Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Four

As we walked out of the large building a week later, Harri gave a disappointed shake of her head. “I really didn’t think we’d be so bad at that.”

“Me neither,” said Alicia, appearing somewhat shellshocked. “I mean, we’re intelligent women. We all perform well under pressure.”

Fucking A. “We’ve each worked our way through bigger battles than that,” I said, gesturing at the building behind us with my thumb. “We should have easily been able to tackle them as a team.”

Harri pulled a face. “Fuck escape rooms. They suck.”

“More like we sucked,” I mumbled.

Alicia notched up her chin. “I blame the clues—they weren’t clear.”

“Dad will be so disappointed in us,” said Harri with a sigh as we began walking across the parking lot. “And Ollie will laugh his ass off.”

“Only if they learn of it.” Alicia touched her chest. “I personally think there’d be no harm in us, uh, keeping it to ourselves.”

Harri twisted her mouth, pensive, and then gave a slow nod. “There’s no reason for anyone to know. The truth wouldn’t in any way contribute positively to the lives of those around us.”

“Exactly.” Alicia loosely shrugged one shoulder. “We could let them think we kicked ass in there. Right, Addie?”

“Oh, agreed.” I was in no rush at all to confess how horrifically we’d performed.

“Then it’s settled,” proclaimed Alicia as we slowed our pace on nearing our vehicles. “You sure you don’t want to eat out with us?” she asked me. “Harri and I are thinking Italian.”

I gave them a grateful smile but shook my head. “I had a late night last night, so I’m wiped.”

Alicia’s eyes twinkled. “A late night, huh?”

“Not that kind—I swear you have sex on the brain.” Dipping my hand into my purse, I fished out my keys. “It was Dax’s turn to play host again for a guys’ night. They didn’t leave until the early hours of the morning.”

“Did you take pictures of them sitting around shirtless?”

I felt my brows knit. “They didn’t remove their shirts.”

“They did in my head. I can so easily picture them lounging around with their chests bare, muscles rippling, abs showing …”

I rolled my eyes at the little perve. “You two enjoy your meal, I’ll call you both during the week.” They gave me quick hugs as we exchanged goodbyes, and then we all hopped into our respective cars.

As I drove home, I could admit to myself that, though I was wiped, I wasn’t that wiped. I didn’t feel a need to go straight home because I was tired. The truth was, I’d missed Dax.

Having made arrangements to head out early with his brothers for a game of paintballing they’d booked at a place just outside of Redwater, I’d only spoken briefly with him this morning. He’d caught a quick breakfast and left way before I’d finished my own food. I had been invited to join them, but I had plans of my own.

Dax and I had texted each other a few times during the day but, oddly enough, that had only made me want to see him more. I loved going out with my sisters. Loved our daytrips and girls’ nights and all that jazz. But right now, all I wanted was to go home, have dinner with Dax, and then maybe spend a little time with him.

As such, when I finally drove past the “Welcome to Oakengrove” sign, I inwardly smiled.

It hadn’t come as a surprise that he’d asked to choose my outfit again that morning, considering he often did that when we would be spending most of the day apart. The teasing motherfucker still hadn’t explained why, but I wasn’t giving up on trying to squeeze the answer out of him.

Having come up with various theories, I’d questioned him on each of them …

Is it a control thing?

Is it that you only like certain outfits I own?

Are you secretly into some elements of BDSM?

Is this just all part of your liking to keep me on my toes?

Each time, he’d responded in the negative. And he hadn’t bothered to hide his amusement that being in the dark made me—

A massive impact slammed into the side of my car’s rear end, sending it swerving.

My body jerked, and my head whipped sideways and hit the window hard. As the seatbelt snapped taut, I slammed my foot on the brakes and viciously yanked at the wheel. Tires screeched as my car roughly skidded and spun. A large puff of white rammed into my front, thrusting me back against the seat.

Abruptly, the car stopped, jolting my body yet again. A deafening silence fell, heavy and shocked.

My insides seizing, I stuttered out a breath and double-blinked, lost and confused. I couldn’t think through the fog hazing my mind. Couldn’t shake off the numbness steadily taking over.

My heart going a mile a minute, I shoved at the white cloud in front of me, making it shrink. Airbag, I thought.

I sat there unmoving, adrenaline coursing through me. Time seemed to slow. Or stop. I didn’t know.

Sensing something warm and slick trickling down the side of my face, I briefly frowned and raised trembling fingers toward it.

The driver’s door was ragged open. “Addison? Addison, are you okay?”

