Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 103356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103356 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 517(@200wpm)___ 413(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Fuck.
She was going to get fired, and then how would she pay the bill for Sugar? How would she buy medicine for Ryleigh? And the stuff that Kye needed? Or food?
And what about Tanner? He’d come to her rescue when he hated her. What if he got hurt because of her? She’d never forgive herself.
Getting to her feet, she attempted to stumble to the end of the bar. But Jeremy got in her way as Cherie reached for her.
“What are you doing, Lilac?” Cherie demanded.
“I have to make sure Tanner is all right. He could get hurt, and it will be my fault.”
“It’s not your fault, girl. Tanner will be fine. Been in more bar fights than you’ve had birthdays. Don’t you worry about him,” Jeremy told her.
Sounds of sirens filled the air.
“Oh, thank God,” Cherie muttered as she tugged her back.
Soon, several deputies entered Dirty Delights. People started to clear out and Devon slid behind the bar, his eyes moving over the three of them worriedly.
“Fuck. You’re all okay?”
Cherie and Lemon both nodded, standing with her. They all took in the destruction of the bar. She put her hand over her mouth in horror.
“Oh God, Devon. I’m so sorry.”
“Nothing for you to be sorry about, honey,” Devon replied, sounding tired. “Are you all right? Someone said that you were in the middle of it all.”
“There is something for me to be sorry for,” she replied, taking in everything. “This is all my fault.”
“Doubt that, honey.”
“It is. That table of guys . . . one of them called me over, wanting me to get drinks for them. I said I’d tell their server, but he got mad and grabbed me.”
“He what?” Devon growled.
She failed to notice the anger in his voice. Instead, she moved out from behind the bar, stepping around broken chairs.
“And when I froze, he got angry and pulled me toward him. That’s when Tanner appeared. I fell as he let me go, and then one of the other men at the table tried to punch Tanner. I shoved him to stop him and we landed on the floor.”
“Then what happened?” Jake asked.
She startled. When had he entered the bar?
“Where’s Tanner?” she asked urgently. “Is he all right?”
“He’s been taken to the station for questioning,” Jake told her grimly. “I’d like you to come as well.”
“Questioning? No, no, no, I can’t.” She shook her head, wincing as it throbbed. Nausea bubbled. Shit, she was going to be sick. “I can’t.”
“Okay, it’s all right. We can just talk here,” Jake soothed.
“I can’t have my name on anything.” Crap! She was revealing too much.
Jake eyed her for a long moment. “Then your name will be left off. Just tell me what happened.”
“You . . . you promise?” She shouldn’t trust anyone. She knew that. But if she didn’t tell him what happened, then would Tanner be arrested? What about his brothers?
“I do. I want you to sit down and tell me what happened.”
Taking a seat in the chair that Devon found for her, she went over everything that happened for Jake.
“Right,” Devon said. “You need to get checked over. Linc is helping deal with all of this, so he can’t take you to the hospital.”
“I can,” Devon told them.
“I don’t need the hospital,” she protested.
“Your wrist looks swollen,” Jake said. “And you might have a broken rib.”
“I don’t. I’m fine. Honestly. I’ve had far worse.”
She saw Jake and Devon share a look. Fuck, she had to stop oversharing.
“I’m good. Just . . . you’re not arresting Tanner, are you? He was only helping me.”
“Tanner Malone is a big boy. He can take care of himself. You are the one who needs looking after right now,” Jake told her.
See?
These people were so weird. They didn’t really know her. So why would they care?
“I’m not going to the hospital,” she said firmly. “I can’t.”
“I’ll call Doc and see if he can come out,” Devon said.
She opened her mouth to protest, but they both shot her looks.
“It’s this or the hospital,” Jake told her firmly.
“But Doc will do it off the records,” Devon added.
Great, just what she needed. To spend more money that she didn’t have. But she knew they wouldn’t to listen to her, so she nodded.
17
Tanner looked up as the door to the interrogation room opened and Jake stepped in.
“Fuck. Finally. Am I free to go?”
“We interviewed some witnesses. They all said that you grabbed that guy, Tanner.”
“Because he touched my girl.”
“Your girl?” Jake sat across from him. “She said nothing about being yours.”
He ran his hand over his face. “Fuck. Fine. She’s not mine. But I know Lilac. We met six months ago. I’m not going to stand by while some asshole puts his hands on her. Fuck. I wouldn’t do that for any woman in Haven. I can’t believe you’d expect me to.”