All systems go, the sun hasn't died
Deep in my bones, straight from inside

-Imagine Dragons, "Radioactive"

Panama City Beach, Florida

Miles

"Rachel? I – I need you to come get me," I mumbled, closing my eyes and pressing my forehead to the wall above the phone.

"What? Where are you?" she asked, her voice high and questioning.

"Um, downtown. At – at the police station," I whispered, gritting my teeth in anticipation of her response.

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment before she exclaimed, "Excuse me?!"

"Rachel, please, stay calm. I can explain. Just please come get me and I'll tell you what happened when you get here," I pleaded. "I can't talk long."

"Okay, okay. I'll be there soon. What am I supposed to do with Lily? Where's Brooke?"

"Brooke is at the... Brooke is at the hospital. Don't worry, she's just getting checked out. She's going to be okay. Drop Lily off with my mom; I know she's home," I said, and looked up to see a cop looking down at me with his arms crossed, tapping his foot. "Rach, I gotta go. Just hurry, okay? I love you."

"Okay, Miles. I love you too," she said and hung up the phone.

"Come on," the cop, Officer Johnson, said, leading me back into his office and closing the door. After we both settled in, he behind his desk and me in a chair directly across from him, he spoke again. "Your friend was lucky you were there," he said, and I nodded.

"I wish I hadn't blacked out the way I did, though... I didn't have to kick his ass that hard," I admitted.

Officer Johnson shrugged. "Honestly, that guy has been evading arrest for a long time. He's a pretty prominent drug dealer in the Bay area. You may have kicked his ass, but at least now he's behind bars." He cleared his throat. "After he gets out of the ER," he added.

I put my hand over my mouth to hide my grin and coughed. "Well, I'm sure he'll be fine. A broken nose and jaw will heal pretty fast," I said.

Officer Johnson smirked and moved some papers around on his desk. "Mr. Harrison may decide to press charges, though, Miles. Just because he is in custody doesn't stop him from doing that. I just want you to be prepared for it" he said seriously.

I shrugged. "That's fine. I'll deal with that when it comes. I'm just glad Jordan can't hurt Brooke anymore."

He nodded. "Absolutely. And even if he does press charges, it is likely that they will be dropped almost as soon as they are filed. You beat him up, yes, but you did it to protect your friend."

I opened my mouth to respond but was interrupted by a knock at Officer Johnson's door.

"Come in," he said, and the door opened to reveal an officer escorting Rachel into the office.

Her eyebrows dipped low when she entered, and she ran straight to me and hugged me around the neck. "Miles, baby. Are you okay?"

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her cheek. "I'm fine. Let's get out of here and I'll tell you everything."

"O – okay," she said, straightening up and nodding a greeting to Officer Johnson, who stood and shook her hand.

"You must be Rachel. Don't worry, Miss. Miles did the right thing, even if he didn't go about it in the right way," he offered.

Rachel looked at me in confusion and I thanked the officer before pulling her out the door and to the car.

As soon as the doors to Brooke's car clicked closed, she turned toward me and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Miles. Spill."

So I did. I told her everything from the time we walked into the mall to when I came to in the back of the cop car.

Her mouth hung open and just when I thought she was going to start fussing at me, she flung herself across the center console and threw her arms around me.

"I – uh – " I stammered as I hugged her back. "You're not mad?" I managed as she squeezed me harder.

She looked at me and shook her head. "No. You saved Brooke's life," she said, tears streaming down her face.

I smiled in relief and leaned forward, kissing her gently. "And I'm so glad I did."

Brooke

"Can I go home yet?" I asked impatiently as I tapped my foot on the cold grey tile of the emergency room floor.

"As soon as someone comes to pick you up, Ms. Kane," the receptionist said, not bothering to look up from her keyboard.

My eyebrow dipped, and I rolled my eyes. "My phone is dead. Did you guys call anyone for me?"

She finally looked up from her keyboard and pursed her lips, and when she spoke, she spoke slowly, like she was talking to a three-year-old. "No... how would we know who to call, Ms. Kane? You have never been here before."

My nostrils flared, and I gritted my teeth. "Can I please use your phone?" I asked, my words clipped.

She smirked and pushed the phone toward me. "Be my guest."

What a bitch, I thought, but I just yanked up the receiver and dialed Rachel's number.

"Rach. It's me. Can you come get me at Bay County General?" I asked. "Yeah, no, I've been ready for a while, but someone," I said, glaring at the receptionist, "didn't tell me I needed to make my own phone call." The woman didn't speak; she just smirked at me. "Yeah? Thanks, Rach. I'll be waiting outside."

I slammed the phone down on the cradle and stalked out of the ER, not sparing the bitch behind the desk another glance. When I got outside, I sank down onto the bench by the door, and as I waited for Rachel, my thoughts drifted back to what happened in Dillard's before Miles saved me...

I saluted Miles playfully and jogged to the escalator, rode it to the next floor, where I found the home goods section.

"Where is this pot..." I murmured to myself. "I really need to cook more often."

I finally spotted the piece of cookware, and as I crossed the department to get to it, I heard footsteps behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw nothing. I wiggled my shoulders in an attempt to shake off the feeling that someone was watching me.

I reached out to get the pot from the shelf when I felt a hand on my lower back. Thinking it was Miles, I turned and said, "Hey, sorry, I couldn't fi – "

But it wasn't Miles.

It was Jordan.

"Jordan, what the fuck," I started, but he put his hand over my mouth and shoved me against the back wall.

"Shut up, Brooke. I told you I'd get you back for what you did to me, and I always keep my promises," he seethed as he slid his free hand down the curve of my hip.

No, no, no, I thought. I writhed against him, but he didn't loosen his grip.

"You're wondering how I found you... Remember when I saw you here before? I took your phone while I had a grip on you... you were so scared, you didn't even notice I shared your location with me. It was so easy," he whispered in my ear. "Like you..."

My eyes widened as I saw Miles approaching from behind us, and at the same time, Jordan slapped me across the face. "This is it, Brooke. You fucked with the wrong guy."

"Brooke?" Miles said, and I saw him run up behind Jordan, who turned around instantly and was immediately taken to the ground.

Miles was beating Jordan mercilessly. I'd never seen him so angry, so enraged.

"Miles! Miles, stop. You're going to kill him!" I shrieked. Not that I cared, but I didn't want Miles going to prison.

But it was as though Miles wasn't even there. His eyes were glassy, completely unfeeling.

I leaned down to try to stop him, but it was too late.

Mall security was on its way over, no doubt dialing 911.

"Brooke?" a voice broke through my thoughts.

Rachel.

I jumped up and ran toward her, my arms spread wide, needing a hug more than anything in that moment.

"Brooke, are you okay?" she asked, stroking my hair and holding me close.

"I'm fine, Rachel... thanks to Miles. I don't know what would've happened if he hadn't been there," I murmured, a sob escaping my throat.

"Shhh," she whispered, leading me to the car. "Get in, we'll take you home."

Miles turned around and smiled at me sadly, but I squeezed his shoulder. "Thank you, Miles. You saved my life."

He flushed and nodded. "No problem, B."

I smiled and leaned my head back against the seat, letting the gentle hum of the motor lull me to sleep.