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The guys merely blinked at me.
Then José scratched his head as he asked Wick, “When’d you get a cat?”
I pointed down at Bingley, who was still curled up and asleep on my lap, and he yelped, “Holy shit, man. You got a cat.”
Turning to Wick, J.J. shook his head as if extremely disappointed. “You traded a used condom for cat shit? Unbelievable.”
Zack shifted a finger back and forth between me and Wick. “So, wait. You two have kept in contact since that night we saved you from Dandridge?”
“Oh, I live here,” I said. “Wick rented out his second room to me since I needed a place to stay.”
“What the hell?” Arlo blurted before slicing a glare to Wick. “You turned me down when I tried to rent that room from you.”
Zack just shook his head. “I can’t believe you let Nicholl’s girl move in with you. Man, are you fucking crazy?”
Even Bear had to look disappointed. “You had to know nothing good would come from that, Web.”
I sent Wick a worried glance as the guilt consumed me. He had encountered problem after problem since I’d moved in. The gash under his right eye and scrapes and bruises running up his arms were only the tip of the iceberg compared to the extent of trouble I’d brought on him.
And now his friends seemed to be turning against him, too.
“Please don’t look at him like that,” I begged. “This wasn’t Wick’s fault. He didn’t do anything wrong. All he’s ever done is try to help me. And he was adamantly opposed to my idea tonight. He tried to talk me out of it multiple times. He only decided to help when he realized I was going to go through with it, no matter what, and he didn’t want me going alone because he was worried I’d get caught, and hurt, which was exactly what happened. So, this is all on me. My stupid plan. My fault.”
J.J. smirked. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I already blamed you completely.”
“Hey, cut it out,” Wick warned him before turning to me. His gaze lost its cool edge and he looked regretful as he said, “This is not all on you. I could’ve turned you down.”
But I shook my head. “No, you couldn’t have,” I argued. “Just ask any of your friends.” I glanced around at his pals. “Would he ever leave any of you hanging to go off and do something stupid and crazy by yourself if you were determined to see your mission through?”
They were quiet for a moment before Zack shook his head. “No, probably not. Not Webster.”
“He’s stubbornly loyal like that,” Bear agreed.
“But Nicholl’s girl?” Arlo whined, wrinkling his nose in disgust. “Why’d it have to be her?”
“Shut it,” J.J. was the one who hissed at him, smacking him on the back of the head. “If Web thinks she’s worth it, then she’s fucking worth it.” Except the dark glance he sliced me said he disagreed. “Now… I’m still waiting to hear what happened after the fake hookup scene was created on Nicholl’s bed.”
“Oh.” I cringed. “Right. Well, that should be obvious. Topher walked in on us before we could escape, and he called his boys back to hold Wick down and beat the crap out of him while he smacked me around.”
Eyebrows lifting, J.J. repeated, “Smacked you around?”
I pointed to my red, mildly swollen cheek. “Smacked me around,” I repeated.
He transferred a look to Wick, who merely bowed his face and buried his face in his hands as if trying not to think about that portion of the night.
“That didn’t go over so well with Wick,” I said, making J.J. snort his agreement. “So he somehow managed to break free of the three
guys tearing into him, and he…well…”
“Nicholl was barely conscious by the time I got there,” Zack said. “Web was like a wild animal. I wasn’t sure if he was going to stop, so I physically tried to pull him off.”
“And he got a little elbowed in the face for his efforts,” I added on a cringe.
Zack merely shrugged. “But I eventually got him to stop.”
“Sorry about that, man,” Wick spoke up, his voice low and trembling slightly.
As Zack answered, “Hey, no problem. I’d go ape shit on anyone who hurt my girl too,” I smoothed my hand across Wick’s shoulder, hoping to ease his tense muscles.
