Chapter 32 Colten
THIRTY-TWO
COLTEN
Ablend of anger and relief thrums through my body with every block closer we come to the apartment building.
On the one hand, I’m furious. With myself and Lexi. I should know her well enough to know she was always going to run, and that’s on me. She values her freedom above all else, and the second I took that away from her, I should have anticipated her sneaking out.
But I’m also fucking livid that she would do something so stupid the day after she was almost kidnapped from her bed.
Having such little regard for her safety is beyond idiotic, and it’s taking everything in me not to yell at her when she’s already so fragile.
Her bleeding hands are bunched together, her head bowed as soft sobs fill the car.
I could have lost her today, and that’s simply unacceptable.
If she’s not going to take her safety seriously, I sure as hell will.
Parking the car, I shut the engine off but make no move to get out. We both need a second to gather ourselves.
“I’m sorry,” Lexi chokes out.
“We’ll talk about it upstairs.”
“Colten—”
“No, Lexi. We’re not doing this here.” I reach for my door but pause with my hand on the handle. “Are you okay to walk?”
She nods but can’t bring herself to look up at me, and my chest aches not seeing her dark eyes lift to mine.
By the time we reach the elevator, Lexi’s entire body is trembling, and I can’t take it any longer.
I carefully lift her into my arms, cradling her against my chest.
She buries her face into my shirt, which is immediately dampened by her tears. “I can walk.”
“I know, Wildcat. But let me carry you. Let me take care of you.”
The elevator ride is silent aside from Lexi’s sniffles, and it’s not until the doors open into the apartment that some of the tension thrumming through my body eases.
I have a feeling I’m going to be on high alert every second that she’s outside these walls until we figure out who the fuck is after my girl.
It’s not until we reach the bedroom that I finally lower her onto the edge of the bed where Mary has left the surprise I organized for her.
I’d fully intended to pick it up myself, but then Lexi went and got herself into trouble.
She swipes at the tears slipping down her cheeks as a soft mewl captures her attention.
“Colten,” Lexi says carefully.
“Yes, Wildcat?”
“There’s a cat on your bed.”
“I’m aware.”
“Why is there a cat on your bed?”
“Our bed,” I correct. “And there’s a cat on our bed because I know how badly you’ve always wanted one. I thought she would help you feel more at home here.”
She’s quiet for a beat as she reaches for the gray tabby. She’s a rescue who had her family surrender her when they had a new baby, and her foster family said she’s the sweetest girl, which I got a glimpse of when I went to meet her before heading into the office yesterday.
Lexi spots the blood coating her palm and pauses, but the cat headbutts the back of her hand, clearly unhappy with the delay in petting. “What’s her name?”
“Pancake.”
A soft laugh fills the space as she pets the cat’s head, careful not to get any blood on her soft fur.
“You bought me a cat.”
“You don’t do well with big changes. This way you and Pancake can make the transition together.”
A fresh wave of tears leaks from the corners of her eyes, but I recognize them as happy tears.
Women are so confusing with their emotions. Surely it’s not normal to cry when you’re happy and sad. Throw frustrated and angry into the mix, and it’s a wonder the emotional beings aren’t crying nonstop.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“You’re welcome.”
While she’s distracted by the cat, I slip my hands beneath her and carefully tug her leggings down her legs, earning me a yelp.
“What are you doing?” she snaps.
“We need to get your cuts clean,” I say, pulling her sweater over her head and ignoring her indignant glare when she’s left sitting in nothing but a cotton bra and panties.
I shake my head and give Pancake a quick pat. “Don’t look at me like that, Wildcat. I’ve seen you in more compromising positions than this one.”
She huffs, her mouth opening to say something I’m sure would have been sassy, but I cut her off by lifting her back into my arms and carrying her into the bathroom.
Lexi hisses out a breath when I place her on the cool granite counter but doesn’t say a word as I busy myself gathering first aid supplies and lining them up neatly beside her.
Once I’m satisfied I have everything I need, I wet a cloth and carefully dab at her palm. The cuts have stopped bleeding, but that also means there could be dirt and grime under the surface.
She watches my every move, the tears from earlier finally drying up.
My girl has been through so many big changes the last few days, it’s not surprising that she’s emotional.
I move on to cleaning her other hand, stopping to wash out the cloth every now and then.
“I’m sorry for sneaking out,” she finally says.
I press my eyes closed and take a deep breath to stop myself from snapping at her. We’re already on precarious footing, and the last thing she needs is for me to yell at her. “It was a stupid thing to do.”
She nods. “I know. I just…”
“Wanted some freedom,” I finish for her. “I know. I know how much you need it after your dad died. But it’s not safe right now. We have no idea who this guy is or what he wants. Anything could have happened today.”
“How did you find me?” she asks.
I don’t answer for long seconds as I crouch down in front of her and start cleaning the wounds on her knees.
I could be honest and tell her I’ve been stalking her for years and have a tracker in her shoes.
But somehow, I don’t think that’s going to win me any favors, and I really don’t need her running again.
“I have a tracker on your phone,” I tell her honestly. “After you were taken in college, Cruz and I needed some kind of reassurance that we could find you if you were ever in that kind of trouble again.”
She stares down at me, her lips parted as if she’s going to say something, but no words ever come.
“Riley and your mom both have them as well, if it makes you feel any better.” Not a lie.
The first thing Cruz had me do when his wife came into his life was make sure he would always be able to find her.
Unfortunately, we never planned on her being chased through the forest by her psycho ex and the woman that’s been painfully obsessed with Cruz for years, while wearing just one of his shirts and no footwear.
You better believe she now has a permanent bracelet with a tracker in it, because I don’t think my best friend could ever survive that kind of stress again. Once was more than enough.
“I don’t know why I’m surprised.” She half laughs. “But my phone was at the café…oh my god. My phone and my laptop!”
“Ken has them. He’ll drop your things over in a few hours. He’s just canvassing the area around the café for any signs of the man that took you.”
“How did you know where to find me when I didn’t have my phone?”
“I didn’t know for sure. We knew he took you out the back door, and from there I was searching the back alleys, assuming he wouldn’t want to take you onto the street where cameras could catch him.” A plausible lie.
Not that it’s recommended to lie to the person you’re planning to marry at all, but you know, some things can’t be avoided, especially when it’s a matter of her safety.
We fall into silence, Lexi watching my every move as I carefully apply antiseptic and bandages. I’m tempted to have the doctor come around and check her wounds, but I don’t want to upset her any more than I already have.
I apply the last of the bandages to her torn-up knees and push myself to my feet.
Stepping between her thighs, I drop my forehead to hers, taking a moment to remind myself that she’s okay. She’s safe. She’s not badly hurt.
But it could have been an entirely different story.
If the assailant had parked closer, if he’d taken a different turn, if Lexi didn’t have the taser I bought her.
How am I supposed to deal with the possibility of losing her when she’s finally mine?