Page 79 of Louder Than Words

Well, fuck.

I tighten my grip, shoving him until his back thuds against the car.

“What the fu—”

“I should break your fucking jaw right here, but I’m not the one who puts hands on people smaller than me,” I spit, leaning in closer. I watch him tense under me, wincing like I somehow already hurt him.

“Jax, please…” Allie’s voice cracks behind me, and it’s like a punch to the gut.

I look down, noticing his shirt still bunched in my hands and quickly let go.

Before I walk away, I raise a finger slowly, pointing at him. “You ever lay a fucking finger on her again, mate, and we’ll see which one of us is the violent one. Got that?”

He doesn’t answer me, but he doesn’t have to. I know he heard me loud and clear. I could tell by the way his wrist watch shook just standing there under my grasp.

Fucking pathetic human being.

I turn away before I change my mind and wrap an arm carefully around Allie’s shoulders.

She doesn’t say a word the entire walk to the car, refusing to even look at me. Her eyes stay fixed straight ahead, completelyzoned out. The silence drags out the whole drive home, turning ten minutes into what feels like ten hours.

Then, just as we finally pull up, I’m unlocking the front door when a noise bubbles up from Allie.

My head snaps in her direction—her hand’s clamped tight over her mouth.

Shit.

I barely get the door open before she bolts past me, straight down the hall. A second later, the bathroom door slams shut, and then comes the sound of her retching. Hard.

I don’t think, I just move, my feet carrying me to the bathroom door, already knocking lightly. “Allie?”

The toilet flushes.

“Can I come in?” I ask, my hand already on the knob.

There’s a sound on the other side, not exactly a yes, but not a no either. I open the door anyway.

She’s sitting on the floor, her head resting in her hands, a wad of toilet paper balled in the other. I kneel in front of her, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“You sure you’re okay?”

She nods weakly. “Yeah. It’s just the anxiety. Today was… a lot.”

I raise an eyebrow, running through every time I’ve been anxious. Sure, I’ve felt nauseous—but not like this. Not throwing up multiple times a da—

Wait.

I glance up at her, trying to meet her eyes. “You’re sure you’re not…”

She shakes her head. “No. It’s not that. I wasn’t sick with the girls at all.”

“Yeah, but—”

And then she’s throwing up again.

I lean over her, gathering her hair in my hands as I rub the small of her back.

Thankfully, it doesn’t last long. She leans back on her heels, wiping her mouth with shaking hands before reaching up to flush the toilet.