Page 75 of Indigo

He howls out in agony as I grip his jaw, squeezing it until he opens his one good eye. Lowering my voice so only he can hear me, I whisper, “You lay one finger on her, and I’ll cut it the fuck off. You speak to her again and I’ll rip out your tongue. You ever threatenmygirl again, I willfuckingkill you. Do. You. Understand. Me?”

“Pax,” Indie says from behind me, her hand gently gripping my shoulder. “Come on.”

I release Michael’s jaw, shoving his face in the opposite direction as I stand, and he tries to focus on my girl.

I spin around, and immediately, she throws herself into my arms, unphased by the blood I’m sure is covering the front of my shirt.

“You’re okay,” she whispers, both hands rubbing up and down my lower back as she tries to soothe me. As if I’m the one who needs comforting right now.

“Blue, stop,” I say, my voice rough. She pauses and looks up at me, her eyes glassy and red rimmed. “Are you?”

She furrows her brows in confusion. “Am I?”

“Okay?”

She tries to smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Yeah. I’m okay. You’re okay. We’re okay.”

Her words remind me of the ones she still repeats in front of the mirror most mornings.

I am beautiful.

I love who I am.

I will not let his words affect me anymore.

I am safe.

The last one that runs through my mind breaks my heart, because even though she’s tried to convince herself of her safety, I let her get hurt. I didn’t get to her in time, and he hit her. I could go to fucking jail for what I’ve done to him, and even though I don’t regret it, that could mean a long time without Indie by my side.

I’ve fucked up…

“Hey,” she whispers, pulling my focus back to the same indigo eyes that seem to soothe my soul in a way nothing else can. “You’re going to go home with Jagger, okay? I’ll meet you there.”

I shake my head. “This is my mess.”

“No,” she snaps, scolding me like a child. “Go. Now. I will handle this, okay? We’re a team, Pax. I’m tapping in. Please, go.”

I don’t know how she thinks she can justfixthis, but the unwavering certainty in her eyes as she says the words has me believing her a little.

I sigh and look around the room, inspecting the damage, and realise that all eyes are on us.

Some bystanders look sympathetic, others look concerned by my proximity to Indie.

I don’t see fear, which is surprising, but I see wariness, and that’s almost just as bad.

I feel Jagger beside me before I see him, and as he places his hand on my shoulder, I give in.

“Okay,” I say to Indie, looking down at her. “I’m so fucking sorry, Blue.”

I am sorry, in a way. Sorry that she had to see me like this. Sorry she got hurt. Sorry that I’ve shown everyone in town a side of me I’ve tried to keep hidden for years.

I’m not sorry, however, for beating the shit out of her ex-boyfriend, and as she nods in response, I know she knows what I mean.

Gently placing my hand on the back of her head, I pull it to my lips, and place a soft kiss on her forehead before releasing her and dragging myself out of the bar.

-25-

INDIGO

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