27. Josie
josie
. . .
Damn it.
I’d barely made it to the table in time to toss back the rest of my drink and what was left of Lincoln’s, before Ellis stumbled through the crowd. The sharp stink of expensive liquor hit me before he did. He planted himself in front of me, bracing on unsteady legs, his jaw clenched tight.
It felt wrong seeing him stand where Lincoln had been just moments ago, all easy smiles and sparkling eyes.
Bishop’s gaze darted toward Ellis, his body tense with silent inquiry. I shook my head. If I so much as nodded, he’d have Davey toss Ellis out on his ass. As tempting as that was, this wasn’t Bishop’s fight. I needed to handle it myself.
“Is this why you aren’t answering my calls?” Ellis muttered. He watched Bishop and Cleo at the end of the table, ready to strike if they tried to intervene. “Because you’re too busy getting drunk at a bar?”
Empty glasses and half-finished beer bottles cluttered the rickety wooden table, but I wasn’t drunk. Not yet, anyway. He sure as hell was, though. His breath reeked of his father’s overpriced scotch.
“I wasn’t answering your calls because you were acting like a dick,” I said, snatching Lennox’s drink since she wasn’t around to stop me.
Okay, so maybe I was a little drunk.
“And you’re acting childish,” he slurred. “You and I had a simple disagreement. Why are you being like this?”
“Like what?”
“Like a stuck-up bitch. Like you’re too fucking good for me,” he let out a bitter laugh. “Let’s be real here, I’m the one doing charity work.” He leaned in close. “Time to get over yourself and appreciate that you won’t find better than me, Josephine.”
“Maybe I’m not the one who needs to get over myself,” I mumbled, taking a sip and letting the liquid courage take hold. He’d never learn, would he? God, I felt so stupid. Cleo and Lennox were right. What the hell was I doing with this jerk? “Maybe I don’t want to be with someone who blatantly ignores every warning they’ve been given.”
“Josephine…”
I slammed my hands down on the table, the sharp crack cutting through the din around us. “See? Just like that. How many times have I asked you to stop calling me that? I hate it. And I hate that I’ve told you how much I hate it, but you still don’t listen.”
He blinked at me, confusion dulling his glassy, unfocused eyes. If the crowd hadn’t been so loud, I was sure I’d hear the thunder of both our hearts pounding out of sync.
“Maybe the truth is I don’t want to be with you anymore. Maybe I never did. Maybe I thought you were a better man than you are. We’re done, Ellis. Don’t call me. Lose my number.” I turned in my chair to face him fully, adrenaline fueling a bravery I didn’t fully feel. “And while you’re at it,” I added, voice steady, “ lose my father’s number too. Seems like we both made a fucking mistake.”
Ellis stared down like he didn’t recognize me. To be honest, I hadn’t been able to recognize myself in a long time. I’d spent my life so worried about the opinions of others, to the point it became to the detriment of how I thought of myself. When Dad had gotten sick, that compulsion had only grown worse.
I had this stupid, half-cocked notion that I had to settle down and get married, no matter who was waiting at the end of the aisle—that I needed to focus on stability and worldly comforts rather than the kind that nurtured my soul.
By all accounts, Ellis had fit the bill. Successful, reasonably good-looking, and well, I’d already known him. Our families had known each other since before they had kids, and most importantly… Ellis had never cheated on a girlfriend.
Believe me, I’d asked around. Not much goes on in Ashwood without someone knowing.
But I was a fool to ignore the warning signs. Everywhere I looked, little red flags popped up, waving their banners blatantly in front of my face. This had been a long time coming. I was too little too late to come to the realization that Ellis Martin was after one thing and one thing only: my connections.
Ellis surged forward, causing the glasses to rattle as he crashed into the table. He reached for my arm, jerking me off the stool and toward his body with a shattering force. “We’re leaving,” he growled. “You’re going to sleep off whatever this fit is, and then we’re going to hope you wake up in a better fucking mood.”
“Like hell I am,” I said, looking down at his tightening grip. “Let go of me.”
“Not a chance in hell, Josie .” He sneered my name like it was shit under his expensive heel. “Not until you start fucking acting right.”
“Jesus, Ellis. You’re hurting me,” I hissed, trying to pry his hand from my arm to no avail. His grip was merciless, and I knew it’d bruise.
“Is it because of him ?” he growled, pressing his forehead against mine. His other hand traveled to my ass and squeezed. “Are you fucking that low-life bastard? Is that why you won’t?—”
Stools scraped against the concrete floor, and footsteps thundered as the crushing weight of Ellis’ body was gone. I stumbled back, looking up in time to see Lincoln’s fist collide with Ellis’ cheek. With one blow, my ex went tumbling into the tables next to us.
Someone yelled for security, and Davey came running. Bishop held his arm out, stopping him before he could break them up.
“You will never touch her again, you understand me?” Lincoln followed him, grabbing his collar and forcing him upright. His eyes were wild, and he was unhinged. There was a dangerous vibe rolling off him I’d never seen before. “Don’t fucking look at her. Don’t call her. Don’t even think about her.” His voice was low and dangerous, a warning wrapped in a promise.
