Read Online Collide (Entangled Teen) (The Taking Book 3) by Melissa West - Free Book Online Page B

Jackson in a hug and patting his cheek. “Real good. How you feel?”
    He shrugs. “Alive. I can’t complain.”
    We sit down at the exact moment that the doors to the cafeteria open and Law steps inside. The memory of him shooting me flashes through my mind before I can stop it, and Jackson turns on me, his face full of fury. “He shot you?”
    “I…”
    “He shot you? He shot you!”
    “Jackson, calm down,” Vill says, but it’s no use.
    He stands, his hands pressed into the table, nearly snapping it. “Answer me, now. Did he shoot her?”
    Vill’s gaze drops, and then Jackson is in motion, reaching Law before we can stop him. He throws him into the nearby wall so hard it cracks, Law’s body sliding down to the floor, his eyes wide as Jackson lifts him back up by his shirt, pinning him in place. “I will kill you with my bare hands.”
    “Look, I understand how this seems,” Law says, his voice low as he peers around at the crowd watching them.
    “How it looks? You think I care how it looks? You shot Ari. Facts are facts. Your best friend. You shot her. What exactly do you think that makes you?”
    When Law doesn’t respond, Jackson’s face contorts with fresh rage, and he punches him in the face, pulling back to punch him again when Emmy, Vill, and I reach him.
    “Stop, child. This will not fix it,” Emmy says, holding his arm. She could force him back by will alone if she wanted, but she won’t control Jackson like that. Not unless he makes her.
    “Jackson, please…” I say, and he turns to look at me.
    “He shot you.”
    “Yes, but I’m fine now. Please stop this.”
    His eyes land on mine, and in them I see the real problem—he feels guilty, like he should have been there, should have stopped it.
    “I’m fine.”
    And then Law whispers, “I’m sorry.” The words are so low I’m not sure I heard them right, but the tone in his voice makes me ache for the friend I once loved.
    Jackson isn’t so forgiving. “Yes, you will be,” he says, inches from his face. “And should you decide to hurt her again, know this: I will end you in the most painful way imaginable. I will break you bone by bone. I will make you scream like a tiny little girl. You understand me, brother ? I will end you.”
    Dad appears beside me, his expression tense. “It’s time, Ari.”
    “That’s why I’m here,” Law says, rubbing his neck, a fresh bruise already appearing below his right eye. “The hovercraft is waiting.”
    I glance at Dad, my heart speeding up. “And so it begins.”

Chapter Eleven
    Jackson, Vill, Gretchen, and I gather in the hall outside our rooms, waiting on Mom and Dad to return from their meeting with Kelvin to let us know where to go next. The hovercraft is scheduled to depart for the West Coast in less than an hour, and as of right now we have no idea how long we will be gone or what exactly we will find when we arrive.
    Kelvin argued with my dad when he suggested Vill and Gretchen should go along, but soon Kelvin saw the value in them being part of the team. Vill is a technical genius, followed closely by Gretchen. While Jackson and I are the experts in combat training, Gretchen and Vill are the ones who can save us in a crunch. In short, I wasn’t willing to go without them. Kelvin assured us that he has the country under control, but something in his eyes told me that he wasn’t so sure, that the world above the Underground—the world we once knew—is anything but controlled.
    “Okay, we’re all set,” Dad says, strutting down the hall toward us, Mom and Cybil beside him.
    I smile wide at Cybil. “Hey, I wondered where you’d gone.”
    She winks. “Causing trouble as usual.” Something tells me she isn’t kidding.
    “We have clearance for weapons for each of you,” Dad says. “Just be sure to keep them stowed until we breach the surface. Only Operatives carry weapons down here, and we don’t want to startle an average citizen.”
    I stare at Dad, waiting to hear an