Which I’m not planning to.
I open my mouth to respond, but Coop beats me to it. “I really don’t think you should go, baby S. You just got hurt and need the rest.”
I sigh and put my hands on my hips while attempting to give him a stern look. “That’s part of living my life on my own terms, Coop. I’m going to do stuff you don’t like, and you’re going to have to sit back and let me. Otherwise, I’m just trading out gilded cages.”
Coop closes his eyes briefly before his shoulders slump in defeat. “You’re right. Just keep me updated, okay? I don’t know what your plans are, but if you don’t spend the night with Halston, then come over to our house. I don’t want you to be alone with a head injury.”
I turn bright red at the mention of staying overnight. “I’m not… we’re not…” I start, and Coop laughs at my stumbling while wiggling his eyebrows. I sigh in defeat and flip him off. “I’ll keep you updated.”
Hal’s grinning, watching our exchange. He offers Coop his hand to shake, and Coop reluctantly takes it. “You should take the rest of the day off, Finch. You’re pretty banged up yourself. You put up a hell of a fight against Azrael. Not many people would last as long as you did.”
“I probably should head home and sleep this off. And, yeah, well, anger issues are a hell of a drug, I guess.” Coop enfolds me into a hug, being careful not to squeeze me too tight. After a long moment, he rasps, “Love you, baby S.”
“Love you too, Coop,” I whisper into his chest before he reluctantly steps away.
CHAPTER 17
LARK
As Coop shuffles out of the auto shop, Hal grabs my hand and leads me to the back of the building.
The other mechanics are curiously staring at the two of us. I duck my head to avoid their gazes and pretend like I’m not the gossip of the shop.
When we reach a door along the back wall, Hal puts in a code much like he did when he showed me their bike collection. The door beeps, and he pushes it open, tugging me along behind him.
We walk silently down the worn red-brick hallway and over to a flight of stairs before Hal stops.
Turning to face me, Hal gives me a look brimming with remorse before hanging his head. He mumbles, “I’m sorry, wild girl. I’m sorry I didn’t stop the fight. I’m sorry I didn’t intervene before Azrael hurt you. And I’m sorry I didn’t stop him from being such a fucking asshole.”
Unlike usual, he doesn’t put his hands on my waist or step into my space. Instead, he stays a few paces back, giving me the space he thinks I want. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I’d love nothing more than a hug from him.
“Hal,” I start, hating seeing the usually happy man so down. When he doesn’t look up, I gently poke him in the chest. His eyes flick up to mine in surprise, making me smile a little. “None of it was your fault. I’m not upset at you for what happened, not even slightly.”
Instead of making him feel better, my words cause his lips to twist in a frown. “You should be. I hesitated when I saw you tackle Az. I knew it wasn’t going to end well, but I froze from the shock of it all. By the time I shook myself out of it and ran over, Az had already let you go. I failed to protect you, and you’ll never know how damn sorry I am for that.”
I’m shaking my head before he even finishes speaking. “You didn’t fail me. None of us expected that to happen, and it’s not like we’ve ever been in this situation before. And, at the end of the day, the only ones to blame for it are Azrael, Coop, and me.”
“You arenotto blame,” he growls as he steps into my space. He places a hand on my lower back and tilts my chin up with his other hand to force me to look at him. “You are never to blame for someone hurting you, no matter what fucked-up shit they’ve been through.”
My eyes bounce between his for a long moment as I try to figure out what got him so worked up. “I mean, that’s true to an extent, but I did tackle him. I chose to get physical with Azrael, and he responded. I don’t think it was a conscious choice, though, so I really can’t be upset at him for that part.”
Blowing out a breath, Hal gently rests his forehead on mine. “You’re too good for us, you know that, wild girl? Azrael doesn’t deserve the grace you’re giving him after what he said, but you’re right that he wasn’t really seeing you in that moment. He was lost to his own demons.”
“We all deserve understanding when we fuck up, Hal. Including what you perceive as messing up. I don’t think you did anything wrong, but I forgive you if it helps.”
I’m self-aware enough to understand the irony of saying that everyone deserves grace when I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive myself for my role in what happened to Wren.
His lips tip up in a half smile before he steps back. “It does. Now, let’s get you upstairs and resting before dinner.”
Offering me his hand again, he leads me up the natural wood staircase. I run my fingers along the delicately twisting wrought iron of the banister as we climb, our footfalls nearly silent.
When we reach a landing illuminated by a skylight, Hal leads us toward the plain black door at the end of the short hallway. He pushes it open and tugs me inside with him. “Anyone home?”
His voice echoes through the bare wooden rafters in the industrial space. Light wood floors, white brick walls, and the open-floor plan give the first floor, with the living room, kitchen, and dining room, an airy feel. Plenty of windows keep the space from feeling dark.
A black spiral staircase leads up to the second floor with five dark wood doors and not much else.
“I’m here. Remy and Rook are upstairs. I haven’t seen Az all afternoon.” Colt stands up from the light gray sectional and stretches his arms over his head before turning to face us.
