Lead (Stage Dive, #3)(67)

“Let me see.” He lifted my hands away, gingerly feeling up my ankle. “Wiggle your toes.”

I did so.

“Probably not broken then.”

“No.”

With gentle fingers, he brushed off my sole. “Why are your feet all dirty?”

“News about the interview came up on a TV in the bar. Have you ever tried to run in heels?”

“Okay, calm down.” Without warning, he slipped an arm beneath my knees. The other went behind my back and then up I went. Whoa, the man was strong. I heard no knees creaking or any complaints of lower back pain. All of the weight lifting he did must be paying off. He carried me in and placed me on his bed while I blinked the tears from my eyes. My ankle had apparently been replaced with a hot throbbing mess.

I’d never been in Jimmy’s room before. He had a big-ass bed covered in super-soft black sheets—Egyptian cotton would be my guess. The walls were painted a soft grey and some dark wood furniture was carefully arranged. No wonder he’d been aghast at the lived in appearance of my room. Apart from the smashed lamp on the floor in the corner, the place was immaculate. He saw me look at the broken light and said nothing. The shadows in his eyes were a horrible thing to see.

Damn the woman to hell for hurting him this way. Hadn’t she done enough damage when they were little?

“I always figured you’d have mirrors on the ceiling,” I said, tipping my head back, trying to take his mind off the drama.

“I’ll get right on that.” He sat on the ginormous mattress beside me, placing my foot in his lap. “What the f*ck was going through your head out there, huh?”

“Reciprocity. You destroy hotel rooms and kick stuff in, now I beat down doors. We have something in common, you know? It was going to be a beautiful moment, really bonding.”

“Lena,” he growled.

“I had to get to you.” It was the simple unadorned truth. Didn’t mean I needed to be looking at him when I said it, however. Ever so slowly, I flexed my ankle, turning it this way and that. It ached, but it wasn’t the pass-out-and-die kind of pain any longer. Now it seemed closer to some mild form of torture. “Crap, ouch.”

“Dave, call a doctor,” he yelled to the hallway. “I need them here now.”

“On it,” he said.

Oh, great. Everyone was present to see me in my moment of triumph. I slipped a finger either side beneath my glasses to wipe away any last remnants of tears. Two nights running I’d been reduced to this state. When had my life gotten so crazy? I shrugged out of my coat, got comfortable for the duration.

“Here.” Ben rushed in, handing Jimmy a bundle of ice in a tea towel.

He held it against my heroic war wound, the chill giving me goose flesh. Though frankly, now that I could see clearly, Jimmy didn’t appear to be all that impressed by my bravery and determination. Dark hair fell around his face as he frowned at my foot. There were a good five or six wrinkles on his forehead, a critical mass of creases. The man was seriously unhappy.

By now, everyone else had wandered on in, drawn by the drama. Liv didn’t seemed particularly enthralled by the goings on either. Though enthralled didn’t quite fit and neither did confused. A mix of baffled and dismayed might best describe her expression.

“You need anything else?” asked Ben, hovering a few feet back.

“No,” said Jimmy, staring at the French polish on my toes compliments of the beautician he’d paid for. “We’ll just wait for the Doc.”

David slid an arm around Ev’s neck. “Alright, we’ll hang downstairs until he arrives. Yell if you need anything.”

Jimmy nodded, still holding the ice pack to my ankle. His other hand firmly braced the underside of my foot. As if I’d try to get away if he wanted to touch me, I was too far gone for such wisdom.

People shuffled on out.

“Jimmy?” Liv’s voice had a slight tremor to it.

“Talk to you later, Liv.”

Her hands moved restlessly at her sides. “I probably better get back to LA. I’ve got fittings starting in a few days.”

“Right.”

“Okay.” Liv pasted on a pretty smile. Full marks to her, the woman was one hell of an actress after all. “Bye.”

“Yeah.” He didn’t even look at her, the jerk. It was highly tempting to kick him with my good foot, make him be polite at the very least. But that would not only solve nothing, it would also be extremely hypocritical of me. Despite knowing Jimmy should date, seeing him with another woman hurt well beyond the current throbbing in my foot. It was just that the pain in her eyes was one I knew all too well, I couldn’t help but relate.

Me and that pain, we were best buds on oh-so-many levels. Jimmy Ferris was hell on a girl’s heart (and occasionally on the ankles too).

Liv left.

For a few minutes we sat in silence, my slowly freezing foot resting atop his thigh.

“Jimmy?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you tell me what happened?”

His fingers tensed around my heel. “We were sitting at dinner and suddenly everyone’s phones started going nuts. Apparently she only got fifteen grand for it, she should’ve held out for more. Adrian’s got lawyers on it, but … I told him to let it go.”

“Why?” I gasped.