“Fuck you, man! You can’t just leave your own fight,” Jay yelled in response.
I pinned Jaxon’s arms down with my legs as I wrapped my hand around his throat, but I didn’t squeeze hard enough to cut off his air.
I needed him to be conscious for what I was about to say.
“You will never contact Mackenna again,” I growled low, not even recognizing my own voice. “Do you understand me?”
His eyes widened as he struggled to breath. “What the fuck,” he wheezed. “I haven’t seen that bitch in years.”
“I know about the letter you put in her mailbox.” My hand squeezed tighter. “And the damage you did to her car.”
He tried to shake his head but couldn’t. “I just wanted to scare her. I don’t need that slut anyway,” he rasped. “I’ve already got a new piece of ass.”
Before I even knew what I was doing, I reared back and brought one more blow to his face, effectively knocking him out.
A high-pitched sound repeatedly caused pain to radiate through my skull, and it took a second to realize it was more than just the sirens from the nearing police cars.
A screaming girl stood off to the side, wringing her hands. Tears flowed down her face, leaving dark tracks from her mascara. As I backed away from Jaxon’s unconscious body, she rushed forward and fell to her knees beside him.
She glared up at me.
“What did you do?” she sobbed. “Why wouldn’t you stop?”
With the long dark hair and light eyes, she had a striking resemblance to Mackenna. Only this girl was young—too young—probably not even seventeen. No amount of makeup could disguise her innocence, lack of developed curves, or the child-like roundness of her face.
“You’re a pretty girl. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you,” I told her, hoping she would listen. “Don’t waste it on this loser. Do you even know why he was in jail?”
The sirens were getting closer and Jay was damn near frantic, but I couldn’t walk away without warning her. If I could prevent this girl from ending up in the same situation as Mackenna, it was worth a shot.
“You don’t know me,” she snapped.
“No, I don’t. But I know what guys like him do to girls like you. Get out before you end up stuck in a bad situation.”
Her hard stare wavered as she looked down at the ground, and I got the feeling she’d already been a victim of his abuse in one way or another.
“I’m having his baby,” she said quietly.
Fuck.
Jaxon had been out of prison for less than three months and the first thing he did was find some young, vulnerable girl to prey on. Then he knocked her up, tying her to him for the rest of their lives.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I closed my eyes and gave her the only advice I had. “If you have supportive family members or a friend… Let them help you. You’re going to need it.”
Jay’s red Corolla pulled up next to us and he rolled down the window. “Get in the fucking car!”
I hopped into the passenger seat and he hit the gas, tearing down the gravel driveway. In the rearview mirror, I watched one of the cop cars turn on to the deserted farm. My shoulders relaxed when I thought we might actually get away, but the second car kept going straight.
And he was gaining on us quickly.
“Pull over,” I told Jay, already trying to figure out how I was going to explain this to my parents.
Shaking his head, he pushed the pedal down. “No.”
“You can’t outrun a cop,” I reasoned. “Pull over and we’ll just have to hope he’s cool.”
Jay started to hyperventilate. “I can’t get pulled over.”
“It was a fight, not a prostitution ring. Plus, you weren’t involved.” I pointed to my bloody face. “I’ll take the blame for this.”
“No. I’m high as a kite right now.” He raked a hand through his reddish-brown hair. “I’ve got shit in my car. If they find it, I’m gonna be in so much trouble.”
Shocked, I looked over at him. “What shit?” When he didn’t answer, I asked again. “What shit, Jay?”
“No, no, no,” he muttered before he hit the brakes and veered off into a ditch.
We came to a bumpy stop. Flinging the car door open, he took off, disappearing into a cornfield.
Sonofabitch.
The police car pulled up behind me, and I winced when the bright headlights reflected through the mirror.
Now that the adrenaline from the fight had worn off, I had one hell of a headache and I was becoming very aware of the bruises on my body.
As the officer approached, I stayed put in the vehicle, knowing that running wasn’t going to do me any favors. Despite my previous encounters with the law, I had respect for cops. I just had to hope he would be understanding and cut me a break.
There was no way he wouldn’t do a search after the way Jay took off.
Whatever he had stashed in the car was going to be a big deciding factor in the outcome. Alcohol? Not too bad, even though he was underage. Pot? Also not terrible, depending on how much he had. Coke, meth, or heroine? He was fucked. And I might be fucked, too.
I’d suspected Jay was into certain activities, and now I felt like an idiot for not being more cautious. Jay always seemed fidgety, nervous, and either hyped up or totally mellow.
I’d been so focused on getting the opportunity to beat Jaxon’s ass that I overlooked all the signs.
And now I was going to pay the price.
I woke up to the sound of ringing, and when I rolled over I almost fell off the edge of the bed.
No, not the bed.
I was on the couch. Why was I on the couch?
Then I remembered waiting up for Jimmy and realized I must have fallen asleep at some point. The phone was still ringing, vibrating on the surface of the coffee table. Picking it up, I squinted at the flashing screen.
“Jimmy?” I answered groggily.
“Mack,” he breathed out, sounding relieved to hear my voice.
