Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

DAKOTA

I shuffled out of the room in a haze. Losing a patient was always rough, even if it was expected, and this one wasn’t expected. He was so young and had been doing better. The doctors expected him to have a full, albeit long, recovery. Then everything went to shit overnight. By the time the doctor called TOD, I was empty. All I wanted to do was go home, shower, eat the biggest order of cheese fries in existence, and cuddle with Jay.

Dr. Kiley squeezed my shoulder as we walked out. “I’m sorry, Doctor.” He just smiled sadly at me.

“Thank you, Dakota. I’m going to notify his parents. You go on and head home. I know it’s well past the end of your shift.”

I thanked Dr. Kiley, fucking grateful and so ready to leave. Maybe it was wrong of me to be relieved not to have to face his parents, but I just didn’t have it in me right now.

If anyone tried to talk to me on the way to my locker, I didn’t hear them. I was laser- focused on my goal; getting out of these bloody scrubs and getting the fuck home.

Another nurse that had been with me the whole time was already there, sitting in one of the chairs and staring off into space. I gave her a quick nod of solidarity but otherwise stayed silent. We both needed to process.

I wasn’t really paying attention as I opened my locker, doing it on muscle memory. I stuck my hand in, reaching for my phone, but I touched something unfamiliar, cardboard, and square-shaped. I finally forced myself to focus enough to pay attention.

It was definitely a cardboard box, and I was 99.9% sure that it wasn’t there when my shift started last night. I glanced at the other nurse, but she wasn’t even looking my way.

I was tempted to slam the locker shut and just walk away. Because I could not deal with this right now. Nope. Not after the night I just had. That wasn’t realistic though. Fighting to keep my hand steady, I grabbed the box, and promptly dropped it on the ground, causing the lid to pop off and little chocolates to roll across the locker room floor.

A note fluttered out of the box. Dread settled deep in my chest as I bent down to get the note.

My Precious Dakota,

I heard you prefer chocolates. I hope this is suitable and you’ll begin to realize you belong with me.

Love,

The one you should choose

“Dakota?” Someone said my name, but it sounded like they were talking from the other end of a tunnel.

Memories of finding that flower on my door flooded me. Me jokingly telling Jay I preferred chocolate to flowers…

I spun around, expecting someone to jump out of the shadows. But the only one there was the other nurse who was watching me like I lost my mind.

“Dakota, are you okay?” she asked. She had stood up but seemed hesitant to get close to me. I didn’t blame her, I’m sure I looked unhinged.

I cleared my throat. “Did you, um, did you see anyone going into my locker?”

She frowned. “No. I was the only one in here till you. Why, did someone break into it?”

“Uh, yeah. I think so.”

I rubbed the back of my neck and eyed the little round chocolate balls. How could someone have gotten in here? No one knew the code for my lock, not even Jay or my family. It made no sense.

“You have to report that. Maybe they caught someone coming in on the camera in the hallway or something.”

I nodded, the fear receding as numbness sank in. Though, she was right. I had to report this. I picked up the note but couldn’t bring myself to touch the chocolate.

I was slightly terrified to look in my locker again, but thankfully there were no other surprises, just my phone and wallet, jacket, and a change of clothes. I grabbed my phone only to see thirteen missed calls and fifty-two unread messages.

“What the fuck?” Thirteen missed calls, ten from Jay and two from my mom. Fifty-two unread messages; thirty from Jay, twelve in the group chat with Jay, Beck, and Riley, and the rest from…Finn? What the fuck?

I didn’t bother to listen to any of the voicemails or read the texts, and went to dial Jay, not wanting to waste any time. Before I hit call, there was a commotion from outside the locker room.

“Sir! You cannot go in there! I’ll be forced to call authorities.”

“Like I give a fuck?” Jay’s voice rang out, “No one will tell me where the fuck my boyfriend is. I’ll find out myself.”

“Shit.” I sprinted out of the locker room faster than I’d ever run in my life. Thank God it wasn’t that big, because running and I didn’t get along. I was vaguely aware of the other nurse following me, but I didn’t care enough to say anything.

I burst through the doors. “Jay!” I called out before I even saw him. I could only imagine the situation, but if he thought I was in danger I wouldn’t put it past him to body some poor nurse or security guard to get past them, and I’d rather not have to deal with that situation.

I rounded the corner to see Jay toe to toe with a security guard, and behind him was my brother, Declan? What the fuck?

Jay’s head whipped in my direction. He immediately backed off the guard and stalked toward me, his expression intense. If I didn’t know deep in my soul that Jay would never hurt me, I’d have been terrified to see that expression aimed in my direction. He always told me not to worry about him when he had to go into some of the bad neighborhoods, and this was the first time I could see why. It wasn’t like I wasn’t aware that Jay could be dangerous. But, it’s not the same as seeing it firsthand.

