Page 129 of Power

“I lost one of my high heels,” I explained, gesturing vaguely at my exposed toes. “It lodged in Marcus’s ear canal.”

The guys exchanged a look, a ghost of a smirk brushing across their faces.

“Well, if I’m ever being attacked, I want Barbie as my bodyguard,” Axel said, his tone lightening just a fraction.

Despite myself, I nearly smiled. There was something so calming about their presence. I felt their love for Jace, felt how much they had his back.

“I called Tessa,” Blake said, squeezing my shoulder. “She’s on her way.”

“So, this Marcus guy”—Axel’s tone turned serious again—“any idea where he is?”

“Um …” I blinked, suddenly realizing I had no idea what had happened to him after the chaos. “I would assume either in a jail cell or in an emergency room.”

Blake exchanged a loaded look with the other guys. “I’ll go check.”

“I’ll come with,” Axel said, a dangerous edge to his voice.

“Me too,” Ryker added with a glint in his eye that made me almost feel sorry for Marcus.

Almost.

66

SCARLETT

Blake appeared in the room, along with Axel and Ryker. I rose to my feet, clutching my chest as I waited for the news.

“He’s out of surgery. He’s alive, but it’s too soon to know how much damage his body might’ve sustained from the blood loss. Next twenty-four hours will be critical.”

“Can I see him?”

“Soon,” Blake promised. “But, Scarlett …” He paused, looking toward Tessa, who’d arrived to comfort me. “You need to prepare yourself.”

I shook my head. “No.”

“He lost a lot of blood. Even if he survives, we can’t be certain what kind of damage his body has sustained from lack of oxygen.”

“Brain damage.”

“Or organ damage,” Blake said gently.

“But he survived.” Tessa squeezed my arm. “Let’s focus on that and take this one step at a time.”

My heart sank. All I wanted to do was celebrate the fact that Jace had lived, but the look on Blake’s face, his body language, screamed of a doctor trying to prepare a loved one for the worst.

I wanted to ask more. I wanted to ask him if there were any signs of permanent damage. And suddenly, my pain took on anew form: rage. How dare Marcus do this to Jace! How dare he pretend to be his friend when underneath he’d hated him! And how dare he—how dare he!—try to kill him!

I dug my fingernails into the palms of my hands.

“Did they find Marcus?” I snarled.

The three men exchanged a look. Something unspoken passed between them. I could be misreading it, but it felt like Axel and Ryker were furious, throwing glares at Blake, who cocked his head slightly, as if to say,We’ve talked about this.

“He’s in the emergency room,” Blake replied.

“Here?”

“Yes.”