"I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you." — Roy Croft
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Chapter 66
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Maggie

"Maggie."

There was a voice in the near distance. It was so soft, but so loud, too.

Just as I went to discard of the idea, I heard it, again.

"Maggie," they repeated. "The ambulance is on it's way, okay?"

My eyes slowly parted to the pace of torture, but it was apparently too fast. The moment I barely even twitched, a pain of no other shot through my head.

"Fuck," I croaked out past a stiff throat.

It only worsened once I attempted to fully access my vision. The break of sunlight glaring directly into my eyes didn't help, either. Other than that, the first thing that I caught sight of was Raven basically grazing noses with me.

Her eyes widened the moment she saw mine peering back into hers.

"Kimberly!" she shouted over her shoulder. Slowly, my gaze followed hers. "She's awake."

Kimberly, who was on the phone, jerked around to face me, arm falling to her side. Her brows followed the other in worry before she was rushing back to us.

"Oh, thank god," she whispered, kneeling down to me. I didn't miss the way she winced. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head. I was the least of my worries when they were here. My eyes raked over the two, carefully.

Kimberly had a busted lip, and there was a streak of blood running from the middle of her side. Even through her shirt, I could see it came from a cut, probably from all of the glass. Everything else seemed fine, physically.

Raven had a split eyebrow, a gash on her cheek, and there was blood on her arm, which ran diagonally from a cut that was definitely from the glass. It didn't appear too deep, but the blood still marked both her skin and clothes from it.

My stomach churned, but I barely felt it. With the sharp, deep ache of my headache, I couldn't tell too much too quickly.

"What..." I pulled in a breath for support, raising my eyes back to them. "What happened?"

I glanced over our surroundings, but my mind was murky so I settled on the simple things, first.

We were near water, a lake, from what it appeared. Half way across the stretch of land, Raven's car was turned over on its side, with chunks of metal, blood, and glass shards scattered to the side of it. There were a group of people waiting and chattering on the other side of the land, who I guess helped pull the three of us out of the totaled vehicle.

Kimberly ripped a piece of her blouse, calling my attention to her. Moving herself even lower, she gently grazed the side of my face with it, sending an apologetic look when I winced.

"Someone hit us from behind a couple of times, then they slammed into my side," she explained quickly, her voice trembling over the words. "They didn't stop until they knocked us off of the highway, and down here. We were lucky to avoid the lake, because we were knocked out for a while until they—" she paused to motion to the men standing over the car. "Climbed the hill to help us. The seatbelts and airbags helped, but it didn't stop the rest."

Being caught up to the situation didn't help my nerves a bit. The only sensible thing was that we survived, but that we weren't meant to. That accident was purposeful, and the results were meant to be the same, too.

Gently, I grazed Kimberly and Raven by the back of their heads. I swept a close examination over either of them. "Are you both okay?"

Raven nodded quickly, as did Kimberly. I knew they were lying from the looks of their injuries, but were attempting to fake it.

Kimberly stroked the hairs out of my face, her eyes glistening over the longer she watched me. "I'm so glad you're okay. You wouldn't wake up."

Raven nodded in agreement, attempting a small laugh. "I had to make out with you for a couple of minutes to make sure you weren't dead."

I tried to laugh, but it came out choked from the lodge of pressure in my throat. Shit. "The first time I get to kiss one of you, and I'm not conscious for it." We both laughed, but it ended in a wince on either side.

Kimberly reached behind her then returned to us. "I've already called an ambulance. They should be here soon." She swept the screen of the phone over her pants leg before looking to me. "The people who helped us out managed to grab a couple of things from the car, too. I got our purses. Your phone and Raven's were the only ones that didn't break in the accident, thankfully. I got your gun, too."

My eyes followed hers to the grass, where my phone, bag, and gun were sitting. The gun wasn't visibly out, so I guessed she put it in my bag.

I knew that she wanted to ask why it was there in the first place, but chose not to. Either because of the privacy or the situation we were in. I was grateful for either option, because with the loose ends hanging around my head right now, I probably would have spilled.

Raven glanced at my phone, then back up to me. "Do you mind if I text Levi on it?"

I had forgotten her phone was dead. "You know you don't have to ask." I looked to Kimberly, softly grunting as I raised the upper half of my body. "You too."

If they were texting Kade and Levi, then it would get to Luke, too. Thank fuck.

"My head is hurting so bad right now, I can barely even remember any numbers," Kimberly chuckled around a sigh, sinking into the grass beside me. A palm raised to clutch at her side, her face pinching under the pain. "I don't know how close the ambulance is yet, but..."

Her words faded out. Slowly, but surely.

My head turned in the direction of the smell. It was subtle between the gas and the metal, but I still caught it.

Smoke.

Past the pain, I searched the space. Smoke was beginning to rise and cloud the car. That wasn't what caught my attention, though.

One of the men who had 'rescued' us was watching me with a grin as big as can be. I knew, then. He was one of the men from the mall.

His next action had me freezing all of my own. Raising the ends of his black hoodie just by the smallest bit, it wasn't hard to miss the silver glint tucked away at his waistband. A wink came from him before that same grin widened at my startled reaction.

