Freedom

by KC Kean

  Coming to a stop in front of us, he plants his fists down on the table, anger burning in his eyes as he watches Reece place his hand on my shoulder, pulling me into his side.

  I can’t move. I can’t breathe. It’s taking all my effort to keep the tears at bay as I watch Aiden try not to crumble before me.

  “What the fuck do you want, Byrnes? We’re a little busy here,” Reece grunts, and I watch as Aiden closes his eyes, taking a deep breath, and when he looks at me again, all I see is concern.

  “Are you okay, beautiful?” He asks, ignoring Reece, and all I can do is offer the smallest nod, unable to find my voice. “Good. That’s what matters.”

  “Fuck off, Aiden. You aren’t wanted over here anymore. But thanks for keeping her hole warm for me,” he grins, and I close my eyes, my chin falling to my chest as his crude words wash over me.

  A slam against the desk in front of me pulls my attention back to Aiden, who is red in the face and ready to explode. I don’t want this for him. He doesn’t need to fight for me. I watch as Trudy walks up behind him, reaching out her hand to try and calm him down, but he dismisses her touch.

  Shaking my head, I watch as it pains him. His eyes darkening as he searches my eyes. Knowing I won’t give in, he turns and storms from the classroom, slamming the door shut so hard the floor vibrates beneath my feet.

  Everyone in the class begins murmuring and whispering about the drama unfolding before them, and Reece laps it up, gripping my chin to face him and smashing his lips to mine.

  I can’t pull away quick enough, and I’m surprised he doesn’t force me into submission in front of everyone when I do.

  I take any small win I can get. But my heart is bleeding all over me as the look in Aiden’s eyes is forever burned into my mind.

  Reece’s fingers are laced with mine as he pulls me through the lunch hall doors. The grin on his face makes me sick. I can’t even bring myself to look anywhere but down at my feet anymore.

  Aiden didn’t show up to Science, but Oscar did, and he spent the whole fucking time growling at Reece as I sat beside him. I know it took a lot of effort for Oscar not to beat the shit out of him, but he did it out of respect for me and my situation. More importantly, what it would mean for my father, and I am grateful for that.

  “Are we done for the day? I have no classes now, and I’m going to sit with Luna, so—” I ask, my question trailing off at the end as his grip on my hand tightens, slowing my steps.

  “No, you’re not.”

  Lifting my gaze to his, I see him frowning down at me. “You’re mine, Jess. If I want you to sit with me, then you’ll sit with me.”

  Before I can answer, he’s pulling me along to order our food. I glance over the menu, but my appetite is completely gone. It still surprises me though, when he suddenly pulls us towards his usual table.

  “I ordered you a grilled chicken salad, no dressing, and a bottle of water.”

  He ordered me what? My argument is on the tip of my tongue, but in reality, I wouldn’t eat anything right now, so I say nothing and do nothing. Just like they want.

  Dragging me down in the seat beside him, his friends all stare at me. The one straight across from me even licks his lips as he glances at my chest. Fucking pervert. I recognize everyone here from high school, but I’ve never actually spoken to any of them. I’m not even sure of their names.

  Two guys sit next to Reece, while a girl sits beside the guy facing me, but all I can feel is Luna and the Aces staring holes into me from across the hall.

  “So, you’re Reece’s new piece of pussy, huh? Do we get to share her too?” The guy facing me asks, his eyes still locked on the opening of my blouse, but I refuse to acknowledge his attention and cover myself up. It’ll probably just make him harder.

  “Dean, Jess is going to be my wife,” Reece responds, bringing his lips to my ear as he says it. “We can do whatever we want with her,” he smiles, bringing his hand up to squeeze my chest through my blazer.

  Lost for words, I wrap my hand around his wrist as I try to pull him off me, but it only makes him squeeze tighter. His teeth graze against my jaw as I try to move away, my heart pounding in my chest with fear.

