I nodded. “I did. But she was almost arrested.”
“Fuckin’ fools,” Laric muttered.
I grunted out an agreement.
“Cedrick was getting arrested as I was leaving,” I said. “He won’t be leaving until the twenty-sixth since it’s a holiday.”
Harlow’s relief was palpable. “Good.”
“Maybe he’ll accidentally hang himself at the police station and those poor excuses for cops will miss it,” Catori, Harlow’s best friend, grumbled darkly.
Laric looked over at his wife, his eyes gleaming. “I could definitely see what I can do there. I can always get Hunt to mess with the feed for a bit…”
“Discussing this outside of a highly surveilled hospital seems like a bad decision,” I surmised, my gaze returning to Harlow. “Where do you want to go?”
She smiled. “I’m heading to their place for the night.”
I stepped forward and cupped her cheek. “You’re okay, though?”
She nodded. “I’m going to be just fine, Jazz. Enjoy your club party, and also, you might want to follow that woman that you’re trying not to have feelings for home. She muttered something about her truck acting up when she was driving me to the hospital.”
I sighed, swiping my scarred thumb over the bruising under her eye. “You’ll call me if you need me, though?”
“I did today,” she pointed out.
I groaned. “I ran a marathon.”
She blinked. “You what?”
“I ran a marathon,” I repeated.
And my legs were about to die.
In fact, the thought of having to get into a vehicle and drive for two more hours sounded like the worst kind of torture.
I needed food, a Dr. Pepper, and some water.
“You’re fucking nuts.” Harlow giggled. “Go home, big guy.”
I walked with them to the car, and only when she was settled inside with the door firmly closed did I turn to Laric and say, “You need any help with that police station…”
His eyes gleamed. “I’ll definitely let you know.”
I offered him my hand, which he took.
Unbothered by the scars, he slapped the back of my hand and said, “I’ll take care of her.”
I gave him a grateful smile and waited for them to pull away before I got into my own truck.
A cramp caught me by surprise when I bent to get inside, and I had to rest against the steering wheel for a long moment before it passed.
I was so focused on not dying that I didn’t see or hear the person walking up to my truck until I looked up and they were right outside my window.
Seventeen
I’m a woman and I have ovaries. That’s why I ovary act.
—Text from Calliope to Jasper
