T.J. was pacing. Again. It seemed that was all he did lately. Each day, he walked miles in the same spot, trying to drive away the image of Cassie. Not only was she haunting his dreams, she was now terrorizing his every waking breath.

“You summoned us,” Leo drawled, his frame coming into view from the threshold of the Shot of Sin office.

“Again.” Brute shouldered his way into the room.

Shit. His heart was in his throat, his pulse a rapid beat, his palms sweating. He couldn’t stop the fear that throbbed through his veins, telling him he was making the wrong choice by continuing with the divorce. The apprehension increased with every passing second that neared the day he would legally sever himself from his wife.

“What’s the reason for the meeting this time?” Brute scowled. “Apart from the need to re-carpet the office due to you wearing down the pile.”

T.J. planted his feet, fighting the urge to keep moving. He’d kept track of Cassie every day since she’d found the lone email he should’ve deleted. Jan was keeping an eye on her, Shay too, and every spare second he had was spent doing drive-bys past his old house in an effort to feel close to her. He’d called a time or two, exchanged a few guilt-filled words, but she never wanted to talk. She was moving on, and doing a better job of it than he was.

“I think I’m making a mistake.” He ran a shaky hand over his jaw. He hadn’t been able to say the words aloud all week. Only the panic wouldn’t stop. His chest was pounding with each tick of the clock.

“Which one?” Leo raised a superior brow and sank into the sofa opposite the office desk.

T.J. shook his head. This was a mistake. It was nerves. Indecision. Obviously, he’d have to experience some form of chaotic regret as the time dwindled to doomsday. What he was feeling was only natural… Right? “Just forget it, okay?”

He had less than forty-eight hours to get through. Relief would come once the divorce was final. Cassie would start to drift from his mind once they were legally separated. She had to.

“Spit it out,” Brute grated. “I’ve got suppliers to call and wages to pay.”

T.J. closed his eyes and rubbed the tension from his forehead. His friends were going to be pissed. They deserved to be after what he’d put them through.

“I think going ahead with the divorce is a mistake.” He glanced at Brute, winced at his furious expression and then turned his focus to Leo. “She knows the truth now. There’s nothing left to hide. It’s only my guilt keeping me away, and I don’t think that’s enough anymore.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Brute stared at him, deadpan.

“I don’t know.” It was the truth. He couldn’t think straight anymore. His conscience was aware that leaving Cassie was the right option. But his heart? His soul? Every part of his chest that pounded all day long? They all told another story. They pushed him to go after her and make sure she was coping with the news.

“You’re joking, right?” Leo asked. “You’ve already dragged her to hell and back, and now you want to do it again?”

“I don’t know.” That was the problem. He couldn’t decide. “I don’t know what to do. I’m not sure if this is cold feet, or if it’s intuition telling me I need to change my mind before it’s too late.”

“It could be your menstrual cycle.” Leo crossed his arms over his chest and sank back into the sofa. “You’ve been majorly moody lately.”

“You’re one to talk,” Brute interrupted. “I seem to recall putting up with the same shit when you were having problems with Shay.”

“Point taken.” A grin stole across Leo’s face. “So, what do you need from us?”

T.J. shrugged. “Just tell me I’m doing the right thing. Tell me I can’t go back and beg her forgiveness.”

“In that case…” Leo cringed. “I think you’re right.”

“That case?”

“If the aim is to stop her from hurting, I’d let her go. She’s recovering better than you’d expected. She’s going to counseling, and Shay is always over there doing girlie things. She’s not dying without you.”

But he was dying without her.

“You’re wasting our time,” Brute grated. “You don’t want the truth. You want us to stroke your guilty conscience and make you feel better. You want us to placate you and come up with suggestions that will never be better than the option to cut and run.”

True. All of it was true.

“But if you’re looking to punish yourself, I’ll give you my honest opinion.” Brute’s frown increased. “You’re a fucking idiot for taking her to that club and leaving her alone. But most of all, you’re a fucking idiot for letting her go. I know it, Leo knows it and so do you.”

“She never asked for this lifestyle or the depravity that skirts the boundaries of what we do. And what if I hurt her again? What if I fuck up?”

“You’re worried about making another mistake?” Brute scoffed. “Don’t. If you fuck her over again doing some stupid, irresponsible shit, you won’t have time to deal with her pain, because I’ll fuck you up myself.” Brute spoke without a hint of humor. Not even a glimpse.

His friend would do exactly as promised and not spare a thought.

“You fucked up once, give yourself a break,” Leo added. “But if you fuck up twice, I won’t save you from Shay. I promise she’ll be more of a threat than Brute.”

“I’ll never hurt her again,” he promised. He’d die before he caused her more tears.

“No.” Brute raised his voice. “Hurting her is inevitable. It’s how relationships work. Don’t even think you can go rekindle your marriage and treat her like glass. If you do go crawling back, do right by her. Treat her exactly the way she wants to be treated, not the way you think she deserves. Her fragility is your issue, asshole, not hers.”

Asshole. That was as close to an endearment as T.J. would get from Brute.

“You both know I love her more than life,” he murmured.

Brute smiled, all teeth, no charm. “And you know I’ll gladly take her off your hands the next time you mess up.”

T.J. rolled his eyes and focused on Leo. “Any more words of wisdom from you?”

“Yeah, you’re running out of time.”

“Don’t you think I know that? Tomorrow’s the last day before the divorce is finalized.”

Leo winced. “Yeah, tomorrow’s also the day Shay takes your wife out for a night in the city to help her move on.”

Goddamn it. That kick-started his heart into next Tuesday. “Are you serious?”

Leo inclined his head. “Deadly serious. And from the look of the outfit Shay picked out for Cass, she won’t be going home alone.”