“What was that back there?”
I shrug and it hurts. Why would it hurt? Looking down at myself, the dark patch covering my shoulder catches my eye.
“I don’t know,” I tell her, shoving my hand under and up my hoodie to have a feel around.
“Take me to the club,” I order and hiss in pain when I dig my finger into a stab wound.
Which one of them stabbed me? I didn’t even see them holding a knife.
“Is this your life now? Walking home and you get attacked?”
“Looks like it,” I mumble and put pressure on my wound.
I’m grateful when she stays quiet, though her anger fills every inch of the car. The club comes into view, and I sigh with relief.
“This is crazy, Ford. It’s not normal. You can’t seriously think this is the life you need to live.”
I sigh. “Just drop me off, then take yourself straight home.”
She stops outside the club, and I swing open my door, grunting through the pain shooting down arm and across my shoulders from the movement.
I collect Princess and he bounds out of the car and runs straight for the door. I let out a sharp whistle and he returns to my side.
It takes me a hot minute to realise Phoebe is following me through the side gate.
“I told you to go home.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I know you’re okay. You’ve been stabbed!”
My adrenaline is rushing. I haven’t got the energy to argue with her. I lead Princess over to the water hose and clean the blood off of him and step back when he shakes the excess water off.
Phoebe’s quick to hide behind me and I can’t deny it, I like how close she is. She grabs onto my arm, forgetting it’s fucking killing me and then shrieks when I hiss in pain.
“Sorry.”
I need to talk to Luca. I grab a towel from the kitchen counter once we’re inside and towel the dog off before he goes in search of his owners.
Everyone’s in the bar and they all stand when they see me. I catch a glance of myself in the mirror and see the bruise below my left eye forming and a small cut on my cheekbone. I don’t even remember being hit.
Luca’s across the bar and in front of me first.
“Talk.”
“I was walking home from my mom’s and four pricks tried jumping me.”
His eyes land on the bloody patch.
“Got stabbed. Don’t think it’s too deep, but it needs looking at. Is Rudi here?”
“Yeah.” Over his shoulder, he calls out, “Angel, get your old lady down here.”
Angel disappears and I sink down onto a chair. I shrug out of my cut and whip my hoodie and tee over my head, dumping them on the floor.
“What’s this? Why is she here?” Luca asks, pointedly staring at Phoebe.
“I’m here to make sure he’s okay. And he has blood to clean in my car.”
“Prospect! Clean her car.” He looks back to Phoebe. “Give him your keys. Ford ain’t scrubbing shit with his arm tonight.”
