A smile crossed my face as I thought about how much we’d grown in the last few months but quickly vanished when I heard Jiselle yelling.
My head snapped in her direction and I saw her feet planted in her heels while she tried to pull her arm free from a man gripping her by her elbow. She cocked back and punched him and he jerked her in and shook her.
I shoulder checked the people between us, and as soon as I was close enough, I stole on ol’ boy and knocked him on his ass. I didn’t care what he and Jiselle were arguing about. Words didn’t need to be exchanged. I’d seen all I needed.
I hit him again and again and again.
Thinking he could grab a woman, my fucking woman, was insanity.
I hit him again, straight face shots, one after another. His nose cracked beneath my hand and I felt the skin on my knuckle crack open. It burned slightly from punching him in his mouth so hard his teeth had cut me. Instead of stopping, I wrapped my fist in my other hand and hit him with my hands clasped together.
He wasn’t moving and blood coated his face.
That wasn’t enough.
I wanted him dead. There would never be another chance for him to grab Jiselle.
Part of my brain comprehended people yelling around me and one of the voices belonged to Jiselle. I hit him again and jerked when someone yanked me off him. I was immediately in a tight headlock and reached up to free myself.
“I’ve got you.” Stone spoke into my ear. “I’ve got you. Shh. Shhh.”
I exhaled and all of my senses slammed back into my body. My tunnel vision lapsed and suddenly I could hear all the noise clearly. Jiselle was hysterical.
Stone let me go and I made a move to comfort our girl but paused when two yelling cops pushed their way to the center of the circle.
Fuck.
I immediately tried to think of ways to spin this shit but didn’t get a chance.
Stone maneuvered around me, closed in on the man I’d beaten, and was almost instantly yanked off him by two cops. I froze for a beat before I realized he was getting arrested on my behalf.
Jiselle was yelling incoherent sentences in my ear and I followed him and the cops.
“Stone, what are you doing?” I caught up to him and my eyes darted between him and the cops.
“Just take care of Selle,” he said. “Get her to stop crying and get her home safely. I’ve been to jail before, Kiano. Don’t trip.”
“The fuck do you mean don’t trip?”
“Exactly what I said. Just call Morocco.” He stumbled slightly as he was pulled along. “Call Morocco!”
“Alright.”
Jiselle and I followed Stone to the cop car and Jiselle leaned over and threw up when the door shut.
“Can they get my keys? Please?” Stone questioned. “Can they please get my keys?”
The cop looked from him to us and nodded once. He reached back and grabbed Stone’s keys and tossed them to me.
“Thank you.” I pocketed them as I walked over to Jiselle who was dry heaving now.
“You’re okay.” I rubbed my hand up and down her back. “You’re okay.”
I looked up at the sound of knocking. Stone was tapping on the glass.
“Get her home.” He tapped on the glass again and I nodded.
“Come on, sweetheart. Let me get you home.” I helped Jiselle stand up straight.