Page 73 of Hate It with You

“You’ll kill him, Alex. You have to stop.” His voice is stern.

“I don’t fucking care.” When I try to push past him, his grip on my shoulders tightens. “Let me finish this, Roman.” I raise my voice, using more force to get past him, but it’s no use. My brother stands tall, a weight class up from mine. If he wants me to stay put, there’s no getting past him.

I’m working to get my brother off me, Roman fighting to calm me down when my name sounds in the air again. Though this time, it’s different from before. This time, the voice sounds scared, with a pitch and tone similar to the one I’ve come to love.

“Alex...” Beth lets out a sob. Roman and I turn our heads toward the backroom door. Beth stands in the doorway, her arms crossed, holding herself for comfort. No doubt any adrenaline she had was causing her body to shake and move into a state of shock.

She’s okay.

My shoulders relax, no longer worried about her stepfather or Roman. A sense of calm washes over me when I lay eyes on her. Shoving Roman’s hands off me, it only takes me a few long strides to reach Beth. When my arms wrap around her, I turn our bodies so her back is to the store, not wanting to expose her to the damage that has been done for a second longer. She lets out a sob as I hold her, her hands gripping the back of my shirt tightly, the fabric just one tug away from ripping.

Roman takes a few steps toward where her stepfather lies beaten and bruised. I watch as he pulls his phone out, no doubt to send the 911 text to our brothers. It’s not a protocol we ever thought we’d need, but I’m so fucking thankful we came up with it so many years ago.

Running my hand through Beth’s hair, I say anything I can to calm her down, trying my best to get her bodily reaction to stabilize.

My grip on Beth tightens when the man begins to move on the ground, though I can’t help but let out a sigh of relief. Roman pulled me off him just in time. Her stepfather tries to push himself off the floor, and Roman is quick to kick him back down, rendering him motionless once again.

“Take her upstairs,” Roman commands. “Theo and Leo will be here any minute.”

Beth lifts her head from where it’s buried in my chest. “No… No Alex, I don’t want them to get hurt, please.”

I lean down, grabbing her underneath her legs, one hand braced on her upper back as I lift her into my arms. Her hands wrap around the back of my neck as I move toward the back door that leads to the stairwell.

“No one is getting hurt. You’re safe now.” I plant a gentle kiss on her forehead before making my way up the stairs.

Using my key, I unlock her door, placing her gently in her reading chair before heading to the kitchen to warm up her teapot. We wait in silence for the water to warm, my limbs still buzzing with adrenaline as I do my best not to look at the state of my hands while I wash them off in the sink.

When her tea is made, I take the warm cup over to her, trying my best to hide my bruised hands behind my back before she can see. Her distant stare and death grip on her mug do nothing to make me feel better.

A loud revving sound comes from outside, muffled through the closed windows of Beth’s apartment. A few strides over to the window, and I catch Theo’s Mustang pulling into one of the parking spots, followed by another car I don’t recognize. Though it’s hard to tell, considering the streetlamps do nothing to illuminate the dark parking lot.

I move back toward Beth, kneeling to her eye level. “I need to go downstairs. I had to cut the camera feeds so I can’t watch you up here. Are you going to be okay?”

Her blank stare is locked in on the floor, her eyes unmoving. Her sobs have finally stopped, but tears continue to slip free as they roll down her cheeks. My body screams at me to reach out and wipe them away, but I’m cautious not to startle her in her current state. The faint red mark on her cheek does nothing to calm my anger.

“Beth, are you going to be okay?” My voice is more stern as I place a hand on her knee, hoping our connection will break whatever trance she’s in. I let out a breath when she finally moves. It’s subtle, but her eyes eventually make contact with mine. She nods her head so subtly I almost miss it.

I give her the best smile I can, given the circumstances. “It’ll only take a few minutes. I need to clean up, and then I’ll be back. Can you promise me you’ll stay here?”

She nods again, but it’s not enough. “I need verbal confirmation.”

“Yes, I’ll stay here.” Her voice sounds so small, so unsure. Something in my chest cracks at the sound.

I stand, making my way to the door mentally preparing to explain this situation to my brothers when Beth says something else, louder this time. “Don’t kill him.” Her voice is surprisingly firm, confident, and sure.

“I won’t.” It’s all I say before making my way down the stairs to meet my brothers.

It’s a promise I’m not confident I’ll be able to keep.

32

ALEX

Roman hasn’t moved from his position next to the man who still lies on the floor at his feet. I’m leaning back against the front counter, my legs kicked out in front of me, when I watch Theo walk through the door.

My adrenaline was beginning to calm down until I saw Sienna enter after him.

Roman beats me to the question. “Why would you bring her along on a 911 call?” Roman asks, his tone firm and heavy with concern. We had always agreed that if we ever needed to use the call, it’d only be the four of us, so we didn’t put anyone else at risk of whatever was going on.