Free Salvation and Secrets by L A Cotton

over, I waited for him to throw his arm forward, twisted to the side, and drove my fist right into his nose. The crack of bone on bone reverberated across the playing field and the guy dropped to his knees, screaming out like a girl.
    Braiden looked over and cocked his brow at me, his eyes alive and wild. He lived for this shit. Turning back to the guy, he reached out and grabbed his collar. Yanking him forward, he brought his head forward at the same time. A sickening thud rang out and the guy crumpled to the floor.
    Braiden shook himself off, smearing the blood down his face. "You almost missed out on all the fun."
    It wasn't my idea of fun. I just did what was necessary. Braiden stepped over the guy and came to join me as I watched Roman finish off the bald guy. Unsure of how much I had missed, I realized if Braiden's split lip and bruised eye and the gash in Roman's head were anything to go by then I had arrived just in time for the last round.
    "Pierce, you decided to show up." Roman's voice sounded accusatory.
    I bristled, snapping back, "Looks like I bailed you out."
    Roman squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest. "The fuck you did. We coulda took them all, right Braid?"
    Roman was a loose cannon, and he idolized his older cousin. It was a deadly combination.
    Braiden ignored Roman and turned to me. "Shit got hairy there for a second. We were here scoping out something for Dad when we catch these three just about to break into the science labs. That right, fellas?" Braiden motioned his head behind us where two of the guys lay still unconscious.
    "They're from Reibeckitt?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
    "Yeah. Seems Calder was full of shit when he said we were even. He's up to something, sending them here." Braiden nodded over his shoulder.
    "What the fuck are we going to do with them? I'm not sure I can hide four guys," Roman said, a little too seriously.
    "Leave them. Security will be around soon, and they can deal with them," Braiden said coolly. I was surprised that he wasn't storming in all guns ablaze but even worse than impulsive Braiden was brooding Braiden. Timeout gave him time to plan, and any plan Braiden devised would be hell bent on revenge. And he’d drag me right down with him.
                                ~
    The shit with Braiden and Reibeckitt played on my mind all weekend. Add running into Ana into the mix, and my mind was fucked. Even hitting the weights hard did little to lift the tension in my neck and shoulders. I felt weighed down— the burden of trying to hold things together was taking its toll. And on top of everything, Briony had spent most of Sunday at Uncle Marcus’ house giving me the cold shoulder. That was fine by me; at least I didn’t have to worry about her latest scheme to sink her claws into me. But Braiden lost his cool with us more than once, and if she kept it up, she could become a problem. One I didn’t want to deal with.
    I arrived at Peterson’s class early, but I didn’t go into the room. Instead, I lingered in the hallway waiting for Ana. A staircase to the second floor that housed some lockers underneath was the perfect vantage point for remaining hidden without losing view of the main entrance. My heart sped up at the thought of seeing her. I still wasn’t used to the feelings she invoked in me, even after a whole year.
    The first time I’d laid eyes on her, my world slowed down, zeroing in on her. Her I-didn’t-give-a-fuck attitude, the dark clothes, and long hair hiding her face. That first day, Ana was definitely throwing out the stay-away-from-me vibes, but then she looked my way and her eyes collided with mine. They didn’t, not really; she was looking past me. But I was looking right into her soul, and it hurt. She was hurting. I knew because I’d been that person. But it was deeper than that. I couldn’t put my finger on it then, but the more I got to know her, the more it shined through. She was broken.
    And