Free On the Edge by Mari Brown Page B

us.

“Kat, you need to get out of here,” Drew says.
    ‘Fuck that. I’m not leaving,” I yell at my brother.
    “Katarina, get your ass moving,” Cole barks out at me.
    I stand up in a huff, ready to say something else, but Drew picks me up and carries me outside to Justin. Not that I go smoothly. I kick and fight my brother the whole way out of the building.
    “Whatever, Kat, you don’t need to be around what’s going down,” my brother says.
    “Fuck face,” I holler.
    Drew makes his way back inside and, when I hear Justin trying to calm Seth, I take my chance and dart back into the dining room. I stealthily make my way to the counter where the workers are all huddled in the back. The guys are so into what they are doing, they don’t realize I have come back in. I hope it stays that way.
    “Man, I told you to stay away from her last night. Our families have enough drama without you pissing me off over my girl,” Cole says to Sal.
    “I really don’t give a fuck. I want a taste of your girl and I won’t stop until I get one,” Sal retorts. That causes my stomach to churn and I feel dirty all of a sudden. As if I would ever let that fucker touch me.
    He barely finishes his statement before Cole’s fist flies into his face. From there, it is on. Pete holds Sal’s guy in place and Drew and Rocco stand and watch. I appreciate the guys letting it be one on one between Cole and Sal. In fact, the guys earn my respect with that move.
    Cole throws an uppercut into Sal’s jaw and I fight the urge to cheer him on. He doesn’t let up on Sal, but steadily throws blow after blow anywhere he can land one. Sal gets in a few of his own, but for the most part, Cole dodges those punches. I catch myself cringing every time Sal lands one.
    They fight for what seems to be an eternity before Cole finally has Sal down on the ground beating him. It is clear that he’s lost control, and if I don’t stop him, he will either inflict serious damage or kill Sal. I really don’t want to visit Cole in jail. Since no one else is willing to stop the fight, I decide it’s up to me, so I hop off the counter and walk over to the guys.
    “Enough, Cole,” I state. Several heads whip in my direction.
    “What the fuck, Kat?” Cole asks, puzzled that I’m standing there.
    “I said, enough. You’re going to kill him, and I don’t want my boyfriend in jail,” I say calmly.
    “Drew, you and Pete take care of this mess,” Cole says to my brother while motioning towards Sal laying on the dirty floor.
    Cole roughly grabs me and begins dragging me away.
    “Cole, let’s go in the bathroom. I need to clean you up. Seth doesn’t need to see you right now,” I say softly.
    He says nothing, but changes direction, so I guess he sees my point. We enter the small men’s room and it shocks me that it’s not near as dirty as one would think. I pull Cole towards the sink, jerk paper towels from the dispenser, and wet them under the water. I carefully wipe the blood off his face. He doesn’t say a word, just stands silent, watching the expressions play across my face, while I clean him as gently as possible.
    “Kat, you’re fucking crazy!” He brushes the hair out of my eyes and firmly cups my face. “Why won’t you listen to me?”
    “Fuck you, Cole. I wasn’t going to sit outside in the car with your brothers, knowing you might get hurt.”
    “I don’t want you hurt.”
    “I stayed out of the way. In fact, none of you even realized I was back in the building until I let you know,” I say, rather proud of myself.
    “Stupid is what it was, Kat. What if someone pulled a weapon? You could have been caught in the crossfire.”
    “Well, that didn’t happen, so it’s all good.”
    “No the fuck it isn’t all good. You got to learn to listen to me when it comes to your safety.”
    “Cole, don’t say anything else.”
    “Do you know what Sal wants to do to you?” he asks angrily, slamming his hand down on the bathroom