“You’re fucking crazy,” Ellis slurred, regaining his composure and breaking free from Lincoln’s hold. He tried looking at me, but Lincoln grabbed his face and forced it back to him.
“What did I just say?”
“Lincoln, stop,” I called, rushing forward and laying my hand on his elbow. His body shook under my touch, vibrating with barely restrained rage. “ Stop . He isn’t worth it.”
Lincoln threw up his hand, letting Ellis stumble back against the table. “I’m done. It’s over,” he muttered as Davey barreled through to break up the fight. Lincoln wrapped his arm around my waist, tugging me close until there was no space between us.
I didn’t stop to question why or think about how quickly everything seemed to go to shit. He pressed his cheek against the crown of my head, inhaling deeply to center himself.
Two men pushed Ellis toward the door, but he wasn’t done. He dodged them, running right into the two of us, sending Lincoln and I crashing to the ground. Lincoln tried to break our fall, but he couldn’t turn in time. I landed on the ground with a thud, the breath leaving my lungs with a whoosh.
“Hope the bitch was worth it,” Ellis shouted. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyers—” His words cut off in a cry as Davey and Lennox reached him at the same time.
I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I heard him begging my sister for mercy as he was shoved out of the building.
“Josie,” Lincoln said, taking me into his arms. He didn’t so much as look back at the bastard making a scene. “Are you okay? Lemme see you, baby.”
He cupped my face, sweeping it with wild eyes. “I’m okay, I promise. It was just a fall.”
“I’ll fucking kill him,” he seethed, his gaze darting toward the door.
“No,” I said quickly, placing my hand over his. He winced, and I pulled back immediately. “Let me see your hand.” I tried to wiggle out of his hold, but he shook his head.
“I’m fine, Josie,” he muttered through gritted teeth.
I reached around and poked the swelling skin again, causing a string of curses to fly from his mouth. “Fine, my ass. Now let me see, dammit.”
Lincoln let me pull him to the small alcove near the door where it was clear. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and turned on the light. “Really, I’m fine. I’ve been in plenty of fights in my life?—”
“Hold this,” I said, pushing my phone toward him. He didn’t argue, doing as he was told while I ran my fingers over his already bruising skin.
He was right. It’d probably be fine. There was a chance of a minor fracture, given the swelling, but there was nothing to be done other than pain relievers and ice .
“Why’d you do that?” I demanded, snatching my phone back.
“Because he put his hands on you.” He said it so simply that I almost missed how his words faltered at the end. “And I’d rather risk sitting in jail than know I stood by and did nothing.”
I looked down at my feet, ignoring the strange fluttering I felt. “Well, Davey wouldn’t have called the cops, so you wouldn’t have had to rot in a cell…”
The tips of his fingers brushed against my cheek, trailing lower until he gripped my chin and tilted my face toward his. “How are you?” he asked, eyes searching my own. “Did he hurt you?”
“I’m okay,” I whispered. My gaze darted to Lincoln’s lips, just for a second, but it was long enough. He tracked the movement hungrily, drawn into the desire like I was. “I’m okay, thanks to you.”
I wasn’t sure how long we stayed like that, trapped in a moment built by need. Oh, how I wanted to bridge that gap–to close the space between our lips and give in to the maddening temptation.
But reality came crashing down as Cleo and Lennox shouted our names above the crowd. “Are y’all okay?”
Lincoln and I jumped apart as they approached. Davey and Bishop were hot on their heels. “Yeah,” I said, tucking my hair behind my ear. “I’m fine. I just wanted to check his hand.”
Davey held up an ice pack before tossing it toward Lincoln. “You good, man?”
Lincoln took it with a dip of his chin in thanks, grimacing as he placed it on his knuckles. “Yeah, I’m good. No harm, no foul.”
Davey nodded. “Technically, I’m supposed to ask you to leave… Bishop told me what happened. I know you were just defending your girl, but you can’t go around punching the shit out of people. We wouldn’t have let him get far.”
Your girl. Two words had never sounded so good. I should have corrected him, but I bit my lip and stayed silent—something my sisters both clocked.
“Naw, I get it.” He turned to me, giving my hand a squeeze. “I’ll wait in the truck until the concert ends, okay?”
“I’ll wait with you,” I said without hesitation, turning toward Bishop to ask for the keys. “I don’t feel like staying anyway.”
And that was the truth of it. If Lincoln wasn’t here, then I didn’t want to be either. I’d spent more than enough time denying my feelings, but those days were long gone.
“How about y’all take the truck home?” Bishop said, tossing me his keys.
“What about you?” Lincoln asked. “We can just sit in the parking lot until the show’s over.”
Bishop jerked his head behind him. “There’s a few hands here tonight. I’m sure I can bribe them to give us a ride home.”
I looked toward my sisters. “What about y’all?”
“We’ll bum a ride with Bishop,” Lennox said, looping her arm with Cleo’s. “You two go ahead.”
I shifted my gaze to Cleo. “You sure you’re okay with that?”
She nodded. “Yeah, it’ll be fun. I’ll be fine. There’s no sense in y’all waiting around for us.” She leaned in and kissed my cheek, lowering her voice. “Remember what I said, Josie. Nothing is holding you back anymore.”