We made it to Ellamore General in record time. I pulled up to the emergency room entrance, and a couple orderlies came out with a wheelchair when they saw Pick drag a bloody Eva from the backseat. They swept her off, and the three of us left to wait loitered helplessly in the entrance.
Reese paced the floor, sending text after text on her phone, while Pick—his shirt and jeans a bloodstained mess—slumped in a chair and closed his eyes, his face pale and mouth drawn taut. I camped out against a nearby wall and crossed my arms over my chest.
And we waited.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“Whatever it is you're seeking won't come in the form you're expecting.” - Haruki Murakami
NOEL
I opened the door of my apartment, weary and defeated. The place was quiet and made me feel extra lonely.
Reese’s cousin, Eva, had gone through an emergency C-section at the hospital, giving birth six weeks early to a four-pound, six-ounce baby girl. Mason had shown up only minutes before to report he and the baby daddy had made a deal: we wouldn’t turn Alec in for what he’d done to Eva if he didn’t turn Pick in for what Pick had done to him.
Apparently, that had worked for Alec, because Lowe said he was on his way back to Florida.
When a nurse had come out to tell Reese she could go back and see the new momma or the new baby through the window in the incubator where they’d put her, I decided it was time for me to head home. Since Pick didn’t seem willing to budge from the hospital, I made the trip on foot.
Walking helped clear my head. Hell, the entire night had cleared my head. When a catastrophe like this happened, it made a person realize what was truly important. Opening my phone, I sent another quote off to Aspen. It was one I’d had for a while, but had been saving for the right moment. Well, that moment might never come if I didn’t make it happen.
After I pushed Send, I blew out a breath and collapsed on the couch. I wanted to call and leave a voice message, just to tell her all the crazy shit that had happened tonight. I needed someone to share my day with. But I decided to wait until I could see her again. So I started to dial home and check in on Caroline, Colton, and Brandt. But I stopped myself. It was late, even in their time zone; I didn’t want to wake them for no reason.
Lying there, I stared up at the water-stained ceiling of my broken-down apartment, wondering what the hell I was doing. My family was hundreds of miles away. The woman I loved was God knew where. I felt scattered. And trapped. My goals for a college diploma and an NFL draft no longer seemed relevant. But I couldn’t leave. Not unless I wanted to destroy Aspen’s reputation.
Scrubbing my hand over my face, I felt decades older than I was.
When the door open, a spark lurched through my chest, hoping it might be her. But it was only Ten.
He paused when he saw me. His gaze uncertain and leery. “’Sup?” he hedged. “Pick already leave?”
“Yep.” I glanced at the ugly walls again. Someone seriously needed to paint this place. “How was work?”
“Fine.” He remained wedged in the doorway, watching me cautiously. “Hey...I brought you something.”
I lulled my face his way, wondering why he was acting so weird. But then he stepped into the room, leading someone else inside with him by the hand.
My gaze followed a feminine hand up a feminine arm, and hope sparked in my chest. But a mass of red hair killed it just as quickly as it had started.
Not Aspen.
“Hey, Noel,” Marci said, sending me a shy smile as she continued to hold Ten’s hand.
I rolled my eyes to my roommate, unimpressed, unmoved, and completely uninterested. “No thanks.”
He growled. “Damn it. This has to stop. You’re beginning to freak me out.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why don’t you let me take care of myself? And hold the babysitters from here on out, too. A night out with Pick isn’t exactly my speed.”
“Well, maybe I’d be more your speed.” Marci finally left Ten’s side and strolled toward the couch, swinging her hips with a bit too much enthusiasm. She was wearing high heels, a short skirt, and low top.
I should’ve felt something. I was a guy. But I just sighed and rubbed my forehead. “No,” I groaned. “No, no, no. I’m sorry I made you think I wanted something from you back in March. But I’ve changed my mind. I’m not interested anymore.”
Jarring to a startled stop, Marci set her hands on her hips and scowled. “This isn’t still about that ugly bitch teacher, is it?”
My mouth fell open. “Excuse me?”
“Oh...shit,” Ten muttered from behind her. “You’re the blackmailer, aren’t you? I knew it was a chick, but...damn.”
I was slow on the uptake because my brain didn’t want to admit it. But if Marci had been the one to blackmail and then get Aspen fired, then it was because of me. It was my fault this had happened. I’d been the one to push Marci away and make her retaliate.
Deliberately, I sat up and pushed to my feet. “You got her fired?” Creeping around the coffee table, I started toward her.