Shit.

A panic of no other found it's way in my blood, but I knew that panicking wouldn't be a resolve, right now.

My eyes swept between Kimberly and Raven, who were completely oblivious to the situation. They were both too focused on my phone.

We were right near the lake, and the water looked deep. All it would take is a push to get them in.

I didn't want any stray bullets to hit them before they did me. I didn't care about anything else, as long as they were safe and unharmed first.

I glanced over the man, again. His attention had moved to the crowd, again. He was attempting to keep a standard facade in order to blend in with the others around him, but I could see his plan unfolding from here.

I knew that my father wanted his goons to bring me to him alive. Barely alive, but still alive. And since he couldn't take the shot at me right now, he was going to give it to the people I cared about: Kimberly and Raven.

I didn't hesitate in my next move. If I wasted it, I knew how parlous the situation could turn out.

My legs were sore from the accident, but in this situation, I couldn't focus on anything except protecting the girls.

They were mid-conversation, now. I might have to hear their voices of confusion later, but for right now, I didn't care.

With as much strength as I could muster, I shoved either girl into the water until their heads were below the surface. The moment they fell in, I reached into my bag, where the gun sat tucked safely on top, thanks to Kimberly.

"Maggie!" one of the girls shouted out, the shock and fear pitching their voices.

My hand wrapped around the cool metal, but I made sure to wave them down. "Both of you stay down!" If they said something else, I didn't hear it.

I returned my attention ahead, but just as I went to pull the gun from my bag, something stopped me. A gunshot.

Except, it wasn't me who shot it.

My hand fell to my body first, where I expected the bullet to have went, but it didn't. My gaze raised, hesitantly.

It had went into the man, who had had his hand on his own gun in order to take Kimberly and Raven out, but he was apparently too slow. I watched his body crumble under the bullet, but I couldn't rely on my sight too much from here, especially with the flock of people who had fled at the gunshot. Either way, I knew the man was down.

Shit.

"Maggie!"

At my name, my head whipped up.

Luke was running in my direction, his grip tight around the handle of his gun. The moment we clashed eyes, though, I didn't think it possible to tear myself away.

Quickly, he tucked his gun away, his eyes never leaving mine. One minute, he was on top of the highway, staring down at me, then the next, he was climbing over the railing, and burning holes into the land to get to me.

The relief nearly crumbled my body whole. Before my knees buckled, Luke was catching me.

His forehead puckered with worry until there was a crease in his furrowed eyebrows. I couldn't see it at first with our distance, but now that we were closer, I saw the tremor in his body. The moment he touched me, both of our startled limbs collided.

"Shit, fuck, shit..." he continued to murmur curses, hands lightly grazing my face. Then, my body. Then, my face, again, until he cupped it. "Are you okay?" His widened, darkened eyes remained on mine at my silence. "Maggie, I need you to talk to me, baby. Are you—"

"I-I'm okay..." My voice was barely hanging on with the tremble of my throat, but I managed.

Luke maintained his grip as I turned around, luckily. For him, it was a reassurance that I was really here, and for me, it was the same, if not more. 

My eyes landed on Kimberly and Raven, but they were a couple of feet away. Kade and Levi had helped them out of the water. They seemed fine, physically, but I wasn't too sure.

Kade was kneeled to Kimberly's side, expression taut with worry, but with panic above all else as he searched her injuries over. His hands gently cradled her face in between, raising it to him. Whatever he saw only worsened the tension in his figure.

"Baby, baby," he cooed softly, turning her in all sorts of directions. "Are you okay? Are you hurting? Come here, let me see you." Once he tilted her head up to get a view of her lip, fear crept over his entire being before he was pulling her into his arms. "Please tell me if you're okay, Kimberly." I saw her give a sample of a nod against his shoulders, causing them to fall in relief.

Levi was checking Raven over for an injury, while trying to maintain a neutral expression at the blood on her arm. "Shit, Rosie, are you alright?" The moment he saw the cut, that familiar edge of disquietude claimed the calm he was trying to maintain. "I've got you." Gently, he lifted her up with him, whispering his questions of concern while leaving kisses to her face. "It's okay."

My mind stretched with concern. "Are you guys okay?"

When they nodded, my chest fell with relief. I didn't think any additional movement possible, so luckily Luke turned me to face him on his own.

"Maggie." His chest was still heaving under the panic, concern dipping into his expression, heavily. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Once he caught my wince, his gaze darkened before returning to mine. "What happened—"

"We were at the mall and the lights turned off." I didn't want to say the rest in front of the girls, but by the drop of Luke's expression, I knew he understood me. "T-this guy came in and he attacked me, but the girls stopped him. We were being followed on the way out of the mall, but we got to the car. Kimberly was driving us to the hospital, but as soon as we got on the road, we were being rear-ended, then they slammed into the driver's side and knocked us off the—"

"What? Kimberly was in the driver's seat?" Kade questioned, attempting to keep his voice from rising, but failing. I knew he turned back to her when he said, "Come on. I'm getting you to the hospital—"

"Someone already called an ambulance," Raven informed him.

