Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
TRIGGER
Jett
“You’re taking your medications as prescribed?”
“Like my life depends on it.”
The surgeon hikes a brow, unimpressed by my choice of words.
There was no pun intended. My life literally depends on it. Before I found Harlow and discovered she wasn’t only a match but willing to part with one of her kidneys for her long, lost brother, my goal was to not die.
That’s it. Nothing more and nothing less.
Do not die.
Now that I’m on the other side, it all changed. And it all has to do with Lennon.
My sole goal in life is to live.
Not dying and living are very different things.
The surgeon types a few more notes into his laptop before he shuts it.
“Your blood tests range between good and perfect, which is better than normal. Usually, we’re thrilled with just plain good.
Both electrolyte levels and urine output are where they should be.
Your incision has healed properly with no sign of infections. Are you watching your diet?”
“Everyday. I don’t care about food enough to let that mess up my second chance at life.”
“I can vouch for that,” Lennon says. I brought her with me to my checkup. There was no way I was going to leave her in the waiting room. It’s not like they stripped me naked. If they had, it wouldn’t have mattered. “He eats healthier than anyone I know.”
The surgeon looks impressed and turns back to me.
“I feel comfortable transitioning you over to your general practitioner. Don’t hesitate to call the office if you have any issues or questions.
You healed quickly. Other than the PKD, you were in good shape before, which has helped.
I wish all my patients had this easy of a transition to their new organ. ”
I stand and grab my shirt. “I’m an overachiever.”
“Let’s talk about lifestyle. Ease back into exercise—especially weight training. Listen to your body. You’ve been off narcotics for weeks it looks like, so you can drive if you haven’t been.”
Lennon spews one single laugh. “Oh, he’s been driving. He even stole my car.”
The surgeon frowns but ignores that. “Like I said, as long as you’re off narcotics and you’re not having any side effects from other medications.”
I button my shirt. “No side effects.”
“And if you’re feeling up to it, you can resume sexual activity.”
I glance at Lennon. She doesn’t throw me under the bus with this one, but she does turn a beautiful shade of pink and bites her lip. She’s the picture of guilt if I’ve ever seen one.
“I see.” The doctor clears his throat and stands to move to the door. “No offense, Jett, but I hope I don’t hear from you. I’m always happy when my cases turn out as good as this one.”
I reach out to shake his hand. “You changed my life. I appreciate it more than you know. But I also hope I never see you again.”
He smirks. “I wish you all the best.”
Once he leaves, I turn to hold my hand out for Lennon. “You told on me for driving and having sex. I thought I could trust you.”
She takes my hand and comes straight into my arms. “Sorry about the sex part. That was embarrassing, and I couldn’t control it. I knew you were having sex too soon. But I refuse to apologize about telling on you for driving. You did steal my car.”
“I stole your stolen car,” I amend. “That makes it okay.”
I turn to walk out of the doctor’s office. We have a drive back to town. They hardly handle organ transplant cases at the Winslet Community Hospital. We’re almost an hour from home.
Home.
That word hasn’t popped into my head since before I left for bootcamp right out of high school.
We push past the front door and slip on our coats. The snow is no joke in these mountains. We’re getting another dump. Lennon pulls her jacket around her tighter.
I pull her to my side as we walk through the parking lot to keep her warm. “You need a heavier coat.”
“I had no idea how cold it got here. I bought this one thinking it would get me by. Since I haven’t left the confines of the manor in days, I haven’t needed one.”
“I’ll take you shopping after our next stop.”
“What’s the next stop?”
I open the passenger door for her and help her climb in. “We have an appointment with a realtor.”
She stills right before she hooks her seatbelt. “A realtor?”
I shrug. “I can’t live at the manor forever, and despite my recent life changes, I’m a really shitty pet owner at the moment. The animals need a yard. And you’re sure as hell not going back to the library basement. So, yeah, a realtor is on the agenda.”
She’s got one leg out the door, so I stand here in the snow until she comes to terms with our next appointment. I knew this would happen, which is why I didn’t tell her sooner. “What are you going to look at?”
