Kendall Pov

Jax and Reed arrive as I am closing the bar, and they appear to be in disarray. Their clothing is torn and bloody, and their hair is everywhere. "What on earth happened to you two?" Ashley rushes over to Jax and gives him a worried look. As I glance around, I see that Arlo is not there. "What happened, and where is Arlo?" I approach them and ask.

"Tonight, the warehouse was attacked. Arlo was also shot; he is currently undergoing surgery." Jax shakes his head and says this. "It does not appear promising," Reed adds. Everything becomes white noise as they talk, and my head begins to spin. Ashley catches me just as I am about to fall. "Whoa girl, sit before your fall," Ashley says.

"Who? Who was it?" In the hopes that it was not Craig and his men, I asked him. Reed glares at me. He comes running over and gets in my face. "It's your fault he is like this. If it weren't for you and your teasing clothes, we wouldn't be in this situation. Arlo would not have beaten Anthony Rodriguez, and we would not have been attacked if you had simply accepted the taunts like any other bartender. Therefore, you will be held accountable if he doesn't come out of this." I recoil in my chair, shaking my head and fighting back the tears that threaten to spill out as he screams in my face.

"Enough, Reed!" Jax yells and yanks him away from me. I get up and run out of the bar. I must leave that place, but I have no idea where I am heading. I didn't bring my phone with me; I left it at the bar. After nearly an hour of running, I realize I am at the hospital. Before I enter, I take a trembling breath. I walk in and find Arlo's mother and father seated, while his cousin Elise is pacing the floor.

"Oh my god, Kendall, why are you here by yourself?" His mom comes running over to me.

I start crying as I look at her. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Preze. I didn't mean for this to happen." I sob as I say, "I did not mean to cause all of this trouble."

"This is not your fault, Kendall, so do not blame yourself. It's part of this life, dear." I sob more as she says this while hugging me.

"She is to blame for this." I hear, and I know it was Reed who said it without turning around.

"Enough, Reed." Mr. Preze says, and he immediately stops talking.

Mrs. Preze grabs my hand and pulls me over to where everyone else is sitting. I sit between Mr. and Mrs. Preze and wait with them.

"You should not be here; you are not family." Reed glares at me and mumbles. When Jax hits him in the head, I glance down at my hands. "What did I tell you, Reed?" Mr. Preze remarks.

"Well, it is her fault, and it is true. We would not have been attacked, and Arlo would not have done what he did if she had been able to handle a little teasing. She caused him to become weak." Reed yells and gestures toward me. I realize I am crying once more as I gaze at him.

"I'm sorry," I say, Stand up and move toward the door. "Don't leave." Elise says, stopping me. I look at him and shake my head. "I can tell when I am not welcome. Just give Arlo my best." With a trembling breath, I say. My face is showing how my heart is breaking. I am aware that I have no business being here. Reed is right; it's my fault that Arlo is here, and it's my fault they were attacked.

"When Arlo wakes up, he will want to see you." Walk to me, Jax says. "Why? Why would he want to see me? He is here because of me, and you guys were attacked because of me. Your son and best friend were shot, and it was my fault." I cry. "Before anything worse happens to any of you, I am going to remove myself because I am nothing but trouble," I say as I head out.

"Preze family." The doctor says as he walks out.

They approach him, and the doctor smiles as he talks to them. As the conversations continue, I hear a word that I never expected to hear again. He asks, "Does anyone know what Tereso is?" and Jax chuckles and gestures toward me. The doctor walks over to me. "Dear, Mr. Preze has a question for you. You can visit him. He is in room 333 for recovery." I shake my head and walk back with shaky hands. In front of his room, I pause, inhale deeply, and exhale. Before I get the courage to walk, I do it a few times.

"I was wondering how long you were going to stand out there." He laughs as he looks at me. I merely stand there and smile weakly at him.

I simply shake my head when he says, "Oh, Tereso, come here." He glares at me and gestures for me to approach him once more. I give and walk to him.

"Arlo, how could you have been so foolish? How could you beat that man up for harassing me knowing this is going to be the result? I ask him in a trembling voice. As I look at this strong, kind, and stubborn man, my heart continues to pound in my chest and break all at once. Right now, he appears so frail and broken, and I hope to never see him like this again.

"First off, Tereso It was unknown to me that the man was a Rodriguez. He is someone I have never seen. And secondly, I would do it a hundred times over if it kept you safe and kept him or any other man off you." He says with a determined expression on his face and in his voice. I am aware that he meant every word.

Groaning, I shake my head. "Why me?" I muttered to myself. After glancing at me, he leans in to take my hand and draws me toward him. In pain, he hisses. He tries to conceal it, though. "Have you not heard? You are, after all, my girl. And now my enemies and non-enemies know to keep their hands off you." He says in a smart-ass tone.

I back off and shake my head. "No," I reply.

"I know you're not ready yet. Calm down, Tereso. I will wait until you are. However, they are aware of how much you mean to me. Therefore, you must always be protected. So Jax will be graduating you," he says, and I go to protest. "Nope, do not argue with me about this; just listen. I don't want you unprotected," he says, and I just shake my head, saying, "Okay.

I lean down and kiss his cheek."I'm going to let your family come in to see you. I am sorry I caused this, but I am glad you are alright." He smiles at me when I say that, and then I leave while the others enter his room. I make my way to the waiting area. When I arrive, I sit down, let go of a breath I was unaware I was holding, and begin to fall asleep.