Page 81 of Delicate Escape

I knew what he meant. He’d drop Fallon and go with me to send Russ a stronger warning if I thought he needed it. That was brotherhood right there. Even as risky as it would be with Kye’s history, he’d do it. Because he always had my back.

“No, not tonight,” I said, suddenly bone-tired, my hand aching.

Kye jerked his chin in my direction. “Just say the word.”

I nodded at him and Fallon.

“Text in the morning and let me know if you’re up for work or not. I’ve got things I can do on my own if you need to give that hand a rest,” Anson said.

“Thanks, man.”

He and Rhodes climbed into his truck as I guided Thea toward mine. I let go of her to open the door. She was quiet as she climbed up, not moving as I rounded the hood and got behind the wheel.

“Should you be driving?” Thea asked quietly.

“I’ve only had two beers between dinner and the bar.”

She turned then, fingers ghosting over my already swelling knuckles. “I meant your hand.”

I flexed it on instinct and winced as pain flared and I saw the blood smeared across my knuckles.

“I’m so sorry.”

My gaze cut to her. “This isn’t your fault.”

“I know.” There was a certainty in Thea’s words that eased the anger pulsing through me. She brushed her fingers across the back of my hand. “But I’m still sorry.”

“I’ll pop some ibuprofen and be fine tomorrow.”

Thea nodded but didn’t look totally convinced as I started the engine and headed for her place. Both of us were quiet on the way home, lost in our spiraling thoughts. The moment I parked in front of Thea’s house, she was out of the vehicle and waiting for me.

“Come on. I need to get some ice on your hand.”

“You don’t have to do that,” I argued.

Thea’s head tipped back, strands of hair falling out of her haphazard bun. “You’re always taking care of everyone in your orbit. How about you let me take care of you for once?”

I stared down at Thea. She always saw more than the average person. “Okay.”

“Good.” She took my uninjured hand and tugged me toward the house. As we approached, she pulled her keys from her purse and unlocked the industrial deadbolt. With each catch of metal against metal, I was reminded just how much Thea had given me by letting me into her space. Her haven. Herescape.

The moment we stepped inside, Moose greeted us with mangled meows. He padded down the hallway, surprisingly light on his paws for how massive he was. He wove through Thea’s legs as she walked, squawking at her.

“I swear he’s yelling at you,” I mumbled as we moved toward the kitchen.

“Oh, he definitely is. He’s not used to me leaving him at night.” She inclined her head toward the small kitchen table. “Sit.”

There was an authority to her tone that had my lips twitching slightly. “Yes, ma’am.”

Thea just shook her head and crossed to the refrigerator. I watched her pull out a few things, not focusing on the items but on how her sundress swished around her as she moved.

“Are you okay?” Countless others had asked tonight, but I needed to give voice to the question myself, hoping for an honest answer.

Thea stilled and then turned to face me. She leaned against thecounter, letting out a long breath. “At first, I was scared. Then, I felt guilty.”

I sat forward and opened my mouth to tell Thea she didn’t have a thing to feel guilty about.

But she held up a hand to stop me. “Then I realized guilt was just one more lie. One more piece of poison in my brain. Wearing a sundress and dancing with friends doesn’t make what he did okay. Russ is an asshole with a warped sense of reality.”

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