Wild(93)

            She shook her head. “Forget about it. It’s okay.”

            Rachel chose that moment to join us.

            Craptastic. Things kept getting better.

            Reece looked at her, then me. His nostrils flared and he swung his stare around the room, clearly searching for his brother. “Where is he?”

            I shook my head miserably.

            Rachel laughed. “Guess you weren’t his one call.”

            “Logan was there, too?” Pepper asked.

            Annoyance started to prick at my nerves. “Look, I appreciate y’all coming here, but I only called Em.” I so did not feel like a group interrogation this morning.

            Pepper looked crushed, so I amended my tone, wondering why I was tiptoeing so much around them. They weren’t my parents. And I’m the one who spent the night in jail with a prostitute who wanted wardrobe advice for a crime I didn’t commit. “It was a mix-up. They let us go. They’re not pressing charges.”

            This didn’t alter their expressions. Emerson and Shaw looked at me like I was some kind of curious creature that might perform tricks for them. Pepper just looked worried, as though I might spew pea soup next. Reece looked tense and unhappy, ready to rip into his brother at the first opportunity. Which was right about now.

            Logan and the other guys emerged through the doors. His gaze took in the group of us at once. He hesitated before shaking his head slightly and walking over to us, resignation clear on his face.

            He looked slightly rumpled, exactly like he had slept on a bench in a police holding cell. His gaze fixed on me. “You okay?” he asked, his voice low, intimate, even though everyone was watching, listening.

            I nodded, an inexplicable lump rising to my throat.

            He glanced next at Rachel. She shrugged with a wry grin. “Sure. What’s a night in the slammer? Our new friend Darcy gave me her pimp’s number in case I ever need a job.”

            Logan rolled his eyes at her joke.

            “What the fuck, Logan? I’m pretty sure getting arrested could cost you your scholarship.”

            Logan settled cool blue eyes on his brother. “Yeah, if I was actually charged with anything. It was a misunderstanding.”

            “A misunderstanding that landed you and Georgia in jail.”

            “Me, too,” Rachel piped in with an overly bright smile. “Not that anyone cares.”

            Reece turned his blistering gaze on Rachel. “Considering you were the one to get him involved in that club in the first place, no, I don’t really give a rat’s ass.”

            “Back off,” Logan growled.

            Rachel shrugged. “It’s all right. He’s not wrong. Of course he shouldn’t care about me. I’ll go wait for my ride outside.”

            I watched Rachel go, for some reason wanting to call her back. I felt bad for her.

            “Reece.” Pepper touched his arm.

            Reece looked down at her and then back at Logan. Remorse clouded his face, which he quickly chased off in favor of looking obstinate again. “When are you going to start making smart choices, man? I get that you and Rachel have been friends a long time, but you can’t let her drag you down anymore.”

            “You don’t get it. Rachel is family. When you left me with Dad, I didn’t have anyone. She was there. She understood.”

            Reece nodded at me. “And what about Georgia? You gonna ruin her life right along with yours?”