“Things became violent, they fought, and Freddie is in the hospital. Jamie is at the station.”
My stomach churns. “I think I’m going to be sick.” I pull my hand from his to cover my mouth. I haven’t known Freddie as long as I’ve known Jinx and Lozz, but he’s still someone I trust—one of the few people I really trust.
“I called my lawyer. He’s going down to the station to bail Jamie out, but he did a number on Freddie, so we need to be prepared for what might happen.”
I close my eyes and drop my chin to my chest. Jamie has always had a temper, and when he loses control of it, he becomes irrational and can’t restrain himself. I can only imagine what he did to Freddie when he found out he was the one behind what’s been going on, especially when he considered him a close friend.
“I just can’t believe this.” I want to ask why, want to understand, but right now isn’t the time for me to ask questions. Right now, I need to get myself together and make sure I’m ready to help Jamie, because it seems like he’s going to need me. “How long do you think it will be before your lawyer gets him out?”
He checks his watch. “My guess—an hour, maybe two.”
“I want to be there,” I say, and he shakes his head. “Don’t tell me no, Braxton.”
“I don’t want you at the police station. I’ll have my lawyer bring him to my place. He can stay with us there while we wait to find out how Freddie is.”
Freddie. I don’t want to be worried about him, but I am, and I’m sure Jamie is too. “Exactly how bad is he?”
“Jamie didn’t know. He just said he was bad and unconscious when the EMTs took him away. I’ll make a couple calls and find out when we get home.”
“Okay,” I say then look at Alisha and Bret. “I’m sorry about this.”
“Don’t apologize,” Alisha says softly.
“I’m going to pay the bill,” Bret adds then looks at Braxton. “Why don’t you and your mom get Dakota to the car?”
Without a word, he stands, bringing me up with him, then he leads his mom and me through the restaurant. When we get outside, he leaves Alisha and me to wait under the awning near a warming light while he goes to the valet stand. It’s not freezing, but the temperature has dropped enough to make me wish I had my jacket. I wrap my arms around my middle, and a moment later, Braxton comes over and slips off his jacket, wrapping it around my shoulders.
“Thank you.” I lean into him as his arm circles my waist, and then we wait in silence for his car, the knot in my stomach growing by the second. If I had my cell, I could call Lozz or Jinx and ask them what they know, but now all I can do is think of every worst-case scenario.
An hour later, I sit on the couch with a cup of tea in front of me, my leg bouncing up and down as I stare at the elevator. Braxton came out of his office a few minutes ago to let me know Jamie is on the way and that Jinx and Lozz are with him.
Since we got home, he and his dad have been on the phone with his lawyer, another lawyer, the police, and the hospital, trying to find out how Freddie is doing. I don’t know how I would deal with this situation without them. Even Alisha has been cool and calm, trying to put me at ease.
“Drink some tea,” Alisha urges, picking up my cup and handing it to me as the intercom buzzes.
I take it from her and have a sip, wishing the warmth would wash away the worry as she gets up. I listen to her tell security to allow them up, and when the doors to the elevator slide open a few minutes later, Jamie steps out with Lozz, Jinx, and a man wearing a suit following them. My stomach bottoms out and my hands shake when I see the blood on Jamie’s shirt, the cut on his lip, and the black eye he’s sporting.
He comes to me and takes a seat on the couch at my side with Lozz and Jinx doing the same, the three of them looking somber as I absently hear Alisha tell the lawyer to follow her to Braxton.
I set my cup down, rest my head on Jamie’s chest, and stare at the two men sitting opposite us. I want to say something, but I honestly don’t have a clue what I could say that would make any of this better.
I look up when Braxton comes into the room, and his eyes soften on me before he walks the lawyer to the elevator. Once the older man is gone, he comes into the living room and looks at my brother. “Freddie is fine,” he says, holding Jamie’s eye, and I squeeze my brother’s waist. “The doctors said he had alcohol poisoning, which is why he blacked out.”
“So I didn’t hurt him?” Jamie asks, sounding as relieved as I feel.
“You did, but not as bad as you thought you did. They are keeping him in the hospital overnight, and the cops are going to talk to him in the morning when he’s sober. There is a chance he could press charges against you, but he’s going to have some questions to answer himself, since the cops were able to match his prints to the ones on the box we intercepted.”
“I still can’t believe he did this shit.” Jinx sighs.
“I wish I could tell you it wasn’t him, but I found out a few minutes ago that he’s on video in the elevator.”
“I don’t get why he would do it. He never flirted with me, he didn’t even really talk to me.”
“I knew he had a thing for you,” Lozz admits, running his hand through his long hair. “He just wasn’t sure if Jamie would be cool with him asking you out, and he wanted to make sure you were over the Troy shit before he did.”
“You never mentioned that to me,” Jamie says.
Lozz sighs. “I never thought it was a big deal. I sure as hell didn’t think he’d do the shit he did.”
“I don’t want to bring this up now, but we need to call Dan. We’re down a band member, and we’re going to have to find someone to replace Freddie before we go on tour.”
“Shit,” Jamie groans. “I want to kick his ass all over again.”
I sit up to make room for Braxton on the couch next to me, and once he’s sitting, I curl into his side, resting my cup on his thigh. “You need to wait to see if Freddie presses charges,” Braxton says. “If he does, that might make it a little more difficult for you to leave town. If he doesn’t, you can explain what’s happening and ask if Dan knows someone who can fill in for Freddie until you can find a replacement.”
“I didn’t really want to call him tonight anyway,” Jamie says, and my eyes soften on my brother’s tired face.
“Do you want to stay here?” I ask, and Braxton gives my upper arm a squeeze of approval.
“Nah, I’m going to head home.” He sits up, patting my leg, and then he eyes Braxton. “Thanks for everything you did tonight, man. I really appreciate it.”
“Anytime,” Braxton replies quietly, and my throat gets tight with emotion. Somewhere along the way, he and Jamie have formed a bond that is all their own, and that is something I didn’t know would be so important to me.
Jamie stands, and Jinx along with Lozz get up as I push off the couch, pulling Braxton up with me. “How are you guys going to get home?” I ask them when we reach the elevator.
“Don’t worry about us. We’ll grab a cab when we get downstairs,” Lozz tells me, giving me a hug. I hug Jinx next then go to my brother when he opens his arms.