Chapter 30 #2
His crazy eyes bounce over my face as his tongue rolls the ring in his lip.
“Wolfe said he went over to the Cage looking for Prospect. He was supposed to help him at the Trough, and he never showed up. Said he found everything locked up and quiet, but there was a quilt and a flash drive on the counter. For some reason, he thinks it was left behind by you.”
“What do you think?” I ask, sitting up.
He’s amused. “Well, I think the quilt is a gift to Rage. Weird, but okay, whatever. The flash drive,” he leans forward, getting in my face, “I don’t know. Maybe you recorded some of the shit that went down with your brother as proof you were on our side.”
“Do I need proof that I’m on your side?”
He leans away, and I see the guilt on his face. “No.”
Peanut rests his front paw on the back bumper, and even though he didn’t help me out earlier, I begin to give him ear scratches. “You were supposed to bite him on the ass,” I tell the dog.
He fake sneezes at me.
Carver spins slowly in a circle, searching his mind for what could be on that drive.
“Have you ever killed someone?” I ask, keeping my focus on Peanut.
He stops mid-round. “Do you really want to know the answer to that?”
I lift my eyes to him. “Please don’t lock me back in the trunk. I won’t run. I promise.”
His gaze goes to the house. “Do you want to go in? Have you eaten anything today?” He holds his hand out to me and helps me out of the car.
“I … I don’t know.” The warmth of his hand triggers a release, and suddenly I’m shaking like I did after my last night in Colorado.
“You don’t know if you’ve eaten, or you don’t know if you want to go inside?” He rubs his hands over my arms, mistaking that I’m cold.
My eyes scan the dark countryside.
“You promised,” he says, waving a finger in front of my face.
“I’m … n-not g-going t-to run.”
His brows pull together. “Come on,” he says, guiding me inside with an arm over my shoulders.
We both turn as someone flies into the driveway.
Rage jumps out of his truck and storms over to us. “Why didn’t you tell me you had her?”
Carver steps away from me, and I worry for a brief moment that Rage is going to yell at me. But all he does is wrap his arms around me and pick me up off my feet.
In the space of a breath I let everything go, wrapping my legs around his waist and clinging to him.
“You’re shaking. Why is she shaking?” he asks Carver.
“I don’t know. It just started. I think she’s cold. I was taking her inside.”
I’m not sure why Rage doesn’t ask me, but my teeth are knocking together so hard I don’t know if I could answer anyway.
“Don’t look at that drive without me,” he tells Carver over his shoulder before carrying me into the bathroom.
He turns the shower on and kicks off his boots, keeping me in his arms. “We’ll keep our underwear on,” he tells me, patting me lightly on the butt for me to drop my feet to the floor. “We need to get you warmed up.”
I slowly unwrap my legs from around him. “I’m n-not cold.”
“Are you sick?” he asks, pressing his hand to my forehead. “Either way, the water will help you feel better.”
He makes quick work of removing our clothes, and I don’t have it in me to fight him. The tremors intensify, and I begin to cry. “Where’s M-Mila?”
“She wanted to have a sleepover at Papa Wolfie’s house. She’s become quite fond of him and Shelly.” He urges me into the shower and under the spray. “Mila seems to be assigning everyone a place in her life.”
He was right. I’m starting to feel better, but I don’t know if it’s from the warm water or the heat of his skin against mine. It’s probably all of that combined with the thought of my Mila having grandparents.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he rasps, resting his cheek against the top of my head.
“I killed him,” I say … facing things head on.
His muscles twitch beneath my fingertips, but otherwise he remains calm. “Who did you kill?”
“I killed your prospect.”
He’s quiet for a long time, but he doesn’t release his hold on me.
I know the flash drive will show him why I did what I did, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to see his blind reaction.
“What did he do to you?”
A sliver of satisfaction runs down my spine, and I lean away from him, catching his eyes. He trusts me. “He betrayed you.”
His jaw tenses, and his eyes darken.
“He was the one who told them about Mila.”
All of a sudden his lips crash against mine, and one of his hands holds the back of my head while the other presses between my shoulder blades. Maybe I’m romanticizing it, but it feels as if we’re two lovers reuniting after a long, drawn-out war.
His tongue spears into my mouth, and my stomach flips over itself. I’ve never felt anything like this. When his fingers begin to trail across my skin, I lose myself in the sensation they bring to my body.
A warmth begins low in my stomach, and suddenly I realize I don’t want to run anymore. Especially from him.
“I’ll get rid of them,” he says quickly, not wanting to give me time to change my mind.
“It’s okay. Go take care of business. I’ll meet you in your room. I’m going to stay here a little longer. You were right. I do feel better.”
He’s still struggling to catch his breath, and I’m surprised our kiss affected him as much as it did me. “I’m afraid you’ll sneak away. Why weren’t you going to stay?”
“I’m scared,” I whisper, knowing that I’ve said it in the present tense. That part hasn’t eased, but I’m ready to face it. “Of losing Mila and you.” I drop the top of my head to his chest, unsure of admitting my feelings for him. “It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt.”
“I felt it too.” He tips my chin and presses his forehead against mine, holding my face in his hands. “I’ve had to sit by and watch Mila, and then you, be kept away from me. I never want us to feel that way ever again. Please stay,” he begs.