Chapter 6 Chapter Six; Getting out

Reid's POV

The rain was coming down so hard it felt like needles stabbing into my skin, but I couldn't feel a damn thing except the freezing metal pressed against the back of my skull.

My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped animal. I froze, my hands hovering in the air just inches away from Chloe, who was slumped against the brick wall. She looked completely out of it, her eyes glassy with tears, but the sudden click of the gun seemed to pierce right through her drunken haze.

"Reid..." she whimpered, her voice cracking as a fresh wave of tears mixed with the rain on her face. "Please... don't. Don't do anything stupid. Just let them take whatever they want."

The guy holding the gun laughed—a nasty sound that made my fucking blood boil. "Yeah, Boy Scout. Listen to the princess. She knows how this works. You think you can roll up and play the hero? You ruined our fucking night."

I recognized the voice. It was the first asshole I had thrown onto the concrete. He must have crawled back to his car, grabbed a piece, and snuck up on me while I was focused on Chloe.

"Shut the fuck up, Chloe," I muttered under my breath, keeping my eyes locked on her. My mind was racing at a million miles an hour. Every single instinct in my body was screaming at me to move. I was a hockey player, a defenseman. I didn't back down from a fight, and I sure as fuck wasn't going to let some piece-of-shit street thug threaten my life or hers.

"Man, you picked the wrong night to fuck with me," the guy whispered right next to my ear, his breath smelling like cheap whiskey and cigarettes.

He shifted his weight, just a bit, preparing to shove me and that tiny movement was all the opening I needed.

I didn't think about the scouts or Coach’s text message. I just reacted on pure survival instinct.

I spun around with fast speed, ducking my head to the right just as the guy realized what was happening. His eyes went wide with sudden panic.

BANG.

The sound of the gun firing was deafening in the narrow alleyway. The muzzle flash blinded me for a split second, and the bullet whizzed past my ear, striking the brick wall behind us with a sharp ping and showering us in debris.

Chloe shrieked, covering her ears and curling into a ball on the wet ground.

But the bullet hadn't hit anyone. And now, the gun was out of position.

"You motherfucker!" I roared.

Before he could pull the trigger again, I grabbed his wrist with both hands, twisting it with every ounce of strength I had. I heard a satisfying pop as his joint gave way, and he screamed in pain.

The heavy metal pistol dropped from his grip, clattering loudly against the wet pavement.

I kicked the gun away, sending it skidding down the dark alley into a puddle, and then I unleashed absolute hell.

All the rage, guilt, and frustration from the last twenty-four hours exploded out of me. I slammed my fist right into the center of his face. The breaking of his nose bone echoed under the streetlamp. He stumbled back, choking on his own blood, but I wasn't fucking done.

I grabbed the front of his jacket, slamming him hard against the brick wall, and drove my knee straight into his ribs. He gasped, all the air leaving his lungs as he collapsed onto his knees.

"You like touching girls who can't stand up?!" I screamed, raining down punch after punch until my knuckles were bruised. "You like pulling guns on people?!"

He was facedown in the dirt, groaning and barely conscious, but I was completely blind with pure adrenaline and wrath. I raised my boot, ready to stomp his face into the pavement, when a sudden flash of blue and red lights illuminated the entire alleyway.

"Police! Don't fucking move! Put your hands in the air right now!"

The loud, commanding voice cut through the sound of the pouring rain. Two squad cars had swerved into the alley, their tyres screeching against the wet road. Their flashlights blinded me instantly as three officers jumped out with their weapons drawn, pointing them directly at my chest.

"I said get on the ground! Now!"

"Look at him! He's the one who attacked us!" a whiny voice shouted. I glanced over and saw the second asshole, the one I had punched earlier, sitting in the passenger seat of their getaway car, pointing a shaking finger at me.

"Get down on your knees!" an officer yelled, stepping into the rain.

I held my hands up, my breathing ragged, my chest heaving. "He had a gun," I panted, trying to explain. "And he fired at me. Check the puddle!"

But the cops didn't care about explanations. To them, they had just rolled up on a brutal, bloody alley fight.

An officer grabbed my arm, slamming my face-first against the hood of the police car. The metal was freezing against my cheek. I winced as he pulled my arms behind my back and snapped a pair of tight, cold handcuffs around my wrists.

"Reid...?" Chloe’s voice was faint.

I looked over my shoulder and saw an officer helping her to her feet. She could barely stand, her boots slipping on the wet concrete, her face pale as a ghost.

"Is she with you?" the cop holding me asked.

"Yeah," I spat, tasting copper in my mouth. "She’s with me. She was attacked by these fucking animals. Just get her out of the rain."

"We're taking all of you in," the cop muttered, shoving me into the cramped, dark backseat of the cruiser.

The door slammed shut with a heavy, final thud. I leaned my head back against the cage, staring out the window at the flashing blue lights reflecting in the puddles.

My knuckles were bleeding, my clothes were soaked through, and I was sitting in the back of a police car in handcuffs.

My golden rules were completely shattered and my senior year was officially in the fucking gutter.