Our So-Called Breakup Chapter 04

Our So-Called Breakup Chapter 04

By the time we got back to the detention center, Emmett had already been released.

The cops had shut down the bar pending an investigation into werebeast trafficking after a string of recent disappearances.

Vincent happened to be in the area assisting the police with the case, which was why everyone at the bar that night had been hauled in for questioning.

The syndicate confessed that their main tactic was spiking drinks to knock out their victims.

They had actually targeted Emmett early in the night.

Luckily, Emmett didn’t drink.

He’d hit the bar’s minimum spend entirely on chicken drumsticks, even packing up the leftovers to take home.

When Emmett found out, he went completely pale.

He was endlessly grateful that Vincent had shown up in time to save his life.

Stepping out of Vincent’s car, my legs still felt weak.

Vincent stayed close by my side, letting me lean on him.

>He was being unusually attentive today.

After we’d finished up earlier, he had even helped me straighten my clothes.

Two of my shirt buttons were undone.

When I reached to fasten them myself, he gently caught my hands to stop me.

He adjusted my collar himself, then pulled a brand-new necklace from his pocket and fastened it around my neck.

“It looks better this way,” he murmured.

The pendant held a massive gemstone.

It was so incredibly eye-catching that it almost felt like he wanted to make sure everyone noticed it.

My long hair spilled over my shoulders, only partially hiding the red mark on my neck.

Anyone staring at the gem would easily spot the hickey.

Vincent gave a faint smile, looking thoroughly satisfied with himself.

Right now, though, Emmett was too focused on Vincent to notice the jewelry at all.

He was crying, his nose running.

“Mr. Rowley… thank you so much.”

-Vincent shook his head.

“I was just doing my job. You should be thanking Ms. Molins.”

He turned to look at me, his words heavy with hidden meaning.

Relieved to finally see a familiar face, Emmett completely broke down.

He pulled me into a tight hug, sobbing loudly, his voice entirely hoarse.

His breath smelled strongly of egg yolks, and I had to keep leaning back just to avoid it.

Watching this, Vincent frowned slightly, his hand balling into a fist at

his side.

He stayed quiet for a long moment, ultimately saying nothing.

Instead, he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “You’ve been through a lot tonight. Go home and get some rest,” he told me.

My ears grew hot. I mumbled an agreement, nodding my head.

Emmett stood up straight and made an earnest promise. “Don’t worry, Mr. Rowley. I’ll take good care of her when we get back.”

Vincent gave me a faint smile, but there was something off about it— something that got under my skin.

“I’ll leave her in your hands, then,” he said.

He turned to go, and the second his back was toward us, his face

-hardened into a cold, sharp glare.

Kenneth showed up not long after Vincent disappeared.

He’d clearly jogged the whole way to the detention center; he let out a heavy, visible sigh of relief the moment he realized Vincent was gone.

“I thought you said you weren’t coming?” I asked.

Kenneth had been a shell of himself ever since Vincent left my place earlier that evening-quiet, sluggish, and completely checked out.

When the call came in from the detention center, I’d asked if he wanted to come along, but he’d just shaken his head and flat-out refused.

Now, he looked at me with a guilty expression, a bead of sweat tracing down his forehead.

“I… I just got worried about Emmy.”

He scanned the room, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

“Liv, did you see Colonel Rowley here?”

I nodded.

“I did.”

I watched Kenneth’s breath hitch. His anxiety was spiking fast.

“Did… did you guys talk?”

“We did,” I said.

>Kenneth started to physically tremble.

“What did he say to you?”

I felt a hot flash of embarrassment as I remembered the suggestive things Vincent had said back in the car

Emmett stepped in front of me immediately, puffing out his chest. “He talked about how dangerous it was to rescue us from those thugs, obviously.”

I gave a vague, non-committal nod..

“Yeah. Exactly.”

Seeing how calm I was, Kenneth finally relaxed-just a fraction.

He tried to play it cool, asking with forced nonchalance, “So, now that this is all wrapped up, is the Colonel heading back to the base tomorrow?”

Emmett waved it off dismissively.

“There are a lot of moving parts to this thing. I heard he’s still got loose ends to tie up, so he’ll probably be sticking around town for a while.”

The relief vanished from Kenneth’s face as quickly as it had come. His nerves were back in full force.

He looked back and forth between me and Emmett, hesitating for a long beat, before he suddenly seemed to make up his mind.

>Right there in the middle of the street, he started throwing a flurry of

military-style punches.

Passersby stopped to stare, giving him the “crazy person” look, but Emmett watched him with pure admiration.

“Emmy, it’s too dangerous for you to be out here alone. You should stay at my place.”

Kenneth patted his chest, trying to project some kind of strength despite his scrawny frame.

“I’ll protect you. I went to a military academy, you know.”

Emmett grabbed Kenneth’s hands, clinging to him like a lifeline.

He looked so moved that he was actually tearing up.

It was a bizarre bonding moment-two people finding comfort in their shared absurdity.

“My safety is entirely in your hands,” Emmett choked out.

I stared up at the sky in disbelief and let out a long, slow sigh.

Kenneth was weak as a kitten and couldn’t fight his way out of a paper

bag.