"Well, they're taking way too fucking long," Levi huffed before he pulled Raven back into him. "Sit back down, okay? I don't want you to lose too much blood."

Luke tugged me away just enough to keep the conversation between us. He studied me over, again, never releasing me. Instead, he tightened his grip before he raised his hands.

One stroked at the back of my head, purposefully missing the injury. The comforting touch hugged me in every possible way I needed, right now.

Luke pulled me in for a hug, his chest trembling against mine as he tightened his arms around my figure. His lips cushioned a kiss against the side of my head, then again and again.

"I'm so sorry, Maggie. I'm so fucking sorry," he whispered. "I should have been there with you—"

It hurt to shake my head, but I managed it. "You couldn't have known."

Luke pulled back just enough to have a full view of me. The guilt in his eyes could still be seen past my blur of tears, despite it not needing to be there.

"I'll get Preston to hack into the security feeds so that he can get a face, then a name for me. For all of them," he told me, his jaw ticking. "Then, I'll handle it from there, okay?"

I nodded. I knew it best not to ask questions about that part. They all deserved what they got. It would have been so much worse for us if the roles were reversed.

I hadn't even realized I was crying until Luke started to to catch the tears. Sniffling, I leaned back into him, and waited for solace that only he could bring. "The man...is he dead?"

I wasn't too sure if he heard it, until he shook his head, "Not yet. I made sure it was just a flesh wound. It was enough to knock him out for now. There's no way in hell he's getting out of this shit that easily."

I nodded, again. I didn't know whether or not to be relieved that it happened and that we all survived, or to be terrified that everything happened and that it could happen, again.

"I didn't want to risk him shooting you or one of the girls, so I took the shot as soon as I could," he explained, to which I nodded. "For right now, though, I'm getting you to the hospital. You've already lost enough blood." The moment his hand fell from my head, I saw the red stain on his palm.

"An ambulance is already coming," I reminded him.

He scowled back at me. "You'll be passed out or worse by the time they get here. Fuck that."

I sighed around a chuckle. "Luke—"

On cue, the ambulance sirens sounded out through the space so loudly, it only increased the ache in my head rather than lessen it. Since we had crashed from the highway, though, it would be a bit more difficult to reach us.

Luke glanced in the direction of the sirens, then back down to me. "I'm going to go talk to them," he told me, pulling back from our hug until I was at arms level. The concern softened the contours of his face. "Don't move, okay? I'll make it quick."

I nodded, but I wasn't too sure of the action or its credibility.

He pressed a kiss to my lips, which I took more seriously than all of the others. I nearly lost the opportunity to ever have it, again. The very thought was cold. The warmth given through the kiss was what allowed me to release him, though.

Staring at his retreating backside, I sighed, palming my head. Warm liquid coated my palm. The pain was only worsening the more time spread. With the hit from the wall, and the collision from the accident, it was an ache I couldn't get over.

I turned to face the girls, but was frozen in place by something else.

Kade's glare penetrated mine above all else, so heavy and full of rage. It took a moment of it drilling into my fear me to realize it's intention.

Like the wind, he had moved away from Kimberly, and stormed over until he was in my space. He didn't stop until the tips of our toes were touching, but even that didn't stop him.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he shouted in my face, his own gone red from the anger. "Are you serious? You go and put all of your shit on—"

"Kade!" Kimberly cut in. "Stop—"

"No, fuck that," he snapped, still glaring down at me. It deepened the longer he held it on me. "So, what? You go and put my girl, and your fucking best friend in danger? Is that your fucked version of caring about her? Because to me, it only sounds like another load of your bullshit!"

"Kade, chill out and get the fuck out of her face," Levi stepped in, pushing Kade back by his shoulder. "It wasn't her fault—"

"Really?" Kade snapped, narrowing his eyes at me. "Really, Maggie, it wasn't?"

"No, it wasn't," Kimberly argued, casting a glare at Kade in my defense. Raven added, "Maggie was the one who was attacked by some stranger—"

Kade laughed, the sound so tenebrious, it made my skin crawl with vigilance. By the time he came to, he had moved closer so that the next following words were between us, and only us.

His brown eyes roamed mine over, closely. "Is that what you told them, Maggie?" he asked, quietly. "Another lie?"

My face went ghost white at that. "W-what?"

Kade chuckled, his glare turning into an unwavering death stare. "You heard what the fuck I said to you. Did you lie to your best friends, again? You know,  exactly like how you've been doing the whole goddamned time?"

Something froze inside of me. Froze, and nearly made my body go numb from its icy state.

Kade knew the truth.

It clicked, then. The party, how he'd been staring at me so closely, and so thoroughly. As if he were reading right through me. I had passed it off as nothing then, but now I knew. The entire time, Kade had known everything.

Oh my god.

My face gave it away, too. It fell with disbelief, then rose all over again with ascertain. Kade caught sight of it, his head bobbing in a nod to confirm it.

"I-I haven't been..." I stammered over my shock.

"Really, you haven't?" he hissed back at me, his jaw locking down tight as he shook his head. "Then, what the fuck do you call it? Being too fucking selfish and careless to realize that your shit risked and nearly took Kimberly's life, today?"

