Rex shakes his head at Jet. “He’s not going to do that.”
Jet sighs so hard his entire body sags. I haven’t seen my brother looking so dejected, but then again, I haven’t witnessed him coming so close to a homicide before.
“I knew”—my voice shakes as I ready to let my violent ass of a brother have it—“Iknewthat you were capable of tearing anyone I ever dated limb from limb, but I never thought you’d do it. I thought you’d grow up like Owen!”
Ava cringes from behind her brother and shakes her head at me as if willing me to stop.
“Butno.” My fingers interlace with Lawson’s, and I cradle his hand in mine. “You really are the primal ape you want everyone to believe you are. And now look. Lawson might never be the same again.” Tears flow freely down my cheeks, and I don’t stop them. I don’t want them to stop. If all I can do about this is cry, then so be it.
Daisy runs in, leading the way for the paramedics. “We need to clear the room.”
Bodies file out, but I refuse to leave. Soon Lawson is strapped to a stretcher, hoisted up onto a gurney, and wheeled out to the mouth of a waiting ambulance. The blinking lights, the two police cruisers who accompany it on the street, every last bit of this scene frightens me.
Scarlett jumps into the back of the ambulance, and just as I’m about to do the same, one of the paramedics carefully moves me back a few steps.
“Are you family, ma’am?”
“No, that’s my—” a thousand thoughts sail through my mind—“boyfriend.” I’m not sure if that’s what Lawson is, but I do know he’s more than a friend.
“You can meet up with us at Hollow Brook General. We’ll get him there safe for you.”
It all happens so fast. The slamming of the doors, the wailing of the siren as they speed off down the street, the emptiness they leave in their way.
Jet tries to wrap his arm around me, but I buck him off. “Don’t you touch me. In fact, don’t talk to me either.” I run over to Ava and Grant. “Ava—ride with me. I don’t want to be alone.”
“You can’t drive.” Grant shakes his head at the idea. “You either come with me, or Ava drives your truck and I’ll meet you there.”
And that’s what we do. Ava drives my truck as I slink in my seat and sob all the way there.
We waitfor two solid hours—Jet and all his friends, Ava, Grant, and me. Rush and Eli came down when they heard the news. It’s been a party all right. More like a wake. And among the worrying, the praying, I can’t get those words Jet shouted out of my mind. HepaidLawson to keep an eye on me. Paid him? What was that about? Jet mentioned keeping me away from people. This is insanity. I don’t know who to be angrier with, Jet for making the offer or Lawson for taking it. But for tonight I’m shelving the entire horrible reality. There’s actually a far more horrible reality at hand with Lawson lying in a bed somewhere fighting for his life.
Finally, Scarlett comes out, and I race over with a strong desire to shake any details I can out of her.
“He’s going to be fine.” She closes her eyes for a moment. “Thirteen stitches and some heavy drugs took care of it. The CT scan came back perfect. No swelling on the brain.” She blushes when she says it and wipes my cheek dry with her thumb. “He’s asking for you. My family is wrapping up their visit, so you can go back there. The doctors want to keep him overnight for observation, but he’ll be back at school come Monday.”
“That’s too bad, I guess.” I let out a nervous laugh. “Thank you.” I pull her in and bury my face in her dark crimson locks. I shoot a quick glance to Jet, and he offers me a thumbs-up. I’m so relieved that Lawson is going to live, that he’ll be back home tomorrow, I give Jet a thumbs-up right back.
It takes less than a minute for me to find the cubicle they’ve sequestered Lawson in. Trixy offers me a quick hug before she takes off with Knox. Lawson’s dad and stepmom leave with apprehensive smiles. I’m sure they’ve heard the entire sordid tale by now. I’m the Lolita who charmed his pants off, only to have her brother bash poor Lawson’s head in.
And then I see him. There he is. My heart stops. Lawson sits propped up, leaning against an icepack with that crooked grin plastered to his face. His lids hang low, and his eyes are glossy. His face is swollen as if he just ate a beehive, and his left eye is ringed a powder blue quickly turning purple. Lawson looks as if he was hit by a semi, and it frightens me. Jet and that beating he doled out echoes through my mind, and I’m filled with the sudden urge to run very far away from Lawson Kent, if only to keep him safe.
“Hey.” I give a little wave as I make my way over. “How do you feel?” My lips twitch. My cheeks jump, and it’s all I can do not to enter into an all-out sob. Jet didn’t really do this to him alone. I’m the reason Lawson Kent is banged up and lying in a hospital bed.
“Iwasfeeling like shit.” He pumps his grin a little wider. “But now that you’re here, I’m feeling a hell of a lot better.” He pulls me down by the cheek and lands a hot kiss to my lips. “Much better.”
“You sound exhausted. I heard they’re keeping you overnight. Maybe I should go?” My heart creeps up into my throat and twists itself into a pretzel. Try as I might, I can’t get another word out. I want to tell Lawson that I love him. I want to tell Lawson that I would do anything to be with him. Mostly, I want to tell Lawson that I want to keep him safe—to forgive me for what I’m about to do. I lean in and offer him a gentle kiss to the lips, my tears falling over him like the curse they’ve become. In truth, it’s me that’s the curse. I cursed Jade, then my parents, and, tonight, I cursed Lawson. Yes, I did.
In a morbid way, I belong to Jet, and deep down I know he will never approve of Lawson and me together. Tonight is a prime example of that—a precursor of demented things to come.
“I’m sorry,” I mouth as a flood of heaviness fills me. A hot river of tears burns a trail of pain down my cheeks.
And just like that, I leave.
Lawson Kent and I are over.
He can keep my heart.
I don’t need it anymore.
