“Well, it isn’t your room, is it? Percy paid the fee. I’m an employee. So maybe you need to—”
“Shut the hell up.” I take a step to her, looking at Nate in case I get myself in deeper than I can dig out. “Wasn’t one Hughes brother enough? Sorry, Nate,” I add as an aside, making him chuckle.
Red’s jaw drops. “Excuse me?”
“Let me make this crystal clear for you. Get out. Leave Dominic alone. Find another man to throw yourself at, but this time, try to find one that isn’t taken, okay?”
Her eyes narrow as she comes towards me. Nate puts a hand in between us.
“Hey,” he says, looking at Red. “Time to go.”
“Are you blinded by her money too?”
“Go, Hannah.”
“Y’all are fucking crazy,” she growls.
“Nah, we’re being pretty restrained, I’d say,” Nate tells her. “If you want to be pissed, be pissed. But keep Cam out of it.”
“Oh, protect her,” Red glares. “I don’t get it. I don’t.”
“You don’t have to get it,” Nate tells her. “But that doesn’t change the way it is.”
She leaves with a direct glare at me as she goes.
“Nate, give us a second, okay?” Dom breaks the quiet.
“I’ll grab the car and be around back so we can get you out of here. Sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”
“If it’s broken ribs, there isn’t shit they can do. I’m not paying that bill.”
Walking to Dom again, I feel a shift in the air. A shiver runs down my spine as I take in the look he’s giving me.
“Sit down with me for a minute,” he says softly.
I do, placing my hand over his. It’s cool and damp and makes my stomach churn. “I feel responsible for this. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s mine.” He heaves a breath, blowing it out slowly. “I should’ve had you watch from the locker room or at least stood in the tunnel. I just . . . I didn’t think clearly.”
“It’s my fault,” I assert. “You told me what this was like and I got you hurt . . .” My eyes leak again, my heart breaking, the force of which almost knocks my breath away.
“Nate should have the car around in a few minutes. I need to go home and get some meds and try to get some sleep.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
His face is blank. “I, um, I think I should go alone, Cam.”
“Why?”
“I have a lot on my mind and I just . . . I need some space. I think you do too. You could’ve gotten hurt worse than me tonight, and by the grace of God you didn’t. Think about that, Camilla.”
“Don’t call me ‘Camilla,’” I demand, my breaths turning into hiccups as reality settles on my shoulders.
He hangs his head. It only spirals me harder down, down, down.
“I have thought about it,” I say, going back to his point. “I made the decision to come here, and if it was wrong, I’ll take the blame. I’ll pay my penance. Just don’t block me out,” I cry.
“I’m not blocking you out. I just . . . this was my worst nightmare. At least I got hurt and you didn’t.”