in my arms, he relaxes slightly and rises to his feet.

Together with Ryder, they clear a path through the throng of people, while I hold Liv close. River trails behind me, ensuring that no one follows us. Liv goes limp in my arms, and I feel a surge of panic. I can’t tell if she’s passed out or just exhausted from the ordeal. I hold her tighter and feel her warm breath on my neck, damp from her tears.

“Liv, you okay?” I whisper to her, but she doesn’t respond, so I shout ahead, urgency in my voice, “Jaxon, hurry the hell up!”

CHAPTERNINETEEN

Liv

I groan as I slowly regain consciousness, my head pounding and my throat sore. The voices around me are muffled at first, but they grow clearer as I become more aware of my surroundings.

“We should bring her to the hospital,” someone says. “She hit her head, and that fucker choked her good. She needs to see a doctor.”

“I think we should ask her what she wants to do,” another voice responds, but my mind is still foggy, and I can’t seem to open my eyes just yet. Jaxon’s voice cuts through the haze, his words urgent and intense.

“She needs to wake up for us to ask her, and if she doesn’t open her eyes in the next few minutes, I don’t give a fuck what you all say. I’m just going to drive her to the hospital.”

“No hospital, please,” I manage to croak out finally, hoping they can hear me.

“Thank god you’re awake, baby,”Ryder quickly responds, the relief palpable in his voice.

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