Page 110 of A Tragic Melody

“When they come to talk to you, ask for a lawyer. Most likely they won’t appoint you one because you shouldn’t be under arrest, but just pay for one, anyone you can get. Then you tell them everything this piece of shit has ever done to you. It won’t save me, but you need to understand that’s not why I want you to tell them. You need to tell them because he deserves to face his crimes, like I will face mine.” His thumb strokes my cheek. “You can tell them what I did to you, too. You should. But don’t mention the drugs. There is no need for them to know about that. With any luck, he won’t be able to talk when I’m done with him, and no one will ever have to find out about that.”

“Wyatt…” My voice comes out shaky, and soft.

“Shh.” He rubs his thumb over my lip. “I’m doing this for you, but I’m also doing it for me. You don’t have to get better. What you do after all the dust settles, doesn’t matter. I just can’t sit by and watch you suffer at his hands anymore. I can’t.”

“Thank you.”

“Take care of yourself, Tues.”

He is saying goodbye. I know that, but I hate it. My hand reaches out, clinging to his arm.

“Wyatt, don’t do this. I need you. I can’t fix myself without you. Together, we could⁠—”

“It’s too late for that, Tues.” He offers me a small smile. “If I walked away, maybe we’d have a chance, but I think if I left you here with him, I’d have found myself a needle and jammed it in my veins. I can barely stand what I did to you, but leaving you with him? That stopped being an option the minute I kissed you.”

Tears drip down my face as he pries my hand off him.

“Get dressed, okay? I don’t want you to see any more of this, but I’m not done with him yet.”

Putting on my clothes hurts, but I move as quickly as my body will allow. Wyatt walks me to the door, shutting it behind me once I’m out without saying another word.

Tears blur my vision as I walk down the hall. It takes all my effort not to turn around and drag Wyatt out with me. Maybe we could run, come up with a story, find a way to cover this up.

But I know based on the state Hendricks was in when I left, there is no way out of this mess for him. He sealed his fate to get me out of mine.

The minute Quinn spots me, he rushes over. I can’t imagine what I look like right now.

“Tuesday? Are you okay?”

“You need to call the cops,” I whisper, my voice cracking as tears roll down my face.

“Why? What happened? Are you okay?” The concern in Quinn’s voice does little to soothe the pain in my chest.

“No.” I shake my head. “But you have to call them. And an ambulance.”

“Are you hurt?”

“Yes. But it isn’t for me. It’s for Hendricks.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

I’m not a murderer. That’s both good news and bad news.

Hendricks will have a long road to recovery, but he survived. Of course, whatever hospital bed he lies in, he is also handcuffed to.

That makes up for the fact he isn’t dead, but the charges I’m facing make me wish I hit harder, to be honest.

Tuesday had a mountain of dirt on him and more evidence than I was expecting. I’m a little surprised she was willing to reveal it all. She had text messages of him threatening her in horrible ways. And when they searched his stuff, they found plenty more evidence to back her claims.

It might help shave off a year or two from my sentence, but I’m not holding out hope for that. I know better than to expect any leniency from the judge for what I did. My knuckles still hurt, and it’s been a few days. I did not hit lightly.

My career is as good as dead. I doubt I’ll ever see the stage again. Hell, I doubt anyone will ever let me near a guitar for money again.

Was it worth it? Maybe. Do I regret it? Not even a little bit.

I’m sitting in a prison cell in an orange jumpsuit. Not surprisingly, I’ve been denied bail this time around. Now I’m trapped inside a cell with a man who committed petty theft, and can’t afford bail. Unlike him, I deserve to be here. He was just trying to feed his family.

What a fucked-up system. I only hope this lopsided system doesn’t offer Hendricks any sympathy for what he did or the money he has.