  “You’ll be a good little girl, and—”

  Whatever he’s about to say is cut off as his hold on me slips away. Watching as his body falls off the bench backward, I whirl around to find Kai pinning Reece to the floor, punching him in the stomach while Roman and Parker keep his friends from interjecting.

  “Stop! Kai, please stop. My dad. Please, my dad!” I cry out, jumping from the bench as Oscar wraps his arms around me, lifting me off the ground.

  “Let’s go,” he grunts, storming away from the fight with me in his arms.

  “Please, Oscar. If he says anything to my mother, she will make sure my father pays the price. Please,” I sob, frustration building inside of me as he drops me onto the bench I usually sit at with Luna facing me.

  Glancing down at me, the anger in his eyes melts away a little. “Fuck. Okay, okay,” he murmurs, turning around and heading back to the others.

  “I’m sorry, Red. We couldn’t sit here and watch that,” Luna murmurs, jumping from her seat and coming to stand beside me. “There’s another way. There has to be another way. Do you understand me?” She growls, rage like fire in her eyes as she searches my gaze.

  Nodding, I can’t stop the tears from falling. “I have to protect my father first, Luna. He has to come first.”

  Otherwise, I’ll never forgive myself.

  Maverick

  “Time. You fuckers can leave,” I grunt, dismissing the class. My head hasn’t been in teaching anyway, so an early five-minute finish isn’t going to make any difference.

  I want to know why none of the Aces showed, Luna too. I know it’s something to do with Jessica. I can feel it in my gut, especially since Aiden sent those texts to the group earlier.

  Aiden: She’s with him. Fucking with him.

  Aiden: His hand was on her. Touching her. I can’t deal with this shit.

  Aiden: I’m out.

  Aiden: If you need me, I’ll be in the water. Drowning my fucking sorrows.

  I agreed it was the right thing to give Jessica a few days to rest her mind and body, and I know there is some part of her mind that believes she is doing the right thing. But all I see is her taking the easy way out, giving up on us, and backing down from the fight.

  I was lost in torturing Frankie Winters, and without Jessica for the past week, my soul still hasn’t quite settled. I know a moment in her presence will wash it all away. Her light will drown out the darkness burning inside of me.

  My mind still can’t process that she endured Frankie’s wrath instead of telling him everything she knew about me. It’s been a very long time since anyone showed me that level of loyalty. I still can’t process how I feel.

  I was so pissed when West shot that bullet, putting a stop to what I was doing, but ultimately I’m glad he did. I was letting old pains and emotions get the better of me, and they weren’t even mine to begin with.

  My phone vibrates in my pocket, distracting me from my morbid thoughts.

  West: Get Aiden, and go to Ace now.

  Ah, shit.

  Glancing around the Combat hall, I make sure everyone has left before I lock the door and head for the pool, but the second I step into the hallway, he’s walking out of the locker room. Uniform back in place, Aiden storms past me with his bag slung over his shoulder.

  “We need to go. Now,” he grumbles, heading for the exit as I rush to catch up with him.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, but he continues walking to my Tesla, opening the door and sliding into the passenger seat like it’s a given I’m going to drive us to Ace.

  Dropping into the driver's seat, I let the doors close as I stare him down, refusing to start the engine until he gives me more information.

  His face is slightly pale as he stares straight ahead.

  “We’re not moving unt
il you tell me what’s going on.”

  Sighing, his hands clench in his lap as he looks to the roof of the car. “I want us to get there in one piece first. Then, I’ll tell you,” he mumbles, quiet and subdued. The complete opposite to what I’m used to. I guess none of us feel the same since she turned her back on us.

  Pulling my gaze from Aiden, I start the engine and head to Ace. My muscles twitch with trepidation as my mind goes crazy with what could be going on.

  Driving in silence, I get us across to Ace as quickly as possible. Aiden lost in his own mind the whole way, stress coming off him in waves.

  “Why can’t she see we can help her with this? Take some of the weight off her shoulders?” Aiden sighs, pulling his own phone out.

  “Because from the sounds of it, that isn’t something she’s familiar with. Her mother is a bitch, and her father doesn’t know this world like we do. So, who has she ever really had to protect her?” I mutter, feeling my phone vibrate in my pocket.