My body was beginning to shake, I realized. Any comprehensible speech was a courtesy to me, right now.

"It doesn't matter if you didn't mean to, if it was an accident, or any other bullshit excuse you have, right now," he continued, his voice rising over by the minute. His eyes swept over me accusingly, before he motioned to Kimberly. "My girl has a goddamned cut in her side because of you. Kimberly could have died in that wreck because of you. She could have been shot, or fucking worse because of you, Maggie!" His chest weaved in and out as he continued on. "Do you not understand that shit? I don't give a damn what you or your fucked life has going on, but if it endangers her—"

A gush of wind swept past me, regaining bits of my attention. I wouldn't have recognized it for Luke without the familiar hint of his cologne that followed after it.

Just as quickly, he was standing in front of me, shielding me away from Kade and all else. With Luke's height, I was basically a speck behind him, something I welcomed in the situation.

Luke pressed a hand against my stomach to hold me behind him. Under his palm, I was barely holding myself up, and I worried that he could feel the stir of bile instead.

With one shove, he sent Kade back a couple of steps until he was out of our space.

"Man, I don't know what the fuck you're doing, or what the fuck you think you're gonna do, either," he forced out, holding Kade's glower. "All I know is that you're gonna back the fuck up and fix your mouth before you ever have it talking to Maggie like that, again."

"You heard what the fuck I said, Luke," Kade snapped back. "I don't give a fuck who doesn't like it."

By my stomach, Luke furthered me behind him even more as he approached Kade's fuming figure. Neither boy stopped until they were in the other's face.

Kimberly and I attempted to tug them back by their clenched hands, but it was no use. They were caught up, now.

Levi glanced between all three of us girls, a look of warning passing over his face. "All of you, stay back, okay? I don't want any of you getting crossed in this." We all did, and Levi stepped in between both men, who were already beginning their fight.

"Both of you need to chill the fuck out, okay?" Levi warned, glancing between the two. "We have bigger shit to think about—"

Luke swept Levi's hands down from his chest, his glower never leaving Kade's. They moved away from Levi, so that they were to each other, again.

"Let me know if you're stupid enough to repeat it, then, bitch," Luke said, his fists tightening on either side of him, rage trampling his face over. "Because, there's not one fucking world where I'm going to let you disrespect her the way you just tried to do. Not one."

"Disrespect?" Kade repeated in a chuckle, flicking his head back at me. "How did I disrespect her by just telling the truth? I know she may not know much about it, but—"

Luke took another step closer, one that Kade matched.

"Try finishing that shit, Kade," Luke said so calmly, the hair on the back of my neck raised in alert. Either arm went behind his back, one hand locking just above his clenched fist as he stepped up to Kade. "I fucking dare you to try finishing that shit against her disrespectfully."

Kades' lips curled into a grin. Something dark edged any other emotion from him until that was all that was left. His eyes ran Luke over, then me, then back to Luke until he sealed it by chuckling.

"What? You don't want me to say that your girl is a fucking liar?" he threw back, his head tilting innocently. "That she's been a liar—"

With what looked like all of his strength behind it, Luke swung a clenched fist at Kade, who had been in the middle of his speech. It knocked him out of it, and right to the ground, too.

The impact made us girls jump back out of shock. Levi cursed, already moving forward to prevent the fight from worsening. Before he got there, Kade was back up from the punch, and throwing one at Luke, who took it as if it were nothing.

Shit.

Kade threw another punch, which Luke weaved away from the time. Just as he went for another, Luke, whose face had stilled over with ire, took Kade to the ground. All we saw was the shock that swept over Kade's face from how hard Luke slammed him to the ground.

A flash of pain crossed Kade's face from how hard the impact was on him. Luke didn't give him time to recover before he was pinning him, then rearing his fists back. A choked gasp flew from my throat at how hard Luke threw his next punch.

When it connected with Kade's face, I knew it was enough to knock him out if they continued on. It made Kade's head nearly slam back against the ground, before he found an opportunity to shove Luke off.

Both boys scrambled until Kade was on top of Luke, who was still throwing the same lethal punches, despite being on the bottom. Kade started his punches out, but with the hits Luke was giving him and the writhe of his body, Kade was missing a majority of them.

Both boys knew each other, as well as the others fighting patterns and skills. They had known each other for nearly a decade, so it was expected.

Luke made sure to block the punches being thrown at him, but when he wasn't, he was damaging Kade, and vice versa. It was like seeing them fight their own selves, but I thought that they'd go easier on each other considering their relationship. Being here now, though, I knew I thought wrong.

By the time Levi managed to pry them apart, both boys were balls of hot fury. Luke's anger had given him more strength, considering the blood along his knuckles, and in certain smudges on Kade's face. The bottomless pit of rage only deepened, nearly making my skin crawl the longer Luke wore it.

"Both of you need to calm the fuck down!" Levi snapped, holding both boys apart as if they weighed nothing at all. "We're friends, you ignorant fucks. Act like it!"

Luke swept his hand off roughly, glaring over at Kade. "Friends? Say one more goddamned word about my girl, and we'll see how close we are then, Kade," he sneered back. "One fucking word."