By the time he reached me, his expression switched from murderous rage to deep concern.

“Jay—” I barely finished his name before I was swept into his arms in a tight hug, my feet leaving the ground.

“Fuck, Dakota.” He buried his face in my neck, inhaling deeply before putting me on the ground and at arm’s length, scanning my body. The rage came back when he looked at my scrubs.

I followed his stare and…fuck…I never got to change and was still in my bloody scrubs. “It’s not mine.” I quickly said, hoping to prevent a rampage. “A patient…there was an arterial spray. I’m fine, Jay.” His eyes were still a little glazed over like he wasn’t hearing me. I cupped his face. “I’m fine, love.” At least physically. But one step at a time.

“You’re not hurt?” He didn’t sound like he believed me.

“No. I just—I lost a patient and I didn’t get to check my phone.” That’s when I remembered Declan hovering behind Jay, a strange look on his face.

“Dec, why are you here?”

Jay’s face turned bright red. “I, um, might’ve panicked and called your ma.”

Declan snorted. “That’s an understatement. Since I’m the closest to the hospital, I was recruited to come and make sure you were still alive.”

Which brought us back to why they were here and blowing up my phone in the first place. “Why wouldn’t I be?” I thought of the chocolates in the locker, but there was no way they knew about that yet. “You all know sometimes I get stuck later if there’s an emergency.” No one ever had freaked out like this before.

Jay ran his fingers through his hair, suddenly hesitant, like now that his initial fears were gone, he didn’t wantto mention what brought him to that point in the first place. Which, yeah, wasn’t happening.

“What’s going on?” I demanded, hand on my hip.

We had attracted a crowd. I swear every fuckin’ nurse, PA, orderly—hell, even a doctor or two that was on duty in this hall—had gathered around and was watching us. I held up my hand before Jay could speak.

“Wait. Give me five minutes to get changed and we’ll go somewhere with more privacy.” I glared at my coworkers. Some had the decency to pretend they were busy, while others had no fucking shame at all.

I shook my head and quickly darted back into the locker room before Jay or Declan had a chance to protest.

I’d never changed so fast in my life. I threw on my street clothes, really wishing I could shower, and disposed of the scrubs in the special waste bin we had just for this kind of instance. I was just grabbing my other belongings when I saw the spilled chocolates on the floor and I froze.

For a second, I forgot how to breathe. With all the commotion, I didn’t forget about it exactly, but it had been pushed to the back of my mind. Now it was a stark reminder of how violated I felt. I scanned the locker room, but I still saw nothing. I quickly shoved the spilled chocolates into the box and picked up the note that was now crumpled on the bench.

I was so fucking tempted to toss all of it in the trash and pretend like it didn’t happen. Jay was already on edge for whatever reason, I didn’t want to add to it.

But…I watched enough true crime and saw enough of shit in real life from my time in the hospital to know that was not the way to go about it. Ignoring things like this was a quick way to end up dead. So I sucked it up, shoved the note in my pocket, threw my backpack over my shoulder, and walked out with the box in my arms.

Jay was pacing the small hallway in front of the break room, looking very much like a caged animal. What had happened to put him so on edge? By Declan’s way more casual attitude, I had to assume my family was fine, which brought me to Riley and Beckett. Fuck, had something happened to them?

Jay stopped pacing when he noticed me and seemed to visibly relax. I was just about to open my mouth to ask about the guys when once again, I had his arms around me.

“Fuck. Dakota.” He didn’t say anything else, but he sounded so vulnerable it was breaking me apart.

I gently pushed him back, so I could breathe and we could talk. I jerked my head toward the exit. “Let’s go outside.”

Jay held my hand so tightly it was almost painful, but I didn’t stop him. Declan rolled his eyes but didn’t say a word as he followed us out.

As soon as we were away from my nosy-ass coworkers, or as far away as we could be, since they were everywhere, I turned back to Jay. “What happened? Are Beck and Riley okay?”

He frowned. “Why wouldn’t they be?”

I took a deep breath, already getting frustrated. “Well, I don’t know. You blew up my phone, called the cavalry, and nearly assaulted a security guard to get to me. You look fine, physically at least, and Dec would be freaking out more if it was my family, so that brings me to Beckett and Riley.”

Jay titled his head thoughtfully. “They’re fine. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” Just then he narrowed in on the box of chocolates in my hand. “What is that?”

I waved him away. We were dealing with one crisis at a time. “Later. What happened? Why were you so worried for me?”

Jay sighed heavily, once again seeming reluctant. Declan chimed in. “Someone keyed and destroyed the fuck outta your man’s truck. Since the message was very personal, he got concerned. Apparently, you had received a weird message at your house…” Dec’s eyes narrowed in a way only a big brother could manage. Fuck, I forgot I never mentioned that to them.

