Chapter 42 The shit show #2
But Zoey got him first. “You goddamn son of fucking fuck!” she gritted out as she slammed her palm into his face.
My vision went red as my body moved of its own accord, watching his fist fly in slow motion.
Spurred by a combination of rage, grief, and adrenaline that I could taste, I grabbed the man from behind and threw him off her.
I didn’t remember following him to the ground, but I did memorize every sensation of that first punch.
I could smell the liquor on his breath. I could feel the cartilage in his nose break under my knuckles.
I hit him two more times before Cam and Gator dragged me off him.
Chaos erupted as Levi flipped the bruised and bleeding Gerald onto his stomach to cuff him. Audrey and her shaking kids were led away by my parents and Dr. Ace.
“Nice punching, good guy,” Zoey wheezed cheerfully from the ground. She had blood on her forehead, on her face, and her cheek was already starting to bruise.
I pulled her to her feet. “He could have had a fucking weapon,” I said coldly.
“He did,” Levi said. His voice was coldly furious as he held up a small fixed-blade knife.
Zoey examined the bloody cut on her left forearm while she cradled her braced wrist to her chest. “That explains this.”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I breathed. I was so enraged I could barely see straight.
“Damn, kid. Where did you learn to hit like that?” Cam asked her as half a dozen people offered cocktail napkins to Zoey.
Because she was bleeding. Because she’d run at an armed and dangerous man without thinking about the consequences. She’d literally thrown herself at danger.
I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. Couldn’t do anything but stare at the blood and the blade.
She could have died. He could have killed her.
I could have lost her because I couldn’t get to her. Because I couldn’t count on her to prioritize her own safety. “That was the stupidest fucking thing you could have done, Zoey,” I snapped.
My tone had Cam and Levi pausing to give me “what the fuck” looks.
“Whoa there, Gage. I get that you’re upset. That was pretty intense. But that guy was dragging her away, and no one was doing anything,” she said. “Can someone get me a glass of wine or, like, a vat of margaritas?”
“So you decided rather than call for help, you were going to be the fucking hero,” I pressed.
“Man, don’t do this,” Levi said under his breath, but I ignored him.
Hazel raced up with an open bottle of champagne. “Zo, are you okay?”
“I got hit in the face, stabbed in the arm, and my wrist hurts again, but I’ll be fine after that bottle,” she joked.
I still couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. This was what life with her would be like. One disaster after the next until she took a risk she couldn’t come back from.
“You could have been killed,” I said.
Hazel slowly began to put herself between me and Zoey. “He’s upset,” Zoey said.
I stepped around my brother’s fiancée and pointed at Zoey. “I knew you were impulsive, but that was just stupid and selfish. You didn’t ask anyone for help. You just threw yourself into a dangerous situation without thinking about anything or anyone else.”
“She called for help, man,” Cam said.
“She yelled for you,” Levi said.
I shook my head, trying to clear it, trying to remember. But all I could see was her running away from me. Toward danger.
Zoey was suddenly in front of me, hands on my chest. “I called for you and then Levi because I knew he was nearby and could handcuff the guy,” she said calmly.
But I couldn’t listen to her, couldn’t look at her. Fear was a living beast trying to claw its way out of my chest.
“Hey, your heart’s beating really fast,” she whispered.
“Maybe it’s because I can’t believe you’d be so stupid,” I said icily.
Her hands slid from my chest. And Hazel stepped in again, looking like she was ready to murder me.
Zoey took a breath. “I get that you’re having some big feelings right now, but you don’t get to talk—”
“You tried to warn me. Said it would be a mistake. You weren’t kidding,” I said on a humorless chuckle.
My heart couldn’t stop pounding. Everything was a jumble in my head.
Zoey lying on the ground. Laura lying in a hospital bed.
“I can’t be with someone who would be that careless, that reckless.
I can’t deal with this. With you. I’m done. ”
I felt like there wasn’t enough oxygen. I’d almost lost her. I couldn’t protect her. I couldn’t protect anyone. Audrey had been in danger because I hadn’t insisted on the restraining order, and Zoey had almost paid the price for it.
“Hey!” Hazel snarled, stepping between us once more. But Cam cut in front of her and shoved me back a step.
“You’re gonna wanna shut the fuck up now.” Cam’s voice was low, and I heard the warning in it. But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered.
“No, it’s fine,” Zoey said flatly. “We’re definitely done here.”
There was a finality in her tone that cut through the surface layer of rage and fear.
I opened my mouth to say something, anything. But nothing came out. Nothing but the bitter taste of fear.
Audrey reappeared, gauze visible through a small bloody hole in her shirt. “Oh my God, Zoey! Are you okay?”
“I’m one thousand percent fine, Audrey. I swear. Are you okay?” Zoey asked, forgetting all about me and opening her arms.
Audrey fell into them, and the two embraced. “I’m so sorry. So sorry.”
Zoey pulled back and put her arm around Audrey. “It’s not your fault.”
