Page 148 of Unwritten Rules

Before I can respond, Harold starts the round when he shouts, “Knuckle up!”

Rather than dance out of his reach, I jab forward, connecting with his ribs and following it up with a solid left hook to his jaw. His head reels back, and his knees wobble precariously.

There’s a slick sheen of sweat rolling from his body as he rallies himself, plunging forward with an attack of his own.

Despite my earlier fatigue, the conversation with Henry has buoyed my self-belief and given me newfound strength. I take a glancing blow to my right side when I notice he’s throwing a left punch.

Henry’s voice screams through my head.

“Take your shot!”

My right fist connects solidly to his unprotected left jawbone, once, then twice, driving my point home with a third blow from my left hand.

The room erupts into raucous commotion as Taylor Jameson falls flat on his back, spread-eagled and bleeding for all to see.

Heedless of the crowd surrounding us and whatever is being said and done in our periphery, I close the gap between us and loom over him, just as he claimed he would over me.

I pin him with a dark stare as his eyelids flutter with the effort to remain open.

And despite having just beat the shit out of him, I can’t help the need to drive home just how fucked he really is.

“A word to the wise, Jameson. The proper authorities were contacted earlier this week upon the discovery that one Dr Taylor Jameson of Jameson Medical has, for several years now, been taking advantage of young, innocent female clients. Thirteen witnesses have stepped forward…so far.”

He pales considerably as a thrill of absolute sadistic pleasure courses through my body.

“You will never speak to Mila again. Or never of her. You will never contact her. Don’t even look in her fucking direction, you hear me? Because if you do, you’ll find the true meaning of being fucked without mercy…”

I trail off, allowing the threat to hang between us, before he nods, plainly defeated, and lets his eyes fall shut.

One hurdle down.

I turn to face the boys, feeling unbeatable as the euphoria of both kicking Jameson’s ass and coming clean to Henry zings through my body, only to meet with a fist.

The next thing I know, I’m flat on my back, Henry standing over me, rubbing his knuckles.

“Shit, man. Is your jaw made of fucking granite?”

I blink rapidly to dispel the stars in my vision. “What the—”

“We tossed a coin,” Alex’s smirking voice sounds from somewhere behind my sore head. “He won.”

He crouches beside me, his face swimming into my line of sight as the room blurs slightly.

“You’re lucky,” he continues with a raised brow. “Had I won, I’d have kicked your sorry ass. But, as it stands, just know that if you hurt my little sister, I will come for you.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way...”

Henry holds his hand out for mine, his steady green gaze fixed on me as I accept his help.

“It’s safe to say your intentions towards our sister are honourable, Hawthorne. I know—”

“Henry, I—”

My oldest friend holds up his palm in a quelling motion, cutting me off to finish what he clearly needs to say. “Let me speak, brother.”

I nod, meeting both Henry and Alex’s eyes while silently cursing Caden who has slunk off to watch from a distance.

“I know you have honourable intentions, Nate, because I know you are an honourable man. However…” His eyes darken as he continues. “Hurt my sister, and you’ll know just how dishonourable I can be. You get me?”