Bad Things (Tristan & Danika, #1)(101)

I didn’t respond, still moving, and looking, room to room, frantic to find her. I had the worst feeling in my gut, I knew that the faster I found her, the better chance I had of keeping this from turning into something that I couldn’t handle.

I found Cory, and Kenny, and Jared, but still no Danika.

When I finally did come across her, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I was so shocked, that I just stood there for a moment, frozen in place.

That piece of shit was touching her. No, not just touching her, kissing her. On the lips. With his mouth. His arms were wrapped around her, too, but all I could focus on was what I needed to do to his face.

Danika wrenched away from him suddenly, her eyes furious, the curve of her mouth disgusted.

I lost my mind, my last clear thought before I went ballistic being that I would destroy him. I would rip him apart, piece by f*cking piece, for touching what was mine.

The next thing I remembered were cuffs snapping onto my wrists. I shrugged my shoulders, and the cops looked ready to Taser me for that small movement. I couldn’t blame them. When men my size went ballistic, bad things happened, as evidenced by the guy being pushed away in a gurney.

I looked around, saw my brother, Kenny, and Cory, but no Danika, or Frankie.

“Where is she?” I asked Jared, digging in my heels when a cop tried to prod me forward. I’d move when I was good and ready.

“She left. Frankie took her home.”

“Was she okay?” I asked, shrugging off the cop’s hand on my shoulder. “Give me a f*cking minute,” I told the officer, turning to give him a hard look.

He swallowed hard, but set his jaw. If I pushed him much more, he’d Taser me to prove a point.

I turned back Jared.

Jared shook his head. “She was really upset, but she didn’t get hurt or anything. You didn’t touch anyone but that guy in the gurney.”

I nodded, finally letting them lead me away. I knew I’d only made things worse by losing it, but even this second, when I thought of that guy touching her, putting his hands and his mouth on her, I wanted to pound his face all over again. And the fact that he was an ex, that he’d had sex with her at some point, that he’d been inside of her. Mine. Well, that made me want to kill him.

I was lost in my own thoughts to the point that I barely noted what was going on. I summoned up a smirk for my mug shot, but even through the booking, I wouldn’t answer a single question that they asked me. I thought that if I talked about, even mentioned that piece of shit that had been touching her, I’d lose my mind again.

I was focused on one thing. “Don’t I get a phone call?” I asked the officer that had been nonstop questioning me, growing increasingly frustrated when I just gazed off into space.

“You a fighter? You pro?” he countered.

I ignored that completely, even though I knew they were trying to trump up the chargers. “Phone call,” I said stubbornly. I needed to call her as soon as possible, and start with the apologies. I was already f*cked. Giving her more time to stew about it would only make things worse.

“Fine. You can make a phone call. Just answer some questions for me first.”

I zoned out again, only hearing that he wasn’t giving me the only thing I was interested in.

Nothing really got me out of my own head until I was being led into a room, and sitting at a table, was James Cavendish.

He raised his brows at me, waving a hand at the seat across from him.

I sat, eyeing him up suspiciously. We’d met several times now, but I still wasn’t sure what to think about the pretty boy billionaire. My first inclination was not to like him, but he made that harder almost every time we talked.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him.

He gave me an enigmatic smile. “Frankie called me. You had my dearest friend upset, which I take strong exception to.”

“She’s my friend too,” I said defensively, “and I didn’t mean to upset her.”

“Yes. I see that. You went Hulk smash, and the rest is history, but let me get to the point here.”

“Please do,” I said tersely.

“I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but I’ve backed your band financially.”

I sure hadn’t been aware of that.

“I’m not even directly involved in that industry, but I’m not a man who sees a good investment and just watches it walk away. I’ve been working on a record deal for you, a solid one, but another incident like this, and you will tank all of your chances. This can’t happen again.”

I didn’t mean for it to happen this time, I thought. “Got it,” I said. I wouldn’t blow it for the guys if there was a chance I could help it.

“Unfortunately, I’m not convinced. You see, I saw the other guy. I’ve posted your bail, and I’m paying all of his medical bills. But what you did to him…the injuries he sustained, those are not the actions of a man in his right mind. I hear they had to pull you off, or you would have kept going, but the damage was already very substantial, as it is. I’m not pleased.”

“Join the club,” I growled, because I was as disgusted with myself as anyone.

“I’m going to need some insurance from you that your behavior will change. My lawyers can get your sentence down to probation, they’ve assured me, but you will be attending anger management. You doing coke?”