Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 144(@200wpm)___ 115(@250wpm)___ 96(@300wpm)
“The fuck is wrong with you?” I hear Blake say when I make it across the field.
“Sometimes I forget how strong I am. Oops. Nothing worse than hitting someone smaller than you.” Vincent shrugs as Blake sits up. I hold in a gasp when I see his hand is over his nose, which is gushing blood. I don’t need to see it to know it’s broken.
“Don’t you touch me.” He glares at me. “If you don’t think I know what’s going on here, you’re wrong. I’ll have your job,” Blake shouts as he holds his nose.
“Listen here, you—”
“Don’t.” I jump in front of Vincent, knowing that’s the only way I’ll be able to stop him. I drop my bag to place my hands flat against Vincent's bare chest. Half the town is watching this, but luckily they can’t hear because we’re on the opposite side of the field. The deadly look in Vincent’s eyes as he stares down at Blake makes it clear this is far from over.
“Sam, can you please come check my son over? I don’t know what’s going on here, but that’s for another time,” Mayor Finley says. The one person who could actually take my job.
CHAPTER 21
VINCENT
Sam hands a wad of gauze to Blake, who is still lying on the ground, writhing in pain. “Apply pressure.”
“It hurts,” he whines.
I didn’t even hit him that hard. A broken nose is all he got when he should have a broken collarbone, too, but I decided at the last minute that might be too hard to explain and held off. I regret it now.
“Give him some pain killers,” demands Mayor Finley.
“The protocol for a nose break is—”
“Do I look like I fucking care what the protocol is?” Mayor Finley explodes. “And you, how could you be so damned slow?” He shakes an angry finger at his son. I guess we know where Blake gets his temper. “Who’s your superior?”
It takes me a second to realize he’s addressing me. “Why?”
“Because I’m reporting this, and you will be court martialed. You will all go down for this.”
I place an arm around Emma’s shoulders. “Don’t worry. I didn’t share this with you before, but I’ve got some money. You won’t have to work.”
“He does,” Frank confirms. “It’s the only reason I’m letting him live to see tomorrow.”
“Thanks, man. I’m glad to know where you stand.” I throw my friend a look of mock disgust.
“I like my job, though.” Emma’s lower lip comes out. I want to kiss her pout right off her face.
“We can set up a private ambulance service so the townspeople can continue to use you.”
“You’re not listening,” Mayor Finley breaks in. “I said you’re—”
“I know. You sounded like a bad villain too.” Mayor Finley has an outsized estimation of his influence. “I don’t think this is a violation of the UCMJ, but I’ll text his number to you. Admiral Marks will be happy to discuss the potential ramifications of someone getting injured during a football game with some teens.”
“Court martial for sure,” says Frank in such a way that we all know he’s kidding. “I’ve heard of helicopter parents, but aren’t you taking it a little too far?” he adds.
“No one is getting court martialed, and no one is going to jail, at least not anyone not named Blake Finley,” announces a clear voice.
We all pivot toward the speaker. It’s Rosie, the school teacher. Her hand is clutched in Ezra’s, and you can tell by the rapid rise and fall of her chest she’s nervous, but none of the shakiness is in her words. “A broken nose is nothing, isn’t it Blake? It’ll heal. Maybe you should have listened to the guys when they told you to be careful. That’s what you said to me after you hit me in the face.”
There’s a collective gasp from the attendees. Mayor Finley’s face goes white while Blake’s turns red.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He taps his dad’s leg. “You’re not going to listen to a crazy lady, are you? She had to take two weeks off from teaching second graders because she has mental issues.”
“I had a black eye,” Rosie shoots back.
“You better watch your fat mouth when you talk about my Rosie like that,” says Ezra ominously.
“She’s not the only one you hit.” Brittany walks over to our group with Tina at her side. Both eyes are blackened, but it’s the ring around her neck that silences the entire crowd. “You threatened me and said if I breathed a word about what you did, I’d be ruined. I’d have to leave town like Cara English, so I sat in my house and cried because I figured I must’ve done something to bring this on. I’d flirted with you. I let you come to my house. If I hadn’t done that, I would’ve been safe, but Tina made me see how it wasn’t my fault at all.”