Right Hook (Gaslight series) COMPLETE

64| RIP

Max ♕
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Three hours ago

My dad used to say that the monster in him was the same one living in me. But as I got older, I realized that wasn't quite true. His monster was evil, the kind that only reared its head to hurt the people he loved.

Mine protects them.

Fueled by adrenaline, I rise to my feet and channel every ounce of strength into my clenched fist. It crashes into the nearest face with an explosive impact, sending a shockwave of pain through my arm, but it works. The path clears, inch by hard-fought inch, as I push forward, fueled by the thought of finding Alyssa and Kino.

To call tonight a fuck-up is a massive understatement, which wouldn't be so bad if it only impacted me, but now it affects them, the two people I'd tried to protect. And the worst part? They did it for me.

Alyssa being here surprises me the most. In fact, I'd go as far as to say she's the last person I'd expected to see, but somehow, despite all the shit I put her through, she showed up tonight in some misguided attempt to save me, which means deep down, she still cares.

The thought should make me happy, but it doesn't. It makes me fucking sick. You're a sinking ship, her dad had said, and she's tethered herself to you. I guess he was right, 'cause now we're both drowning, but I'm going to spend the rest of my life making it up to her.

Desperate to find her, my fist connects with an unsuspecting face, sending adrenaline through my veins. The impact reverberates through my arm, momentarily numbing the pain, and then I'm in beast mode, shoving people left and right as I scan the surrounding crowd for her head of golden hair.

The problem is the place is dark as hell, and my eye is so swollen I can barely see anything but a blur of shoving figures. When a hand grabs my arm, I swing my fists, ready to fight off the hazy intruder, before realizing it's Kino.

Maybe it's the head injury, but I don't think I've ever been so damn happy to see him. And then it hits me he's here, and she's not. Fuck. "Where is she?"

"She's with Khalil," he shouts, grabbing my arm. "He'll make sure she gets home. Come on."

I switch to big brother mode, about to grab Kino's arm when he bats me away to hook an arm around my waist, helping me to hobble through the crowd. The pain is pretty unbearable by this point, a reminder of my sheer stupidity, but there's nothing I can do about it now. The only thing that matters is getting the fuck out of here in one piece.

Each step is met with resistance as bodies collide in every direction. My muscles are aching, and it's a whirlwind of flailing limbs and heated exchanges, like trying to carve a path through hell. If Kino weren't here, practically holding me up, I'd have fallen already.

As it stands, we're starting to make leeway when the sirens sound. Looking down at my watch, I know we've got about ten minutes before the cops arrive. That should be a good thing, but if we're still here when they show up, it won't matter that Kino only came to protect me. He'll go down with the rest of us.

Even the idea of it fucking angers me. Kino, the only thing my father got right, in jail? Not a chance. I straighten a little, ignoring the shooting pain in my ribs, and use my shoulder to shove our way through.

"We're nearly there," Kino shouts when I start flagging. I nod as if everything is fine, but a familiar metallic taste in my mouth reminds me it's not. I force myself to swallow it, feeling the heat in my face as the nausea kicks in, sending me stumbling.