Forty-Eight | Dom
Forty-Eight
Dom
The drive back to Timber Falls was quiet as Keith drove and I sat in the passenger seat.
I had offered to get us a room for the night in Junction Pass so Jo could spend more time with Kaitlyn, but she didn’t want to.
I knew it had been a long day for her and that she needed to rest. Thankfully, Kaitlyn had sent Jo with her contact information so Jo could store it in her phone as soon as we got back to the hotel room.
I wanted to hold Jo in my arms and hear all about her time with Kaitlyn, but I knew that Jo would need some time to process everything. I turned the radio up and watched out the window as the remaining light of the day vanished and a darkness washed over us.
A few hours later, we were back at the hotel and in our room as Jo plopped down on the bed and closed her eyes. I made sure to lock the door and took the extra precaution of blocking it with the chair before kicking off my shoes and joining her on the bed.
“I still can’t believe I got to meet Kaitlyn,” she said as she rolled onto her side and propped herself up on her elbow.
“I’m so happy for you, baby. I’m really glad you got to meet her, too.”
“Thank you for making everything happen. Between finding where she was and trying to sneak us out, I can’t express my gratitude enough.”
“It was truly my honor. There’s nothing in this world that I wouldn’t do for you.”
“I don’t know how I got so lucky to find a guy like you.”
“Technically, I was the one who found you,” I teased, winking at her.
“I don’t know if I should be offended or impressed.”
“Both. But like I said, I’m very good at what I do.”
“I mean, I’m not going to sit here and complain about any of it,” she said, her voice turning to a whisper as she rolled onto her back and smiled at me. “And you are very good at a lot of things.”
I licked my lips, loving the desire flashing in her eyes as she looked at me. While I knew we were both tired, I also knew that neither of us would be satisfied until we had our fill of each other again.
************************
The next morning, we met with Keith over breakfast in our room since we were still trying to lay low and avoid being seen.
“Unfortunately, my team hasn’t been able to locate Tray or his men.
We’ve had a team scour every inch of Nowhere, and we haven’t found anything.
It would seem that whoever dropped off Lauren’s body left right after.
No suspicious activity has been reported, and all vehicles have been accounted for.
While I don’t love the idea of returning to Nowhere, given that Tray obviously knows Jo has ties to the town, I can’t justify hiding in a hotel either. ”
“I think we should go home and just wait to see if Tray or his men show up,” Jo said, lifting her chin as she looked at Keith. “I’ve handled him before; I can handle him again.”
“He almost killed you,” I said quietly, looking down at the table as I folded my hands in front of me. “What makes you think he’s not going to do it this time?”
“Nothing. But I’m tired of running, Dom. I’m tired of having to constantly watch over my shoulder. I want this to end, even if it means I have to face him again.”
“It’s fucking dangerous, Jo. He’s determined to kill you—more so than he was when he actually tried. I can’t risk losing you.”
“What do you suggest then? That we continue to hide out in random hotels and hope he never finds us? You said it yourself—he’s determined to kill me. The only thing that is going to stop him is if I kill him first.”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Keith mumbled as he leaned back in his chair and shook his head.
“I’m serious, Dom. I don’t want to keep hiding.
I’m sooo fucking tired of hiding. I want to live my life and get to know my daughter.
I want to bask in the joy of knowing that I created this amazing human who has turned into the person I always hoped she would be.
I’m not about to sit back and let Tray or anyone else take that from me. ”
“I get it,” I replied as I exhaled heavily. “I’ll do whatever you want to do. Just know that I’m not letting you out of my sight until I know that there’s no danger. You and I will be attached at the hip for the foreseeable future.”
“Oh no, a big, muscular man who wants to beat up bad guys and protect me. Whatever will I do?” She cocked her head and batted her eyes, completely mocking me.
I leaned forward and pinched her chin between my fingers as my eyes locked onto hers.
“Keep running that mouth, and I’ll give you something to do with it,” I said, my voice low even though I knew Keith heard me. “If you want to play damsel in distress, we can do that at home. But make no mistake that I will be there to protect you, whether you want me to or not.”
I slowly leaned back, watching her features change as a flush of color painted her cheeks.
“Yeah, I’m gonna get going so you two can do whatever the fuck that was,” Keith said as he stood up.
“I’m heading back in an hour with Ashley.
There’s a car ready for you in the lot. When you check out, let them know that you’re collecting an envelope for Fred Casaus.
The keys will be inside. If you have any issues, call me. ”
“Will do. Thanks.” I got up and followed him to the door, knowing that Jo and I would be on the road as soon as everything was packed up.
Heading back to Nowhere should have felt like a relief, knowing we were going home. Instead, my stomach tightened at the thought that something terrible was about to happen.