Page 45 of Broken Rules
“Please give me a straight answer.”
“Honest, I’ve been watching Leanna, ensuring Sadie’s safety, though every second I was fighting the urge to spend time with you instead.”
My mouth opens then closes as his phone goes off in his coat pocket. He glances at the screen and answers the call. “Sadie?” Lennox’s eyes widen, sheer panic writing on his face, and goosebumps rise across my skin as he rushes toward his car. “Fuck, I’m coming, don’t hang up!”
“What? What’s going on?” I yell, grabbing my keys on the wall, and my body shakes as he reaches his car while I hop into mine, following close behind him.
We weave in and out of traffic toward Sadie’s apartment, my mind running a million miles a second, hoping nothing terrible has happened to her.
Once we’re outside, Kylo and Adam are already by the door, as if Adam is trying to talk him down and leave. I exit, rush to the sidewalk, find Sadie’s key in my loop, and jog to catch up to Lennox, who’s almost at the door. They notice us rushing toward them, and Kylo already figures out something’s wrong.
“What happened?” he says, pushing past Adam, but Lennox doesn’t stop to talk, trying the knob, which is locked.
“Evie, do you—”
“Here.” I hand him the key, and he’s inside in seconds, heading for Sadie’s bedroom—Kylo and Adam a step behind him as I stay in the kitchen.
Everything happens so quickly, from the yelling and loud banging, that I have no time to react until Lennox shouts at Kylo to go outside, shoving him from the bedroom. I shake from the blood pouring down his nose onto his shirt and the deep scratches on his arm.
“I’m gonna kill him,” Kylo says, pacing back and forth near the island, and Lennox takes hold of the back of his head to look at him.
A second later, I spot her and rush inside the room. “Sadie!” I cry, pulling her in for a hug, Declan visible on the floor as Adam tends to him, then I draw back to look her over. “What the fuck—that asshole hit you!”
“I’m okay.”
There are red marks already forming on her cheek. “When you called Lex, we left my house and rushed straight here—seeing all that blood on Kylo. My stomach nearly fell to the floor. I’m getting you out of here.”
I hold her hand, but she pulls away from me once we reach the front door, turning toward Kylo. He’s leaning against the island, holding his nose, Lennox standing beside him with Jinx sitting on the counter. Lennox shakes his head when she moves toward them.
“Let’s go, Sadie,” I say, urging her to the door.
“I don’t want to…Kylo, talk to me.”
He doesn’t answer and strides to the other room, and the anguish written on Sadie’s face breaks my heart. “Sadie,” I whisper, holding her hand, and she finally turns, following me out the door.
We make it to my house quickly, and I park in my driveway, giving her a moment before speaking. “Do you want to come inside?”
Sadie closes her eyes as she leans back on the headrest, then tips her head to look at me, pure defeat written in those deep brown eyes.
“Oh, babe, I’m so sorry,” I whisper when her lip trembles, and she leans forward as I bend to hold her tight, letting her cry into my shoulder while rubbing her back. “Shh, you’re okay. Declan won’t find you here. I promise. The guys are taking care of the problem.”
“How do you know?” she asks, and I wipe her damp hair off her cheeks to press a kiss, wishing I could tell her more, but that’s not for me to explain.
“I—”
A car pulls into the driveway, and we both look back as Lennox steps out a second later, leaning on his door, not realizing Sadie has already left mine, striding up to him. “Why did Kylo come to my apartment after telling me to leave?”
“Shit,” I say, getting out when she pushes him back.
“Why won’t he talk to me—why is everyone so silent?” Lennox doesn’t react, letting her pound on his chest with each question before she slumps forward with a vice grip on his shirt. “Whywon’t Declan leave me alone?”
He embraces her, whispering into her ear until she relaxes her hand. His heavy gaze meets mine, and I mouth a thank you to him before walking to my door. A moment later, Lennox has her inside, and she sits on my couch, grabbing a throw pillow to hold close.
I nod my head toward the kitchen along the back left wall, and he follows me—expecting him to take a seat at my table as I grab a few water bottles from the fridge, but he takes the drinks, placing them on the counter and wraps his arms around my waist, drawing me into his chest. We stay hushed, though I feel this hug may be more for him than it is for me, thatheneeds a moment, so I give it to him. I lift onto my toes and rest my nose in the crook of his neck, inhaling his intoxicating woodsy scent while trailing my nails up the back into his hair, and he lets out a deep hum.
His hold strengthens before we look at each other, his face so close to mine, our lips only inches apart, before we jump back from a bang behind us. The door shakes from the wall, and Sadie is outside, crossing her arms as Kylo steps in front of her, caressing her hurt cheek.
“Did he hit you?”