“We have an appointment to see houses in town, though there are only three for sale in Winslet and none of them have a big enough yard or are as private as I’d like. We’re also going to look at land.” I push her the rest of the way in and slam the door.
When I climb in next to her and crank on the heat she turns to me. “Land?”
I put it in reverse and back out of the parking lot.
“Winslet is small, and no one ever seems to leave. I’m not trying to be morbid, but unless someone dies, homes rarely go on the market.
At least that’s what the realtor told me.
But there are a few plots of land for sale outside of town.
I’m not sure where we’ll live in the meantime if we decide to build, but we’ll figure that out later. ”
She doesn’t say anything and turns to stare out the windshield at the snow coming down in waves.
I keep talking to fill the space. “Then I’m buying you a new coat, hat, and gloves. We’ll find you some boots too. You’re not prepared for winter.”
She continues to sit there in silence. It’s all I can do to keep my eyes on the road and not stare at her.
“Lennon?”
She doesn’t look at me. “Hmm?”
“Baby, say something. You’re giving me PTSD from when you were poisoned. I can’t take the silence.”
She pulls in a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to compute the fact that you’re meeting with a realtor and the you turned into a we.”
I hit the brakes and pull into another parking lot so I can give her my full attention. “Look at me.”
She turns to me, and her expression is set to worried. “What?”
“Remember just a few hours ago when you asked me to lead you into my dreams?”
“Yes. But I was naked and on the edge of an orgasm. That’s not the real me. This is the real me who freaks out at things like ... realtors and land and the future.”
A smile pulls at my lips. “You did not preface that this morning when I made a promise to open up your future to new dreams. Stick with me. You’ll get used to it.”
“When exactly did you schedule this appointment with a realtor? After sex this morning and before your post op appointment?”
I come clean because there’s no way I’ll lie to her.
“Yesterday. But I’m not about to turn down an opportunity to show you a dream.
Try to come to terms with that on the drive back to Winslet so you don’t look like a deer in the headlights when we look at the first house.
It’s important that you’re with me. I want you to want our future home. ”
“I don’t know. But remind me to talk less during sex. I can’t be held accountable for what I say when you do all those things to me.”
“Knowing that you’re agreeable during foreplay is helpful. I’ll tuck that away for another day.”
She frowns and bites my name. “Jett.”
I smile. “Baby.”
She sits back in her seat. “Okay, okay. Let’s look at land when I don’t have a proper coat or boots. I’ll freeze ... it’s fine.”
I put the truck back in drive and pull out into traffic. “You can wear my coat, and I’ll carry you.”
She gapes at me. “There’s no way I’m letting you carry me for at least another six months. Maybe a whole year.”
“Little do you know. I carried you into the hospital when you were poisoned.” I reach over, grab her hand, and pull it to my lips. “And you just talked about the future. I’m proud of you.”
She reaches for the dashboard and cranks up the radio. “You’re impossible.”
I grin as I turn onto the highway. “Stick with me. I’ll make you a dreamer eventually.”
Lennon
We’re halfway back to Winslet and it doesn’t matter that I’ve put on the radio. Jett is having none of it. He’s rapid fire questioning me about houses. And he won’t take no for an answer or allow me to ignore him. I finally give in and start answering.
“Gas or electric range?”
“We had electric on the boat, so I guess gas. I don’t need any bad memories in the kitchen.”
“Do you like long baths or steam showers?”
I sigh. “A bath sounds nice. I had enough natural steam in Florida for a lifetime.”
“How big of a closet do you need?”
“I have two pairs of shoes and have only shopped at thrift stores since I escaped. Unless Harlow keeps giving me clothes, I need two square feet.”
“White walls or color?”
“Why can’t we have both?”
“True. Hardwoods or tile?”
“Again, why not both?”
“Shit. I need better questions. How about a white picket fence or privacy fence?”
“I’ve never had a fence. You’re stressing me out.”
“This is not stress, baby. This is fun.”
“This is so not fun.”
Jett throws me a glance and pairs it with a smirk. “Two kids or three?”