“Sorry,” Jay sounded sheepish again, “I didn’t realize you hadn’t told them about it. I was just so fuckin’ worried, sweetheart. I kept imaginin’ the worst, and you wouldn’t answer, and no one at this fuckin’ hospital would tell me a damn thing about you.”

Declan snorted. “No offense, my man, but they probably thought you were the stalker you kept yelling about.” But he squeezed Jay’s shoulder affectionately, lessening the sting of the words. Instead of balking at his touch, like I’d seen Jay do for everyone except me and his two best friends, he kind of relaxed. My eyes narrowed. What had happened while I was preoccupied that they became friends?

My mind was spinning, but I had to keep it together and work through this logically. Jay was on the verge of spiraling, and Dec was never great in these types of situations. He was the best person to have at your back, but when it came to diffusing high-stress situations, he tended to be more of an instigator than anything.

Starting back at the beginning, “What do you mean your truck was keyed?” Pain and desperation flashed across Jay’s face before he fished out his phone and pulled up some pictures. He handed me the phone, purposely looking the other way, and once I saw the pictures I understood why.

I was a little wigged out when I got that first flower and note. I was still half-convinced it was a prank, but it was creepy and put me on edge. The chocolate in my locker downright scared me, and if I had a moment to really process, I’d likely realize how violated I felt. Seeing Jay’s truck brought out a whole new emotion I hadn’t realized I’d even had. Violent, bloody, murderous, rage.

How dare someone do this to him. That truck meant so much to him. Having something that was his and only his was so fucking important to him. He told me how hard he worked to be able to buy it, and he, Beckett, and Riley had spent more than a few nights in that truck when they had nowhere else to go. It was his lifeline. That piece of security and fallback he always had even if everything else collapsed on him. And some fucker took it away from him.

This was more than some petty vandalism. Jay’s truck was destroyed. And keying was understating the damage. It looked like a fucking bear clawed it. Or Wolverine. Long claw marks, or I guess a knife, because that sure as fuck hadn’t come from a key, ran down both sides of the truck. There were about ten on each side, plus the back of the truck. The windows were all smashed in. Every fucking window. There was one picture of the bed of the truck, and something brown and chunky filled the entire fucking thing. I swallowed down bile. I didn’t even want to know what that was. The whole thing was covered in spray paint messages, and it was clear what they meant by it being personal.

Across the truck, things like man-stealer, criminal, drug dealer, low-life, white trash, high school dropout, and cock sucker were painted over it. Some of it was even on the interior, which by the way, was sliced up, foam and whatever else was inside the seats all over the interior. There was also a note stapled to the front seat. Jay or whoever took these pictures, had a close-up of it. It said,

I know who you are. I know what you’ve done. You don’t deserve him. This is your warning. Walk away from Dakota. Let him be where he belongs. You know you can’t give him everything he needs. I can. If you don’t, your truck will be the least of your worries.

Heart racing, I looked back up at Jay. He wasn’t looking at me and it was torture how much he had to be hurting. But I had to worry about the practicalities first. “Jay, baby, are you sure Beckett and Riley are safe?” That note had heavy implications, and since they were the only people he cared about besides me, I was deeply concerned that this psycho would go after them.

Jay nodded numbly but he seemed to be shutting down. I guess all the adrenaline from before was seeping out of him. I didn’t blame him, I felt pretty exhausted myself.

Luckily, Declan seemed to be at least partially informed of the situation. “Yeah. Beckett was the one who took those pictures and brought Jay here.” Made sense, he couldn’t have driven that truck. “He waited till I showed up and then picked up Riley.”

“Where are they now?” I didn’t love the idea of them being at their apartment, even if I was sure they could handle themselves.

“Wes’s,” Jay finally added.

Good. They’d be safe there. That worry gone, I focused back on Jay. I stood in front of him, bringing our faces close, and squeezed his neck.

“We got this, love,” I whispered, “Together.”

Jay didn’t respond, but he didn’t pull away either, so I took it as a win. “Where’s your truck?” He shrugged, so I looked at Declan, who also shrugged.

“That Beckett said Wes will take care of it?” Poor Declan seemed confused, which was understandable. He was probably trying to figure out their dynamics. Good luck with that.

That was good. Wes would make sure it was handled. It crossed my mind we should probably go to the cops, but that could wait.

Jay’s breathing was ragged, but he held onto me tight, and I had no desire to back off, even though my brother was watching us. I needed Jay as much as he needed me.

Which brought me to the next point. I really wanted to forget about it, but I had to assume it was connected.

“There’s something else,” I finally told them reluctantly.

Two pairs of eyes zeroed in on me. “What?” Jay asked sharply.

I took a step back, needing a little space to explain. Jay almost followed me but seemed to stop himself. I pulled out the note and handed it to him.

