Next to Never (Fall Away #4.5)

Her eyes glistened. “I’m not ready.”

“Do you still love me?” I asked, barely a whisper. Because that was all I needed to hear.

“Yes.”

I kissed her again, long but soft, savoring the feel of her lips and her in my arms.

“When I come back for you, it will be forever,” I told her, releasing her and backing away. I had to leave now before I pushed her too fast and made another mistake. “Tell me it’s not over.”

She held on to the sink behind her, her chin trembling, but then she finally gave me a small smile, and said, “I guess we’ll see.”

I turned and walked out the door, the feel of her still coursing under my skin.

I’d take that challenge.

Chapter 12

Racing into the police station, I hold the door open for Fallon as she ushers A.J. through ahead of her, and we all hurry inside.

They’re not hurt. If they were hurt, they’d be in the hospital, not the police station.

After we make it through the second set of doors—heavy wooden ones—I spot Jared at the counter with Tate, while their son, James, sits on a black cushioned chair, playing with one of his parents’ phones.

“What happened?” I burst out, hoping he just leads with “they’re okay.”

Jared turns around, speaking to me but glaring at the cops behind the counter. “They won’t tell us,” he growls and then speaks directly to a female cop who’s rounding her desk. “I want my kid!”

“Jared, calm down,” she scolds, sticking a file folder in a tray on a desk. “She’s perfectly fine. As soon as Madoc and Jax get here, we’ll bring them out.”

He shoves at a piece of paper sitting on the counter, sending it floating to the floor, and scowls at her before walking away.

“Don’t make me remind you what the inside of my cells look like, boy!” a burly cop with a double chin and white hair barks at Jared from behind the woman.

Jared’s eyebrows come together and he folds his arms across his chest, but he shuts up. If I weren’t so worried, I’d laugh. After reading and learning what I have tonight, I realize what I don’t know about my brothers could probably fill a stadium.

Just then, Madoc and Jax storm through the door, Juliet right behind them, and everyone goes straight for the counter.

“Barry!” Madoc calls to the old cop who scolded Jared.

The man finishes talking to another officer and makes his way over to us. A.J. and James sit on the chairs, playing on the phone. The rest of us are crowded into the counter.

“The kids are fine. No one’s hurt, and you can take them home tonight.”

“What happened?” Jax speaks up.

“Kade happened,” Barry the Cop answers, arching an eyebrow. “Did Dylan have a scuffle at her race tonight?”

Jax nodded. “Yeah, some kid ran her off the track. He won’t be racing there again.”

“No, I doubt he will,” the officer rushes to agree, sounding sarcastic. “Your kids—and I imagine they had more help—dug a wide but shallow grave on Weston’s football field. They stole the kid’s car, drove it into the hole, and buried it. They even made a nice little tombstone for it.”

Snorts go off around the group, and I stifle laughter as Tate covers her amusement with her hand. Jared, Madoc, and Jax struggle not to smile.

Of course they’re proud. Of course.

“This isn’t funny,” the officer bites out.

“It’s a little funny,” Madoc mumbles, avoiding the officer’s eyes like a naughty child.

“Well,” Barry goes on, giving Madoc a sinister smile, “let’s see how you take this news then. When the boy found out, he and his friends chased them into town, and your kids offered a rematch right here on our city streets. Kade, Hawke, and Dylan, at least,” he specifies.

I imagine Hunter was only along to make sure Kade didn’t do anything that would get Dylan hurt.

“Things escalated,” he continues, “three cars were sideswiped, and your old Boss”—he looks at Jared—“is presently sitting in Ducane’s Ice Cream Shop after your daughter crashed it right through the huge bay window. “

“Oh, my God!” Tate bursts out, looking scared.

But the cop holds up a hand. “She’s fine,” he assures. “Thankfully, the shop was empty at the time, too, so no one got hurt.” And then he fixes his eyes on Madoc. “But I’ve got lots of angry parents calling, Madoc. There were people on those streets tonight.”

Madoc drops his eyes, his amusement gone. He, Jared, and Jax all look a little repentant, because they know the cop has a point. It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

Someone’s life could’ve been forever changed tonight, because Kade—and I have absolutely no doubt this was all his idea—thinks he’s untouchable.

“Now the boy’s dad is Kurt Rhomberg,” Officer Barry goes on, speaking to Madoc, “so he’s not pressing charges out of respect for you, but he will expect that you take care of the damages to his son’s car. As well as the estimated forty grand in other damages your kids caused tonight.”

He says the last piece to all of the parents, and Madoc digs his thumb and middle finger into his eyes, rubbing them, while Jared combs his hand through his hair.

“Christ,” I hear someone growl under their breath.

Forty thousand dollars. Shit. Officer Barry just served a big, heaping dose of reality, and everyone is shutting up now.