Page 45 of Damon

“Pretty sure you know my brother. You beat him bloody and left him for dead on the side of the road. Or did he mean so little that you already forgot about him?”

The guy towered over me where I sat. His head shaved and a scar slashing down one cheek, his entire demeanor made it clear he was no stranger to violence. Why else would he be here?

“That was business, nothing personal.” Turning back to my breakfast, I stuffed a bite of eggs into my mouth. I’d only been here a matter of hours and already managed to stir up trouble. I didn’t even have to try.

“It’s personal now, asshole.” The weight of his fist as he drove it into the back of my head slammed my face forward.

I managed to brace myself with my forearms against the table so I didn’t get a face full of food. This really wasn’t ideal. I may not have been in the mood for a fight but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t participate.

Rising to my feet, I abandoned my breakfast and turned to face him and his silent buddy. “Look, I don’t give a shit about your brother. I was hired to do a job, and I did it. Does he really need you to fight his battles for him? That’s kind of pathetic.”

“We’ve been looking for you for a long time,” the guy continued. “I fully intend to make the most of this opportunity.”

I did my best to block the next punch that sailed toward my face. Unfortunately, his friend jumped in as well. The two of them made it fast, knowing they didn’t have much time before guards got involved. They punched me repeatedly while I fought back, getting in a few solid hits of my own. Two on one did not make the odds in my favor though, and they quickly got me on the floor.

As I kept trying to get up, they continued to kick me. Nailing me in the ribs and spine. A few in the head. Now I wished that I had killed this fucker’s brother. If I ever saw this piece of shit on the outside, he would be next.

It didn’t take long for the guards to break it up. By that time the damage had been done. I lay there spitting blood, the ceiling spinning above me. Goddammit.

After being treated for my wounds and checked for a concussion, which I likely had, I was taken back to my cell. Splayed out on the bottom bunk, I tried to keep the room from spinning as I focused my gaze on the bunk above me.

Fuck, I missed Athena.

All I wanted was to get back to her. That sassy little grin and her quick wit. Her wild bravery. The way she wasn’t afraid to challenge me.

No wonder I’d fallen headlong in love with her.

The thought of needing to be with her was what would get me out of this place. Because now I had something to live for. Something to fight for. And it would take a hell of a lot more than the so-called justice system to take that from me.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

ATHENA

“It all just happened so fast. I can’t stop replaying it in my mind. I wish I could go back to that night and do something to change it all.” I shook my head, staring across my living room, seeing nothing other than the images replaying in my mind.

I had relived the moment so many times. Damon and the groom wrestling for the gun. The gun going off. Blood spreading across the groom’s crisp white shirt.

Finding out that Damon had been arrested devastated me. I’d spent the last day in my apartment wearing my favorite pajamas, trying desperately to wrap my head around how this all happened. Of course I knew how it happened. I just couldn’t believe it.

“Stop torturing yourself.” Storm slid an arm around my shoulders, pulling me against her for a side hug. We sat together on the couch, the rest of the girls gathered around us. “Rebel is working on it. He’s pulling some strings to make sure that Damon makes bail. The guys have more than enough money for that.”

Upon finding out what had happened, my best friends dropped everything to come be with me. They really were the sisters I’d never had. There were no words for how much I appreciated all four of them.

“The cops have no way of proving that Damon wasn’t defending himself,” Codie added. “It’s one man’s word against another. No matter what happens, I don’t think they’ll be able to hit him with the heaviest charge.”

“Have you even slept yet, Athena?” Ripley rose from where she sat on the nearby armchair. “I’m going to make you some tea.”

I may have dozed off on the couch for a while. Overall, I hadn’t really slept much.

“I feel like I can’t truly relax until I know he’s out of that place.” Rebel’s sources had learned that Damon had been moved to the remand center, a place known for violence and danger.

Luna leaned to hug me from the other side. “We’re all here for you. I’m sure everything will be okay.”

“Don’t hate me for saying this,” Storm began. “But have you considered that maybe you need to take a step back from this thing with Damon? You could have been hurt or arrested along with him.”

I knew that she meant well. That she only wanted the best for me like I did for her. Yet when she married the campus crime ringleader, I was the first person to stand up at her side and wish her well.

“And if it was Rebel?” I asked. “Would you take a step back?”