35 - Sawyer
35
Sawyer
Ahahahahahaha.
God damn did that feel good.
The bouncers threw me on my ass the moment we were outside. But then police sirens wailed, and before I knew what was happening, I was being handcuffed and thrown in the back of a police cruiser. But I didn’t regret what I’d done. In fact, with every passing second I was more certain that I’d made the right decision.
Sometimes an asshole just had to be punched in the face.
But it wasn’t really a decision, not in the sense that I thought about it before acting. As soon as I saw Appleton approaching Sophie behind the bar, and the way her entire body recoiled from his presence, my feet had a mind of their own. I shoved chanting customers out of the way, desperate to reach her before that piece of shit laid a hand on her.
And even though my knuckles felt like they were on fire, I didn’t regret a damn thing. The only regret I had was that I didn’t get a chance to see what Appleton’s face looked like after I was done with him.
“Yeah,” I muttered to myself in the holding cell of the Tarrant County Jail. “Definitely worth it.”
I laid down on the cold cement bench and closed my eyes. It was as far from comfortable as could be, but I immediately drifted off to sleep. It wasn’t just the adrenaline crash, either: it was the calm knowledge that I’d done the right thing, that my conscience was crystal-fucking-clear.
“EASTON!” one of the cops shouted, pulling me out of my sleep. “Get up. Your bail’s been posted.”
“All right, then,” I said, standing up and stretching while the iron bars wailed in protest as the cell door was opened. My back ached; I must have been sleeping for a while. Sure enough, there was sunlight shining through a window we passed in the hallway. It was the next day.
We rounded a corner, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Sitting in a chair in the waiting room was Sophie. She was wearing the same outfit as last night, jean shorts and a short-sleeve flannel button-down. She had her arms crossed and was slumped to the side, sleeping.
Fuck. She was even more beautiful sleeping than she was awake.
“You didn’t have to bail me out,” I said.
Her eyes fluttered open, locking onto me. She stretched her arms over her head and said, “Yeah, I did.” She rose to her feet. “You didn’t have to punch Appleton last night.”
“Yeah,” I replied. “I did.”
She smiled.
I spent a few minutes filling out the release paperwork. Then my belongings were returned to me. Most of them, at least.
“Where are my throwing knives?” I demanded.
“Evidence locker,” the desk cop replied. “Didn’t you read the paperwork? In addition to disorderly conduct, you’re charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The defendant is claiming you threatened him with the knives.”
“That’s bullshit!” Sophie exclaimed. “He only punched him!”
I clenched my jaw, then grabbed the bag with my other belongings and turned away.
“Any chance I can get a ride?” I asked.
Sophie sent one final glare at the cops, then said, “Why do you think I waited all night for your bail to be posted?”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said.
Her smile made something soften behind my ribcage. “Yeah. I did.”
We stepped out into the sunlight, and I felt myself smiling. Yeah, punching Appleton was definitely worth it. Even with the bullshit charges.
“Surprised they let you out on bail,” someone drawled as soon as we were outside. “Aggravated assault is a serious charge.”
Ted Salmon was wearing jeans and a tan Carhartt jacket rather than his white suit, but he looked every bit the jackass he always did. He was flanked by two men who looked like bodyguards, based on their build and the way they eyed me like I might be a threat to the billionaire.
“I knew Appleton would go crying to daddy,” I said. “But I didn’t think he’d do it so fast.”
He ignored my comment. “I’ve got a lot of friends in Fort Worth. I can make those charges go away.” He snapped his fingers. “Just. Like. That.”
“I don’t need to listen to this,” I told Sophie.
She glared at Salmon. “I’m parked over here.”
“Bull Riding’s your strongest event,” Salmon said before we could walk away. “You’re scheduled to go right after Chris.”
I frowned. “The schedule’s not released until the day before the event.”
Salmon snorted. “I make the schedule, boy. Chris’ll go before you. And when it’s your turn, all you have to do is make sure you don’t score higher than him. Do that, and these charges will magically disappear.”
I felt my blood begin to boil. “You want me to take a fucking dive?”
“Of course not!” Salmon laughed. “You’re welcome to get second place. So long as Chris gets first. What do you say?”
I took a few steps toward the man, which prompted the two meatheads on either side of him to move closer. Yeah, definitely bodyguards.
I collected a wad of saliva in my mouth and bent forward, spitting it onto his expensive boots. “That’s what I think of your offer.”
Salmon never looked down, and his face earned a few more wrinkles as he squinted at me. “You’ll regret that.”
“Lick my balls,” I said, showing him my middle finger. “Come on, Sophie.”
As we walked to her car, Salmon laughed quietly to himself.