  “That may be true, but watching him sit beside her in that class, caressing her like she belonged to him. I’m glad they stepped in.”

  “Who stepped in?” I ask, rounding the corner to where the blocks are.

  Pulling up outside of Ace, I instantly see West, his hair a mess as he runs his fingers through it repeatedly. His shoulders sag in relief as he sees us, but I don’t understand how we are going to make this any easier because I still don’t know what’s going on.

  “He touched her at lunch, in a way the Aces did not appreciate. So, Kai floored him, and Oscar pulled Jess away from him. They managed to stop after Jess reminded them her father’s life is at stake, and now we need to do some damage control,” he finally spills, and my grip on the steering wheel has my knuckles white.

  It was a good idea to get me here first before telling me. Otherwise, I’d have been a little more reckless getting here.

  “Finally.” West sighs as we step out of the car, turning and heading for the lobby where Rafe is waiting.

  I watch him crack his neck as I approach, exhaustion still playing at the corner of his eyes. Fuck. That’s never a good sign with Rafe. I don’t realize how close Aiden is behind me until I hear him speak.

  “Where is he?”

  “Back in the Morgan room where the Aces dragged him to from the lunch hall,” Rafe grunts, swiping a hand down his face.

  “How bad is it?” I ask, trying to assess what we’re dealing with.

  “Bad,” Rafe answers with a sigh.

  “Is Jessica okay, though?” Whichever path she chooses, she’ll still be mine. Ours. I’m glad she isn’t alone, though. I don’t want her to get lost inside herself.

  “Have they said how she seems? How is her bruising? Her mentality?” West adds, always the more specific one.

  “From what I hear, she has healed very well. Reece didn’t touch her in an aggressive manner, guys. It was more of a grope, I believe.” I can see my own anger reflecting in his eyes as I understand his words.

  “Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck,” Aiden chants at my side, his eyes wildly reading something on his phone, before his gaze meets ours, interrupting Rafe.

  “What’s wrong now?” I huff. Why does he always seem to have bad news right now?

  “Reece. Fucking Reece Wicker. Where is he?” His face is red with anger, and his spare hand is clenched at his side. A reminder of the rare side of Aiden we saw on Saturday night too.

  “Rafe just said in the Morgan room, what could he have done from there?”

  He doesn’t respond to me. Instead, he glances past me at West.

  “Where is that?”

  He charges for the stairs as Rafe rises to his feet, too, and we try to keep up with him. One of Bryce’s security men stops him, demanding to know his intentions before he can pass, and he blows out a ragged breath in response.

  Turning to face West, Rafe, and me, he squeezes his temples just as shouts from behind us gain our attention. Roman, Kai, Parker, and Oscar all come charging into the lobby of Ace, anger etched across all their faces.

  “Can somebody tell me what the fuck is going on?” I growl, feeling just like Aiden probably did earlier when we weren’t responding to his messages.

  Without saying a word, Aiden turns his phone around so we can see the screen. I try to scan my eyes across it as quickly as possible, and with each word I pick up, my anger rises along with it.

  He’s on the school’s internal social media site, and there in bold black letters is the fuel to the fire burning inside of me.

  Reece Wicker is engaged to Jessica Watson

  “I’m going to kill him,” one of the Aces growls behind me, but I don’t pay enough attention to know which one.

  “Not if I get my hands on him first.”

  West

  Thank God, Rafe was just as angry as we are after reading Aiden’s screen. That’s how we all find ourselves outside of my old room, all trying to calm ourselves before we kill him, and then Jess kills us. Trying to remain quiet proves difficult as we argue over what to do.

  “If you hurt him, and he runs like a prick back to Jess’s mother before we have located her father, she will never forgive you. We already have the mess from lunch to clean up. We don’t need to add to that,” Rafe says calmly, looking mainly at Maverick, Aiden, and me.

