A Way Out

Chapter 19

"I'm not going anywhere."

In an attempt to diffuse the tension, I quickly shot up and placed my hand on Justin's shoulder. The state Jake was in made him bound to explode and I didn't want Justin to suffer those consequences. "Don't Everly," he said as he softly pushed it away, making my hand fall back beside my body. "You are leaving. Now," Justin ordered, surprising me with the firmness in his voice.

Jake stepped into Justin's face, invading his personal space. The soft blue color in Justin's eyes being so vastly different compared to Jake's fiery eyes. Justin was almost the embodiment of a soft sea, with some gigantic waves that could crush anyone in its path. To Jake, there didn't seem to be two sides, just a wildfire that destroyed anything in its wake.

"Don't waste your time on her mate. Between you and I, she isn't that good in bed," Jake told Justin with a vile smirk tugging at his lips. Every ounce of my body filled itself with shock, making me momentarily lose control over my limbs. Jake humiliating me wasn't foreign to me, but now he was doing it directly in front of people.

"Take that back," Justin growled as he took some steps towards Jake. Their noses were almost touching. Justin tried to extinguish the fire that Jake was with the waves in his eyes. Jake being Jake was an uncontrollable, everlasting flame. Not letting itself die down easily.

"Believe me, bro. Your hand will do a better job for you," Jake said, clearly pushing Justin's boundaries as he squinted his eyes at him, searching for Justin's breaking point. Justin breathed through his nose as he balled his fists, the rage within him becoming harder to control.

I felt something burn within my stomach and rise to my chest. Jake was literally making me sick with his words and I put my hand on my chest, an effortless attempt at calming my body down. "How can you say such a thing?" I dared to ask because I felt fed up with him. My voice was soft, but the words were loud enough for Jake to catch them.

Jake pushed past Justin and grabbed me by the arm, yanking me forward so our faces were inches apart. "Because it is fucking, true," he spat. His despise towards me made me flinch, and I turned my face away from him, fearful of everything he would do to me without even blinking an eye.

The moment didn't last too long because Justin ripped Jake away from me. I knew Jake. I knew him too well, so what happened next wasn't a surprise to me. Still, it made me feel like the worst person in the world because I got Justin involved and that was something that would carve a scar in my heart. Jake's fist collided with Justin's eye, causing him to stumble backward and fall to the ground.

Justin groaned in pain and let out a breath before looking up. "Jake, stop!" I screamed but to no avail. My scream flew up in the air and dissolved into nothingness.

Justin leaped up from the ground and tackled Jake down with a growl. He swung and hit Jake on the nose hard enough for it to bleed. "Fuck!" Jake screamed out. The scene was horrific, and I couldn't help the tears in my eyes. That Jake had brought this out of a sweet guy like Justin made me curse myself thousand times over. Justin didn't deserve the blows he received in his stomach, and I thanked the heavens when three men appeared and separated them.

Justin didn't fight the restraints, instead, he allowed himself to be led away, but his eyes didn't leave Jake, watching his every move. From the outside, Justin seemed calm, but it was only a facade because I saw his chest rise highly and fall deeply. I saw the crashing waves in those soft blue eyes and he directed it towards Jake as he tried to drown him.

It was another side to Justin that I didn't expect to see. He hid his roughness behind his cheerful smiles and happy comments. Still, the reason behind his anger now made me accept this side of him quickly. He wasn't one to tolerate injustice, and his drive was to protect me.