Audrey shook her head and blinked back tears. “Things had been… escalating. I should have said something, should have anticipated. I’m so sorry.”
Levi and I shared a heated glance. My brother had been right. There was more going on than Audrey had let on to either of us. I’d missed it and Zoey had almost paid the price. Voluntarily. It was too much to unpack. Too many failures to dissect.
“You’re not responsible for anything he did. But boy, am I extra glad about your divorce now,” Zoey said. “Let’s go get a drink and maybe some more hugs.”
“That sounds good,” Audrey said shakily.
Zoey looked over her shoulder at me, and I saw nothing but emptiness in those gorgeous green eyes. Hazel followed after them, shooting eye daggers at me as she went. Together they returned to the patio, where my parents and the better part of Story Lake converged on them.
“Jesus, how the hell are you supposed to drive attempted murderers around in your fucking pickup?” Cam complained as we loaded Gerald into the back seat of Levi’s truck.
“Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you forced me to be chief,” Levi snapped.
“Do we even have a jail?” I asked wearily. I felt like I’d lived a decade in the last thirty minutes.
“You called for Miller,” Cam said to me.
“What? No, I didn’t.”
“Yeah, you did,” Levi said.
“Whatever. Is she okay?” I asked, unwilling to say Zoey’s name out loud.
“Who? Audrey?” Levi asked.
“No,” I said stubbornly.
“Zoey’s fine,” he said, taking pity on me.
“But what the fuck is wrong with you?” Cam demanded.
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
Levi slammed the door on Gerald’s drunken pleas. “That was really fucking stupid back there.”
“I know. She never thinks before she acts,” I agreed.
“Not Zoey. You, dumbass,” Cam cut in. “You better hope she’s as forgiving as Hazel was when I was a complete dickwad and almost ruined our relationship for the rest of my miserable life.”
“I really enjoyed handcuffing you that night,” Levi mused.
“I know you did, asshole. Gigi, you fucked up. You better find a way to fix it,” Cam told me.
I scraped my hands over my face. “You sure she’s okay?”
Levi leveled me with a look. “Why don’t you go check for yourself.”
I shook my head. “I can’t. I need to go.”
I was on my third glass of bourbon still not fixing a damn thing from my couch when I heard someone let themselves into my house. Moments later, Nana, the world’s worst guard dog, escorted my mother into the living room.
Mom flipped on the lights, sat down next to me, and propped her feet up on the coffee table. Nana hopped up on the cushion next to her grandmother.
“It’s eleven o’clock at night. What are you doing here?” I demanded through the pleasant numbing haze of alcohol.
“Came to see if you’re all right.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because your sex partner got hurt defending one of your clients from the man you were helping her divorce, and you yelled for your deceased brother-in-law’s help. Then you said some really stupid things and came home alone.”
“I had a long day, Mom. I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine and fucking dandy.” The bourbon made it hard to pronounce all the words.
She heaved a sigh and patted me on the leg. “Sometimes you’re so good at being almost perfect, I forget to worry about you too.”
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Ha. Right. Listen, kid. We all went through one hell of a trauma. We’re all going to handle it differently. We all have our go-to coping mechanisms. Some of them are healthy, some of them not so much.”
I took a loud slurp of bourbon.
“When you and your brothers were finally reunited, I put you to bed that first night, and I stood outside your room and listened to you say your prayers. You wanted to know that if you were a good enough boy, would that mean nothing bad would happen ever again.”
“Mom, I was barely four fucking years old.”
“And you spent the next thirty-plus years doing your best to be perfect to make sure nothing bad ever happened again.”
“Yeah, well, obviously I wasn’t perfect enough.”
“You were the sweetest little boy. For six months after your brothers came to live with us, you would get up in the middle of the night and go into their room just to check on them.”
“I probably wanted to make sure they weren’t doing anything to make you regret bringing us home.”
“You were a little boy then,” she said again. “But you’re a man now. And you know that no matter how good you are, you can’t protect everyone you love from all the bad things out there. You also know you can’t just stop loving us.”
I grunted. “A fucking inconvenience if you ask me.”
She took the glass from me and downed the rest of the liquor.
“Hey, get your own,” I complained.
“You fucked up a little tonight, kiddo. You weren’t perfect. But you are good enough. And I have a feeling that after a good night’s sleep, you’re probably going to see things more clearly in the morning.”
She patted my leg again.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Want me to tuck you in?” Mom offered.
I cracked a sort-of smile. “I think I can find my way.”
“Okay. We’ll see you at the lodge for brunch tomorrow. Do some celebrating. This was a big thing Hazel and Zoey pulled off for all of us.”
“Yeah. Sure.”
She got up. “I’m gonna go home and fight your dad for the last of the Chubby Hubby.”
“Text me when you get home.”
“My sweet boy.” Her smile was soft, and then it sharpened. “You’re going to feel like shit tomorrow, and you’ll deserve it, but remember I love you.”