I gape at him.
He keeps going. “Four?”
“Jett!”
He frowns. “Only one?”
I turn to my window and cradle my head in my hand.
He keeps talking. “See? Talk of kids is stressful. Hardwood flooring and a picket fence in comparison is not stressful at all.”
He exits the highway and comes to a stop on the county road to take a left toward Winslet. The traffic isn’t heavy, but the snow is, which makes the visibility lower than normal.
“Why am I making choices about a house you don’t own yet?”
“Because when we get there, you might see things differently since we’ve talked about them. You’ll know what you want. I want you to have what you want.”
“What do you want?”
He ignores the traffic and turns to me. “I only want you—and to not mooch off my brother-in-law-to-be anymore, which means we need a place to live.”
I look left and right for traffic when something catches my eye. Through the side mirror, I see an SUV pulling up beside us on the shoulder of the road.
Jett keeps talking. “I suppose if I had no other choice, I could move into the library with you. But I’d really like to get the animals back. I miss them.”
I have no idea what model SUV it is, but it’s black with black tinted windows. They either can’t see the stripes for the snow or are incredibly rude.
That’s when the driver’s window starts to slide down.
Oh my God.
“Jett!”
“What—”
“Go! Go!”
A gun appears through the snowstorm, and it’s pointed directly at me.
And my father is the one holding it.
That’s when everything happens in slow motion.
My dad looks directly into my eyes.
His jaw goes tense, but his hand fisting the gun is even tenser.
I scream.
And my father pulls the trigger.
“Fuck!” Jett ignores all traffic and hits the gas.
Jett’s hand lands on the top of my head. There’s nothing gentle about it when he yanks me to the console the instant my window shatters.
Cold air and glass fill the cabin along with flurries of snow.
I can’t stop screaming, but I don’t look up. We turn and swerve left and right and left again on a patch of ice. Horns honk in unison. It feels like it did when the semi was chasing us.
But the semi didn’t have a gun.
“Are you okay?” Jett growls over the sound of wind whistling through the broken window.
I sit up and glance out the side mirror. “He’s following us!”
Jett shoves his cell at me. “Call nine-one-one. Tell them to get hold of Dean. Let him know where we are and that we found Reed fucking Shaw.”
My fingers shake as I do what he says. We’re on a two-lane road, racing back to Winslet faster than we should be in these conditions.
The dispatcher barely has a chance to answer when I interrupt. “This is Lennon Shaw. I’m with Jett Cross. We’re on country road seventeen headed west toward Winslet. We were shot at. A black SUV is following us. It’s my father, Reed Shaw. Call Chief Moretti. Please!”
“Fuck,” the dispatcher growls. “Stay on the line. I’m dispatching units to you now, then I’ll call Dean.”
Jett puts an arm across my chest and presses me into my seat. “Hang on, baby.”
“What—” but I don’t get a chance to ask. The SUV rams us from behind right before a gunshot breaks the glass out of the back window.
I scream.
“Dammit,” Jett yells and fishtails back and forth.
I turn and look through broken glass just in time to see my dad hit the gas. The gun remains aimed at us through the driver’s window. “He’s coming again!”
“Fuck this.” Jett’s arm across my chest becomes a band of steel. “Brace.”
And the next thing I know, Jett hits the brakes.
We skid and swerve.
When it happens, the impact is earsplitting. The sting of the airbags fill the cab and strike my face. They take my breath away. Jett doesn’t let up on the brakes, and my dad’s SUV crashing into ours thrusts us forward until we spin out into a ditch.
Once the truck comes to a jolting stop, the engine dies and smoke billows into the cold air.
Jett pushes the airbags away, and I cough and sputter. We both turn to look out the back window. Dad’s SUV spiraled into the ditch across the road. The front looks like a pancake. Jett turns to me. “Stay on the phone and do not get out of the truck. Do you understand?”
I realize I’m still gripping the cell with dear life and only focus on him. “What are you—”
He reaches for his door and has to push on it three times to get it to open. “I’m going to take care of your father once and for all.”