by Blair Grey
“Jeez, sounds like a bad situation,” Jack said. He snorted. “But I bet I know why she didn’t have the police deal with it.” He looked pointedly out toward the officers beyond our cell, and suddenly a lot of things made sense.
If I believed Jack, Mia had run-ins with the police before. Maybe some not-so-good interactions with them. I remembered what she had said about Darren having connections, and I wondered if she knew who his connections were because of her previous trial. Maybe she’d done more things than just kill her father. Maybe she was afraid that she’d end up back on trial herself.
Or at least that the police wouldn’t believe her when she told them about Darren. She might have been acquitted before, but that probably meant there was a pretty strong bias against her in here. Of course, she wouldn’t have wanted to have anything to do with the police.
Suddenly, I had to wonder about what she’d said before, about how I should have let her handle this herself. I felt a chill run down my spine. What if she had killed a man before? What if she had been preparing to kill Darren as well? She didn’t have the advantage of muscles and size like I did, but that didn’t mean that there weren’t ways. She could have been planning something the whole time that we were in Florida.
But I didn’t know why I was dwelling on all of this. I didn’t even know if Jack was telling the truth, if he had the right person. He might claim that he had never had a drink in his life, but he definitely reeked of the stuff. I didn’t know if I could believe him.
Yet again, here I was, trying to figure out if I could trust Mia or if she was lying to me. That was the part of all of this that I hated the most. She kept insisting that I wasn’t her boyfriend, even as I was arrested for trying to defend her. And I realized that when I really looked back at things, she had never treated me like one. She didn’t give me a single reason ever to trust her. She didn’t let me in.
Except when she was talking about her sister. But who knew what the truth of that was? We’d touched on it briefly, not long enough for me to really learn the details. Hell, at this point I might almost believe that she had killed Maggie as well. I could believe anything. Because she hadn’t given me any reason to doubt Jack’s words.
I hated that feeling. And I knew that even if I got out of here, things would never be the same between Mia and me again. I closed my eyes, tilting my head back against the wall. An aching feeling of loss opened up inside of me. But you couldn’t lose something that you had never had.
“Hey, kid,” Jack suddenly said, elbowing me. “They’re here for you. Because they’re definitely not here for me. They’re going to leave me to rot in here, without representation, for the rest of my life.”
I opened my eyes and saw that the guards were actually opening the door and gesturing toward me. I glanced over at Jack. “Good luck, man,” I said to him.
“Yeah, you too,” Jack said. He peered over at me and then cackled. “You’re going to need it,” he called as I walked out of the cell.
When I got to the front of the station, Ray was waiting there, his arms folded over his chest. He grabbed my arm in a vice grip as soon as I had my things, steering me outside. “I just had to post bail for you,” he said, his tone icy. “After I specifically told you to let me handle things with Darren.”
“Ray, I—” But Ray didn’t give me a chance to finish.
“Meet me tomorrow at the clubhouse,” he interrupted. Then, he turned and stalked off on his own, leaving me standing there on the sidewalk.
For the first time in my life, I felt like a child whose father was about to discipline me. I didn’t feel like what I had done was wrong. I definitely didn’t regret going after Darren like that. But I did feel guilty. I felt like I had disappointed Ray. It was the first time that I hadn’t listened to him, and I was starting to wonder if maybe I had made the wrong choice. Maybe I should have explained things better before I went after Darren. Gotten Ray on my side before I just totally ignored him.
I knew I had done what I had to do to keep Mia safe, but it didn’t feel good. I kept my eyes on the ground the whole way home.
34
Mia
I slept terribly on Tuesday night, and Wednesday morning found me curled up on the couch hugging a pillow to my chest and staring off into space. The TV was on, but I didn’t even know what was playing anymore. For all I knew, it might have been an infomercial rather than an actual show. I just couldn’t focus on anything. I kept thinking back to the night before, my thoughts switching back and forth between Darren and Braxton.
I knew that in all likelihood, Darren was still in the hospital after the pummeling that Braxton had given him. But I couldn’t help feeling a little afraid that he would show up here, somehow. Angry, just like he had been the night before. Out of his mind.
I remembered what Braxton had said, something about how I should have seen Darren’s apartment. I didn’t know exactly what he meant about that, but I could sort of guess. I had seen enough dramas on TV to know what stalkers did when there was someone they were obsessing about. It gave me the creeps, just thinking about it.
I didn’t know what was going to happen to Braxton now. I had called Ray immediately and told him that he needed to get in touch with the police station and figure out what was going on. Ray had called me back later to tell me that he had bailed Braxton out. And I was glad that he had done that at least. But if Braxton’s case went to trial, I had a feeling, deep in my gut, that he was going to get locked up.
I had never wanted him to get involved in this. But in order to really keep him from getting involved, I never should have acted on my feelings for Braxton. I never should have slept with him. It was my fault that he was going on trial now for beating up my crazy ex-boyfriend. I had caused all of this, out of my own selfishness.
