And now I stood frozen at my locker, an arm’s length away from Killian Kane. Afraid to move, breathe or otherwise, lest I gain his notice.
My math book lay at my feet, canvas school bag slung over my shoulder and Killian so close to me his broad shoulder brushed mine when he grabbed Josh by the T-shirt and slammed him into the locker.
My heart jumped at the loud bang of Josh’s spine hitting the metal.
“I fuckin’ warned you,” Killian growled.
And it was a growl or maybe a snarl because he said it between clenched teeth. He tilted his body in close to Josh, and Josh had nowhere to go, trapped between furious Killian and his locker.
“I warned you what would happen if he came to my school and dealt that shit.”
Dealt that shit was drugs. Josh’s older brother was a big-time dealer, and anyone who wanted drugs went to him.
Josh sold them too, but not the hard stuff, and neither brother sold them at our school—until recently.
Killian landed a couple of guys in the hospital after they’d tried to sell drugs on school property. One guy had a busted nose and a broken right arm. The other had cracked ribs and lost three front teeth.
Neither kid admitted it was Killian, but everyone knew. Especially since the day after the incident, Killian had a bandage above his right eye, and his knuckles were bruised and cut up.
My best friend, Mars, whose brother Aiden was in Killian’s class, said when the teacher told Killian to go to the infirmary to get checked, he told the teacher to “mind his own fuckin’ business.”
That got him sent to the principal’s office. No one knows what happened there, but he pretty much lived in detention.
“I… I know. I told him, but”—I kind of felt sorry for Josh, because he looked like he was going to piss himself—“…he said it wasn’t your school,” Josh stammered. “I swear. I told him not to.”
It wasn’t Killian’s school, technically, but you still followed his rules, and one of his rules was no drugs.
Killian straightened, but he didn’t release Josh’s shirt.
“Where is he now?”
“He took off when he, uh… heard you were looking for him.” Josh briefly glanced at me, and I half smiled. It was my small act of kindness, because even though I wasn’t a fan of Josh as he and his brother were drug dealers, I sympathized with him for being on Killian’s radar.
You did not want to be on Killian’s radar. And exactly why I hadn’t run, but kept quiet, motionless, and barely breathing. The rabbit in the hole waiting until the coast was clear for my quick escape.
Besides, I had a math test tomorrow I needed to study for so I wasn’t leaving without my books.
“Tell him to meet me at the river,” Killian said. “Five o’clock. He doesn’t show, I’m coming for him another way, and he won’t like it.”
I knew exactly what meeting at the river meant. He was going to fight Josh’s older brother. Older meaning he’d graduated last year.
“I swear, Kite, he won’t do it again,” Josh said.
Killian’s voice lowered. “Too late for that. You were supposed to tell him the rules. He either didn’t listen or you didn’t tell him. Either way, now I have to do something about it.”
Maybe it was my fiery red hair that caught his eye, or that my heart thumped so loud he heard it, but whatever it was, Killian’s gaze sliced to me.
I stiffened, inhaling a quick breath and my heart fluttered.
We stared at one another.
It was the first time I’d been this close to him, and it was terrifying, and at the same time captivating and intense.
His eyes reminded me of the green Popsicles my dad used to pick up on his way home from work on hot, humid days. We’d sit on the front porch of the house and eat them before they melted, which was hard to do in the heat and we’d both end up with sticky hands.
Killian’s eyes were like that. Green and cold with ice chips in them, so clear it was as if I saw my own reflection.
And they were absolutely beautiful.
Cool as ice, Savvy. He is not a nice guy.
“Breathe,” Killian said.
I swayed to the side as my lungs screamed for air. I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to, lost within the cool depths of his eyes.
“Jesus Christ. Breathe,” he barked.
That snapped me out of it, and I exhaled.
His piercing eyes stayed on me for a second, and I swear they softened, warmth simmering briefly before they hardened again.
He shifted his attention back to Josh at the same time as a voice called out, “Kite?”
Sculpt strode down the hall toward us then put his hand on Killian’s forearm. “Not fuckin’ here.”
“His brother was dealing drugs on school property,” Killian retorted, glaring at his friend.