“Luke,” Scarlett shouted to me. “Stop. Someone help break them up.” She sounded frantic. A part of me recognized that I shouldn’t be fighting like this, but it was too late to stop. Anger and betrayal propelled me on.
“Don’t,” Seb said. Someone was going to try to jump in, maybe to break it up, maybe to assist Monroe. Either way, Seb’s warning to stay back stopped him.
Matt tackled me to the ground, but I quickly flipped the script. I pummeled him, taking a few shots along the way too.
Wes and Seb pulled me off him at that point, stopping me before things went any further. Wes held me back, my breathing labored, adrenaline pumping through my veins, as Matt got to his feet. Without warning, he got off a cheap shot to my ribs while my arms were held back. Wes growled,releasing me. I went after him again just as a cruiser pulled up.
Danny Souza, a colleague and fellow officer, hopped out of the car. I let him pull me off Matt, Wes and Seb by my side. Right behind him, Ricardo Neves pulled up in another cruiser.
“Wilder. Monroe. What the hell is going on here?” Souza yelled.
“He deserved it. Trust me,” I growled. Blood was dripping down my face from a cut above my eye, but I didn’t care.
He looked to Matt for more information, but Monroe was silent. He seethed, but he didn’t try to defend himself.
“Let’s go. Both of you,” Souza said. Neves grabbed Monroe and hauled him toward the cruiser.
“I’ve got him. I’ll take him home,” Wes said when Souza came toward me.
“He’s not going home. I have to take him in. Both of them.” He shook his head in disbelief. I could understand that. If I’d rolled up on Souza and Neves in a fistfight, I’d be a little shocked too.
I gave Souza a single nod, letting him know I was coming in without an issue. He didn’t put cuffs on for our ride to the station, a small concession for a fellow cop. I looked back as the car door slammed closed. Scarlett’s tears welled up in her eyes as she leaned on Seb. His arm was slung around her shoulder, pulling her in.
“You didn’t Mirandize me, you know,” I said to Souza, letting my head rest back against the seat.
“You’re not under arrest, Wilder.” His eyes found mine in the rearview mirror, concerned and confused. “What the hell happened back there?”
I took a deep breath in. It wasn’t like this was going to stay a secret, not after tonight. And especially not when a baby was brought into this world in a few short months.
“He’s been sleeping with Jules.”
“Shit.” He cringed. “I was afraid you were going to say something like that.”
He pulled up to the station and turned to me before getting out. “Clean yourself up. You look like a beast with blood dripping down your face,” he said, handing me a napkin through the partition grates.
Neves and Monroe had beat us here and were sitting in one of the interrogation rooms. Souza led me into the same room, the four of us standing silently around the table.
Matt seemed to be favoring his left side, where I got a few good hits to his ribs.Good.I smiled to myself. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, the bruises and cuts I’d sustained were starting to smart too, but I refused to show even the slightest bit of pain.
Only a few minutes passed before Chief Williams strolled in. It was after 9:00 p.m., which meant Chief was going to be bullshit for having to get called out of bed to come in for this.
“What’s the meaning of this?” he started.
No one spoke for a moment, Souza being the one to break the silence after the awkward pause.
“I was called to Harpoon’s for a bar fight. Rolled up to see Wilder kicking Monroe’s ass.”
Right now was probably not the time to be proud of that, but I couldn’t help it. Fuck yeah, I was.
“Wipe that smirk off your face, Wilder,” Chief warned.
I schooled my features to look properly chastised, ready for whatever repercussions were coming my way. Monroeshot me a glare from across the room.
“Neves, Souza. You’re dismissed. Get back to patrol.”
They left without a word, leaving Monroe and me to face the wrath of a tired and cranky Chief.
“Who started it?” Chief asked.