"What? You think I actually give a fuck about you or a friendship with you?" Kade chuckled past the blood on his lips, swiping at it with a head flick at Luke. "You're not shit to me, Luke, trust me on that. You've never been a goddamned thing to me, but a fucking—"

"Kade!" Kimberly shouted, stepping toward him. Her eyes glinted at him with disbelief. "Whatever you're about to say needs to stop—"

"I'm not saying shit, but the truth," he snapped, sharing a look of hatred between Luke and I, but particularly Luke. "Your girl puts mine in danger, and you expect me not to say a thing? To be like the rest of you and let it risk her life? Fuck no." His narrowed at me. "I don't feel happy about putting you out in the open, and I promise you I don't give a fuck else about it, but I'll always give a fuck about how you treat Kimberly. Someone who is your best friend, despite you putting her life on the line every fucking time you're around! Is that what you call respecting and loving her? Because you lying, and continuing to lie to her is the exact opposite of that shit, Maggie—"

Luke shoved Kade so hard, he stumbled back. The surprise replaced the anger just for a second, before he caught his footing, and headed for Luke, again.

Levi was close enough to grab them both. All I caught sight of was Luke punching Kade in the jaw, and Kade returning it, before Levi tossed, quite literally tossed them apart.

Either boy landed far out of each other's reach, either on their back or on their side.

"If you dumb fucks start fighting, again, I'm letting the cops arrest the both of you," Levi threatened, sending a glare between the two. "The only way I'll bail you out is if you two get the fuck over this childish ass bullshit, get all of our girls the help they need, and worry about this shit when the time calls for it, which right now, obviously fucking doesn't."

A warm hand squeezed at mine. I looked at Raven, and she sent a small smile my way, tightening her hand around mine.

"We can talk or do whatever the fuck else once we get the girls to the hospital," Levi bit at them, stretching his hands out for the both of them. His gaze swept over the boys with an edge that they seemed to recognize, considering the die of violence in their faces at it. "So, both of you get the fuck up, don't look at or talk to each other, and come the hell on."

Slowly, they took his hand, pulling themselves up. Luke's jaw clenched down tight, and I prayed that he listened and didn't look Kade's way, because I knew he'd try to resume the fight if he did.

Instead, he looked to me, his temper still intact. Quickly, he moved himself until he was in front of me.

My eyes darted over his face, but luckily, it didn't look bad. Regardless of it though, his knuckles were still busted and bloodied from the fight.

Luke tilted my head back up with his finger, forcing my eyes to his. The rage slowly subsided to a softer tone the longer he stared into mine.

"Come on," he ground out, his jaw still clenched as he glanced to the ambulance. "I'll get you to the hospital quicker."

I considered it over, glancing to where the ambulance sat on top of the hill. There was only one here right now, but I wanted Kimberly and Raven to get the help they needed first. I knew how speedy Luke could get if the situation called for it, so I could go with him.

Turning back to Luke, I swiped at the small cut along his lip. The anger still hadn't disappeared in him quite yet, and I hated being the reason behind it.

"I'm gonna get your seats bloody," I attempted to joke. "Wouldn't want that, would we, rich boy?"

Luke scowled, his eyes squinting at me. "Don't you ever bring up car seats to me when it comes to you, Maggie."

I gave a chuckle at his seriousness, dropping my hand to his. Luke squeezed, but just as we took a step, I heard a familiar shout from behind us. My heart fell at it.

"Of course, she's running the fuck away, and you're helping her do it," Kade said, sarcastically. "You both deserve the fuck out of each other."

Something dangerous crossed over Luke, his jaw rolling as soon as the words reached him.

My head shook as I tried to tug him back into me and up the hill to prevent another fight. "Luke, don't—"

His hand tightened around mine just for a second, before he released and jerked around, again. Violence was all his expression allowed in, looking for an escape

"Say that shit, again?" Luke called out, tilting his head at him. "Or, are you just gonna be a pussy, wait until I'm turned the fuck around, and start talking shit to my back when I was just right in your face?"

"Well, I'm in your face, now." Kade shrugged, dropping Kimberly's hand to head for Luke. "I said—"

"Kade!" Kimberly snapped, glaring back at him. "That is enough!"

Swiftly, she stepped in front of me, sweeping her glare at Kade, who attempted to move his own back to Luke and I. His scowl built, but he attempted to erase it at her glower. His narrowed eyes remained on me for a second before he laid them on her.

Kimberly dropped her hand to grab mine. My own was limp, but at her squeeze, I managed to catch up.

"You don't talk to her, or disrespect any of my friends like that, ever again," she said to him, her gaze matching his. "Do you hear me?"

His glare ceased over with disbelief at her. He jerked a hand up to motion to me, glancing between the both of us. "She was the one who—"

"She didn't do a goddamned thing," she snapped over him, sweeping his hand back down to his side. "And, you're not going to talk to or accuse her like she did. Not after everything she just went through."

His jaw rolled back and forth at her defense. It only unhinged to force out, "Kimberly—"

She shook her head, releasing my hand to point toward his car. "Get in there, and follow us to the hospital. Now."

