When Lines Blur

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The four continued to hang out, Zeek mostly staying out of the conversation even with them all knowing sign. However when Salem's phone started ringing they all fell silent, Salem looked at the caller ID and answered instantly. "Levi? No, I'm not alone... Gabe, Zeek, and Addy are with me. Wait what? Where. Levi did you-... I'll get Brax. We're on our way." Salem hung up quickly.

"What's that?" Adrian asked.

"Come on," Salem said, "We're getting Brax and my bat and pulverizing someone." Salem began walking off and they all followed.

"Why? What's going on?"

"Levi said 'A zydrate deal gone wrong with Jez, Kal and Seb.' So come on," Salem said.

Adrian looked at Salem, keeping up fine right now, "He meant that?" Salem nodded.

"Explain?" Gabe asked quietly.

"Code," Adrian said, "Someone is going after Levi and they are armed. Shawn's gunna kill me over my leg."

"He'll understand," Gabe said.

Adrian shook his head, "No I'll be walking without my crutches. He'll understand and be pissed."

"You can walk without them?"

"Hurts like a bitch and I won't walk tomorrow," Adrian said, "But yes." Adrian went into Braxton's house to get Braxton and left his crutches there. The two walked out together and Adrian was clearly swallowing his pain.

"Gabe's coming with?" Braxton asked.

"Sure hand him a knife," Salem said, "he knows what to do with one."

Braxton looked at Gabe, "You're explaining later." Braxton handed Zeek and Gabe each a knife and the group set out again. Salem knew where Levi was and the group got there quickly, Salem holding them back to process the group real quick and then they all walked up. Salem carefully pulled Levi and his friends out of the assailants arms.

"Salem?" One asked.

Salem glared at him, swinging his bat up to rest it on his shoulder, "Who the fuck do you think you are? You're still picking on kids? I thought that we taught you better than that last time."

"You know those brats?"

"Those brats are my little siblings," Salem said, "And you thought you should pick on them with your group of wannabe thugs? Grow up and get off our beat dude. Or do you need kids half your age to beat your ass again? You're even more outnumbered this time if you hadn't noticed."

The guy rolled his eyes, "You ain't gunna do shit. Besides, one of your friends can barely stand anymore." Salem's gaze darkened quickly and he sighed before taking the bat and swinging it at full force into the guy's knees. He fell quickly and grabbed his knee in pain.

Salem used his bat to tilt the guy's head back, "Now you get to match one of the guys who are about to beat your damn ass, lucky you. Or, you can apologize, and have your goons carry you off to a hospital where they might be able to fix your knee if you're lucky." Gabe was silent, he hadn't fully seen this side to Salem before. He had heard stories of course, and he knew that Salem could be aggressive. Yet this was different.

One of the goons tried to step forward to hurt Salem but Gabe reacted quickly to defend Salem. His reaction was to stab the guy in the stomach. Gabe pulled the knife off and watched the guy fall with an unchanging face and silent. "Ya kill him Gabe?" Salem asked. Gabe shrugged some. "Hit a vital?" Gabe shrugged again. "Looks like two of you have to be carried. Wanna call this off before my boyfriend aims for a vital?" The guy motioned to his friends and they carefully helped the guy and the one Gabe stabbed up. Salem kept his ablaze eyes on them the whole time as they shambled away.