Page 86 of Contentious

“Thanks again for being here all night,” Cresley said to Marlene. “Above and beyond the call of best friendship.”

“No such thing. Love you. I’ll see you shortly.”

“Love you, too.”

Julian held the back door for Cresley and waited for her to get settled.

“You should keep an eye out,” Cresley said to Julian. “He might be watching for me.”

“Every cop in the city is looking for him. If he’s got an ounce of intelligence left, he’s either hiding out somewhere or on his way out of town.”

Neither of those possibilities offered comfort. She wanted him caught and locked away forever for what he’d done to Carson.

Cresley couldn’t even think about how Carson had looked, lying on the ground, unconscious and covered in blood. Those images would haunt her forever. She’d been certain he was dead. How could someone lose that much blood and still be alive? Thank goodness for the quick response from EMS, as well as the doctors and nurses who’d saved his life.

Julian had assured her that Carson would never blame her for what’d happened, but she blamed herself. After all, he would’ve been nowhere near Marlon or his knife if he hadn’t insisted on staying close to her and Ty. She hadn’t objected to his plan to provide personal security, because she’d loved having him around, and now he was in the ICU.

When Isla handed her a tissue from the front seat, Cresley realized she was crying again. Her eyes felt like they were full of sand, and her nose hurt from blowing it so many times during the night.

As she watched the world go by outside the car window, all she could think of was Carson and decided to text him her thoughts, so they’d be there when he woke up and asked for his phone.

Thank you for not dying.

I would’ve missed you for the rest of my life.

I hope you don’t blame me, because I was really enjoying what was happening between us, and I’d love to know where it might go from here.

Was she getting ahead of herself—and him, the guy who’d said he had no interest in a relationship or anything that smacked of permanence? Probably, but right before the lights had come on in the backyard, she’d given him an out that he hadn’t taken. If anything, he’d done the opposite by kissing her as if his life had depended on her.

And then he’d nearly lost his life protecting her.

Where could they possibly go from there?

She needed to prepare herself for the possibility that she might never hear from him again. That would be understandable. Ever since he’d gotten mixed up with her, he was in conflict with his family, his SUV was smashed up, and now he was fighting for his life. At least he would eventually get her messages and know what she’d been thinking and feeling.

The tissue rubbing against her raw eyes felt like sandpaper.

Isla turned to her. “I know this is super upsetting, but the good news is he survived and will recover. I don’t know him very well, but I can’t believe he’d ever blame you for what happened, and he wouldn’t want you to suffer over that. Would he?”

“No, I don’t think so. It’s very kind of you to say that.”

Isla held out a hand to Cresley, and she gratefully accepted her offer of comfort and friendship. She was a sweetheart, and Cresley could see why Julian was crazy about her. Hopefully, she’d get the chance to tell Carson how supportive Isla had been.

Julian’s phone rang. “It’s Roman,” he said as he took the call on the Bluetooth. “Where you at, bro?”

“Almost to LA. I got Dad’s text that he made it through surgery. How is he?”

“They expect him to make a full recovery, but it’ll take a while.”

“Thank God for that. It was a long night trying to imagine life without him.”

“I hear you. What’re you missing at school?”

“Nothing I can’t make up. I’ll see him later and head back. It’s all good as long as he’s alive and recovering.”

“For sure. I’ll see you soon.”

“Sounds good. Love you, Jules.”