“You should’ve thought about that before assaulting someone in a hospital waiting room full of witnesses,” Luke says evenly.
He’s not wrong.
But I’m not fucking sorry.
“I’m not apologizing for smashing Jett’s face in,” I tell him. “You can’t honestly say he didn’t deserve it. You would’ve stopped me if you thought he didn’t. What I will apologize for is leaving Effa. I hate that I did that.”
Luke studies me for a moment before sighing. “You’re right, he deserved it. None of us stepped in because you did what we all wanted to do. But doing it in front of so many witnesses in a hospital? I had to pull serious strings to keep you from being charged.”
I look out the window as Cooper pulls away from the curb. “Thank you. How did you manage it?”
“I got to Jett first. I told him that if he didn’t press charges, we wouldn’t take what he did to the media.Swift Divisionpulls out of the tour quietly. We compensate the band for the remainder of the contract. In exchange, you walk free, and he disappears.”
I swallow. “So Jett’s gone? Out of our lives?”
Luke nods. “As far as I can tell. And for what it’s worth, the police are taking the drugging seriously. He won’t skate on that.”
I close my eyes and let some of the tension bleed out of me. “Good.” The word is clipped and grunted out.
Luke tilts his head slightly. “You’re family now, Mercs. We look after our own.”
The wordfamilysits heavy in my chest.
Cooper drives in silence for a few minutes before Luke speaks again, “We’re going back to the hotel first. You need to clean up.”
“No. I’m going straight back to Effa.”
“What she needs is someone steady, not a man covered in another guy’s blood. You’re wired and feral right now. Shower, change, and then we go. That’s not a request.”
I glance down at my knuckles and the dark stains on my jeans. He’s right. Walking into the hospital like this would only make matters worse.
“Fine… five minutes. Then we go.”
We pull into the hotel garage and head inside. I ignore the stares from strangers who take in the blood on my clothes. I don’t give a shit what they think.
“Is Jett rotting in a cell?” I ask as we step into the elevator.
Luke exhales. “I don’t know. He could’ve made bail. You need to be prepared for that.”
The thought tightens every muscle in my body. “If he goes near her again—”
“You. Do. Nothing,” Luke cuts in, the tightness in his voice means business. “Because if you do, you’ll end up behind bars, and that won’t help Effa.Think smarter.”
I know he’s right.
That doesn’t mean I like it.
Inside the suite, I grab clean clothes and head for the bathroom. “I’ll be quick. Then we go straight back.”
“Just go,” Luke says. “We’ll head out as soon as you’re done.”
I strip out of the bloodstained clothes and step under the hot spray. Red swirls down the drain. It looks so simple, the wayit disappears, like it never happened. But I can still feel Jett’s bones under my knuckles. I can still see Effa on the damn floor.
I scrub until my skin stings.
But by the time I step out and dress, my pulse has slowed a fraction, but the rage hasn’t left. It’s just buried deeper.
“I’m done,” I say, stepping back into the suite. “Let’s go.”
