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A smirk tilted my lips, and I chuckled, the anxiety in my chest loosening. “I know you’re pissed?—”
“Very fucking pissed,” he corrected.
“I need you to do me a favor,” I told him. And I hoped like hell he wasn’t so mad that he wouldn’t do this for me. “In the morning right before school, my house should be empty.” God, I didn’t want to send him there. Just the mere thought made my skin crawl. But I had no other option. Ezra was my only hope. I just fucking hoped the house truly was empty like it was supposed to be—like it normally was. “I need you to look under my mattress. I cut a hole into the bottom of it. There’s a wad of cash there. I need you to use it to bail me out.”
Ezra sighed. “I can go now?—”
“No,” I rushed out, my voice coming out sharper than intended. “Sorry, baby, but no. Not until in the morning right before school, okay? And do not, for the love of God, let Spencer go with you.” I knew Ezra could defend himself if he needed to, but I didn’t think Spencer could—not against the kind of people he might need to. The mere idea of Spencer stepping into that house made vomit claw its way up my throat.
“Logan…”
“Time’s up,” the guard said, snatching the phone from my hand. I sneered at him when he slammed it on the hook.
“Fucking dick,” I growled.
He shoved me forward away from the phone. “Don’t test me, Barefield.”
I clenched my jaw and bit my tongue to keep myself from saying something I shouldn’t. Instead, I stayed mute, letting him roughly lead me back to the holding cell.
* * *
“Barefield, let’s go. You’re being sprung.”
I opened my eyes, looking up at the new guard who was unlocking the holding cell. I’d apparently slept through the shift change, but I was glad to see the other guard gone. He’d been a real fucking dick, and I’d been about an hour away from getting another charge added.
I stood to my feet and stretched before strolling out of the holding cell. I had no idea what time it was, but if I was being bonded out, it had to be early in the morning. While I was glad to be out, I just hoped that Ezra hadn’t encountered any issues when he’d gone to my house. Normally, everyone was gone when I left for school, but sometimes, someone happened to be there. It was rare, but it happened.
The officer tossed the bag of my personal items onto a desk, and I yanked it open before sliding my rings back onto my fingers. After shoving my phone into my pocket, I pulled my hoodie back on before following the guard out to the front of the police station. I stumbled a little in surprise when I saw Spencer’s dad waiting on me—not Ezra.
“Uh…” My voice trailed off. Because what the fuck was I even supposed to say?
He jerked his head toward the exit. Silently, I followed him, wondering what in the hell was going on. Why was he here instead of Ezra?
It was still dark outside when we walked out. My phone was dead, so I had no way of knowing what time it was. Once we were seated in his car, he turned the engine on and backed out. Not a word was spoken until we were about a mile away from the police station. And it was a tense as fuck silence.
Jaxon glanced over at me before focusing back on the road. “Spencer has been worried sick. So worried he came to me, begging me to help.” I winced. Fuck. “I know we’ve only met once, Logan, but you could have asked for my help. I know what it’s like to be in a tough situation. I also know what it’s like to feel like the world is against you.”
I grunted and drummed the fingers of my right hand along my thigh. “It’s not like that.”
Spencer’s dad snorted. “It’s exactly like that, Logan. I was your age once. Stuck in a shitty neighborhood. Crappy fucking parents. If trouble didn’t find me, I went looking for it. So, I get it. Saw it in your eyes the first moment I met you.”
I clenched my jaw, feeling like my skin was crawling. He’d seen through my front so damn easily, and it made me feel displaced. Out of sorts. I was so used to being able to hide beneath my carefully constructed mask. This vulnerability was… wrong.
“So what now?” I asked, glancing over at him.
“For now, I’m taking you back to my place. You’ll comfort my son, promise him you won’t make any more stupid or rash decisions, and then you’ll eat the damn good dinner I made without complaint.”
“That’s it?” I asked him, blinking in surprise.
He nodded. “That’s it. Tomorrow, you’ll stay out of school, and I’ll take you to meet with an attorney.”
I snorted and turned my head, looking out the window at the passing trees and buildings. “Not sure if you haven’t figured this out or not, but I can’t afford a fucking attorney.”
“Language,” he scolded. I sighed and scratched at my jaw, my nails scraping through the light stubble on my face. “And no one said anything about you paying them, Logan. Stop jumping to conclusions.” I gritted my teeth. Jaxon might be hot, but he was grating on my nerves and ripping me open. “Right now, I just ask that you do as I say. I don’t want to see you in jail. It’ll destroy Spencer. My son is falling in love with you, and he doesn’t just love anyone.”
I swallowed thickly at his words, my heart skipping a beat in my chest. My palms grew clammy at the thought of Spencer loving me. I wanted it so goddamn badly, but fuck, I wasn’t even good enough for him.
“An asshole posted a picture of me, him, and Ezra at the Halloween party,” I found myself explaining after a few moments of tense silence. “I knew who it was, and I went to take care of it.”