Jay snarled, the note crumbling in his hands. His shoulders were heaving as he struggled to keep it together.

“Jay, it’s okay, baby. I’m right here, I’m safe.” Jay didn’t seem convinced and pulled me to his chest, his eyes wild as he searched the parking lot.

“We need to get the fuck outta here.”

“Does anyone want to tell me what the hell is happening?” Declan asked, annoyed.

“Oh, sorry.” I managed to get the crumpled-up paper out of Jay’s hand and gave it to my brother.

His nostrils flared. “I take it this is an escalation of the first note?” I nodded. “By the way, Dakota, you’re not off the hook for that.” I grimaced, though I didn’t expect anything less. “Come on, I’ll drive. You can get your car tomorrow, Kota.”

“Where are we going?” I asked, kind of willing to let Declan take over. I felt a bone-deep exhaustion and was tired of figuring things out, and Jay was done. We both were.

“My place. Amari is out of town for the weekend. We already know that fucker knows where you live so you’re sure as shit not going there until we can figure things out, and if he knows where Jay works, he probably knows where he lives. We’re going to my house. Everyone needs some time to decompress, and we can figure out a plan tomorrow.”

I smiled at the we. I was trying to avoid telling my family, since I knew they’d be over the top. But I was secretly glad they knew. I had a feeling we’d need the help.

Jay didn’t seem to have an opinion one way or the other. He had me shielded with his arms and was on high alert as we walked to my brother’s car. He was in full protector mode, and for the moment I was content to let it happen.

Declan’s car was on the other side of the lot, and despite it being early morning, a humidity clung to the air that had me sweating by the time we got to it.

Declan raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment when Jay and I both climbed in the back seat. He still hadn’t let go of me, and neither of us would’ve handled being separated at the moment. Jay stayed quiet as we made the short drive to Dec’s place. He was staring out the window with intense alertness. I just held his hand and snuggled into him.

When we arrived, I thought of something. “Do I need to call Mom and Dad?” They were probably freaking out, but Dec said no.

“Nah, I texted them to let them know you were safe and I’ll give them a call. I’m sure Ma will be here the second she thinks it’s an appropriate hour, but between Dad and I, we’ll hold her off for a while.” He eyed both of us. “You guys can stay in the spare bedroom. There’s towels and toiletries and shit in the connecting bathroom. Amari always keeps it hooked up. I’ll grab you guys some sweats or something.” Then he grinned, just a little bit of mischief in his eyes. “Though you might fit better in Amari’s stuff than mine.” I gave my brother the finger as he ran off to his bedroom snickering, leaving Jay and me alone. Declan only had an inch or two on me, and Amari was barely five feet tall. He was just an asshole.

Jay looked a little dazed as he took in the small but nice and adorably decorated house. It was probably weird for someone who wasn’t used to relying on other people. He’d only met Declan a little while ago and he was already in his house, about to use his shower and spare bedroom, and wear his clothes.

I rested my head against his chest, and Jay automatically wrapped his arms around me. He buried his face in my hair, breathing in deeply. I winced, I couldn’t imagine what it smelled like, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“Are you okay?” It was a terrible question. There was no way he was okay. I sure as fuck wasn’t. But I didn’t know what to ask.

“Not really. Better now that I know you’re safe. I was so fuckin’ scared, Kota.”

I looked up at him, shocked by the vulnerability in his eyes. “I’m sorry, love. I never meant to scare you.”

“I know. I get that you can’t always answer right away. I just lost my fuckin’ mind. I wasn’t thinkin’ straight.” He blushed. “Sorry I told your family about the note. I didn’t mean to betray your trust.”

This poor, sweet man, “You didn’t, baby. The way I am with my family, I’m sure you figured I told them. Besides, you thought I could be in danger. I actually kinda love that you called them.”

He gave me a crooked smile. “It was actually Beck’s idea. I was losin’ it in the parking lot of the factory and he suggested I call them to see if they heard from you.”

Didn’t matter who thought of it. “Still, you did. You even dealt with Declan for my sake.”

“I like him. He doesn’t mince words and he loves you. I’m glad you got a big family. You deserve all the love.”

My breath hitched. Sure, he didn’t outright say he loved me, but that was the closest Jay had gotten to admitting it. It made me all swoony despite the circumstances.

Jay swayed on his feet, his eyes half closed. “Let’s go shower and get some sleep.” I told him quietly. “It’s been a really long night, and Dec wasn’t kidding that Mom will be showing up in a few hours. We can deal with everything else then.”

Jay sucked in his lip piercing. “Is it wrong to shower together at your brother’s place?”

I shook my head. “I hope not, because I can’t be apart from you right now.”

He kissed the top of my head. “Me either.”

I led him to the spare bedroom with his arms still wrapped around me.