Chapter Thirteen
“Thanks,” I say to Uncle Atticus when he lets go of my arm. “I’ll check on Rowdy while you start the truck and then we can go.”
I open the door to the RV and make my way inside.
“Wild,” a woman hisses. “Cover your dick. We have a visitor.”
Wild groans and I hear soft rustling of blankets. “She can’t see, Talia. We’re good.”
The image in my head is enough torment. I don’t need to see it.
“Did you need something, hon?” Talia asks. “You must be his little cousin.”
Little?
“I’m looking for my brother, actually,” I say tightly. “I’ll go on back.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t do that,” Talia blurts out. “Might catch an eyeful of your brother’s dick.”
“Again,” Wild grumbles. “She can’t see.”
Ignoring them both, I carefully make my way toward the back, tripping over someone’s shoes left in the walkway.
The door to his room is open. I reach out, intending to grab his foot to shake him awake, but I find a small, dainty one instead.
My hand jerks back as though I’ve accidentally put it in the fire.
“Hey,” the girl squeaks out, embarrassment in her tone. “I’m Lila.”
Lila?
The one Rowdy was dreaming about when he tried to have sex with me. A hot flicker of something burns in my chest.
“Destiny,” I say in a sharp tone. “Rowdy, are you going with me and Uncle Atticus or not?”
It’s obvious he would rather chill in bed with Lila, doing only God knows what, but for some reason, that agitates me. After thinking he was dead last night, I kind of wanted to spend some time with him, even if only a car ride.
“Fuck,” Rowdy grunts, voice hoarse. “I’m coming, Dez. Let me run a toothbrush over my teeth and throw on my boots.”
“You’re leaving?” Lila asks, disappointment lacing her tone. “I thought we could grab breakfast or something.”
“I promised Dez I’d go with her,” he lies. “Sorry. Maybe another time.”
His massive hands grip onto my shoulders as he climbs out of the bed. I let him steady himself. When he brushes past me, I get a whiff of girly perfume on him. I don’t like it.
Soft moans can be heard up front and my cheeks warm. Wild and Talia are having sex out in the open where we can all hear? Lila and Rowdy can actually see them. Why would they do this with an audience?
“They’ve been going at it all night,” Lila says grumpily. “I didn’t sleep a wink.”
It makes me wonder if she and Rowdy were also going at it all night.
My heart stupidly aches.
Why?
I carefully exit the RV, not interested in hearing the slapping of flesh. It reminds me of another time, in my past, that Jace’s flesh slapped against mine. There’s nothing sexy or erotic about it. To be honest, it’s triggering.
Once outside, I breathe in the icy cold air. I could wait in the truck with Uncle Atticus, but I’d rather walk with Rowdy.
So he’ll touch you?
I’m grateful for the wind that chills my skin. Otherwise, shame would have me sweating right about now.
Woof.
Whipping my head to the left, I listen for the sound again. Wolf? Coyote? Dog?
Woof. Woof.
It’s nearby. I hope it’s not rabid or vicious.
The door to the RV opens and the steps creak as Rowdy descends them. I know it’s him because I can usually sense his intense presence even without his smokey pine scent.
His palm touches my lower back and I shiver.
“It’s cold out here,” he grunts. “Let’s get to the truck.”
We make our trek through the newly fallen snow to Uncle Atticus’s vehicle. Rowdy is quiet, but I get the sense he wants to say something to me. Before we reach the truck, he fists my coat, forcing me to stop. I whip my head over to angle my face up at him.
“What?”
“Sorry you, uh, walked in on all that.”
“I can’t see, so we’re all good.”
He sighs heavily and I smell the mint of his toothpaste. “You know that’s not what I mean.”
“It’s fine. Let’s go.” I reach out, touching the truck, hoping to find the door handle.
Rowdy gently takes my arm and guides it in the right direction. “Yup.”
Once inside, I smell Uncle Atticus’s coffee. It reminds me of Gwen’s special coffee. I wonder if I could purchase some of my own to drink in the mornings. I’ll have to ask her where I can get it.
“You gave us all a scare last night,” Uncle Atticus says to Rowdy once we’re on the road. “Everyone thought you were dead. We got you that phone for a reason.”
Rowdy grunts. “I’m sorry. Just went out for some alone time. Lost track of, well, everything. Won’t happen again.”
“Damn right,” Uncle Atticus bites out. “I’m going to make sure your tracker is working too. I didn’t think we’d need one on you, but I was wrong.”
I know Rowdy hates being spoken to like a child based on his huffs of frustration, but I agree with Uncle Atticus on this one. Not knowing where he was all day yesterday was stressful. When we learned of the homicide, it was even worse. I really thought he was dead.
My stomach twists and I feel slightly sick. Reminds me of the morning sickness I started getting. Great. Now my heart hurts too.
Shoving an earbud in my ear, I tell my phone to play the playlist Weston helped me make.
It’s all music I’ve never heard of, with dark, soulful tones and lyrics.
I love it. My favorite is a Death Cab for Cutie song called “I Will Follow You into the Dark.” Even though Weston chose it for me to listen to, it makes me think of Rowdy.
I’ve made it through my favorite songs on the playlist by the time Uncle Atticus shuts off the truck. I’m not keen on them walking me in because last time, they were dicks.
