The Original Crowd (A Whole New Crowd 0.50)

“Okay. Okay. I’m going.” I started walking backwards. “But I’ll call for a report later in the week.”

“You can stop by for a report,” Grayley pointed out. “But I’ll give you one anyway.”

“Alright. Tell him…”

“He knows,” Grayley finished, turning and leaning one shoulder against the wall, just watching me walk backwards.

When I found the door behind me, I hit the button, asking for it to be unlocked. When it buzzed, I pushed through and it closed. I saw through the window that Grayley turned back and entered the room as the nurse left.

I hit the elevator button and waited.

And found myself staring in shock when the doors slid open, revealing Brian’s startled eyes.

“Taryn!” he cried out, slapping the elevator door shut as he moved to follow me.

I blinked, realizing I had instinctually taken a step backwards.

“No,” I said, and shoved him away. “Fuck no!”

“Taryn,” he said again.

I slapped him, uncaring where we were or if I set him off. I slapped him again. “You put my best friend in the hospital, you asshole!”

“Taryn,” he pleaded, trying to gram my arm.

I slapped him a third time. “You hit Kerri.”

“Come on…” He was starting to get pissed, but I didn’t care. Hell, I wanted him mad. I wanted to see that side of him. I wanted to remember it so I could have that picture in my mind when I hated him for the rest of my life.

I hit the elevator again and shoved him inside.

When the door shut, I hit the emergency button, halting the elevator and full-out punched him. The funny thing is that I decked him using the moves he’d taught me. I grabbed his head and brought my knee up.

Now. Fighting is wrong. Assault is wrong and I could get arrested for this, but I rarely stopped to think about the consequences before I did something illegal. Right now, all I cared about was hurting Brian as much as he’d hurt me and those I loved.

So I whirled and kicked him again. My heel neatly clipping him in the face.

Asshole.

“Stop, Taryn,” Brian hissed, grabbing my arms.

I wrenched my arms up and wrapped them around his. As his eyes widened at my hold, I brought my knees up, hard. In the groin.

Brian toppled to the ground.

I released the emergency hatch.

“You fucking stay away from my friends. You stay out of my life.”

Brian groaned, “Bitch.”

I knelt beside him and tapped him on the forehead. “You bet and this bitch can get you hauled off to prison if you keep pushing me. You touch my friends—I’ll send what I got to the cops. And trust me, if I have to, I’ll go searching. Whatever I need to get you in prison.”

Feeling the elevator come to a halt, I brought out my taser and grinned in satisfaction as it crackled against his chest.

Then I pocketed it and stepped out from the elevator, leaving Brian on the ground in the fetal position.

I’m a cold bitch and Brian knew it.