His eyes widened at her demand, his temper rolling back just enough to confront it. "But—"

"Kade. If I say it again, you're not coming at all, do you hear me?" She motioned to the car, again. "You're going to get in that car before you say something that you can't take back to your friends who are only doing exactly what you'd do if they said that same shit to me, and you know it. Is that what you wanna do?"

At his silence, she crossed her arms, cocking her head at him as she repeated, "Kade. Is that what you want to do?"

His eyes bounced between all of us, rage flaring his nostrils when he got to Luke, before finally falling to Kimberly, again. His gaze ended on the ground.

"No," he mumbled under his breath. "I don't."

"Good," she said, stepping closer to him. "Now, go and get in the car. We'll meet each other at the hospital."

"What? No," he argued, his brows furrowing with agitation. "I'm not leaving you alone in there."

Kimberly held her ground, glaring back at him. One arm fell from her chest, a hand grazing his just enough to dislodge his frown. "Kade."

They held gazes for a lingering second. Just as the intensity began to wear at my skin, it finally reached its end. Kade broke eye contact first, his chest falling back into place.

With a huff, he mumbled something intangible before jerking around. His wrathful footsteps were heavy as he began his walk.

Before he made it, he paused right by me.

Turning around on a swift foot, his brittle expression locked back into place. When his eyes found mine, I found myself freezing under the depth of it. Then, he craned his neck so that I'd be the only one to hear it.

"You get one more fucking week to tell them," he warned, quietly. "Either you do it, or I do it myself."

I swept around so quick, it made my headache worsen. My breath was caught in my throat at his threat that was more of a promise than anything. I knew it.

Shit.

Kimberly turned around to face me, a look of apology following. "Maggie, I'm so sorry."

I shook it off, attempting to maintain a smile. It was just as jumbled as I was. "I get it. He's protective—"

"Fuck that," Luke hissed, glaring after Kade as he stalked up the hill, curses in tow.

I knew that if it weren't for my injury, he would have went after him to finish their fight. That, as well as said injury, only added to my ambition to escape.

Luke's hand grazed the side of my head, but when I winced, I saw his throat bob under a knot of worry.  "Come on. I need to get you to the hospital."

I nodded, turning to the girls. "You both can get the ambulances. I'll be fine."

"What?" Raven stepped forward, her expression full of caution. "Are you sure?"

I waved them off. "Of course. I'll meet you guys there."

They both remained hesitant, but I wasn't having it. I wanted to make sure they were okay before anything else. The glass had cut into them during the accident, and I didn't want to risk them losing too much blood or getting an infection.

Luke led me to his car, his arm gentle around me. I had to talk him out of carrying me, and he barely, very barely, agreed.

By the time we were on the road, Luke was a jittery mess, because of his fear of me having a concussion, which I continued to debunk.

I sent him a side glance to catch him already watching me, despite his speeding. A frown framed his lips before he reached over to stroke my cheek.

"Are you okay?" he repeated for the millionth time. At my weak nod, his frown deepened. "Are you sure? Is the headache getting worse?"

Chuckling, I grabbed his hand and laid a kiss to the back.

"Luke," I said, softly. "Listen, your concern is the sweetest thing in the world, but if you ask me if I'm okay again, I'm going to put you at risk of a concussion, too."

"I'll take it, then." He chuckled, tilting his hand in mine until our fingers were entangled. "I'm just trying to keep you awake, though, just in case."

"So you're a doctor, now?" I teased, leaning against his seat with a tiresome sigh.

"By TV show standards, I'm an award-winning surgeon by now, Norris." He cracked a weak smile to ease, squeezing my hand. His expression returned with tension. "We're almost there, okay?"

I nodded, nibbling on my lip. I tried to reflect over the day, but it was hard. Out of everything I had expected of it, this wasn't it.

I didn't know how the girls were doing, but I hoped that they were fine. Both of them lost a lot of blood, especially during the wait for the ambulance.

"From now on," Luke's voice brought me out of my short train of thought, stroking the back of my hand. "I'm not leaving your side and you're not leaving mine, Maggie. At least not until your father has a bullet in his skull."

"Luke—"

His brows drew in on the other, but his visible attention remained on the road. "No, Maggie. I don't want to hear it. I'm not arguing with you about this, or anything else if it concerns you or your safety. The moment I wasn't with you today, you were hurt, and I'll be damned if I let it happen, again—"

I shook my head, patting his chest to gain his attention. His dark eyes landed on me.

"I was going to say that I agree," I countered. "It's the safest route. I don't want to risk that, or the girls and their lives ever again."

Luke slowly nodded, but I could see the surprise at my hasty agreement. I had given it because of the situation, and how deadly it had turned the moment my father realized that Luke wasn't with me, even for a couple of hours. This was the safest way.

Luke returned his attention to the road, the engine smoothly roaring under his foot as he jumped lanes. Nibbling at the inside of his cheek, a second passed before he glanced back to me.

I knew he could read right through me, as well as my guilt, despite how much I tried to hide it.

