It’s one thing to shove me, but it’s never okay to hurt a woman.
I jump to my feet and punch him in the face, knocking him down again. “You pushed Delilah, asshole.”
“Waylon, stop it!”
“Alright, get out!” one of the bartenders shouts. “Or I’m calling the sheriff.”
Jake either doesn’t hear him or doesn’t care because he stands and barrels right into me, knocking us both into a table that snaps under our weight.
We wrestle each other on the ground, swinging at each other until we’re pulled apart. When I get to my feet, blood drips down my face.
“Get ’em outta here!” one of the managers shouts, pointing toward the exit.
The bouncer shoves me toward the door and as soon as we’re outside, I find Sheriff Wagner and one of his deputies.
“Hollis. Murphy. Get in.” Sheriff Wagner opens the back door of his squad car.
“For what?” Jake stupidly asks.
“Vandalism. Disorderly conduct. Being fuckin’ idiots.” He waves his hand toward the back seat.
Delilah comes out and stands next to me.
“You in the front. I heard you witnessed it, so you need to come down, too.”
She groans. “Thanks a lot, guys.”
The three of us get in and the ride stays silent as we drive to the station. I stretch out my fingers, already feeling the pain that will be worse tomorrow.
But I don’t care. It was worth it.
“Boys, you sit there with Diane.” He points to his receptionist’s desk. “Delilah, you’re with me in my office.”
“How long is this gonna take?” Jake asks, wiping under his nose. “I’m bleedin’ here.”
Sheriff Wagner nods to his deputy. “Take him to the First Aid room.” His gaze meets mine. “You need to go, too?”
“No, I can wait,” I deadpan.
“Great, then sit.”
Delilah follows the sheriff but glances over her shoulder at me before walking into his office.
Diane hands me a form and tells me to fill it out.
“This is dumb,” I mutter.
The last thing I want to do is write when my hand hurts, but I tough it out and fill in the stupid form anyway. Only Sheriff Wagner would make us do his own paperwork.
When Jake returns, he sits in the other chair, but neither of us speaks to each other.
Twenty minutes later, Delilah and the sheriff exit his office.
“You’ve been drinkin’. You need to call for a ride,” he tells her.
“I only had a few.”
He pierces her with a look.
