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“He really needed to leave,” Ellis murmured from behind me. “Where is he off to?”
I shook my head as I glanced at him over my shoulder. “I have no idea.”
It took an hour for Judah to return, and in that time, I’d done nothing but sit at the kitchen island and wonder where he was. I’d texted him, but he hadn’t responded, and by the time the front door was opening again, I was worried sick. I shot to my feet and stalked out of the kitchen toward the entryway.
“Where have you been?” I snapped immediately, charging at him and only stopping when I was right in front of him.
He had a paper bag clutched in his hand and his eyes looked worse, with the bruising starting to darken. The swelling appeared much the same, though, which was a small blessing. He raised the bag toward me and grinned. “Bear claws. I dropped the other ones, so I went back for more.”
“I.... Are you...?” I stared at him in shock. “Are you fucking serious, Jude? I’ve been so concerned about you, and you went to get more bear claws?” I cupped his cheek and caressed his face with my thumb, my heart slowing down where it’d been racing. “Don’t do that, sweetheart.”
“Aw, do you love me?” he teased.
I snorted and leaned my forehead against his, careful that I didn’t touch his eyes. “You know I do. I never stopped.”
He sighed happily. “Me too. Which is why I got these.” He raised the bag and waved it. “These bear claws make everything better.”
I rolled my eyes and huffed out a laugh. “You are such a nerd.”
“Hey, guys!” Ellis came running down the stairs, nearly tripping on one as he went. I shuffled forward, ready to catch him, but he didn’t fall and instead landed on his feet at the bottom. Hilton was right behind him, skipping his way down the steps.
The skirt-and-shorts combo Ellis wore swayed as he came rushing over to us with his phone in his hand, Hilton stopping at his side. “Look, Judah, you’re famous!”
He shoved the phone in our faces, and I took it off him, watching the video of Jude weathering a punch from Shep, then one from Reaper a little later on. A chirpy song played along with it, and it was clearly edited to make it seem like something funny rather than how serious it truly was.
“There’s one of that other guy who got a beating, too,” Ellis said, but his voice became background noise in my ears as I watched the video repeat over and over again.
“Not your best angle,” I murmured, trying to keep the mood light, even though my stomach tied itself into knots. I’d stood there in the video, shock plastered on my face as I’d witnessed the event play out, and I’d done nothing. Fuck. I’d just let Shep go to town.
“I don’t know.” Judah stared at it over my shoulder. “It shows I can take a hit.”
Ellis laughed. “Trust me, Ethan can swing hard. I’ve been on the receiving end of that fist.”
“You have?” Judah asked.
Ellis pulled back his cheek and was pointing into his mouth while he mumbled something at Judah.
I tuned out their conversation as I continued to focus on the video. The loop of the punch played out in front of my eyes, and I couldn’t look away, didn’t want to. Fuck. If this was going viral, then Judah’s job was in jeopardy. He’d worked too hard for this. Maybe Elizabeth was right—I was trouble when it came to him.
I glanced at Judah from the corner of my eye. He was busy listening to the story that Ellis told him about Shep, which gave me a chance to study his bruising eyes. It might not have been my fists, but it was as good as my doing. Shep had defended me, Chaz had insulted me, and I’d stood there and not done a bloody thing.
“How about it?” Judah grinned at me and held up the paper bag again. “Bear claws?”
I offered him a wavering smile in return. “Sure. Let’s eat.”
19
JUDAH
The car went over a pothole that rattled my soul and made my eyes feel like they wanted to fall out of my head. I held my travel mug away from myself instinctively, even though there was a secure top on it. Everyone in the car groaned, even Tav, and he must’ve seen it coming, since he was driving. I brushed a stray piece of lint from the knee of my dark gray Kiton suit. I’d decided to go with one of my nicest wardrobe choices for the office today in a bid to distract everyone from my black eyes. I wasn’t sure it would help, but it couldn’t hurt, right?
Sighing, I took a sip of my coffee, and at that precise moment Ellis shimmied across the seat to peek up front, elbowing me. I grunted and sighed as a splash of coffee landed on my thigh, then did my best to brush it away.
“You really never went to college?” Ellis directed the question at Hilton in the front passenger seat.
Hilton shifted around so he could shoot Ellis a soft smile, one I’d never seen in the past, but he seemed green around the gills, despite his over-the-top outfit. He looked like someone who was trying to cosplay an office worker, with his collar popped and his glittery tipped hair trapped in a windswept arc. Another bump might have him rolling down the window to set his breakfast free, though. He stared at me with wide eyes.
“Are you sure I can’t drive? My car sickness is better when I drive.” He rested his head against the car seat and batted his dark eyelashes. His makeup was subtle, but definitely present. We sold tires, and I hoped the guys in the office would be nice about his flashy looks.