"Maggie," he said, softly. "What happened today...it wasn't your fault. You know that, right?"

My eyes dipped to his knuckles, my voice soft as I said, "Yeah."

I knew he didn't believe it, because I didn't, either. It was impossible to.

I heard him sigh. His hand fell from mine, then raised to my jaw until I leaned into him.

"Baby," he repeated, squeezing at the corner of my jaw. "It wasn't your fault. Kade was just pissed about Kimberly being hurt, and saying anything, but don't believe the shit he said." His eyes stroked mine with reassurance. "You couldn't have known what would happen, and you'd never try to purposefully hurt Kimberly or Raven. It wasn't your fault, I promise you. None of it was."

What if it was?

I rolled my lips back to avoid voicing my racing thoughts. Instead, I nodded, glancing elsewhere to stop him from sinking any deeper into my most hidden parts. Even then, I could feel him still working on it.

When Luke pulled up to the hospital, the doctors were already waiting from, I guess, what Luke told the paramedics. Since some time had passed, Luke didn't take any of my argument this time, instead picking me up and situating me on the gurney until I was as comfortable as I was going to get.

Quickly, we were being sent to a room to have me checked, thankfully. My headache had rolled back into a dull state, now.

To my side, I saw Luke's scars jump as he stared down at me. "Are you okay, angel?"

I honestly didn't feel as okay as I had claimed any longer. The hits, and everything else along with it were getting to me.

"Are you kidding me?" I smiled around a sigh, clenching his hand to reassure him. "I'm Maggie fucking Norris."

Luke, as worried as he was, fought it with a light smile.

Softly, he kissed my forehead, mumbling against the skin, "Strongest girl in the world."

***

When my eyes parted, I was met with a sweet, beautiful face. My vision was still fuzzy around the edges, but I wouldn't miss him, anywhere.

A moan slipped from my lips that was more of a sigh than anything. My body was groggy, and I honestly felt more like a drugged up slug than much else.

"Hey, baby," I heard from my side.

My eyes shut again at the lulling voice, as well as the sensation along my face. Luke was gently stroking the skin, and nearly leading me into another round of sleep.

"I missed you, Norris," he whispered, leaning forward to kiss my cheek. "How did you sleep?"

A hum came from me as I attempted to turn, but something stopped me. My gaze lowered to the cords and the IVs looped around my bed.

Cursing, I tugged at one before the sharp stab of pain shot through my arm. "Fuck."

Luke stood, scowling down at me. His eyes narrowed at me. "Where do you think you're going, Norris?"

"I want to go home," I grumbled, sighing. My finger tugged at the cord, again. "And, that's exactly where I'm going as soon as I get these stupid IVs out—"

Luke pulled my hand away from it, lowering it back to my side with a deepening scowl. "You're not going anywhere, Norris. No way in hell," he argued, flicking his head at the hospital bed. "Not until you're healed and the doctors have cleared you."

Rolling my eyes, I huffed while casting another glare to my IV, again. "Prick."

Luke's head fell with a chuckle. "Fuck," he mused, leaning down to kiss me, again. A soft smile drifted over his lips at me. "It's been at least twelve whole hours since I've heard you shit talk me and I've been losing my mind ever since then, honestly."

I knew that he was meaning it as a joke, but by his disheveled appearance, I didn't take it as only that.

Above red-rimmed eyes, his hair was scattered in all sorts of directions from his constant tugging at it, all while his cheeks were as pale as winter. The concern in his gaze was present, amongst a million other things that seemed to lift just enough at the sight of me being awake.

My heart softened as I squeezed his head. "I'm okay."

Luke's gaze flickered up to mine at that. They softened back at me before he nodded, bringing our hands to his lips. His eyes squeezed shut as he kissed them, nodding, again. "You're okay." From the sounds of it, it was more of a reassurance that he hadn't lost me.

Still squeezing his hand, I sunk back into the hospital bed. I had to dig to recall the memories, but luckily, they weren't too far.

When I got here, the doctors checked my head. Thankfully, they didn't suspect a concussion, but they wanted to keep me overnight, just in case. They injected me with something to help with the pain, but it put me to sleep, too. Then, the last thing I remembered was Luke peppering soft kisses to my face to aid me into sleep.

I glanced over Luke, who was stroking my hair. A tiny bruise was under his eye, but the cut in his lip didn't look too bad, now.

They rolled under the other in thought before I broke him out of it, "Did you get checked out, too?"

"Why would I?"

I glared at him, and his damn stubbornness. It was impenetrable. I was sure Kimberly was having to face the same battle with Kade, too. "Because, you're—"

Luke cut me off with a shake of the head, squeezing down on my hand. "My only concern is you, Maggie. Always and only you."

I sighed, stroking his bruising knuckles, gently. "And, mine is you, sweet, non-stubborn boy of mine."

Luke chuckled, and gave an eye roll of his own. "How are you feeling, though?"

My shoulders fell; hardheaded fucker. "Fine, just a little lazy, if that makes any sense." We both laughed before I motioned to the door. "How are Kimberly and Raven?"

"They're fine," he reassured me. "They had to get stitches, but the cuts weren't deep. The doctors kept them overnight, too."