“What’s going on? It’s—” I pulled the phone away and looked at the time. “—after 3 o’clock in the morning.”
“I know. I’m so sorry, baby. I sort of need a ride.”
I rubbed my eyes. “Where are you?”
“The police station.”
Gasping, I sat up straight, feeling totally awake now. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“It’s a long story.” He sighed. “I got taken in, but I’m not being charged with anything. I just don’t have a way home.”
“Okay,” I said, standing up. Stumbling around the room, I found my purse and flip flops. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Most of the twenty-five-minute drive was spent with me playing out every horrific scenario I could think of. Given Jimmy’s wild streak, combined with Jay’s shady rep, it could be any number of different events that led to him ending up at the police station.
As I pulled up outside the large brick building, I caught sight of Jimmy on a stone bench outside, elbows on his knees and head bent down.
When he looked up, I gasped at the sight of his face. His body seemed stiff as he walked to my car and got into the passenger seat.
“Oh, my God,” I breathed out. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He tried to smile but winced and brought his hand up to his split eyebrow. Two butterfly bandages covered the wound.
All my questions came out at once. “Are you going to fill me in? How did you end up here? Did you and Jay get into a fight?”
Hanging his head, he said, “I don’t really know where to start.”
“How about you start with what the hell happened tonight,” I ground out, losing my patience.
When his eyes swung my way, it was hard to be mad. He looked so tired, not to mention he was injured. And honestly, I wasn’t really angry. I was more worried than anything else.
“Jay’s in big trouble.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “They found a pretty large amount of meth in
his car.”
“That shady bastard,” I growled, and Jimmy chuckled.
“You’re so hot when you’re pissed.”
“This is serious!” I hissed. “You go out with a friend and end up in jail. I feel like I don’t even know you right now.”
Immediately, all humor left his face.
“Don’t say that. Baby, please don’t be mad at me,” he said quietly. “And, technically, I wasn’t in jail. They just wanted to ask me some questions.” He let out a tired sigh. “Could you just hold my hand right now? I promise I’ll tell you everything when we get back to your house.”
“Okay,” I relented, linking our fingers over the middle console.
The rest of the ride was silent except for the low hum of the radio, but I was too wrapped up in my racing thoughts to listen to the music. I had no idea what kind of trouble Jimmy had gotten into or how badly he was hurt.
By the time we got back to my house, he was sound asleep, and from the pinkish glow on the horizon I knew the sun would be up soon.
“Hey.” I gently shook his shoulder. “We’re home.”
Opening his eyes, he gave me a sleepy smile and started to yawn. The deep inhale must’ve been painful, because he let out a grunt as his hand went to his ribs.
“Do I need to take you to the hospital?” I asked, concerned.
“Nah.” He attempted a laugh, but grimaced. “I’ll be fine.”
I bit my lip as I considered taking him there, regardless of what he wanted. “What if something’s broken?”
“I’m just a little banged up. Been in enough fights to know the difference,” he told me, reaching for the door handle. “I just need sleep and maybe an ice pack.”
I followed Jimmy up to the house and, after getting him settled in bed, I went downstairs to get a bag of ice. When I came back, he was asleep again. I watched the steady rise and fall of his chest before reaching for his T-shirt. Lifting it up, I tried to figure out where he needed the ice the most.
I didn’t have to look very hard.
A small gasp left me when I saw the redness and bruising on his left side. As gently as possible, I set the bag there. Jimmy’s body jerked from the cold, but he didn’t wake up.
I sat back against the headboard, and I studied him for several minutes while I let the ice do its job.
Although the cut over his eyebrow was the only open wound I saw, I could tell he’d been hit in other places. There was discoloration along his jaw, and one side of his lip was swollen. His knuckles were scraped up and red. His gray T-shirt had drops of blood on it, and I didn’t know if the blood belonged to him or someone else.
I shifted on the mattress, trying to figure out where to lay. Jimmy’s body was sprawled out in the middle, so there wasn’t much room for me. It was probably best if I didn’t fall asleep in the bed. I didn’t want to leave him, but I didn’t want to hurt him with my ‘champion-level cuddling’.
Deciding it was safest for us to sleep in separate places, I gently removed the ice pack, then grabbed my pillow and went downstairs to the couch.
For the first time in weeks, I woke up in bed alone. Worried, I jolted upright then immediately regretted it.
Pounding headache. Screaming ribs. Stiff muscles.
The next-day soreness was always the worst.
Events from the night before came back to me, and I wondered how much trouble I was in with Mackenna. The fact that she wasn’t in bed with me was a bad sign.
Ignoring the ache in my body, I gingerly made my way downstairs. Mackenna was asleep on the couch. Taking a seat on the edge next to her, I absorbed a minute of peace before I faced the shit storm that was surely coming my way.
I woke her up with a forehead kiss. She smiled at me before a frown took over.
I tucked a rogue strand of hair behind her ear. “Guess you’re pretty mad, huh?”
Scooting up, she shook her head. “I’m concerned.”
“I got into a fight,” I stated pointlessly.
“Well, that’s obvious.”
“With Jaxon.”
With a blank expression, she blinked three times. “I’m sorry, what?”
