He crouches down beside the bed slightly, taking my hand in his as his gaze focuses on mine. “This is on me. This is my fault, and I’m going to fix it.”
At his words, tears well in my eyes. Maybe he feels guilty, and I’m not going to ask him why he does. This isn’t his fault, though. Even if he thinks he could have prevented it by doing something different, it doesn’t matter. This isn’t his fault, because he wasn’t the man who did this to me, and that is just a fact.
As much as I want to verbalize that, I can’t. I’m too filled with emotion, and my eyes well with tears that threaten to slide down my cheeks. I don’t let them, though. I refuse to cry in front of him or anyone else.
I blink them away and inhale deeply through my nose, holding it for a moment before I let it out my mouth slowly. He asks me again who did this to me, and I don’t know why he’s asking. I’m not sure who the hell he thinks it can be other than Goffredo. He is the only man who could hate me enough to do what he did.
“You know who did this, Justin. And if you want to see it all, Goose probably has it all on video since he’s got my entire apartment on surveillance.”
His eyes narrow. He knows my place has cameras everywhere. I know he does, but maybe it’s because I mentioned Goose, maybe it’s because Goose has full access. I don’t know. But I also don’t have the energy to care.
Justin lifts his head, then turns to look over his shoulder at Maverick, who is watching intently… probably listening intently, too. Justin jerks his chin in Maverick’s direction, then he shifts his attention back to me.
“Tell the cops nothing when they come sniffing around. We take care of our own.” I have so many smart-ass things I could say about that little comment, but I decide against it. Again, I’m exhausted.
Justin shifts his face closer to mine, and then I feel his lips press against my forehead. He stays there for a moment, then lifts his head, but only slightly, before he murmurs low enough that only I can hear him.
“He will pay. Slowly.”
“Good,” I exhale.
He straightens and then, without another word, walks out of the room. Maverick follows behind him, leaving me alone with Zadie and Posey. They share a glance between one another before their feet carry them to my bedside, almost in unison.
Posey walks over to the chairs in the corner and drags them over to the side, where they both sit down, neither of them having said a word. Once they’re seated and settled, it’s Zadie who wraps her hand around my ankle and squeezes before she speaks.
“You don’t have to tell us what happened, but can you talk to us? It doesn’t have to be about the incident. It can be about anything.”
God, she is so damn sweet. My lips curve up into a small smile. “I appreciate that. What do you want to talk about?”
“The hot doctor?” Posey asks.
Pressing my lips together, I laugh softly, but then moan because everything hurts. It’s at this exact moment that I wonder what my face looks like. I know that if I asked them, theywould tell me or show me, but I think I should maybe look at my reflection when I’m alone, so I don’t ask.
“We slept together,” I blurt out.
Lainey is the only one who knows. But I didn’t tell her she had to keep it a secret, so they may already know, too. But it’s an easy distraction from the hell that my body has been through.
“Shit,” Zadie hisses.
“Well, I say good for you. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a man,” Posey adds.
“I feel guilty about it,” I whisper. “And he’s working through heartache himself, so he suggested we do that together, basically be companions.”
“Companions who come together…” Posey says, her eyes dancing, her mouth smiling huge as she watches me.
“Something like that,” I mutter.
Zadie doesn’t comment, but I can feel her watching me. I don’t know if she’s judging me or anything like that. I don’t get that vibe from any of the women I call my friends, but she is what I would call…concerned.
“It happened, and it felt nice when I was feeling so very alone. When he suggested it the next morning, it sounded like a great plan, mainly because nothing else had worked. I don’t have to pretend with him, and he doesn’t with me, either.”
Posey frowns, then opens her mouth, but the only thing that comes out is her saying my name in a sad, pitiful voice. “Oh, Cidney.”
“Love isn’t for me. It never has been, and this with George is going to be safe.”
If he still wants me, that is. He’s seen the absolute worst of the worst. I probably wouldn’t want anything to do with me if I were in his position.
“I want it to be Goose,” Zadie whispers, speaking for the first time. “I wanted a sister. I wanted nieces and nephews. I wanted it all.”
