Page 23 of Feint

“Okay, I missed you guys! Happy now?” I said with a smile as I jumped up and put my fists at my sides, giving them a sarcastic look, and they all nodded and laughed.

We finished up and drove back to the warehouse, parking up. We chilled by our cars for a few more minutes. We talked about how we wanted to set up the cones. Then, I started to give Tyler some shit about how he never came to visit me or Jayden, and he threw his arm around my shoulders and yanked me into him, tickling my side and replying how he’d been busy and to not play that game with him.

I heardKordell’svoice, but not with enough time to react, and I never expected what would happen next.

CHAPTER 10

KORDELL

I didn’t realizeRosalie hadn’t seen me as she passed by where I was parked as she left the taco place, but when she was going back to the space I knew she drove around sometimes with her friends, I thought I would finally introduce myself to them. But what I didn’t expect was to come up on my girl with her arms around one of the guys, laughing as he touched her body.

So, when my fist connected with the guy’s jaw who had his arms around my girl’s shoulders and he lurched forward, his grip dislodging from Rosalie, I smirked.

“Kordell?! What are you doing here?!” she cried out.

I could see the shock on her face.Bet you didn’t expect to see me, did you, lil’ mama? Well, here I am.

Oh, so she thought she could be out here with a bunch of men, slutting it up, and I wouldn’t be pissed about it? The guy I’d just slugged looked at me, confused and dazed from the blow. I regained my balance, and then I lunged at him again. This time, I took him down to the ground. He gasped, the wind knocked out of him. I hit his face a second time and saw some blood spray from his nose.

Probably broke it. Good.

I grabbed his shirt and lifted his upper body off the ground again before hitting him a third time. I was going to beat his pretty-boy face to a fucking pulp. I could hear Rosalie shouting for me to stop in the background, but there was no saving this douchebag now. He’d touched the wrong man’s girl. I swung again, and right before it connected, one of the other guys she was with tackled me.

I grappled with his arms as he tried to punch me in the side, and we started to wrestle for power on the concrete. In the corner of my eye, I could see Rosalie freaking out, crying as she watched me while running to the other guy’s side, along with the third guy. I let the bigger guy on top of me connect a blow to my ribs as I punched him in the shoulder, causing that arm to buckle. Swinging my leg under me, I kicked with all my might. It shoved him off barely, but it was enough to get my feet up under me and push myself to stand.

He scrambled to his feet too. “I’mma kick yer ass, you piece of shit!” he growled as he started for me again.

But too late.

I reached in my jacket and pulled out my pistol and aimed it at him, and he came to a freezing halt.

That’s right. Know your place. You’re nothing compared to me, just barely a man by the looks of it.

I looked around. Rosalie was holding the man on the ground, watching me in disbelief as tears went down her face. The third guy stepped between them and me.

“Rosalie, get away from them, or I fucking swear I’ll drag your ass home after I shoot every man in hearing distance,” I gritted out. My finger was tense on the trigger as I kept my gun aimed at the big man in front of me.

She shook her head. “Kordell! What are you doing?! Oh my god! Put the gun down! Please!”

I looked at her hard. “Rosalie, you expect me to see you fucking with these men, letting them have their hands on your body, and not come over here, fucking pissed? My girl doesn’t cheat on me.”

Her mouth dropped, and she stared at me, confused, and the three guys exchanged glances. Then, the big guy laughed. Not sure what was so fucking funny with my 9mm pointed at his face, but I bet I was about to find out.

“Dude, you think Rosalie is cheating on you… with us?” He started laughing again as the guy on the ground started to sit up, and Rosalie helped him stand.

“That can’t… Is that what you thought, Kordell?” Rosalie asked me as she wrapped her arm around his waist.

I glared at her, and she dropped her arm. The guy grabbed the Subaru next to him and leaned against it. He looked at me, his right eye already starting to swell up, and he was holding his nose to stop the bleeding.

“You fucking moron. Rosalie is like a sister to us.” He spat out blood on the ground in my direction.

The tall guy nodded and finally spoke. “He’s not lying. None of us would ever treat her like that. She’s not just our friend, she’s family.”

I hated that he kept moving to be slightly in front of her even if he acted cool as could be. He was scared, I could see the fear in his eyes. I looked between them, and then I looked toward her for confirmation. She nodded quickly.

“Kordell! These are my best friends from high school. We all grew up together! They are like my brothers. I promise! There is no way I would ever cheat on you in the first place, but especially not with these guys!”

She walked quickly over to me even though the big guy tried to silently protest, and I lowered the gun to my side. I didn’t put it away, but I watched as she tentatively walked up to me. Sheran her hands from my wrists to my arms and then locked them gently behind my neck, leaning up, and kissed my lips. Her kiss tasted a little salty from her tears.