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Queen

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Queen

"And you're sure he's doing okay?" I asked Brandon, for probably the twentieth time just that day.

"Jules, he's recovering fine. Just like I told you," he huffed.

"Sorry," I muttered, switching the shoulder that I had the phone tucked between as I engaged the security system.

"Is that Juliette?" I heard Vincent's voice in the background, but it was muffled. "Give me the phone."

"No," Brandon said, sounding like he had turned his head. "You're supposed to be resting. I'm tired of reminding you that you can't fuck her brains out until those stiches come out."

I grumbled as my cheeks heated. Brandon had ordered Vincent to finish recovery at his apartment after he had busted a couple of stitches Sunday night. Maybe we had been trying to ignore the no sex rule and when he started bleeding again maybe we got in trouble. And both of us put on house arrest. Separately.

"Thank you, Brandon," I said, stepping out of the apartment building and hiking my gym bag higher on my shoulder.

"For what?"

"For taking care of him."

"Me?" he asked, his voice pitching higher. "Juliette, you saved his life. All of us should be thanking you. The entire gang is in your debt. If Vincent would have died, whoever shoved that knife into him would've been the one that laid claim to everything we do. Sure, Lucas or I could've challenged it, but it would've caused an upheaval. But Vincent is alive. And that is because of you. No one else."

My heart swelled, and I had to blink back tears. "Don't let him give you too much hell."

Brandon scoffed, and I could picture the eye roll he was certainly giving me. "It's his favorite past time."

I laughed, hearing Vincent's indignation in the background as Brandon and I hung up. A smile tugged at my lips as I made my way to training. And for the first time in what felt like ages, I was alone. With Vincent down for the count until he was healed, the boys were working overtime to make sure everything was still running smoothly. When Vincent asked me if I wanted someone else to play bodyguard, I had told him no. While I did have a better understanding of why Vincent felt better if I had one of the guys with me, I didn't want someone I didn't know taking over the spot. If it couldn't be one of the men I knew and trusted, I could take care of myself.

It had taken some convincing, and quite a few promises that I would have everyone on speed-dial in case anything went wrong, but I inevitably won.

I took my time getting to the gym, and when I swept into the lobby, I was pleased to see Sherry sitting behind the desk. She hadn't been around as much – something about classes picking back up for fall semester – and I had missed her bubbling personality greeting me at the door.

True to form, she beamed at me when her crystal blue eyes met mine. "Hey, Jules!" she chirped, spinning her chair so that she faced me more than her computer.

"Hey," I paused next to the desk. From my vantage point, I could see the door to the studio Jack and I usually used was cracked open, with light pouring out of it. At least I knew he was ready to go. "How's school?"

"The usual," she huffed, eyes rolling as she pulled a nail file out of her desk drawer. "A pain in my ass. But, it'll be worth it once I graduate and can actually start helping kids."