Blinking, I slowly turned my head just as Jenson leaned his own into my car.

He looked me over, a sense of panicked urgency in his eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.” I stiffly went to get out, but he placed a restrictive hand on my shoulder.

“Stay there. Try not to move.” He patted his pocket. “Shit, I don’t have Dax’s number. Where’s your phone?”

I swallowed. “Huh?”

“Your phone, sweetheart,” he said, his voice calm and soothing. “Where is it?”

I weakly pointed at the cell in the cupholder.

“We need to call Dax, okay? Can you do that?”

“Sure.” I lifted it with a shaky hand, dialed his number, and put the phone to my ear.

It rang a few times before he answered, “Yes?”

At the sound of his voice, awareness began to creep in, chasing some of the fog from my mind. “Uh … I think I might need you to pick me up.”

A pause. “What? Why?”

“I probably shouldn’t drive my car anywhere right now. I guess I could walk, but …”

“Addison, what’s the matter?”

I touched the wetness tickling my face. My fingers came away with blood. Reality slammed into me like a punch to the solar plexus, and I started to shake.

Something had crashed into my car, making it swerve like crazy.

No, someone had crashed into it.

My heart leaped in my chest and I sucked in a breath, wincing as pain radiated through my smarting chest.

“Addison, answer me,” he gritted out.

Jenson held his hand out. “Give me the phone, hon. Good.” He put it to his ear and stepped back. “Dax, man, don’t panic; she seems all right. Thaddeus crashed his car into hers.” He broke off, jerking away from the cell with a cringe. “By the pool nearest your villa … No, he’s gone. Ran like a coward … She’s good, really, just a little out of it … Yeah. Will do.” Jenson returned my phone to me. “He’s on his way.”

My breaths starting to come a little quicker, I licked my lips. “I need to get out,” I said, clumsily fumbling with the seatbelt. I didn’t want to be in here. Didn’t want to remember the last time I was stuck in a car.

His brows pulled together. “I don’t think it’s good for you to move until—”

“I’m getting out.”

He raised both hands. “Okay, let me help you, then.” Gentle and careful, he unclipped my belt.

I snatched my purse, clinging to it as if it was a lifeline, and allowed him to help me slide out of the car. My knees buckled, the bastards.

Jenson steadied me. “Easy, now. That’s it.” He guided me over to a nearby bench. “Sit right here, you’re good.” He took the spot beside me. “We’ll just wait here for Dax, yeah?”

I got the feeling he’d been ordered to remain with me.

Right then, I noticed a car parked at a weird angle in the middle of the road, its front all bashed in, smoke hissing from the broken hood. The driver’s door was wide open, but there was no one inside.

I knew that vehicle, though. It belonged to Thaddeus’s parents. And I would just bet that little shithead had been drunk-driving again.

I clenched my teeth, furious. I couldn’t lie, the whole thing had shaken me up. But I was more mad than anything else. Mad that Thaddeus was such a selfish fuck.

I scanned the gathering crowd but saw no sign of him. Then I remembered Jenson’s words …

He’s gone. Ran like a coward.

Which meant the little shit stain likely wasn’t badly hurt. I wasn’t either, thankfully. Though, now that the adrenaline was beginning to recede, some pains were making themselves known. My temple pulsed and burned, and my chest hurt like it had been struck.

I didn’t think my single wound could be too bad—it seemed to have stopped bleeding already. I’d probably have to deal with a case of whiplash tomorrow, though. Awesome.

Jenson glared at the crowd creeping closer. “Give her some space, people.”

I regarded him for a few seconds. “I normally don’t like you.” But he’d come to my aid, he’d alerted Dax, he’d helped me out of the car, and he’d stayed with me—even if only because ordered.

His mouth bowed up. “I’ve noticed that, sweetheart.”

“You’re not really so bad.”

His face flushed slightly. “Thanks.”

I heard the zooming of a car engine. Heard said car screech to an abrupt halt. The voices quieted as the crowd parted, and there was Dax—his eyes stormy, his shoulders tense, his fists clenched.

Relief flared through me, making my eyes burn and my throat grow thick. I gave him a shaky smile. “Hey.”

He crouched in front of me, his jaw hardening at the gash on my temple. “Baby,” he murmured, his voice thick.

One hand palmed the back of my head while the other curved tight around my nape … and I felt like I could take my first real breath since before the crash.

Tension poured out of me. My muscles unclenched. A lightness filled my chest.