My hand stroked at my tummy to try and conceal the guilty rocks in it. I hated that for them. I hated being the cause of it even more.

I went to lean up. "I want to go see them—"

"Norris, baby, no," Luke whispered out, shaking his head. "They're sleeping, right now. I went and got them some cards and shit like that, signed from the both of us for when they wake up. And, you too, of course."

My eyes moved from his and over to the corner of the room, where flowers and an abundance of candy and gifts sat. My heart warmed, but I played it off with a laugh once I returned to Luke.

"Wow," I teased, sweeping at my heavy eyelids with the back of my hand. "You acted like I was dying or something."

Luke didn't laugh, or take any humor in my statement. Instead, I felt his hands grow stiff in mine, a look of cool, dark dread washing over his face before he shook it off.

I smiled, appreciatively. "Thank you for all of this." He waved my thanks off, glancing over the side of my bed in thought.

His eyes followed up to mine. again. "Kade, Levi, and I all talked while you were asleep."

I cocked my head at that. "About the fight?"

"Fuck no," he snorted, eyebrows rising. "In fact, I tried to smack the shit out of Kade, again, before Levi broke it up."

I sighed, moving my gaze to our hands. I didn't want him to fight his friends for me, or anything of that sort. As much as I appreciated him defending me, I didn't want to be the cause of anything else, nor did I want to bring any additional trouble to his life, especially this. It wasn't right, and I didn't want to come in between anything they all had.

And just like that, the reminder of Kade's threat made my head start to hurt, all over again.

I didn't even know how he knew, or what he knew, but it was enough. He hadn't said those things without having something to back them up. And by his speech, he definitely did.

I trusted Luke, so I knew that he hadn't told him. I knew that there was no possible way he found out from the lake house. So, he found the information from somewhere else. How, or when, though, I had no idea.

Either way, he hadn't said anything to anyone else the entire time. If I could guess, I would say he had probably known for years, now.

Yet, he hadn't told anyone.

If anything, I thought he would have spilled it to Kimberly the moment he found out, but he didn't. 

For some reason...he didn't.

He said that I had a week, though. A week to tell them the truth. If I didn't, he would.

And I knew that he would.

Kade didn't owe me a thing. I knew that he was right in his outbursts about me, that my shit had endangered both Kimberly and Raven. It wasn't just me, anymore.

Even if it wasn't intentional...it was still done. Regardless of my intent, this was one of the 'technically's' Luke had mentioned that day in my apartment.

Technically, I had known the risk. And, technically, I had been too stupid and too selfish to think about how my life would affect theirs.

Those men had been willing to hurt them, kill them, just to get to me. And, it was my fault.

It was all my fault.

Luke leaned into my frame, his brows close with concern. "Maggie."

I blinked, attempting to center myself back to reality. Once I did, I found his eyes. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"We all talked while you guys were sleeping," he explained. "We think it would be better if we get the three of you away for a week or two, just to be sure."

I blinked, again. "Be sure of what?"

"That everything has calmed down around here," he explained, searching my eyes over, carefully. "Until we know for sure that those fuckers in the mall are gone, and aren't still looking for you, then we want all of you with us, away from here. It might help clear your head a bit, too."

My mind reverted to this situation, only as I attempted to grab hold of it. We would all be going away from here.

It made sense. Those men caught us in our weakest moments, which meant that they could possibly attempt another attack soon. Especially if the boys weren't around. I didn't want to risk anything else.

We would all be together, so that would lessen the chances of another attack. Maybe it would work out, but regardless, we would have to return home at one point.

Luke cleared his throat at my silence, moving closer. "Only if that's okay with you, of course." A skeptical chuckle spilled from his lips. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm not trying to sound bossy or like an ass, but I just want to—"

I leaned forward to my best ability, pecking his running lips. He took it, hand hovering just above the small of my back.

"You're just trying to help," I reassured once I pulled away. "And, I appreciate all of it and all of you."

Luke smiled against my lips, then went in for another kiss. As soon as he pulled back, he told me, "Kade and Levi are gonna talk to Kimberly and Raven about it when they wake up. If they don't want to go, then it'll just be me and you."

I chuckled at the rise of the last bit, raising a brow at him. "Did I hear a hint of excitement in that, Luke?"

"Fuck yeah, you did," he admitted without shame. "I'll get you all to myself in the mountains. I wish the circumstances were different but—"

I shook my head, squeezing his hand with a smile. "But we'll make the most of it."

I could see the worry more than anything, but he tried to keep it hidden to reassure me.

Instead, he leaned forward to claim every inch of my face with a kiss. "That's what we do, Norris."

I chuckled, dragging my hand over his neck until I had his curls in my grasp.

"Well..." I sighed out, teasingly but truthfully, too. "We had lemonade. We made chocolate cake. Now, what?"

At this, Luke cast a grin my way. His eyes raked over my face with a relief I'd never seen from him.

"Somehow, someway..." His voice dipped just above a whisper as he craned his neck, resting his face against my own neck. I felt his smile growing against the skin as he finished, "We try to figure out how the fuck we did that shit, Norris."