SARAH Beads of sweat trickle down my forehead, soaking the nape of my neck as they cling to my skin. Ronan’s collar suddenly feels like it’s choking me. I want to crawl into the seat and hide there…until he’s gone. Until I don’t have to tell him a single thing or explain a single word. It’s too soon. Heavens. It’s too soon. I’m not ready to lose Kevin over them. I’m not ready for the brothers to lose Kevin over me. And with the way he’s looking at Ronan right now, I know—without a fucking doubt—one of the two will happen tonight. No. Not if I can help it. Kevin grips the handle of the driver’s seat and begins to pull it. The bright security lights illuminate the veins that line the skin of his forehead and neck. When the door refuses to open, he glares at Ronan again. “Open this door!” He screams, punching it. Ronan doesn’t budge. “Come out! Come out and tell me why the fuck you have my sister in your car!” I swallow hard as I try to reach for the window, but Malachi catches my wrist, pulling me back. My head whips sideways with the speed of light. Without a word, Malachi shakes his head. It’s risky to speak right now, but I know what he means. Every single move we make must be carefully thought of. He wants me to stay quiet, to let them explain themselves, to prove their love for me to him. Tears run down my eyes as my heart painfully squeezes in my chest. How do I tell them it’s not an option? At least not today. Malachi’s left brow raises when he sees the disapproval in my eyes. It’s met with a question from him. A question I do not…can not answer. Not now. So, I snatch my hand away from his and lock eyes with Jaxon. He immediately knows what he has to do, but he goes still. “Trust me.” I mouth inaudibly with a plea in my eyes. I know what I’m doing. I know what’s best for all of us right now. I need them to believe in me. Finally, he sucks in a deep breath and nods to Ronan from the rearview mirror. With a single click of a button, all the doors open. In a flash, Kevin pulls the door open, drags Ronan out of the car, and lands a punch on his face. I scream, watching Ronan stagger backwards. Suddenly, all I can see is red. One second, I’m behind Jaxon, and the next, Jaxon is on the floor, and I’m crossing over him as I run towards Kevin who has his hands full with the collar of Ronan’s shirt. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, man?” “Let me go, Kev. We can talk about this.” Ronan’s voice is dangerously calm. He doesn’t seem to care that his nose is bleeding into his mouth. I know. I know that if it had been anyone else, they would have been dead by now. But Malachi and Jaxon don’t say a word. Of the four of them, Kevin and Ronan have always been closest. They are the same age after all. “Let you go? Let you go? I should have you fucking castrated for this!” “Kevin!” I cry out, trying to pull him away from Ronan, but his grip becomes even tighter. Ronan’s gaze shifts to me. “It’s okay, Sarah.” I shake my head. “No. No it’s not,” Back to my brother. “Kevin, please. Let him go! Please!” “No.” The words slip out of his lips. I hear the venom in the singular word. I can see it in his eyes. Hell! I can almost taste it. This won’t work. Whatever Ronan has in mind, it won’t work. Kevin is going to kill him before he has a chance to get a meaningful sentence out of his mouth. I step back, suck in a deep breath, and brace myself for the gravity of the lie about to leave my lips. “What are you doing?” I scream again. “Are you really going to strangle him for saving my life?!” Everything…every fucking thing goes still. Even the crickets stop chiming. Slowly but steadily, Kevin turns to look at me. The anger in his eyes slowly dissipates, making way for the ever loving concern I’m used to. “W—what?” “Sarah…” Ronan tries to protest, but I don’t let him. I hold my head high and step forward. It’s choking me. The way the lies roll effortlessly out of my lips, the way he slowly takes in…believes every word, is killing me. But I’ll do it. If it’s what it takes to save them. To save us all. “I would have been hurt if not for them. You don’t…they came just at the right time. I was going to stay here for a while. They were going to call you to come pick me up because I lost my phone and…” Kevin’s hands slide down to his side as he staggers towards me. His knuckles are stained with Ronan’s blood. I push down the lump in my throat. “Your phone is home,” Kevin breathes out as he plants himself in front of me. His bloodied hands grip my shoulders, frantic eyes roam around my face. “I was so worried. I had men comb the city for you. They told me…they told me you were seen driving out of the city in a car. We ran the plates and it was theirs so I thought…” he stops speaking. Kevin’s face twists with disgust. He can’t even bear the thought of it, can’t say the words. I force a disgruntled laugh myself. “You thought what? That they were…” When he glares at me, I swallow the rest of my sentence. “Still,” he sends Malachi and Jaxon deadly glares each. “They should have called me immediately when they found you. They should know better than to be irresponsible when it comes to you.” “Watch your tongue, Kev.” Ronan retorts. A bitter laugh forces its way out of my brother’s throat. “Watch my tongue?” He turns fully to face Ronan. “You should know better than that, Ro. You should know that if anything had happened to Berry…” “Christ, Kev!” Jaxon spits out. “Do you even have a little faith in us? We would never do anything to hurt Sarah. You know that.” “No,” My brother’s response is as stoic as the look on his face. “I don’t.” His words pierce my heart like a sharp blade. One after the other, I see the hurt in all their faces. I don’t want this. How do I fix this? We need to get home first. Only then can I get Kevin to calm down. I also need to think of details of my lies. He had men look around the city for me. He probably knows more than he’s letting on. If I’m not smart, he’ll catch me in a lie, and everything will be ruined. “Let’s just go home,” I say, pulling him away. “I’m safe now. I promise.” Kevin is reluctant at first, but he finally follows my lead over to our car. He pulls the back seat open for me, but before I get in, I take one last look at them. My men. And with a small smile, I give them my word, my heart. I will sort this out for all of us. I promise.