“Fuck you!”

“You’re not really my type,” I reply as though we’re having a regular conversation, and turn to walk past him, but then I pull back and punch him square across the jaw, knocking him on his ass.

Josh picks him back up again by the hair.

“And given that I know a lot of people, ’cause I do, I’m going to make sure that every fucking inmate in that prison knows that you like to bully women.” I walk past again and thrust my elbow into his nose, sending a spray of blood across the room.

“Fucking A!” Jack yells, and doubles over in pain as blood pours out of his now-broken nose.

“Hurts like a bitch, doesn’t it?” Zack growls into Jack’s ear.

I land a hard punch to Jack’s ribs and he doubles over, falling to the floor.

“Leave him there,” I mutter to Zack when he makes a move to lift Jack. I kick him three times in the ribs. “You are most likely going to die in prison, Jack, which suits you.” I pull him up by his hair and land a punch to his right eye, sending him crashing back to the floor.

“I’m going to ruin you for this!” Jack screams.

“Who’s going to fucking believe you?” Josh taunts him. “I didn’t see anything.”

“If you ever”—I plant my heel into Jack’s neck, holding him down to the floor and restricting his airway—“even so much as think her name again, I’ll make sure you die in prison, and it’ll look like suicide, you miserable piece of shit.”

Jack throws up all over the floor, heaving from the threat, and from the damage to his ribs thanks to my foot.

“Put him in a chair.” I stalk away from the evil man at my feet.

Josh and Zack each take an arm and roughly guide him into the chair.

“I should have waited until you were with her so I could kill you too,” Jack sneers, one of his eyes swollen shut and blood pouring down his face and onto his orange inmate jumpsuit.

“Go let Brad know he’s ready to go back to his cell,” I direct Zack and Josh, keeping my eyes pinned to Jack’s. When my friends leave, I push my face into Jack’s and reach down, squeezing and twisting his dick in my hand. Jack cries out in pain and tries to push me away, but I hold firm and whisper, “I’ll make sure you will die with your dick in your mouth if you ever try to get near her again. Are we clear?”

He makes a motion to spit at me, so I tighten my grasp on his dick and he cries out again. “We’re clear!”

“Good.” I stand back just as Brad opens the door.

“You done here?” He raises an eyebrow when he sees the Jack’s condition.

“Yep. I’m not going to take his case after all. And it looks like his cellmate must not like him much either.”

“Jack pisses everyone off,” Brad agrees, and pulls Jack out of the chair and down the hallway toward the holding cells.

I walk out into the rainy fall night and join my friends at my Jeep.

“You okay?” Zack asks.

I nod and sit in the passenger seat. “I need to get back to Lo.”

“We’re on our way.”

Chapter Nineteen

LAUREN

“Everything still fucking hurts,” I grumble as I slowly descend the stairs into the living room. It’s been a week since I’ve been home, and Emily and Ty have been here every second of every day, driving me up the fucking wall.

I love them both, but they have got to stop hovering.

“Are you sure you won’t take the pain meds?” Emily asks worriedly.

“No, just the ibuprofen.” I settle into the deep cushions of the couch in the family room. “I’m sick of sleeping all the damn time.”

Emily bustles into the kitchen to fetch the pills and water, then returns. “If you need me to stay, I’ll make some calls and stay another week.”

I swallow the pills and set the water aside. “I’m fine, Em. Honestly, I’m getting better every day, and I have Ty here. You need to get back to your family.”

“What will you do when he’s at work during the day?” Emily frowns. “Maybe it was too early for him to go back.”

“He just went back today.” I chuckle. “Life has to go back to normal. I’ll probably work myself.”

Emily nods and smiles at me softly. “I’m so happy for you, Lo. That man is totally head over heels in love with you.”

“It’s mutual.” I sigh. “He’s just . . .”

“Fucking hot.”

“I was going to say amazing, but hot works too.”

“You deserve to be happy.” Emily grips my hand in hers and squeezes gently.

“I wish my parents knew about him.” I sigh and rest my head on the back of the couch.

“Did they know him?”

“Yes, they knew of him. But his parents didn’t mingle in the same circles, and he and I didn’t hang out together in school, so they didn’t know him well. I wish they could know him now, as he is as a successful man.”

“What else would you like for them to know about him?” Emily pulls her legs up under her and rests her head in her hand.

“How considerate he is. He’s always putting my needs first. He makes sure I eat, for God’s sake.”

“And?”

I sigh and close my eyes, thinking of the man I love more than anything. “He’s kind. Reliable. He loves his family fiercely.” I open my eyes and meet her gaze. “He loves me fiercely. I wish they could see that.”