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“Kurt?” Denver snorted. “Oh my God. I thought his name was Kirk.”
Elle’s throat worked as she swallowed. “Just tell me. Please.”
Straight out and fast. That’s the kindest way.
“I came back to the bus and heard some noises. They were coming from Ryan’s bunk.”
Elle’s expression relaxed. “Ry?”
“No. Not Ry.” Denver cleared her throat. “Sweetie, he was having sex with a groupie in Ryan’s bed.” Which would require serious extermination of the mattress later, but that wasn’t pertinent right then.
“A groupie? Who?”
“No one I’d ever seen before.” Denver rose after Elle jerked to her feet. “Look, I know it’s tough to hear, and Lord knows, I’m pretty much the worst ever at delivering this kind of news, but—”
“Maybe it was a mistake.” Elle rubbed the towel over her hair once more and tossed the towel on the couch. “The bus is dark and it’s late and you were probably drinking.”
Denver frowned. “I hardly ever drink.”
“You do after shows. Besides, you and Ryan were fighting, so maybe you got lit. Who knows? It’s okay. You can do whatever. I’m just saying, it’s easy to get mixed up.” Elle rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms, still studded with rain drops and goose bumps, and turned to face Denver. “Maybe you made a mistake.”
The plea in Elle’s voice nearly swayed her, as did the sheen of wetness in Elle’s big blue eyes. But lying to her wouldn’t help her long term. She might not like hearing the truth now, but better this way than when she was in deeper.
“She didn’t get mixed up. He was balls deep in that trashy bitch,” Mal said flatly from the back of the bus.
Elle paled and dug her nails into her arms as she closed her eyes.
Inwardly, Denver winced. Of all times, Mal had to pick now to nut up. “I’ve got this,” she said tightly. “Go back to bed.”
“I can’t sleep with all your blathering anyway, so might as well just say it clear. Your guy was a fucking douche. Be glad you realized it now. Now go to bed and get some goddamn sleep, and I’ll do the same.”
Mal had turned around and taken a step when Elle spun on her heel and charged toward him. She slammed the heel of her hand against his shoulder blade and he didn’t move. “What do you know about it? Huh? I thought the only trashy bitches on this bus were the ones you brought on here.”
Mal didn’t react, though she didn’t stop striking him. Every word she’d said she punctuated with a blow.
“Elle, it’s not his fault. I swear to you, he was only trying to help.” Denver rushed forward, stopping just short of touching Elle. She seemed brittle enough to shatter. “Neither of us knew what to do. We just wanted to get him off this bus and away from you.”
“Fuck that. I knew what to do and I did it. He was a piece of garbage, and I got rid of him.” Mal turned and stared down at Elle, who didn’t so much as back up an inch. “If you’ve got a problem with that, go find him in the gutter where I dumped him.”
Elle reared back and slapped him, so hard that Denver recoiled. Christ, this was all going sideways.
Before any more blood could be shed, Denver grabbed Elle’s arms and banded them behind her back. “No. Don’t do something you’ll regret for someone who isn’t worth it.”
Mal stared at Elle and said nothing. His cheek had already flamed bright red from her palm.
If Elle had tried to fight her, Denver would’ve been prepared. What she wasn’t ready for was Elle’s shoulders shaking as she began to sob.
Denver shifted Elle around and cupped her head to her shoulder as she cried, her gaze connecting with Mal’s over Elle’s head.
Without another word, he went back to his bunk.
Denver led Elle over to the couch and tugged her down, half pulling her onto her lap as she cried. She didn’t know what else to do. Elle was tall for a woman, but she didn’t weigh much. Her tears were enough to make her petite frame shudder.
Worst of all, Denver was a sympathetic crier from way back, so listening to Elle lose it had her on the verge of a floodfest herself. So she screwed up her eyes and pressed her cheek to Elle’s head while her friend released all the pain.
Rocking her silently. Rocking them both.
“I just wanted someone, you know?” Elle asked between sobs.
