Page 98 of Unexpected Prejudice

Jordan

I held the pouch with the money close to my chest as I made my way from the bus station to the club.

It was a twenty-minute walk, which I already knew all too well.

Since I started to pay my father’s debt regularly, thanks to Shay-Lee’s help, I came here myself, quickly learning that it was much better to come to the loan sharks than to have them come to you.

Little did I know about The Venetian, the club where I met Mike and his thugs to hand them their money. All I knew was that Mike’s boss owned the place and it was an exclusive club reserved only for the elites. I was never allowed to go in and only saw the place from the back entrance, which wasn’t nearly as glamorous as the front.

About five minutes from the club, my phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my pocket. I thought it might be Mom looking for me, only it was Don who texted me.

Don: We got one of the rats. Meet us at the shithole they came from.

Everything stopped for a minute as I re-read the bone-chilling text that made my hair stand on end. Rats. He was talking about one of Andrei’s guys, but which one?

Me: Who?

I bit down on the tip of my nail while waiting for his answer, which was shortly to arrive. Instead of a text, he attached a photo of Jess. Fuck.

All I could think about was what he and Lin almost did on Halloween. The thought alone scared the shit out of me and drove me into action. I put the location Don sent me into my phone maps, and five minutes later, I was already on my way, praying to God I’d get there on time.

The last thing I remembered was stepping into that gym and punching that asshole, Don, in the face. After that, everything went black, and the next thing I knew, I woke up in the hospital.

The room was dark, so it took me a moment to realize where I was and what had happened, but once I spoke with the doctors, everything was clear. I had a concussion and needed to lower my exposure to light. It was supposed to help with the terrible headache. I had a concussion once before from football, but this one was a thousand times worse. Thankfully, it was better today than it had been yesterday.

After being with me the whole day, I finally convinced Mom to go home, where she could sleep through the night. The doctors wanted me to stay for observation only, so her staying here was unnecessary. She had nothing to worry about, and I’d much rather she rest.

Earlier today, I shared the room with an older woman, but since she got discharged this afternoon, I had the hospital room all to myself, which was nice. The shutters were slightly closed, allowing the barely there moonlight to enter the dark room.

Still facing the window, I heard the door open and close and assumed one of the nurses was coming to check on me. They came every few hours to ask some basic questions and ensure I was okay. So, when I felt someone caressing my neck and moving their hand down my body, I quickly turned to see who it was.

“Shay-Lee?” I asked, my voice weak and strangled with shock.

The room was dark, but I still managed to recognize him from the silhouette of his hair, the touch of his skin, and the scent of his rich cologne.

Without saying a word, he moved his hand to my face and traced my bandages with shaky fingers. A weak sound came from him, a sob, before he whispered, “I’m sorry.” It was so quiet I thought I might have imagined it, but then he repeated it.

“I’m so sorry.” His voice trembled, and I reached for his hand and pulled him close, not caring about my injuries, as I made room for him on the bed. In an act that was so unlike him, he gave in to the touch and allowed me to cover him entirely so his head was buried in the crook of my neck while my arms held him close.

“I’m so sorry.” I felt the tears running down his cheek and wetting my skin.

“It’s okay,” I promised, holding his trembling body tighter.

“I-I didn’t mean to do it. I-I didn’t…” he tried to say through tears. “I-I didn’t mean to do it.” His crying worsened to the point that he could barely speak.

Right now, the pain in my heart from hearing him break down was worse than my injured body. I was confused and clueless about what was going on, but none of it mattered because he was in pain. The twisted guy I loved was suffering, and I didn’t care whether he deserved it or not. All I wanted was to hug him until he calmed down.

“It’s okay. I’m here.” I kissed the top of his head while moving a lock of stray blond hair away from his face and wiped some of his tears.

“I am a terrible person,” he sobbed. “It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry.”

“What is?”

A heartbreaking sob broke from his throat before he said his name.

Miles.

Why did he mention him? Until now, I was sure he was talking about what they did to Andrei, Jess, Levi… but Miles?