Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78016 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Is she okay?” The worry in her tone is evident.
“Yeah, I helped her shower and gave her some pain pills. Layla...did she drink a lot last night?” I ask, flinching when the question comes out sounding accusatory.
“What? Why? She didn’t do this, Brax. She loves you so much! She was just saying she wants to live with you. None of this makes any sense.”
“I know, I know, but she said she doesn’t remember what happened, so I’m just trying to piece it all together. I’m going to find Justin.”
“I mean, yeah, she drank. So did Kendall, Bailey, and Cynthia. But when we said goodbye, she wasn’t obliterated. She was walking and talking and laughing. She wouldn’t cheat on you. Something is wrong.”
“I agree.”
“Please call me once you know anything and tell Kaylee to call me. Her phone is off...”
I hear Camden in the background grumbling about her needing to focus on giving birth, so I quickly agree to keep her updated and wish them both luck, promising to come by the hospital as soon as the baby is born.
When I get to Justin’s apartment, I knock on his door, half expecting him not to answer. With the images flitting through my head of him kissing her neck and grabbing her tit, the calm I forced myself to have with Kaylee gets thrown out the window the second Justin opens the door, his guilty as fuck eyes meeting mine.
My fist hits his jaw so hard, he flies sideways, his head bouncing against the wall. “What the fuck did you do?” I bark, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and dragging him backward until his ass hits his couch. I don’t wait for him to answer, though, instead decking him in the face again. This time, blood spurts from his mouth, and he groans, not even trying to block me.
“What happened?”
He licks the blood on his lip, his gaze meeting mine. “What do you think happened?” he says dryly. “We fucked.”
“Wrong fucking answer.” I hit him again and again, and when I’m about to hit him a third time, he stumbles off the couch to get away. “Let’s try this again. And this time, tell the truth. What the fuck happened last night?”
He stares at me for several seconds, and just when I think I’m going to have to punch him again, he speaks. “I already told you. We fucked. If you don’t want to believe me, that’s on you.”
“So you’re telling me that while I was paying you to keep Kaylee safe, you let her get drunk, then you brought her home and fucked her?” I stalk toward him, shoving him up against the wall. “She says she doesn’t remember shit! Are you telling me you raped her?” I grab his throat and bang the back of his head against the wall, wanting to kill him but knowing I can’t.
When he doesn’t answer me right away, I tighten my grip on him, slowly cutting off his airway. “Answer me.”
“No, no, fuck, no! I didn’t rape her,” he chokes out as I tighten my grip.
“You’re saying she consented? The woman who woke up this morning throwing up everywhere and swearing she can’t remember shit. You’re saying she agreed to fuck you?” I don’t believe it for a fucking second, but I want to hear it from him. Something is off, and I’m going to get answers. “Because if she didn’t consent, it’s rape, and I’ll use every dollar I have to make sure you’re put away.”
“Nothing happened!” he yells. “I didn’t touch her.”
“Bullshit! I saw the pictures.” I slam his head back. “And I’ll use them to prove you raped her.”
“We didn’t have sex. Nothing happened, I swear! I just made it look like it did. I drugged her so she would let me, and once she was pliable, I took pictures to make it look like we were together. I swear, I didn’t rape her. Nothing happened.”
I step back, and he sucks in a sharp breath, thinking I’m letting him go. Just as he releases his breath, I punch him straight in the face. Blood flies from his nostrils, and a cracking sound indicates I broke his nose. He cries out in pain, trying to get away, but I’m not done with him, not even close.
Dragging him to a chair, I throw him into it, so I’m standing over him. “Why the fuck would you want it to look like you and my woman had sex?”
Blood’s pouring down his face, and his eye and mouth are both swelling up. He closes his eyes and shakes his head as if trying to decide what to say.
“If you even think about lying, I’m going to add a broken jaw to your nose.”
He sighs, his eyes opening back up. “My brother is sick, and his meds are expensive. They were covered by insurance until my mom lost her job and her insurance. He needed them, and they didn’t want to tell me. Without them, he got really sick and ended up in the hospital. They would make sure he’s comfortable, but in order to treat him, they needed to move him to a different hospital... a private one. You have to pay up front or have insurance.