CHAPTER 37
MACKENNA
I woke up to the sound of ringing, and when I rolled over I almost fell off the edge of the bed.
No, not the bed.
I was on the couch. Why was I on the couch?
Then I remembered waiting up for Jimmy, and realized I must have fallen asleep at some point. The phone was still ringing, vibrating on the surface of the coffee table. Picking it up, I squinted at the flashing screen.
“Jimmy?” I answered groggily.
“Mack,” he breathed out, sounding relieved to hear my voice.
“What’s going on? It’s—” I pulled the phone away and looked at the time. “—after 3 o’clock in the morning.”
“I know. I’m so sorry, baby. I sort of need a ride.”
I rubbed my eyes. “Where are you?”
“The police station.”
Gasping, I sat up straight, feeling totally awake now. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“It’s a long story.” He sighed. “I got taken in, but I’m not being charged with anything. I just don’t have a way home.”
“Okay,” I said, standing up. Stumbling around the room, I found my purse and flip flops. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Most of the twenty-five-minute drive was spent with me playing out every horrific scenario I could think of. Given Jimmy’s wild streak, combined with Jay’s shady rep, it could be any number of different events that led to him ending up at the police station.
As I pulled up outside the large brick building, I caught sight of Jimmy on a stone bench outside, elbows on his knees and head bent down.
When he looked up, I gasped at the sight of his face. His body seemed stiff as he walked to my car and got into the passenger seat.
“Oh, my God,” I breathed out. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He tried to smile, but winced and brought his hand up to his split eyebrow. Two butterfly bandages covered the wound.
All my questions came out at once. “Are you going to fill me in? How did you end up here? Did you and Jay get into a fight?”
Hanging his head, he said, “I don’t really know where to start.”
“How about you start with what the hell happened tonight,” I ground out, losing my patience.
When his eyes swung my way, it was hard to be mad. He looked so tired, not to mention he was injured. And honestly, I wasn’t really angry. I was more worried than anything else.
“Jay’s in big trouble.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “They found a pretty large amount of meth in his car.”
“That shady bastard,” I growled, and Jimmy chuckled.
“You’re so hot when you’re pissed.”
“This is serious!” I hissed. “You go out with a friend and end up in jail. I feel like I don’t even know you right now.”
Immediately, all humor left his face.
“Don’t say that. Baby, please don’t be mad at me,” he said quietly. “And, technically, I wasn’t in jail. They just wanted to ask me some questions.” He let out a tired sigh. “Could you just hold my hand right now? I promise I’ll tell you everything when we get back to your house.”
“Okay,” I relented, linking our fingers over the middle console.
The rest of the ride was silent except for the low hum of the radio, but I was too wrapped up in my racing thoughts to listen to the music. I had no idea what kind of trouble Jimmy had gotten into or how badly he was hurt.
By the time we got back to my house, he was sound asleep, and from the pinkish glow on the horizon I knew the sun would be up soon.
“Hey.” I gently shook his shoulder. “We’re home.”
Opening his eyes, he gave me a sleepy smile and started to yawn. The deep inhale must’ve been painful, because he let out a grunt as his hand went to his ribs.
“Do I need to take you to the hospital?” I asked, concerned.
“Nah.” He attempted a laugh, but grimaced. “I’ll be fine.”
I bit my lip as I considered taking him there, regardless of what he wanted. “What if something’s broken?”
“I’m just a little banged up. Been in enough fights to know the difference,” he told me, reaching for the door handle. “I just need sleep and maybe an ice pack.”
I followed Jimmy up to the house and, after getting him settled in bed, I went downstairs to get a bag of ice. When I came back, he was asleep again. I watched the steady rise and fall of his chest before reaching for his T-shirt. Lifting it up, I tried to figure out where he needed the ice the most.
I didn’t have to look very hard.
A small gasp left me when I saw the redness and bruising on his left side. As gently as possible, I set the bag there. Jimmy’s body jerked from the cold, but he didn’t wake up.
I sat back against the headboard, and I studied him for several minutes while I let the ice do its job.
Although the cut over his eyebrow was the only open wound I saw, I could tell he’d been hit in other places. There was discoloration along his jaw, and one side of his lip was swollen. His knuckles were scraped up and red. His gray T-shirt had drops of blood on it, and I didn’t know if the blood belonged to him or someone else.
I shifted on the mattress, trying to figure out where to lay. Jimmy’s body was sprawled out in the middle, so there wasn’t much room for me. It was probably best if I didn’t fall asleep in the bed. I didn’t want to leave him, but I didn’t want to hurt him with my ‘champion-level cuddling’.
Deciding it was safest for us to sleep in separate places, I gently removed the ice pack, then grabbed my pillow and went downstairs to the couch.