All three of us immediately whip our heads around when we hear Ainsley’s anguished cry.
Kingston gets a lock on her first and leads the charge into action. Ainsley keeps screaming at Reed to stop, and as we get closer, I see why. He’s currently beating on that Lawson guy. The music comes to a grinding halt, allowing every grunt and thud to echo throughout the cavernous room.
Kingston and Bentley both assess the situation before forming a protective barrier around Ainsley and me. A minute ago, they looked like they were ready to kill each other. Now, they're working in perfect harmony, and I don't think they even realize it.
“What the hell is going on?” Kingston asks his sister.
"I don't know!" Ainsley shouts, tears running down her face. "I was talking to Lawson, and all of a sudden, Reed is punching him in the face."
Reed and Lawson are fairly matched in both size and skill, but Reed has this feral look in his eyes that gives him an edge. I wince when Reed takes an uppercut to the jaw, but it barely affects him. When Reed’s hand connects with Lawson’s face, Lawson wails, cupping his cheekbone.
I throw my hands out toward the melee. “Why aren’t you guys stopping this?”
“Reed wouldn’t be doing this unless he had a damn good reason,” Bentley explains.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, man?” Lawson yells, staggering to the side and spitting blood on the floor. “I didn’t do shit to you!”
“You put something in her drink!” Reed bellows, jabbing a finger in Ainsley’s direction. Damn. Calm and collected Reed Prescott has definitely left the building. “I fucking saw you do it when she turned her head away!”
Both mine and Ainsley's jaws drop at that piece of info. Kingston and Bentley seem to realize the same thing I do because they look like they're about to jump into the fight.
Kingston points a finger at me. “Is that what you did to her? “Did you fucking drug her?” His tone is quiet. Deadly.
At this point, what appears to be the entire party has formed a circle around the six of us.
Lawson holds his hands out. “Now, wait just a fucking minute. I was doing you dicks a favor!”
“What?!” Bentley lunges for him, but Kingston pulls him back.
“You have two seconds to explain.” Kingston’s jaw and fists are clenching.
Lawson swings his arm out in Bentley’
s direction. “He told me to bring her to you nice and sloppy. She was barely sipping her drinks, and it was taking forever, so I sped up the process. It was a low dose; it wouldn’t have done any real damage. You should be thanking me, assholes. You got to have your way with her, didn’t you?” Lawson turns his head to leer at me. “I’m only sorry I didn’t get a turn first.”
A loud gasp rings through the crowd right before all hell breaks loose. Kingston releases some sort of battle cry right as he starts punching the shit out of Lawson. Bentley and Reed join in the fray, and all three of them go at him, punching, kicking, pretty much whatever they can do until Lawson is on the ground, nearly unconscious.
Bentley and Reed back off when Lawson’s body goes limp, but Kingston keeps pummeling his face, over and over and over again. Lawson’s head thuds against the marble floor with a resounding crack, his face is practically unrecognizable, but Kingston doesn’t let up. Bentley and Reed try pulling him off, but Kingston’s too enraged. He’s crouched down, hulking out on this dude, and I seriously think he might kill him if he doesn’t stop.
“Kingston!” I scream. “Stop it! You’re going to kill him!”
Ainsley’s repeating the same words, trying desperately to get through to her twin.
“Good!” he yells, punching again.
I know it’s stupid, considering how scary and amped up Kingston is right now, but I charge toward him anyway. Bentley and Reed try holding me back, but I manage to squirm between them until I’m placing a hand on Kingston’s shoulder. He immediately freezes and whips his head back to meet my gaze.
“He’s not worth it, Kingston.” I squat down next to him, probably flashing half the room, but I don’t really give a shit. I rest my forehead against his and cup my hands over his cheeks. “He’s not fucking worth it. I’m okay. He didn’t get to me. He didn’t get to Ainsley. We’re okay. I’m here.” I kiss the corner of his mouth, tasting blood on my lips. “I’m here.”
Kingston releases a shuddering breath before clutching my arms, hauling me off the hard floor. He crushes me to his chest, holding on for dear life as he gets his breathing under control. I turn my head to the side and see Ainsley wrapped around Reed, sobbing. He’s smoothing his hand down her back, whispering something in her ear. Lawson is starting to wake up, groaning, but making no effort to peel himself off the floor. I’m half tempted to kick that fucker, but I’m pretty sure it’ll only exacerbate the situation.
After a few moments, Kingston pulls back slightly and finds Bentley. “Will you take care of this?” Kingston scans the crowd and adds, “Party’s over! Get the fuck out of here!”
Bentley nods. “I got it, man. Go get cleaned up.”
Kingston looks down, seeing all the blood. He seems confused like he doesn't know how it got there. His grip on my hand is firm as he leads me away.
“You can’t do that!” Peyton screams as her guests scurry toward the door. “Come back! You don’t have to leave. It’s my party!”