I felt so incredibly guilty, so sick with worry. I just didn’t know what to do. Part of my mind insisted that the only thing I really could do was to stay as far away from Braxton as possible. But I was afraid that the damage had already been done.
Oh, I was still hurt as well. If he had only listened to me. But I should never have put him in that situation to begin with. I knew that. These were the consequences of my actions more than his, but he was taking the blame for it all.
The doorbell rang, and I froze. It couldn’t be Darren, could it? Even if they’d discharged him from the hospital, he couldn’t possibly have been stupid enough as to show up here on my doorstep, right? Should I call the police, just to be on the safe side?
I crept toward the front door, even going so far as to put a hand over my mouth to muffle my breathing, even though I knew that there was no way that he could possibly hear that through the walls. Much more likely that he would hear the thumping beat of my heart, trying to push its way right out of my chest.
I peered through the peephole and immediately felt all the panic go out of me. Candice, of course. Coming to check up on me after last night.
I leaned against the door for a moment wondering if I should answer it or not. I wasn’t sure I had the energy to put on a brave face with Candice. But on the other hand, I knew that Candice wasn’t going to judge me, and I also knew that I needed to get out of this house. I wouldn’t be brave enough to leave on my own, not if I couldn’t even answer the front door without panicking. So Candice being there was just what I needed.
I took a deep breath and opened the door.
“Hey, girl,” Candice said, slowly moving in for a hug, giving me plenty of time to pull away.
I clung to her tighter than I probably should have, but she didn’t complain.
“How are you holding up?” she asked as we broke apart, and I could only shrug. “I figured,” she said sympathetically. “So I figured I’d come by and take you to lunch. How does that sound?”
“Perfect,” I said gratefully. “Let me just go put some shoes on.”
“Maybe fix your hair a little too,” Candice suggested, grinning at me, and I lifted my hand to realize that I h
ad a giant rat’s nest going on from sleeping on it.
I grimaced, laughing self-consciously. “Yeah, okay. Come in. Give me ten minutes?”
“Sure thing,” Candice said easily, stepping inside and then shutting the door behind her.
We went to one of our favorite cafés for lunch and sat at an outside table to enjoy the sunshine. “So just to let you know, I did some calling around and found the hospital that they brought Darren to,” Candice said as we sipped at our drinks, waiting for our sandwiches to arrive. “They said he’s going to be in there under observation for at least a couple days.” She grimaced. “Braxton got him pretty good.”
I sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of,” I said.
Candice frowned at me. “Aren’t you glad to know that he’s not going to bother you for at least a couple days? He can’t get to you while he’s in there.”
“I know, but that’s going to make it really easy for them to come up with a case against Braxton,” I pointed out. “I mean, I tried to keep him out of it, so as far as I’m concerned, he can rot in jail for the rest of his life.” I didn’t really mean that, and I knew Candice could tell. “But I really was kind of hoping that this would all be over quickly.”
“You know Braxton was only there to try to protect you,” Candice said quietly, after a moment of thought. “That’s why he went with you to Florida, too. He just wanted to make sure that Darren couldn’t hurt you.”
“I don’t care,” I snapped. “I told him to leave it alone.”
“Is he still in jail?” Candice asked.
I shook my head. “Ray posted bail for him last night.” I paused. “I called him while you were still giving your statement to the police.”
“Good,” Candice said. “I called him as well but only got his voicemail, so I was wondering what had ended up happening there. He must have been on his way over to the police station already by the time I called.” She paused. “So are you going to go see Braxton? I’m sure he’s pretty torn up about this whole thing too.”
“Then he should have just stayed out of it. If he had minded his own business, none of this would ever have happened.”
I wasn’t being fair to him, and I knew it. I was as much at fault here as he was. More so even. But I didn’t want to go see him. And I wanted Candice to drop the subject. I couldn’t handle talking about this anymore. Not right now.
“So I’m figuring you probably don’t want to come to work tonight?” Candice asked. “I’m sure I can find someone to take over for you. I just wanted to check first.”
“No, I’ll be there,” I told her. I shook my head. “I can’t just sit around the house for the whole day; I’ll go crazy. And anyway, you just said that I’m not going to have to worry about Darren for at least a couple days while he’s in the hospital. I should be fine.”
“Okay,” Candice said slowly. “If you’re sure.”
“Look, I know I didn’t bring in so many tips last night, but I’ll try to do better tonight,” I promised.
“That’s not what I’m worried about, and you know it,” Candice said, sounding offended that I would even try to turn this around on her.
I ducked my head sheepishly. “You’re right. I’m sorry. But I would like to work tonight. Please.”
The desperation was clear in my voice, and I hated it. But I needed this; I needed the routine. I needed to pretend like they hadn’t won, like I wasn’t upset and scared and worried. That everything was still fine. I couldn’t keep feeling so helpless and powerless and alone. I needed to work.
“Okay,” Candice said again. She paused. “But hey, we’re getting to the end of the month. If you need a little quiet time, we need to do inventory anyway. So just keep that in mind. It’s a Wednesday, so we’re not going to be too busy. You want to spend the night in the back room instead of behind the bar, be my guest.”
