Chapter 35

The stench of the police cell filled Jadon's nose and made him feel sick to his stomach. Or maybe that had something to do with the gut punches he had gotten.

Anyhow, he wondered how it was even possible he could smell all the sweat, piss, blood, and maybe even vomit that had ever covered the floor of the cell since the place was built when his nose was swollen. Well, at least it had stopped bleeding. But he could barely draw air through his swollen nasal passages. However, considering the horrible smell of the place, maybe that was a blessing, he mused.

With his left eye swollen shut and the right one halfway there, Jadon took full stock of his injuries as he sat on the most uncomfortable bench in his life. In all honesty, Jadon had to admit, at least to himself, that he'd had his ass handed to him well and good. Not that he had held back either.

He couldn't see Tapiwa's brother since the man had been put in another cell when they arrived at the station. Probably for the best since Jadon was sure they would have ended up exchanging more punches if they were put in the same cell. Still, Jadon knew he had done some serious damage to the man as well. It was a small consolation.

A low groan escaped his throat when he tried to straighten his back. Damn. Jadon didn't want to see what the damage looked like under his ruined suit. It felt as though a truck had run over him several times and he was just one giant bruise.

What Jadon needed was a soak in a tub full of hot water and his bath salts, a glass or maybe a bottle of Johnnie Walker, and some painkillers. The combination on that list may not have been healthy, but Jadon didn't care and would have given his right thumb to be out of the police cell already and back in his house so he could fulfill his needs.

Unfortunately, he had to wait for Ezra to come and bail him out. That's who he had called when he was allowed his one phone call. He could have called Kaelo or his father but Jadon wasn't in the mood for a long lecture. Not right now. He knew he wouldn't avoid it but he could buy himself a few more hours.

Thinking of hours, Jadon looked up at the small window at the top, near the ceiling. He could see the gray light of dawn peek in through the old glass. Well damn. The night from hell had ended and it was a new day. Too bad he couldn't be excited about it.

No formal charges had been made but Jadon had been told that Tapiwa's father was claiming Jadon raped his daughter and assaulted his son. It was such a ridiculous claim, that Jadon had burst out laughing when he was told. The officers, of course, hadn't appreciated his humor. They didn't appreciate who he was even more.

Jadon got the sense that the police officers thought he was just some rich playboy who thought he could get away with anything. They would probably have locked him up and thrown away the key already, except for the fly in Mr. Mvula's plans. Tapiwa's statement hadn't collaborated with her father's.

If Jadon was honest, he was surprised she hadn't just gone along with whatever her father had said. And something told Jadon that by telling the truth and sparing him a prison sentence her father clearly thought he deserved, Allen Mvula would take his anger out on her.

Damn it. Jadon thought back to everything that had happened. Perhaps he should have agreed to marry her, he mused and then shook his head. No. Fuck that. They were in the twenty-first century damn it. People didn't get forced into marriage just because they had been caught rubbing their genitals against each other.

Besides, how was he going to explain that to his parents and brother? Although Jadon knew that particular boat had sailed as soon as the police had shown up and handcuffed him. "Shit," he cursed under his breath and then winced when the split on his lip stretched. Oh, yeah. He was banged up pretty well.

"Paterson?"

Jadon looked up at the uniformed man standing at the wall-to-wall steel bars of the small cell glaring at him. "Yeah?" he answered even though he was the only one in the cell and there was no mistaking the name belonged to him.

The officer scoffed and shook his head before he instructed Jadon to get up. "Your bail has been posted. Lucky you. You get to go home already."

Lucky? Jadon didn't feel so lucky but he kept that to himself. Instead, he stood up, walked over to the electronic doors, and waited for the officer to lazily signal for the cell to be opened. He had to clench his jaw and swallow down his anger as the officers took their time triple-checking that everything he had come in with was returned to him. Apparently, they didn't want Jadon to send his rich lawyers down on them for losing an expensive wristwatch or tie clip.

Finally, by the time Jadon walked out of the back where the cells were held he was ready to punch one of the clowns masquerading as law enforcement officers. Thankfully, he spotted Ezra and quickly made his way to his friend.

"Shit," Ezra cursed only low enough for Jadon to hear. "Did you go ten rounds with Ali or something? What the hell happened to your face?"

Jadon kept his mouth shut and limped out of the station toward the car park where he assumed Ezra had parked his car.

"Seriously, man," Ezra pressed, following right behind him. "When you said you'd been arrested for fighting, I thought you dished it out to the other guy."

"I did," Jadon confirmed not breaking his stride toward the car.

Behind him, Ezra snorted in disbelief. "Are you sure? Dude, you look like you got put through the meat grinder. Your bruises have bruises."

Jadon stopped, turned, and glared at his friend. The move must have looked stupid with one eye swollen shut and the other barely open a sliver. This would explain why Ezra pressed his lips together as though he was trying to stop himself from laughing. Jadon didn't care if his friend laughed. Hell, he would have paid to find some humor in the situation. "Tapiwa's father caught us having sex in the backseat of my car in front of his house. He roughed me up a little and then his son, her brother, finished the job when I refused to marry her."

Ezra's mouth fell agape. He stared at Jadon as though Jadon had just grown an extra head. Jadon almost chuckled. Almost. Unfortunately, he was yet to find the strength to laugh at the madness that had been his night.

Without waiting for a response, Jadon turned back around and resumed his painful walk toward Ezra's Mazda. That's when he spotted his father walking toward them with a scowl that would have made a lesser man wither and crumple to the gravel just to avoid what was coming.

"Fuck. Did you call him?" Jadon asked Ezra in a harsh whisper.

"Are you nuts? You know I wouldn't."

Then how the hell had his father found out he was at the police station before the sun was even up in the sky? Jadon wondered. Too bad he couldn't ask the man when he finally reached them.

"Arrested!" Lewis Paterson hissed through clenched teeth. His eyes darted around for a beat, letting Jadon know that his father was avoiding creating a scene. That was good.

"Father, I can explain," Jadon began.

Lewis silenced him with a sharp cutting gesture in the air. "Shut it! I don't want to hear anything out of your mouth. Do you know how embarrassing it is to learn that my son has been arrested for a stupid fight in the middle of the night over a girl? Have you lost your damn mind, Jadon?"

Maybe? Jadon almost told his father but knew it was better to keep his mouth shut.

A string of curses flew out of his father's mouth before the older man seemed to remember himself and where they were. He took a deep breath. It didn't help. "Of all the women you had to get tangled with, you pick the one with no moral scruples? She just played both you and your brother. That's the kind of woman you get arrested for!"

Then, seemingly too agitated to say anything more on the subject, Lewis looked over Jadon's shoulder at Ezra. "Ezra, take my idiot son to the hospital and let a doctor fix him up. Then I want you to take him home." The cold, angry eyes fell back on Jadon. "And you, If you know what's good for you, you will do exactly what I say and stay away from that stupid girl."

Jadon's jaw hurt from how hard he clenched it. But he knew he didn't have to say a single word right now. So, he nodded. It was enough for Lewis. The man turned his snarl toward the police station. "Go on. Get out of here. I will go and clean up your mess."