Protective Love (The King #2)

1. Prologue

Prologue

Jaylen

One month ago

Pain bursts through my skull and a ringing sound assaults my ears, along with a coldness that seeps into my legs as my eyes dart around, trying to make sense of where I am and what just happened.

I lift my head, groaning in agony as I take note of the shattered glass surrounding me and the numbness in my arm that's pinned beneath me against the metal of the car roof.

Holy shit, are we upside down?

"Sophia!"

Jericho's bellowing voice breaks through the shrill sound in my head, and the hint of panic in his tone, paired with the fact he's calling my cousin's name has me shooting upright causing my head to swim with dizziness.

Voices filter through my mind and I squint my eyes, shaking my head in an attempt to clear my bleary vision.

I see Jericho trying to squeeze himself between the upside-down seats and I frown in confusion until I hear Sophia's voice .

"I'm fine, but I can't get out. Kaleb's not moving," she whines.

I breathe a sigh of relief when I hear that she's okay, and I lean back, resting my aching body against the side of the car door behind me, allowing my eyes to drift shut in the hopes that resting for a moment will help the pain in my body subside.

The distinct sound of a gunshot has my eyes pinging back open and I'm suddenly reminded of the fact that we crashed because Alessandro, Jericho and Kaleb's father, was chasing us down and blew out our tyres.

Holding my arm against the throbbing left side of my body, I lean forward and tap Jericho.

"Go," I tell him, watching as he shifts his body backwards and turns to look at me. "I'll get them out. You go and get that bastard."

He watches me for a moment and then hesitantly nods before sliding his body through the gaping hole where the window previously was.

I clench my teeth together as I move, ignoring the searing pain that's shooting through my abdomen and my chest, and I awkwardly squeeze my body between the two seats, pushing myself into the back of the car.

"Jay, are you okay?" Sophia asks, her eyes examining my face and body.

"I'm fine, just got bashed about a bit."

Black dots fill my vision and the icy cold feeling I had earlier starts to travel from my legs up to my chest.

I move towards Sophia, offering her the hand that isn't wrapped around my midsection, and I help her sit up, checking her over for any injuries before I peel my arm away from my body and slide my arms beneath hers, intent on pulling her backwards, but she shakes her head.

"Get him out first," she says, motioning towards Kaleb's limp body strewn across her legs.

"I can drag you out from underneath him, Soph."

"No. Get him out first, Jaylen. He's unconscious, and he's been shot. Get him out and make sure he's okay and then come back to get me out."

"Have I ever told you that I hate how stubborn you are?" I grumble, carefully moving my body over hers so that I can reach for Kaleb.

"Yeah, plenty of times."

I smirk at her remark, but my lips drop a second later, and my eyes screw shut as a stabbing sensation starts up inside my chest.

I take a few deep breaths, struggling to do so because of the tightness of my chest and then I peel my eyes back open, looking down at Kaleb's broad shoulders.

Determination flows through me as I think about getting them both to safety and I move my shaky limbs, lifting Kaleb's body off of Sophia's legs and turning him onto his back.

His shirt is soaked with blood, and I can see the panic in Sophia's eyes when she notices.

I slip my arms beneath his and shuffle our bodies backwards, groaning and grunting as I force myself to continue moving through the pain.

After what feels like forever, I'm pulling him out of the gaping hole in the side of the car and onto the grass beside the road.

I watch as his eyes shoot open and I stumble towards the car, offering Sophia my hand as she crawls out of the car. I lift her into my arms and shakily walk over to where Kaleb is lying, placing her beside him.

My hands fumble in my pockets as I frantically search for my phone and when I find it, I dial 999 as I stand beside Sophia while she cries, trying to keep Kaleb awake and alert.

My eyes drift away from her, and I scan the dark street, searching for Jericho or Alessandro, but I can't see either of them.

The operator picks up the phone, shooting questions at me that cause my head to buzz, and I squeeze my eyes shut as I tell her my name and our location, stating that we need an ambulance immediately before hanging up and hoping that her voice will stop crashing around inside my head.

My legs grow weak beneath me, and I frown as I stare down at them, searching for any blood, but I can't see anything.

I don't think I'm injured at all, despite the agony coursing through my body.

I can hear Sophia shouting, but I can't make out the words.

A chill sweeps over me, and I shiver as I try to focus my gaze on my cousin, but all I can see is a blurred outline of her figure, huddled over Kaleb's on the floor.

Maybe I have a concussion?

"Sophia."

I frown as I hear my own voice.

It's quiet and breathless, making me realise that my chest is tight and my breathing is laboured.

Panic spikes inside of me as I start to concentrate on the rest of my body. I feel the pounding in my head grow stronger, and the shooting pain in my chest starts up again, almost bringing me to my knees .

I stumble forward, trying to reach out for something, but there's nothing for me to grab on to.

"S-soph," I say, louder this time.

I try to move towards her, but my head spins, my vision turns dark and my legs tremble.

"I don't f-feel so good," I mutter, just as I feel my body fall forward.

I attempt to lift my arms up, wanting to break my fall when I inevitably hit the ground, but my body's frozen, and I'm unable to move.

All I can do is allow myself to drop towards the floor, internally pleading with myself to move, until finally, I hit the grass beneath me, and a blinding pain consumes me as I hear Sophia scream seconds before everything turns black.