The force of my rage made Killian step back on his tracks.
I’d never defied him before. His arrogance made him weak.
“Don’t touch me!” I shouted again. Several heads turned in our direction and I heard a murmur rise up from the crowd.
For a second I thought Killian would shout at me.
But then, just like always, he ignored what I said as beneath him. His eyes slid right past me and landed on Derek.
Killian smirked. Derek moved a little more in front of me, his face inches from Killian now. I could see his fists balling at his sides, but his shoulders were loose. Ready to swing.
Ready to fight.
I rested my hand on his shoulder.
Wordlessly, Derek turned to face me.
I shook my head.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, hard.
Then he nodded.
I kept my hand on his shoulder, but I stepped around him.
I wasn’t hiding any more.
"Really?” Killian laughed out loud. “Come on, Jane. Don’t be stupid.”
"I'm not going anywhere with you, Killian!" I shouted. More heads were turning. I could hear the murmurs of alarm running through the crowd.
But Killian, as cocky and assured of his star power as ever, didn't even notice the growing discontent that was surrounding him. He was too focused on getting what he wanted.
Me, back under his thumb.
"You heard her," Derek said slowly. "She's not going anywhere with you. So get the fuck out of my town."
“Ha!” Killian snorted. "I could buy and sell this whole backwater hellhole. In fact, I might do that, just to prove you've got no say in this. Jane is coming home with me."
Derek lifted his chin, and stepped in closer, eye to eye with Killian. This physical dissimilarity was striking. Killian was whip thin. Derek was broad shouldered, his hands were huge, his back well-muscled and strong. If Killian had any idea what he was up against he would turn tail and run away screaming, but his arrogance had him still believing he had the upper hand. "She's not going anywhere with you," Derek repeated.
"I don't give a fuck what you say," Killian snapped. He looked over Derek’s shoulder. "Jane…” he called warningly.
“My name,” I snarled. “Is Aria!” I launched myself, ready to scratch Killian's eyes out with my nails when a hand at my waistband suddenly tugged me backwards.
“Hey!” Jesse Klingman forced his chair between us. “Hang on Aria, I got you.” He looked up at Killian. “Try me, jackass. I’m at the perfect angle to punch you in the nuts.”
“You’d better leave Derek Granger alone!” came another voice.
I whirled to see Will Abbott shouldering his way through the crowd. Behind him came a burly looking man I didn’t recognize, but the stiff way he walked told me exactly what he had at stake in this fight.
“I’ll beat you with my fake leg!” the burly man rumbled. Then he turned to Derek. “You’ll make me a new one if I do, right?”
Derek stared, open-mouthed. “Sure.”
“My buddies from the VA are all right over there,” Will Abbott told Killian. “All really surly too, on account of their prosthetics not fitting right. They think if they’ve got Derek’s back in this fight, he might return the favor. What do you say?”
Derek was looking dazed, so I took his hand. He squeezed my hand and looked down.
"I called the police! And they're gonna be here real soon," Brynn Reese called as she pushed her way over to us.
Killian looked around wildly to see himself suddenly surrounded by the townsfolk of Reckless Falls all spoiling to fight on Derek’s and my behalf. “Benefits of a small town, the cops don’t have too much going on and they respond really fast,” Brynn added with a raised middle finger in Killian’s direction. She planted herself next to me and grabbed my hand. “I figure that means you have about two minutes to get the hell out of here.”
Killian had never had a crowd turned against him like this before.
It felt like justice.
“Get the hell out of here!” I said, raising my voice. "Get the hell out of my town!”
Because it was mine. My town, my home, with my love.
Derek pulled me close and we watched silently as Killian slowly backed away.
I turned to bury my face in Derek’s chest. “You okay?” he asked. I could hear how rapidly his heart was beating.
“I’m more than okay,” I sighed into his shirt. “I’m finally home.”