“Stay here,” Rowdy says to him. “I’ll get her to the door. Keep this thing warm. It’s cold as fuck out there.”
Uncle Atticus grunts and turns the engine over again. I slide out of the vehicle and shut the door behind me. Rowdy clutches me on the back of the neck, his large hand warming me.
“What’s on your schedule today?” Rowdy asks, thumb rubbing along the side of my neck and causing me to shiver. “Any cool shit they’re teaching you?”
I command for my phone to read me today’s schedule. In a robotic, female voice it says, “Orientation and mobility therapy including white cane, echolocation basics, terrain awareness, and other mobile practices such as walking routes and navigating stairs.”
Rowdy gives my neck an affectionate squeeze. “You’re really good at using your phone. Maybe you ought to teach me a thing or two.”
I can’t help but grin at him. It’s a compliment because he’s a lot more worldly than me. But to him, the phone is just a tool. For me, it’s a lifeline and opens up a whole new existence. I love it.
“Sounds like a date.”
“Stairs are coming up,” Rowdy warns. “Careful.”
I wrap an arm around his waist and let him guide me toward them.
We make it up the steps without trouble and then he stops in front of the doors.
He releases his hand from my neck and then steps in front of me.
His massive frame blocks the chilly wind and he’s close enough I can feel the warmth of his chest radiating into mine.
Gently, he cups my cheek. It’s a sweet gesture, but it reminds me of last night.
He’d done something similar, going as far as touching my lip, and I’d felt a forbidden stirring in my gut.
“Have a good day, Dez.”
“I will,” I rasp out. “Don’t get lost today.”
He chuckles. “I’ll do my best.”
“Destiny!” a familiar voice chirps as the door opens and warmth swirls toward us. “So happy to see you!”
I jerk away from Rowdy as if I’ve been caught doing something wrong. My face is burning hot as I turn to face Gwen. Rowdy doesn’t say another word and I hear his footsteps crunching along the ground as he walks away. Gwen pulls me in for a fierce hug that makes me smile.
“Let’s grab some coffee and catch up about the weekend before we get started.”
Eagerly, I follow my new friend and therapist to her wonderfully homey office. We drink her delicious coffee while I tell her about what a sweet guy her son is and the date we went on. I’m able to push away the strange feelings for Rowdy and focus on being here where I can learn new things.
“You know you can text me anything anytime,” Gwen says to me. She’s told me this before and I believe it.
“I know.” I smile at her as I set my now empty mug down.
She moves from her own seat and sits down next to me. My heart rate quickens when she takes my hand. Something about the sudden closeness makes me nervous. “You know, sweetie, if there’s anything troubling you at home, I can help with that.”
Where do I begin?
Though I’m thinking it, I certainly don’t voice it.
“Everything’s fine. Why? Did Weston say something?”
She sighs heavily. “He mentioned you were upset about your brother being missing. Since I just saw him, I understand he made his way home. Want to talk about it?”
Nope.
“I overreacted,” I say with a grimace. “His phone died and I jumped to the worst possible conclusion.”
“Which is…”
“That he died.”
She squeezes my hand. “Oh, honey, that must’ve been terrible to think your brother died. Why did you jump to that so quickly?”
Because he already almost died once before…
“Someone was murdered. He fit my brother’s description. It was terrifying.”
“How awful,” she says softly. “You and your brother have a close bond, huh?”
The way she asks the question is innocent enough, but I sense an agenda behind her words. It puts me on guard.
“I have a close bond with all my siblings. I have many.”
“That’s wonderful,” she agrees, a smile in her voice. “Rowdy seems extremely protective of you.”
“Where we came from, it was dangerous. It’s not unwarranted.”
She chuckles. “I hope you don’t think I’m prying or implying something. Just wanting to learn your family dynamics a little better. You’re already like the daughter I never had.”
I relax at her words. “Could you imagine Weston with a sister? He would have to share the attention.”
“He would hate that,” she says with a laugh. “The boy has always wanted to be front and center.”
We discuss Weston some more and the playlist he made me. But, as if she’s steering a large ship through a maze of jagged rocks, she circles back to Rowdy again.
“Not to be out of line, but Rowdy appears a bit possessive to me.”
I sit ramrod straight and frown at her. “How?”
“The way he looks at you, for one.”
That’s not fair because I can’t see how he looks at me. How am I supposed to defend him with that answer?
“Secondly,” she continues, “he puts his hands on you a lot.”
I pluck my hand from hers and scoot over a bit, needing distance from this woman. She’s my friend, but right now it doesn’t feel so friendly. It feels like an attack.
“I didn’t mean to offend,” she says quickly, regret in her tone. “I’m so sorry. It’s just my number one priority to keep my patients safe. As an observer, I’m only telling you what I see. There are red flags for certain types of behavior and I see them in your brother. Did I overstep?”
A knock on the door interrupts our awkward and prying conversation.
“Come in,” Gwen says in a tight voice. The door opens and then she turns overly friendly. “Thatcher and Angelica. I’ve been wanting to introduce you to Destiny.”
Meeting the two patients with similar vision problems like myself would have been exciting twenty minutes ago. Unfortunately, Gwen poked at my family, which has me on edge.
Is she right, though?
Is Rowdy possessive over me?
And why don’t I think that’s a bad thing?
He would do anything to keep his family safe. If that’s seen as possessive, I don’t understand why Gwen is afraid of it.