If Wesley doesn’t stop, he’s going to be arrested.
“Wesley, stop!” I finally scream just as security rushes in. It takes four of them to pull Wesley off the guy; the man’s face is barely recognizable now.
“Get the fuck off me,” he shouts, the veil of black fading from his eyes and returning to that familiar blue.
His face only softens when he sees me, cheek slightly bruised, a nice little cut under his left eye. You can see the relief in his eyes, like all he wanted was to know that I’m okay before he gives in, allowing the security guards to slam him against the wall, holding him there until one shows up and slaps a pair of cuffs on his wrists. By the looks of him, I’d say he was undercover PD, but I can’t be too sure.
Wesley doesn’t fight them, just goes from glancing at the disaster on the floor before looking back up at me. To anyone else Wesley would look like a murderer, but to me, he looks like my savior.
He mouths the words, “Are you okay?”
I nod just as they start manhandling him toward the door. Eddie follows, Amber screaming after him, even though she knows he won’t stop.
“Where are you taking him?” Eddie questions.
“Jail,” the one with the cuffs grits out, pushing Wesley toward the door.
“I’ll bail you out, man!” Eddie shouts after him just as a few police officers march into the club, seizing Wesley from security.
“Don’t bother!” Wesley shouts. “Just fucking take care of Poppy for me.”
He doesn’t even care about himself.
He just cares about me.
Damn it, Poppy.
Amber and Eddie stand by the entrance, holding hands, she’s encouraging him by saying “everything’s going to be okay” just as I stumble over to them.
Eddie’s glare slices through me, and I suddenly feel very small. “What the fuck happened?”
“He lost it,” I inform them. “One minute, I’m walking out of the bathroom, and the next, that goon is crowding me, not letting me move any further until I agreed to dance with him. Wesley must’ve seen him touch me because the guy was flying across the room before I could even process what was happening.”
I had to lie.
It was the only way to make me not seem like the villain here. I purposely egged that guy on until it went too far, the drug taking over me.
They can’t know my little secret.
No one can.
“Eddie, are you okay?” Amber questions, staring up at him with concern etched in her eyes.
He shakes his head. “I don’t know if he can get out of this one,” he mumbles. “This is his third strike.”
I gasp. “What does that mean?”
When he finally speaks, his voice is a mixture of calculated control and fear. “It means he’s going to prison, maybe for a long time this time.”
“Oh shit,” Amber whispers.
But all I feel is guilt. My hand reaches up to cover my lips. “He can’t go to prison. He was just protecting me,” I choke out, my voice barely above a whisper.
Eddie snaps. “Like you fucking care. You’ve been nothing but a scathing bitch toward him since you met. Don’t act like you give a fuck about him now, not when it’s your fault this even happened.”
My eyes migrate to the floor, still hazy, still in my fog, the guilt making everything worse.
“Yeah, that floor isn’t going to help you get out of this one, Poppy. I hope you’re happy. Because your wish just got fucking granted. Now you’ll never have to see him again.”