  “That doesn’t mean one of these guys can’t do it, though, right? Like I want her to forgive me of course, but I could sacrifice an Ace if it meant Reece was dead,” Aiden asks, pointing at the group. Kai, and Parker instantly shake their heads at him, but it looks like Roman and Oscar are considering it.

  “Nobody hurts him. Not today, again, at least,” I finally respond even though the words pain me. Our lives would be a lot easier if he was just dead, but instead, we find ourselves having to manage him, so he doesn’t have Jess’s father killed while not letting him near her.

  Before anyone can argue, I turn the key in the lock and swing the door open. Reece isn’t hard to find, sprawled out on the sofa like he owns the place.

  I can see his face is bruising as he lays in his uniform, an arm thrown over his head. He barely blinks in our direction. They should have found somewhere worse for him to stay because this isn’t a fucking punishment.

  “I was wondering when you guys would finally make an appearance. If there wasn’t some food in the fridge and a kitchen service downstairs, I would have been worried you’d forgotten about me,” he goads. The fucker has been here for less than an hour.

  Walking around the sofa, I take a seat on the coffee table. The room is stripped of anything but the basics. It has everything it needs, but there is no personality to the space anymore since no one has stayed here for some time.

  The magnolia walls could do with a fresh coat of paint or a different color to brighten the place up, especially with all the dark wooden furniture and black leather sofas.

  Kai, Parker, and Aiden take a seat on the other sofa in the room as Oscar grabs Reece’s ankles and pushes them off the sofa, forcing him into a sitting position.

  Reece simply sighs with the inconvenience as Oscar sits to one side of him and Maverick the other. Leaving Roman to stand beside the coffee table I’m sitting on and Rafe directly behind Reece.

  This nobhead is caged in and doesn’t even give a shit. Reece thinks he’s untouchable. And he might be for now, but he won’t be forever.

  “You better take that shit down off social media. Right now.” Rafe’s growl is dark and threatening, but all Reece does is frown.

  “I think you’re all forgetting that I have the upper hand here. You should be thankful I haven’t made a call to Lucienda about being attacked earlier,” Reece says, slowly like we might be hard of hearing. I grind my jaw in annoyance but manage to keep my mouth shut.

  “But you’re willing to bargain,” Aiden states. It’s not a question. It’s like he already knows the answer.

  “Hmm, it depends what is on the table.” I want to wipe the smug look off Reece’s face,
and it seems I’m not the only one. I don’t know how long we can keep our cool.

  “What do you want on the table?” Roman grunts beside me, and Reece taps his chin as he considers his answer. He’s more dramatic than Aiden, and I didn’t think that was possible.

  Reece glances at everyone in the room, weighing up what we could offer him, and his eyes settle on Aiden.

  “I want free drugs at the next Byrnes party.”

  Without missing a beat, Aiden counters back. “I can give you a bag of weed, two lines of coke, and five pills for you and your friends; that’s the limit.”

  “Done.” Reece doesn’t even fight for more. His eyes lit up at the sound of free drugs. Such a fucking douche, and he thinks we’re going to let him near Jess.

  Wait. That gives me a thought, but Maverick beats me to it.

  “What agreement can we come to that keeps you away from Jessica and keeps her father alive?”

  It’s so silent you could hear a pin drop right now as we all find ourselves hanging over the edge of a cliff, waiting for his response.

  “Well, we're going to have to do more than some free drugs, although more wouldn’t hurt. But you know if anything happens to me, Lucienda will follow through on her threat to kill Neil, right?”

  “We know,” I grind out. “So, tell us what it would take.”

  He smiles wide, pleased with himself, and I just want to slit this motherfuckers throat right now.

  “Two months, and I’ll give you access to the back rooms at every Byrnes party in that time frame, along with the same level of drugs each time to go along with it,” Aiden calls out.

  “Deal.”

  Fuck. This guy is stupid. But why is Aiden offering such little in exchange for Jess a little longer? I understand it’s not how Aiden values her, but he just showed everyone how much Reece does.

  “You know she’s still going to have to be my wife at the end of this, right?”