My brows shoot up my forehead. “What! What happened?” I lift a hand between us, fingers spread wide. “And I hope I don’t need to say that face-smashing is a bad idea, right? Full stop?”
“I know,” he says, but he’s still so tense, like a predator coiled to pounce. Or a gun with the hammer already pulled back… “But he hit her, Char. Her piece of shit boyfriend. I walked in on her this morning while she was covering up the bruise.”
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry.” I exhale a soft, sympathetic sound, but I’m not really surprised. There was definitely something strained, almost haunted, about Bea’s energy last night.
Fleeing an abusive boyfriend would certainly explain it.
But shit…
The universe literally couldn’t have thrown a more pointed challenge in Nix’s path. He has a hard time controlling his temper when a stranger is in trouble, let alone his own flesh and blood.
“She said it was the first time the abuse turned physical,” he continues. “And she left as soon as she could, the second they had a break between shows, but… I don’t know if I believe her. And I fucking hate the fact that she’s planning to finish the rest of the tour. I know artsy people think ‘the show must go on’ and shit like that, but not when someone’s life is in danger.”
I nod. “Yeah, I’m inclined to agree with you. Abusive men are the most dangerous when they know they’re losing control.”
“The fact that she destroyed her cell phone and ran without telling anyone where she was going makes it pretty clear he’s losing control. And she knows it,” Nix agrees, dragging a clawed hand through his hair. “Fuck, I hate him. I’ve always hated him. He’s never treated her the way she deserved to be treated, but now…” His hands curl into fists at his sides. “I really want to show him what it feels like to be on the receiving end of this shit.”
I pause in the shade beside a large tomb with an avenging angel on top. The angel has long hair and a weak chin, but something in his expression still reminds me of Nix. The thirst for justice and vengeance is ancient and completely understandable, but indulging it is only going to make things worse for him and his sister.
“She came to you because she knew you’d keep her safe,” I say, holding his gaze. “And you can’t do that if you’re in jail.”
“I wouldn’t end up in jail.” He crosses his arms as he glances away, muttering beneath his breath, “I’d wear a mask and gloves and make sure no DNA was left behind.”
I reach for his forearm, giving it a firm squeeze. “Stop it. I’m serious. Don’t even joke like that. She came to you because she trusts you. If you violate?—”
“No,” he cuts in. “I’m pretty sure she only came to me because she couldn’t go home. Our parents are in Scotland on this trip they’ve been planning for years. My aunt Cindy’s housesitting, and she’s the biggest gossip in Nashville. If Bea showed up there all twitchy, with a black eye, Cindy would’ve spilled everything to our parents. Their trip would have been ruined, and Bea would have felt even worse than she does already.”
My forehead wrinkles. “Why does she feel bad? She didn’t do anything wrong.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know. Maybe because we all told her that Kai was a fuck weasel? We told her and she didn’t listen, and now… I don’t know. Maybe she thinks she deserves to suffer. But she doesn’t.”
I soften my grip on his arm, letting my fingers mold to his warm skin. “Of course, she doesn’t. Poor baby. This jerk’s really gotten in her head, hasn’t he?”
Nix’s shoulders droop as he nods. “That’s part of why I want him to pay. He got his hooks in her when she was barely seventeen, Char. She was just a kid, a sweet, artsy, imaginative kid who had never even had a boyfriend before. She didn’t know that love didn’t have to feel like manipulation.” His throat works, before he adds in a rougher voice, “That it didn’t have to hurt.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.” I pull him in for a hug, winding my arms tight around him.
He comes without hesitation, clinging to my waist with an intensity that makes it obvious how much he needed a hug.But even in a moment of need, he’s still gentle, careful, clearly mindful of his own strength.
He’s such a good man.
But it isn’t always easy to be a good man in a bad world.
“I know how hard this is,” I murmur into his ear as I stroke his hair. “If someone laid a hand on Makena or Elly or any of my girls on staff, I’d want to rip their dick off with my bare hands and feed it to that raccoon from Mack’s food truck.”
He sighs, but I think I feel his lips twitch as he says, “I don’t think raccoons eat peen.”
“Sure, they do,” I say. “As long as it’s evil peen. Everyone knows that.”
This time, the laugh is soft, but clear. And when he pulls back, he looks calmer than he did before. “Thanks, I needed that.”
“You’re welcome. Seriously, though, your rage is totally valid. What this guy did is unforgivable. And wanting to protect your sister is beautiful and exactly what makes you a good person.” I let my tone grow more pointed as I add, “But you know you can’t touch him, Baylor. You’re just now getting out of the doghouse with Voodoo management. They’re watching you like hawks. One more incident and there will be serious consequences.”
“I know.” His jaw works. “Of course, I know.” His gaze searches mine as he adds in a whisper, “But she’s my baby sister. And she’s so little, Char. How could he? Even if she were coming at him with a raised fist, which she fucking wasn’t because she doesn’t have a violent bone in her body, how could he? How could he punch a woman half his size? She barely comes up to the middle of his chest. I can’t wrap my head around it.”
I press my lips together, fighting a wave of feeling I don’t know what to do with.
I only know that he’s the sweetest man. And that I’m pretty sure I would be falling in love with him right here and now if I hadn’t already been halfway off the diving board already.
