Chapter 31 #2
His answer was gruff and quick. “Had some shit I had to take care of at the office. Needed to be gone a while, but didn’t want to leave you without someone at your back while I was taking care of that, so Danno was on duty.
Meeting took longer than I’d have liked, and by the time I made it back a few minutes ago, he was already out, and I didn’t feel like wakin’ him.
That said, even if your dad’s boy wasn’t currently on my couch, I still would’ve come in here to you, ’cause I need you in my arms tonight. ”
Oh my god.
“You aren’t good with that, you say the words and I’ll move to the guest bedroom.”
If I wasn’t good with this, he’d move to the guest room.
A room that, during our time as an us, I’d discovered wasn’t actually a bedroom, but more of a storage room with a shitty twin bed stuffed in among the boxes and a bunch of other crap.
It wasn’t a room a person should be forced to sleep in, but he’d do it if that was what made me comfortable.
God, this man.
Instead of answering, I shifted from beneath his arm, reached over Bear, and flipped on the lamp closest to my side of the bed so I could see him fully as I sat up and twisted around to face him.
His brows drew together as he pushed to an elbow, giving me an unobstructed view of his breathtaking body. “What’s the matter? Are you hurting? Do you need me to get you a pain pill?”
“I’m not hurting,” I answered, and, for the most part, it was true.
My voice was almost back to normal, sounding only a touch throaty as opposed to the nasty croak I’d had the past several days, and it didn’t hurt to speak any longer.
My ribs were going to take a while, but my range of motion had improved.
The thing giving me the most problems lately was my face since that was where John did the majority of his dirty work, but I could deal.
The pain wasn’t so bad I needed meds regularly anymore, and the truth was, I hated how they made me feel.
I’d been so zonked out the past several days, that all I’d done was eat and sleep, so I had absolutely no idea what was going on.
I didn’t know if the cops had found John, and I had no clue why Xander would have to take a meeting in the middle of the night that necessitated him having to put Danno “on duty.”
“No pills. But after everything you just said, I know there’s no way I’m getting back to sleep. If you’re beat, I’ll move into the guest room to read or something, but I’m up, and there’s no way I’ll be able to get back down.”
At my admission, he sat up fully, giving me his muscular back while he flipped on his lamp before coming back to me. “I freaked you out. Fuck, Shortcake, I’m sorry.”
I shook my head and reached out to press my palm against his chest. “It’s all right. I’ll deal. And if you need sleep, I want you to have that, so stop worrying.”
He frowned hard and intense as he mumbled, “No way in fuck I’ll be able to sleep now, knowing you got shit swirlin’ around in your brain, keepin’ you up.”
I could see that. And I could also see that there was only one way to fix that for either of us, so I decided to take a risk.
It had blown up in my face only a matter of weeks ago, but I pushed that to the back of my mind and said, “Since neither of us are gonna be able to sleep, I’d like .
. .” I paused, needing to take in a fortifying breath.
“I want you to talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.
Was that meeting you had tonight about me? ”
He hesitated for several seconds, and I could see in his eyes that he was wavering between lying or giving me the truth. Then he made his decision and nodded.
“It was about John, wasn’t it? Are you working with the cops to try and find him?”
His gaze drifted to the side, his voice coming out a mumble as he answered, “We’re running simultaneous investigations.”
My forehead puckered in a frown. “What does that mean?”
“It means the cops are lookin’ for him at the same time my guys and your dad’s crew are lookin’, but we aren’t workin’ with them.”
Oh no. That couldn’t be good.
“And what happens if you guys and my dad’s guys find him first?”
“When we find him, we hand him over to the cops.” My sigh of relief came too soon, because he wasn’t finished. “Once we’re done with him.”
“Xander, you can’t do that!” I cried, pushing up on my knees to get closer to him. “You have to let the cops take care of this. I don’t want anyone getting in trouble.”
His hands came up to rest on either side of my neck as he lowered his voice and assured me, “Shortcake, no one’s gonna get in trouble, you have my word.”
“Bullshit. I know all of you, and the one thing you guys have in common with my dad’s buddies is that you’re all hotheaded! You’re honestly telling me, if you catch him you aren’t going to do something that could potentially lead to some serious jail time?”
“No. I’m not sayin’ that at all.”
I plopped back onto my behind. “Xander!”
“What I’m sayin’ is, you don’t need to worry about any of us goin’ to jail, ’cause we aren’t ever gonna get caught.”
“Oh god,” I groaned, dropping my head into my hands. “This can’t be happening. This is my nightmare, right here.”
“Sage.” His fingers circled my wrists and applied gentle pressure, but I wouldn’t move my hands.
“Babe, look at me.” It took me a few more seconds, but when I finally lifted my head and looked into those midnight eyes I had to suck in a breath at what I saw staring down at me.
“It’s done. The decision was mine to make, and I made it.
There’s no goin’ back, mainly ’cause I’m not changin’ my mind. ”
“Why?” I asked in a jagged whisper.
“Why what?”
“Why was it up to you, and why’d you get to make this decision. I’m nothing to you.”
His face went so hard it was scary. “Wrong, Sage. You’re fuckin’ everything to me,” he said with a savage rumble. “It was my call because that motherfucker hurt the woman I’m in love with, my woman, and it’s for that reason, I’m not changin’ my mind.”
And just like that, he shook the very foundation of my world.