is all I have to say to AJ as he walks through the alarmed door in the Sheriff’s office. “I can explain,” he mutters. His usual happy-go-lucky grin isn’t plastered across his face and his eyes are half-lidded. Actually, he’s got a black eye. AJ is a lot of things, but he isn’t a fighter, so this surprises me a bit and I ease back on some of my anger. “What the hell happened to you?” I ask him quietly. He avoids my question as he turns to the security window. An officer hands him a small pile of belongings and AJ turns around, still avoiding me while he heads for the main door. As we make it out to the car, the silence becomes alarming. He can’t find one word to explain how he managed to get himself arrested tonight? “Unlock the door,” he says. “Not until you tell me what happened.” “Alexa happened,” he growls, pressing his thumb into his bottom lip, which I now see is split open.
