He tries to grab my shirt to give himself some leverage, but I knock his hand down. I allow my rage to take over until I’m literally blinded by it. All I see is red. I do hear him though. I hear his whimpers of pain and the sound of his bones cracking beneath the weight of my fist. They mingle like an orchestra in my ears, until I feel fingers pressing into my back and shoulders, trying to pull me back.
“Rome, Rome! Let him go! He’s out.” I recognize Jalen’s voice, briefly piercing the haze around me. When I look down at Cortez’s face, I see a bloody mass. His eye is already swollen shut and I can’t even tell where all the blood is pooling from.
I allow the guys to pull me up and away from Cortez’s limp body. “We gotta go,” Christian announces, eyes searching the bar for police.
I lose a chunk of time in the hysteria that ensues. I don’t remember leaving the bar or ending up at the local police station. I don’t remember speaking to anyone or anyone speaking to me.
What I do know is that she’s here. Her energy latches onto mine, shifting it to something less dangerous and more recognizable. As I walk out of the cell block behind Troy and Christian, I scan the area until I spot her.
My mouth tips up into a grin at the sight of her dressed in a black bustier top, waist beads, severely ripped jeans, and heels. Those damn waist beads.
Amerie runs into Arnold’s arms. He seems to have completely sobered up now, so that’s one less fight we’ll have to deal with tonight. She stares at the bruise on his cheek, her eyes stormy as she runs her fingers over it.
“Are y’all okay?” Eve asks.
“Let’s get out of here before we say anything,” Jalen says.
We all pile into the party bus that the ladies were using for their night out. Apparently, the rest of Arnold’s guests got out before the cops arrived. Jalen managed to get Nick out so he wouldn’t end up on the news and jeopardize his season, so it’s just me, Jalen, Micah, Christian, Arnold, and Troy. Janelle, Eve, Amerie, Dani, and Nova left their other friends at the bar. They plan to send the bus back for them once we get back to the hotel.
Janelle sits beside me on the bus; the only parts of our bodies touching are our knees but her support rolls over me in waves, coating me in its warmth.
Christian fills the ladies in on the events of the night. I don’t bother to chime in, but I know he’s exaggerating some of the details. When he shares the details of what Cortez said about the women, I can feel my fists beginning to itch with the need to hit him again, but Janelle lays her hand on my knee, soothing the ache.
“Rome beat the bricks off that man. I’m telling you he hulked the fuck out. There was a whole steel table separating him from Cortez and he moved that shit out of his way like it was a piece of paper.”
“That’s what ol’ Baby Legs O’Houlihan gets,” Eve huffs.
“Not Baby Legs O’Houlihan. Please,” Dani snorts.
Eve does her best Roger fromAmerican Dadimpression, leaving everyone in stitches.
“Thanks for coming through for us, ladies,” Micah says.
“We weren’t gonna leave y’all in a cell all night. We didn’t realize Jalen was gonna be able to pull strings to get you out though,” Dani asserts.
“I mean, I would’ve gladly left Christian in a cell for the rest of eternity, but I was told that wasn’t an option.” Eve shrugs.
“No man left behind, sweetheart,” he taunts.
“Pretty sure you were left behind in school but small wins, I guess.”
The two of them fall into their usual banter while the rest of the bus remains quiet, eerily quiet. Dani, Troy, and Micah seem to be at peace, but there’s a tension floating between Amerie, Arnold, and Janelle. Janelle won’t even look at the two of them, despite the fact that Amerie is burning a hole on the side of her face with her stare.
We get back to the hotel and everyone rushes off the bus. “Hey, Troy,” I call. He stops and moves to stand in front of me by the side of the bus. “’Preciate you having our back. You didn’t have to do that.”
“It was nothing. Guys like that make me fucking sick so I was happy to help. I would’ve done the same thing if I were you.”
“If you were me?”
He pins me with a knowing stare. “I think you know what I mean.”
I consider his words, choosing to acknowledge them with only a laugh. “Good lookin’out.” I offer him my hand and he takes it, pulling me into an embrace.
When I step into the bright entrance of the lobby, Janelle steps around the corner holding a blue box. She smiles as she inclines her head for me to follow her.
Amerie, hand in hand with Arnold, marches over to Janelle with a desperate smile. “Janelle, can we talk?”
“No.”