He was here now. Here and safe and solid and, oh fuck, I loved the son of a bitch.

I almost moaned in self-depreciation. Had I sensed it coming? Sure. But I’d hoped I was unnecessarily worrying that I’d grow to care that deeply for him. No, not “hoped,” I’d wanted it to be an unnecessary worry. Deep down, I’d known I was doomed to fall hard for this person who might never feel the same for me.

He studied the wound on my temple without touching it. “Where else are you hurt?”

“Nowhere, thankfully.”

Apparently not reassured, he took stock of me, patting me here and there.

“She’s got no other injuries that I can see,” Jenson told him.

Dax rudely didn’t even spare him a glance. His gaze clung to me, like I’d disappear if he looked away.

“I’m okay,” I assured him.

His nostrils flared, and he clamped his lips shut.

“Paramedics are on their way, they can check to be sure you’re good,” said Jenson.

Panic zipped through me. I was not going in an ambulance. Been there, done that, got the worst news ever when I did.

I grabbed Dax’s shirt. “I just want to go home. Can we go home?” Even I heard the wobble in my voice.

His face softened slightly. “Once they’ve taken a look at you, yes, we can go.”

∞∞∞

Standing before me a short while later, Dax held out a tumbler of whiskey. “Drink this.”

Settled on the sofa, I reached out and took it. “Thanks.”

To be honest, I’d have preferred a hug. But he hadn’t touched me since that moment he’d crouched in front of me while I’d sat on the bench.

He’d remained close while the paramedics cleaned and applied butterfly stitches to the cut on my head. He’d also remained close when cops appeared—minus Lowe—and asked me questions. But after that, he’d kept his distance.

It wasn’t that he was being cold or insensitive. He was just so damn pissed that he was struggling to hold himself in check. It was clear by the vengeful glint in his eyes, the tension in his jaw, the stiff set of his shoulders, and the forced calm in his tone.

I could almost see him plotting what exactly he’d do once he had Thaddeus in his grasp. Could almost see the dark fantasies playing out in his imagination. Could detect the little flickers of sadistic promise in the depths of his eyes.

Dax had repeatedly warned me about the violent side of his nature. Intellectually, I’d known it existed. But it was only now that I got a real glimpse of it. He didn’t look like he wanted to punch someone, he looked like he wanted to bludgeon them to death. Not that I believed he would, just that a mere beating wouldn’t cut it for him in this case.

Really, I doubted he’d have settled on a simple beating even if it hadn’t been my car that Thaddeus barreled into tonight. Twice in the past Dax had told him to pull his shit together or deal with the repercussions. The shit had ignored those warnings, tempted fate, and now he was fucked.

I chugged down my whiskey and then winced as pain lanced through my chest. I rubbed it. “Hurts.”

“That’ll be thanks to the seatbelt,” said Dax, still sounding unnaturally composed, as he took the glass from me.

“Yup. I’m gonna be hurting like hell tomorrow.” Whiplash was a bitch. “I hope the same can be said for Thaddeus.” The asshole would deserve it.

“I spoke to his father on the phone,” Dax told me, setting the tumbler on the table. “The man is a mess. Angry at himself for being so lenient with his son all his life. Angry at Thaddeus for causing injury to another person. Angry at his wife for refusing to accept that their son has a drinking problem. But he’s also torn up because he knows I’m going to make Thaddeus pay for this.”

“Did he ask you to take it easy on Thaddeus?”

“Yes. As if I’d ever agree to that.” Dax’s flinty gaze roved over my face with a predatory focus. “He could have killed you.” His voice was low. Rough. Irate.

The dark promise of retribution that was buried beneath his words made a little chill dance over my nape.

“Not that the piece of shit will care about that.” He cricked his neck. “He’ll be sorry he crashed his car into yours, but only because of who you are to me. He won’t want to face the consequences.” Pausing, Dax rolled back his tense shoulders. “But he will.”

Hating to see him so steeped in anger, I patted the seat beside me. “Come sit here,” I invited, injecting a soothing note to my tone.

One brow imperiously flew up. “You think you have a chance of calming me down?” he asked. No, mocked. “That won’t happen any time soon.”

Well, yeah, I’d sensed that much. I reached out to grab his hand but stilled at the sharp look he gave me.

“Don’t,” he gritted out.

I dropped my hand with a sigh. I knew what was fucking with him. He’d lost someone before. I might not mean as much to him as she had, but he cared about me enough that it would have been a blow if he’d lost me, too.

He stepped back. “You should go to bed. I’ll join you in a little while.”

