As soon as the words leave his mouth, Justin comes into view, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
He has been looking for me.
His brows bunch together, and I know he is just as confused by Kurt’s aggressive stance as I am.
Kurt drops his arm, stepping aside to let me through. Justin immediately tucks me under his arm. “You okay?” he asks, and the concern in his voice warms my blood.
I nod, casting my eyes downward to stare nervously at my hands.
“She’s a little young for you, don’t you think?” Kurt slurs, and the energy shifts in the small confined space of the hallway, centered around the man next to me.
Justin takes a step forward, his jaw clenched tight. Fear trickles down my spine but I’m not scared for me. “What the fuck did you just say?”
“You heard me.”
My heart thrums in my chest as Justin reaches out and curls his fingers around the collar of Kurt’s shirt, shoving him up against the wall. “What I do is none of your goddamn business.”
Kurt lets out a diabolical laugh. “Go ahead and fuck that spic. It’s your reputation on the line. Not mine.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, Justin’s fist collides with Kurt’s nose, and the sound of bones cracking fills the air as Kurt falls to the floor, blood pouring between his fingers into his hand. “You motherfucker, you broke my nose!”
“Good. You ever spout that shit about her again, I’ll do far worse.”
Jimmy comes barreling around the corner. “What the hell happened?”
“He was running his mouth so I shut him up.”
Jimmy helps Kurt to his feet. “Come on, I’ll have Marshall take you home.”
Kurt jerks his arm from Jimmy’s grasp. “I don’t need your fucking help. I’ll drive myself home.”
“The hell you will. You’ve been drinking all day. You’re not driving anywhere.”
Kurt spits blood at Justin’s feet. “You’ll pay for this, motherfucker.”
Justin remains silent as Jimmy pushes Kurt to the mouth of the hall.
I let go of a pent-up sigh, thankful to be away from him.
Once we say our good-byes and April apologizes repeatedly for Kurt’s behavior, which was completely unnecessary, we head back home.
The drive is quiet. Justin fists his hand around the steering wheel, jaw clenched tight.
I hate that he got into a fight because of me. Had I not been there, none of that would have happened.
Kurt’s drunken rant fills me with guilt, and soon, Justin isn’t the only one brooding.
Tension fills the cab and after several long minutes, I mutter a quiet apology. Justin grunts, but makes no attempt to say anything or spare me a glance, and by the time we pull into the driveway, I’m left wondering if I’m causing him more pain than happiness.
Selena apologized several times on the way home. Then, when we got back to the house, she apologized again.
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing. It’s not your fault,” I snap, instantly regretting it.
Kurt has me all worked up. Bastard is lucky I didn’t do worse. He’s been on the department for a couple of years. One of my best officers. He can be an asshole sometimes but I didn’t know he was a racist prick.
She flinches at my harsh tone. “I know, but I don’t like seeing you so angry.”
“I’m not angry with you. I’m angry with him.” Bracing my hands on the counter of the kitchen, I bow my head, trying to get a handle on my anger. I take in several deep breaths, feeling like I have control of my emotions, but when I turn around, Selena is not there. I climb the stairs two at a time and arrive at her closed door, the light on underneath. I quietly knock and when she doesn’t immediately respond, I knock again, prepared to break down the fucker if I need to.
