Ch. 38 – Jax
F ilmy dreams slipped away beneath her eyelids. Jax floated between two worlds. Something pulled at her just beyond the veil. A sense that she was in a different, unfamiliar place. Jax turned onto her side. The cover over her shoulders was light and soft, not the heavy quilt she was used to. Her dreams retreated further as a prickle of fear seeped into her growing consciousness.
Where was she?
Jax reached out, searching for something familiar. Her hand found warm skin stretched over tight muscle.
An alarm rang in her head. Andrew?!
The darkness reared inside her like a serpent, fear billowing from its mouth.
No!
Faintly, she heard a sigh. The body next to hers shifted. A hand brushed down her arm. Lips gently pressed against her temple.
“You want to go again?” The voice rumbled like the purr of a lion. Masculine and strong. And terrifying.
Jax’s eyes flew open. She twisted away, clawing against the blankets. NO, NO, NO!
“Jax, what’s wrong?” Andrew sat up in bed and reached for her .
She stumbled out of the bed. Her ankle complained, and she nearly fell. NO! NO! NO!
“Jax.”
The pain cleared the final cobwebs of sleep and disorientation from Jax’s brain. Not Andrew. Rico. But the darkness had been unleashed. Fear pulsed through her, wrapping around her throat, sending her heart on a mad race through her rib cage.
“What’s going on? Talk to me.” Rico’s voice was soft, edged with concern.
“Nothing. I . . . I . . .” Jax dropped to her knees, grasping in the dark. Her hand closed around her shirt, and she quickly put it on. “I have to go.”
“Go? It’s . . . 2:13 in the morning.”
“I’m sorry.” She could barely breath. The panic grew leathery wings and beat through her lungs. She needed air. Needed to leave.
“Here.” A lamp suddenly cast a dim light on the room. “Jax, please, just stop.”
“NO . . . No. I need to go.” She found her underwear and skirt and slid them on. Her bra was nowhere to be found, but it didn’t matter. She just needed her boots. Tears pricked her eyes.
Rico got out of the bed and stood before her. Gloriously naked. Terrifyingly naked. “Jax.”
He bent down, reached for her.
“NO!” The word was a howl. She threw her arm out, pushing him a step back. Jax gathered her boots to her chest and turned away as if his touch would burn her. Because it would.
“I don’t understand.” Rico sounded utterly defeated.
“I’m sorry.” It was all she could offer, because she was seconds away from imploding. She rushed out of the bedroom. Banged her shin on the coffee table. Somewhere from the living room to the front door, Jax managed to shove her sockless feet into her boots.
“Don’t go,” Rico said, but his voice was echoey and far away. She had to go. Or the fear would consume her, and she would shrivel into nothing. Her shaking hands scrabbled at the front door, finally turning the lock, then the knob, and she was free.
Jax didn’t remember much of the rest. The elevator ride down was a blank. So was crossing the first-floor lobby. Her boots were loose around her ankles, her feet half lifting out of them with each step. And then, finally, finally, finally, she was at her car in the parking garage. She didn’t even remember grabbing her keys and purse, but they were somehow in her hands.
Jax slid behind the wheel, gasping for breath. Tears poured down her face.
The darkness had won. Again.