Page 43 of Finding Peace
Chapter fourteen
Jasper
Everythinghurts.
My nose is definitely broken. My ribs are going to be purple by morning. My head feels like Victor used it as a battering ram. And my throat burns from where he had his forearm pressed in.
I flex my fingers to make sure they still listen to me.
They do.
Good enough.
I take a mental inventory like I always do after my body gets banged up.
Head?Attached.
Arms?Functional.
Legs?Not thrilled but moving.
Ego?Slightly bruised.
Grunting, I let my arms fall out to my sides, starfished in the snow like an idiot. But the cold snow feels good against my aching body. And honestly, I’m not sure I have the strength to sit up on my own.
“What a shit show,” I mutter to no one.
Boots crunch toward me, and I crack one eye open to find Beau standing over me, hand outstretched. He’s got that infuriating smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth—but his eyes are scanning my body. Concern hidden under sarcasm, like always.
“You dead?” he asks casually.
“Workin’ on it,” I reply.
He snorts. “You look like hell.”
“Feel worse.”
“Can you stand?”
I shift slightly and immediately regret it as pain streaks across my ribs. “Define stand.”
Beau crouches down a little, lowering his voice. “Jas.”
I sigh. “Yeah. I can stand. Don’t make it dramatic. Just help me.”
He studies me for another second. “You sure nothin’s seriously broken?”
“Other than my pride?”
He huffs a laugh. “You still have that?”
I grab his hand, and he pulls me up in one solid, quick motion. My legs wobble, and I steady myself against his shoulder. “Easy,” he mutters.
“Shut up.”
He looks me over again. “Victor got a few good ones in.”
“I let him,” I scoff.