No, he wouldn’t. His intention was to keep his distance until his anger had cooled. I understood, but I didn’t want him to be alone. My gut told me that that wasn’t what he truly needed.

Of course … telling him that would not help my cause. He’d get all offended and frowny. So I’d have to tell him something else; something that was equally true. “If you laugh about this I’ll hurt you, but I don’t wanna be by myself right now. Call me clingy and weak if you want, but I need you to stay with me.”

The ice in his gaze cracked, and he dragged in a long breath. “I’m not in a good place.”

I bit my lip. “Me neither.”

He hauled in another breath—this one longer, deeper, making his chest expand.

Moving stiffly, he sat beside me. Then he did the unexpected: He gently pulled me close, buried a hand in my hair, and palmed the side of my neck.

I melted into him and planted a hand on his chest. Silence fell between us. It wasn’t comfortable. It was tense and weighty and thick with emotion. So I broke it and said, “I was in a crash once before. A highway accident. There was a car pile-up.”

His lips grazed my unwounded temple. “I know, I heard. Brooks kept me updated on how you were doing.”

Oh. I hadn’t known that. “I would’ve thought that being in another crash would give me flashbacks, but it didn’t. Maybe because the first one was so different and so much worse. A lot of people were hurt. One car caught fire. Another was trapped between a truck and an SUV, so the people inside couldn’t get out.”

Pausing, I licked my lips. “I was able to get out of my car. It was only when I stood up that I saw it.”

“Saw what?”

I felt my throat thicken. “Why my pants felt so wet.” I fisted his shirt, feeling like I might suffocate on the anguish that tried to pull me under. “There was blood. So much of it.”

Dax froze against me.

“I knew what it meant, but I told myself I was wrong.” I swallowed, an insane pressure mounting in my chest. “I kept telling myself that. Kept insisting I didn’t need to panic. But it was no shock when the doctors at the hospital broke the news that the baby I was carrying hadn’t survived.”

Dax’s grip on my neck tightened. “Fuck.”

“Yeah,” I said around the frog in my throat, fisting his shirt tighter, smothering the sob that tried rising.

“Brooks didn’t tell me that.”

“He didn’t know. I hadn’t told many people I was pregnant.”

“Who was the father?”

“Just a one-night stand. He hadn’t been interested in playing a part in the baby’s life.”

Dax muttered something beneath his breath. “Then he’s a fucking waste of space.”

“So was the drunk driver who caused the pile-up. He walked away without a damn scratch. Thaddeus probably did as well, or he otherwise wouldn’t have been able to make a quick run for it.” The universe was such a shit at times.

Dax nuzzled my hair. “He’ll pay, baby. I have people looking for him. He can’t hide for long.”

We sat there like that for what could have been hours, saying nothing. In agonizingly slow increments, the tension in his body trickled away until only a little remained. Similarly, the anger that had snapped the air taut steadily dissipated—most of it, anyway. Some lingered, clinging to Dax like a foul smell.

At one point, the hand palming my neck slid upward, skimmed over my jaw, and glided up my face. His fingers idly and gently traced the skin around the gauze pad.

“I’m okay,” I said, softly.

He pressed his lips against my temple. “I fucking refuse to bury you.”

Like he’d buried Gracie, I thought.

My heart squeezing, I snuggled into him a little more. “I wish I could say you’ll never have to, but with any luck I’ll be old and gray and wrinkly when the time comes. And you’ll get a call that your ex-wife met her end.”

“Ex-wife?”

“Oh, you’ll have moved onto some superhot blonde by then. She’ll be, like, our daughter’s age. Her name will be … I don’t know … Candy or something like that. And you’ll know she’s a total gold-digger, but you’ll be helpless against those jaunty breasts. My saggy, wrinkly ones will never compete.”

He heaved a sigh. “Some seriously weird shit goes through your head on a regular basis, Addison.”

“So I’ve been told.”

His hand returned to my neck and gave it a light squeeze. “At no point will you be my ex-anything.”

“Even when Candy shakes her tits at you?”

“Even then.”

“Even when I have old lady breath and jowls down to my ankles?”

“Down to your ankles?” he repeated, incredulous.

“Hey, jowls are serious business.”

Another heavy sigh. “Jowls or no jowls, we’re not divorcing.”

“Good. I’d hate to have to slap you with my saggy boobs.” I almost smiled as he defeatedly shoved his face in my hair.

“Maybe we could have a normal conversation.”

“Now why would we want to do that?”