I sighed and leaned down to give Mackenna one last kiss before she kicked me to the curb.
In one breath, I quickly explained how I’d contacted Jay several weeks ago, and that when I learned Jaxon wanted to fight, I knew I had my in. I told her about how the cops showed up, but not before I finished what I’d started.
“I’m not sorry I did it, but I am sorry that I lied to you,” I said. “I just knew if I told you what I was doing, you wouldn’t have wanted me to do it.” I sent her a charming grin to help my case. “And I really, really wanted to kick that motherfucker’s ass.”
Her eyes glistened and her chin wobbled.
My face fell.
I would’ve preferred anger over sadness any day. I wanted her to yell at me. Anything but tears.
“How much groveling do I have to do to fix this?” I asked, rubbing my thumb over her legging-clad knee. “Because I’ll do whatever it takes.” Unable to handle the sight of her crying, I glanced away.
“You fought for me?” The question came out in a shaky whisper.
My head whipped back in her direction. “What?”
“You fought for me,” she said again. She didn’t look pissed.
“You’re not mad?” I asked, and she shook her head.
“I can’t believe you did that.”
I tilted my head to the side. “Why are you so surprised?”
Biting her lip, she shrugged. “No one’s ever done something like that for me before.”
I remembered what she told me that night in the hot tub. How all her so-called friends abandoned her. The harassment she’d endured. How alone she felt.
“Mackenna, I would do anything for you.”
“Fighting him was dangerous.” Her lips flattened into a straight line. “And you’re right—I would’ve tried to convince you not to if I’d known about it.”
I nodded. “I might’ve done it anyway.”
“How much trouble are you in?”
“Surprisingly, none. The cops weren’t even called because of the fight. They were there on a drug bust, and they got what they were looking for.”
“What are you going to tell Beverly? Your face…” Her fingers ghosted over my injuries.
“The truth,” I responded before placing a kiss on her palm. “I might not tell my parents, though. I’ve given my mom enough gray hairs as it is.”
“I’m staying with you tonight,” Mackenna stated.
“What about going to see your family? Don’t feel like you have to cancel your plans for me.”
“I had already planned on spending the night with you. It’s our last Saturday…” she trailed off with a frown.
Mackenna never spoke of our limited time together. I felt like this was a good opening to talk about our future together—and we would have a future together.
But I didn’t get the chance.
Scrambling up onto her knees, she took my face in her hands. Her fingertips softly roamed over my cheeks, my nose, the cut on my eyebrow, as if she was seeing the damage again for the first time. The last touch was her thumb gently sweeping over my bottom lip.
Bringing her face to mine, she kissed me slowly. “How hurt are you?”
“Just bruises. Nothing a couple days’ rest can’t fix.”
“I need you,” she whispered against my lips. “Right now. Are you up for that?”
Smirking, I glanced down. “See for yourself.”
She put her hand over my cock, which was already standing at attention. My eyes closed when she lightly scratched the material of my jeans, the rough denim texture causing a vibrating sensation with every scrape of her fingernails.
“Wait.” I stopped her because there was still more to last night’s story. “I really hope the fight was enough to make Jaxon stay away from you. And it seems that he’s already moved on…” I took a de
ep breath before I continued. “He had a girl with him last night. And when I say girl, I mean practically a kid. God, she couldn’t have been more than sixteen. Maybe younger.”
Mackenna’s expression turned horrified. “Of course he would go after someone like that. That’s what predators do.”
“That’s not all,” I said before voicing the worst part. “She said she was pregnant.”
She gasped, and her mouth opened and closed a few times before she started rambling. “What’s her name? Maybe if I could find her, I could warn her. She can’t stay with someone like him, especially with a baby. I have to do something—”
“Slow down a second,” I interrupted, rubbing up and down Mackenna’s arms. “I understand why you’d want to do that, but we need to think it out first. The last thing you want to do is put yourself on his radar any more than you already are.”
“You’re afraid that if I get involved, he might come after me again,” she said warily.
Just then, my phone pinged with a text.
Jay: Call me if you’re not locked up.
I turned the screen toward Mackenna before dialing Jay’s number, then put it on speakerphone. As it rang, she got up and anxiously paced the room.
When he answered, I skipped the pleasantries. “Man, what the fuck?”
“I know,” he said, sounding remorseful. “I screwed up. I’m sorry for leaving you like that, but I just panicked.”
“They took me in, but they didn’t charge me with anything,” I told him. “You’re in trouble, though. What were you doing with drugs in your car?”
He hesitated, like he didn’t want to tell me, then let out muffled curse. “I’ve been dealing. It was good money, you know? Then I started using and it just got out of hand.”
“They took your car, and I’m sure there’s a warrant out for your arrest.”
He sighed. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know. I’m turning myself in later today.”
“I’m sorry,” I apologized, even though I knew this was his own fault. “You did me a favor setting up the fight, and I’m grateful for that.”
“Hey, it’s no big deal. I should’ve known this lifestyle would catch up with me eventually. But that’s not why I called. I’ve got news.”
The Good Guys Box Set: TRUCKER, DANCER, DROPOUT, and A Trucker Wedding Page 69