DRASTIC (Book 4 of the Soundcrush Series)

Chapter 81: Smart Girls Get The Worst One Yet

Marley

TJ breaks down over the news about Daemon. Bodie comforts him, because I cannot. Darius stares at them for a long moment, and then walks out, wandering down the empty street in front of the country hospital as dawn breaks. I follow, Adam on my heels.

Bodie overtakes us all, catching Darius. He wants us to go back inside, for TJ, but I lose my shit and I scream at him to take us home right now.

Something indecipherable passes from Bodie to Adam, and Adam once again leads Darius away with the lure of calling Gwen again. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised, but Bodie tells me he can't take us home right now. He says Sixmob has business that can't wait.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I say quietly.

"Do you think there is anywhere I want to be except with you and Darius?" Bodie is calm in the quiet morning. "This is still a house of cards, baby. I can trust you to do your part. I can't trust any Sixer now, that Daemon is dead. They are all wild cards without a leader to bind them. I have to lock them down, so we can finally be done with this."

Oh my god, he can't be serious. It sounds exactly like Bodie means to step into Daemon's shoes and become Sixmob's leader.

I shake my head, stepping away from him. "I.Am.Done.With.This.Now."

"Jasm—"

He reaches for me, but I break his attempt to pull me to him violently, my hands coming up to strike at him.

I shove him. "Don't fucking call me that! I'm not her! I can't be her anymore!" Just as I pushed him away, I now advance on him. "Do you not see what we have done to our son!?!?! Because Jasmine loves you?"

He stands perfectly still against my rage. "Yes," he says simply.

"You lied to me so many fucking times."

"I told you from the beginning there were things I couldn't—"

"You knew! You knew about the paternity test. I saw it on your face when TJ confessed!" I hiss.

"I knew TJ was planning to switch the samples. I never knew the result. I never knew you kept him. Not until the night Cain Priestly died. That's the truth."

"Like the truth matters now!?!?" I scream, shoving him again. "Everything we have is based on lies!You've never done anything but lie to me!!!"

I move wildly, I don't know if I mean to shove him or claw him. He grabs my hands.

"Like you never lied to me? You were lying to me the minute I met you. I fell in love with a lie and a cheat! And nearly every lie I've told these last two years, baby, you were lying with me! We are just alike, me and you, don't you fucking forget it."

"Fuck you!" I scream through tears.

"Fuck me is right, because I love you. Lying, cheating, conniving little girl that you were, I loved you. Fierce survivor that you've become, I love you. And you love me," he growls, shaking me by my hands.

The security guard from the hospital entrance is approaching us, hand on his gun.

"Ma'am, is this man bothering you?"

I'm screaming and hitting, but obviously Bodie is the bad guy here, because I look white and he doesn't. Bodie rolls his eyes and lets me go, holding up his hands.

"This is my girlfriend. We just lost a family member to violence. She's upset."

The cop looks at me for confirmation.