Page 79 of The Assist
“I’m gonna walk,” Nathan says and heads off toward the house before lighting a cigarette. Coach is gonna kick his ass if he sees him smoking. Not my problem now.
“What took you so long?” I ask as Joel unlocks the car and Z and I toss our bags in before squeezing ourselves into the small sports car. He starts the engine and then let’s out a long breath. “We have a problem.”
He hands me the phone, and I suck in a breath. “What the fuck is this?”
“It’s everywhere. Like fifty different people texted me the site.”
I read the title and scroll through the Valley Wild Girls website. What the actual fuck?
I pull out my own phone and dial Blair.
“She isn’t answering.” Panic laced with frustration and desperation fills my voice.
Joel’s phone beeps, and I read the text from Mario. “They’re at The Hideout.”
I scroll back through the text exchange between Joel and Mario where the latter outlines what transpired tonight. The short version: David is dead. “I’m gonna kill that fucker.”
Joel’s grip tightens around the steering wheel as he flips a U-turn. I tap restlessly on the dash until he screeches to a stop in front of The Hideout.
Mario and the baseball guys wait by the door.
“Where is she?”
“They’re hiding in the bathroom. She hadn’t seen it when they went in, and well, you can guess the rest.”
Mario steps in front of me, blocking my entrance. “You need to know something else. David’s in there. He was walking in as we pulled up. Thought we better wait for you.”
I push past him, and Joel grabs my arm to slow me down. “Easy, killer. You have a gimp leg, and there’s a bar full of people. Take a deep breath before you go in there and get yourself in trouble.”
“Don’t give a flying fuck, man.” I pull free and keep going.
I spot David and see red. I manage to turn to Mario. “You guys should go. Get the girls out of here.”
I’m anxious to get to Blair. There’s so much I want to say and so much I have to apologize for. This is all my fault. I need to make sure she knows I’ll take care of it, but first, I need to deal with David. I made him a promise, after all.
Mario nods.
David has the audacity to look surprised as he watches me stalk across the bar.
My hands ball at my side, and I don’t give two shits about the guys standing around him.
This asshole is gonna pay.
Before I can get to him, Vanessa flies across my vision and is up in his face. Mario and his guys flank Blair and Gabby. Gabby’s here? Blair doesn’t look up no matter how much I silently beg her to. I need to see her face. See that she’s okay. Vanessa’s voice pulls my attention back to David.
“You’re a worthless piece of shit.” She grabs him by the shoulders and knees him hard. So hard that my boys shrivel up and hide in fear. Damn, V is savage.
“Douche canoe,” she spouts as she flips her brown hair over one shoulder and marches back to Mario’s side. Mario gets the girls out of the bar just as it erupts in a collective groan. David doubles over in pain, but it isn’t enough. I want him lying on the ground. Joel and Z follow me to the table David and his cronies occupy. Z crosses his arms over his chest, displaying his massive size. Glad he’s on my side.
David stands upright, but he doesn’t see the punch coming, and as my knuckles meet his jaw, the pain feels fantastic. So good that I go in for another and another. My vision goes black.
“All right, all right. That’s enough,” Z says sternly, but I don’t miss the humor in his voice. He catches my arm, and I still as awareness returns. David’s buddies look torn between standing up for their friend and getting their own asses beat or letting me take my pound of flesh without their intervention. I’m almost hoping they’re stupid enough to come at me. I don’t have beef with them, but I’m looking for any reason to hit something else.
Z and Joel have other ideas. They pull me back and shove me down into a booth.
“Hope that was worth it.” Z points outside where red and blue lights flash.
“Oh, it was worth it.”
