“Hey! Where are you going?”

I didn’t answer.

“Nick!”

She trailed me all the way back to the clearing, cursing at me as she did. When we hit the group again, she was downright pissed, and she stomped away.

Evan frowned. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Heather said. “Except that guy is a jerk.”

Elizabeth came over to me. “Everything okay?”

“She was…” I trailed off and ran my hand through my hair. I didn’t know how to talk my way out of this one. I couldn’t stand the thought of embarrassing Elizabeth here, in front of her friends, so I decided staying silent was better than explaining.

Except Evan wouldn’t let it go.

His fingers dug into the sides of his plastic cup, denting it as he came over.

I had at least five inches on him. And easily thirty pounds. Not to mention everything else I had that he didn’t.

“What did you do to Heather?” His breath smelled like beer, vodka, and rum. Booze gave you bravado, but it wouldn’t give you shit in a fight.

“I didn’t do anything to Heather.” I eyed her across the bonfire, the flames distorting the anger on her face, and now the color of her shame.

She knew damn well what had happened, but she wasn’t going to spill. And neither was I.

“You know,” Evan started, “from the moment I met you, I knew you were trouble. Lissy would be better off without you. Before you take her down with you.”

I turned back to him. “You don’t know shit about Elizabeth.”

“And you do?”

I glanced at her. I didn’t know everything. I didn’t know what kind of person she was before the Branch showed up. I didn’t know what they’d done to her, but I did know her better than Evan did. Or at least I understood what it was like to be at the hands of someone who did terrible things to you.

All of these people here, they had no fucking idea.

“I think it’s time for me to go,” I said to Elizabeth. “Do you want a ride back into town?”

I couldn’t let this escalate into a fight. I wasn’t sure if I could hold back enough not to murder Evan with my bare hands.

Elizabeth stood up. Chloe stood next to her and took her hand.

“Elizabeth?” I tried again. I wanted her to come with me. I didn’t want to storm out of here and leave her with Evan. Who knew what kind of shit he’d put in her head once I was gone.

“She doesn’t want to come with you,” Evan said, and pushed me.

The push sent me two paces back, and in that time my body shifted into fighter mode, narrowing the world around me until it was just me and Evan in that clearing.

The air crackled.

I could hear the beating of my heart in my head and the pounding of it in my chest.

I could smell the burning of the wood in the fire pit, and the dirt beneath my feet.

But everyone else… everyone else disappeared.

My shoulders leveled out. The muscles in my forearms tightened and bunched as my hands pulled into fists.

My fingers itched for a gun and again I was glad I’d left it in the truck. Otherwise it’d already be in my hand.

Evan bit his bottom lip—an obvious tell. His right shoulder rose up, the fabric of his shirt rustled as he moved, and I saw the punch coming days before it did.

I ducked. Evan swung again. Another dodge. Another.

Evan rocked back, practically spitting with frustration after a fourth swing and miss.

“What’s the matter, Evan?” I taunted. “I’m not even moving.”

He lunged at me. I stepped aside, and he went down in the dirt on all fours. I kicked him in the stomach. He spun over from the blow, landing on his side.

One of his friends came at me with a broken branch. He swung at me, and I caught it, bent it down, and smashed it in half with a boot. I took my half and whacked him in the knee, just enough to leave a bruise and send him flat on his ass.

Another friend jumped on my back and tried winding me up in a choke hold. I grabbed his wrist and bent forward, flipping him over me. He landed on the ground.

A shorter guy whipped the bottle of rum at me, and I ducked two seconds before it made contact. The bottle hit a low-hanging tree branch and shattered into a million pieces. The girls screamed as the shards blew back their way.

Evan was up again, charging at me with fists cocked. I caught the punch in my left hand and grabbed him around the throat with my right. I whirled him around, slamming him into a tree.

A puff of air burst out of him, and he gasped. I tightened my hold, felt the frantic beating of his heart beneath my fingers.

“Give in,” I said, my teeth grinding out the words. I could fight him all day long, but the longer I fought, the less control I had.

Evan growled, “You’re an asshole.” I squeezed tighter.

He made a sloppy choked sound. “Fine,” he croaked. “Now let me go.”

When I released him, he collapsed against the tree, sucking up air.

I turned to Elizabeth. She was surrounded by girls who were panicked and pale and shoving napkins at her face.

That’s when I saw it, the blood, trickling down the bridge of her nose.

“She was hit with a piece of glass,” Chloe said.

I surged toward her, and the group parted like I had a disease. I took Elizabeth’s hand and pulled her in the direction of the truck. I couldn’t find the right words to apologize, so all I said was, “I’m taking you to the hospital.” She didn’t argue.