“Thanks,” I said honestly, even though I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. I wanted to just keep it together. I was no stranger to trying to prove that I was stronger than the situations that life threw at me after all.
My first test came not long after I got to work at the bar. “What are you doing here?” I asked Grant, staring suspiciously at him.
He held up both hands in a placating manner. “I just wanted to check on you,” he said.
“Did Braxton ask you to come?” I asked, looking around to see if Braxton might be there as well, somewhere just behind him. Surely, he wouldn’t be stupid enough as to come back here tonight, right?
I wondered if maybe I hadn’t made the right decision. If I shouldn’t have done what Candice suggested and gone to see Braxton that afternoon, just to make sure that things were settled with that. But it was too late for that now, and anyway, I didn’t see Braxton here.
And Grant was shaking his head. “Nah, Braxton didn’t tell me to come,” he said. “Like I said, I just wanted to check on you. I know you’re pretty tough, but I know that if you cared about Braxton half as much as he clearly cares about you, last night definitely put you through the wringer.”
I rolled my eyes. “Like he really cares about me,” I scoffed. “If he cared about me at all, he wouldn’t have gotten involved. I told him not to.”
Grant snorted. “Put it this way,” he said. “I’ve seen Braxton beat guys up before. But it’s never been like this. He knows where to stop, normally. He has his limits. It’s what makes him a good enforcer. He goes just beyond where people are comfortable, just enough to give them a little reminder that things could get worse. But all of that went out the window last night. I’ve never seen him put someone in a hospital before.”
“I seriously doubt this is the first time he’s put someone in a hospital,” I protested. “He’s been with Red Eyes for a long time now.”
Grant shrugged. “Look, believe what you want to believe. But I’ve never seen Braxton lose his cool like that before. He really wanted to make sure that you were safe, and that Darren wasn’t going to bother you ever again. I think you need to cut him some slack.”
I stared at him for a long moment. But I knew that Braxton had feelings for me. And I had to appreciate that he wanted to keep me safe. That this must have been just as hard on him as it had been on me. And if the damage had already been done, what was the point in keeping him out of my life now? I doubted he was going to go after Darren again, even once Darren was out of the hospital.
Braxton might think with his fists most of the time, but he was pretty smart underneath it all. He had to know what kinds of legal battles he was facing now, and he wouldn’t do anything to mess up his case of self-defense. I had to believe that.
Maybe I should talk to him. Get through all of this muck between us. We both had feelings for the other, and we had never been able to keep away from each other. Rather than risk it exploding into something in the future, we should probably handle this like adults. I could tell him my side of the story, and he could tell me his rather than having to hear through Candice and Grant that we both obviously had feelings for each other and that we needed to talk it out.
I nodded at Grant. “Thanks for coming in,” I told him. And then, I fled to the back room to do inventory.
35
Braxton
For the first time in my life, I dreaded walking into the clubhouse. And I hated that. It should never have come to this. I’d spent the whole night thinking about what I had done, and even though I was sure that Darren had gotten what was coming to him, I was starting to realize that I hadn’t gone about things in the right way. I should have listened to Ray.
I walked into the clubhouse, trying not to feel like I was walking to my execution. Part of what I’d spent the whole night thinking through was what Ray’s punishment might be. I could tell that he was angry. That much had been obvious from his icy tone when he’d bailed me out. Like he wanted nothing more to do with me.
And I couldn’t blame him. I hadn’t just put myself in danger. I had given the sheriff a reason to take down the who
le Red Eyes organization. He could go around town now telling everyone about how dangerous we were. I had become a liability.
There was no reason for Ray to keep me as part of Red Eyes.
The thought made my blood run cold. I had lost Landon already. Now, it was like I was losing the rest of my family. My whole life. What the hell would I even do with myself? It wasn’t like I had any special skills. I would need to find a job to support myself, though, and find some way to fill my time.
I was going to be totally alone. Without my brother, without my club, and without Mia. Because she never wanted to talk to me again either.
I swallowed hard. The thought of all of that just about choked me.
I knocked on Ray’s office door and slipped inside. Ray immediately got up to shut the door behind me, something that he pretty much never did, and I felt a lump settle in the pit of my stomach. This was it then. He really was going to get rid of me.
There were no drinks this time, no friendly greetings. Ray just sat across the desk from me, giving me a look of disappointment. “I told you not to pursue Darren,” he said.
“I know,” I said quietly. “But what the hell was I supposed to do?” I shook my head. “I get that I’m probably going to jail, but there’s nothing linking this back to the rest of you guys.”
“Except that given that you’re in Red Eyes and Grant was right there with you, the police are going to assume that Red Eyes was involved, and they’re going to be all over this.”
“I know,” I said quietly, staring down at my hands. I blew out a breath and shook my head. “I realized that. And I’m sorry, but what the hell did you want me to do? I couldn’t just ignore it.”
“Damn it, Braxton,” Ray said, slamming his hand down on his desk. It was one of the few times that I had ever seen Ray this angry, and it made me feel even worse. Even more sick to my stomach.