45. Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter forty-five
Peter
Adair went downstairs to lie down after talking to Lynette, and I didn’t blame her.
Today had been a lot for her. Quinn volunteered to hang out down there until we wrapped up for the night, so Adair knew she wasn’t alone.
As much as I wanted to join them, I needed to help pull together several options to get the four of us to Chicago as undetected as possible, and in one piece.
Phil and Cole rolled in not long after Lukas had called them and the four of us were sitting in his office.
Phil leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You sure you want me and Cole to stay behind?”
Lukas nodded. “Yes. We might need this house ready at a moment’s notice. If my mom is this concerned, and things truly go sideways, shit’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Hell, we might need to move some innocents out here for protection.”
“I agree.” I glanced in the direction of the basement. “I’m worried about Adair.”
“She’s a tough one.”
I looked at Lukas. “Even tough ones have breaking points. We’ve seen that play out far too recently.”
Guilt swarmed in his eyes as he nodded. “Yeah.” After a moment, he let out a sigh and looked at the basement door again. “I still can’t believe Tori is alive. That is going to take some getting used to.” Lukas returned his attention to me. “She seems pretty attached to you.”
I nodded. “I’m one of the four people she’s been able to talk to for months, and Edith and I are the only of two who have physically stepped foot on the property. I was the one who safely escorted her here. It was bound to happen on some level.”
He shook his head. “It’s more than that.
I see a lot of me and Quinn in you and Tori.
” He held up his hands when I opened my mouth to protest. “Now, before you get pissed at me, I’m not saying there’s a romantic connection, but I see the trust she has in you.
With what I know of her history, and what I’ve been able to piece together with my mom’s vague comments, her sister and my brother have done something to absolutely shatter her.
The fact she’s attached to anyone is amazing.
I know how heavy that responsibility can be to carry when their life is on the line. ”
A deep sigh came out. “Yeah.”
“We’ve got your back and hers, Peter. Remember that. Trust me when I say I’m also extremely dedicated to getting her home in one piece.”
After finishing my meeting with Lukas, I headed downstairs and settled on the couch, my thoughts swirling chaotically. I was debating on taking a hot shower to clear my mind when a panicked-sounding shout came from my room.
Without hesitating, I launched off the couch and ran into my room to see Adair thrashing on the bed.
“No! Leave me alone!”
I rushed to the side of the bed she was closest to and grabbed her hands to avoid being hit by them. “Adair? Adair! Wake up.”
There was no response to my words as she continued to fight.
“Leave him alone! He didn’t do anything!”
Who is she talking about?
I struggled to keep her arms relatively still. “Adair!”
She continued to fight me.
“Tori!”
She gasped as her eyes popped open. “What?”
I can't believe that worked. I squeezed her hands and gently pushed her arms down. “Hey. You’re safe. Okay? I’m right here.”
Adair stared at me wide-eyed, terror all over her face as her grip tightened on my hand. “Don’t leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
Her piercing gaze didn’t leave my face as she caught her breath. “Stay with me?”
I would have walked over coals barefoot to make her feel better if she’d asked for it. “On the floor or on the bed?”
She glanced down and then scooted over. “Next to me, please. Just for a minute. Just until--”
“Like I said, I’m not going anywhere.” I cut her off and sat on the bed, never taking my attention off her.
Adair nodded as she laid her head on the pillow again. Her grip on my left hand didn’t loosen any.
We sat in silence, and I listened as she took intentional, measured breaths. When a few minutes had passed and she hadn’t relaxed any, I couldn’t stay silent anymore. “What can I do to help?”
“Can I rest my head on you?” The words came out as a hushed whisper.
I froze, unsure of how to comply with the request. “I… of course. How would you like to do this?”
She sniffled. “Lying down, please. I… I just…” She sniffled again as her voice cracked.
“You don’t have to explain anything right now.
” In seconds, I was flat on my back and Adair had scooted over, wrapped an arm around me, and rested her head on my chest. I worked my arm around her shoulder, gently holding her back.
Every muscle in her was tense and trembling, and when her tears soaked through my shirt, I slowly rubbed her back.
“I’ve got you, Adair. You’re safe with me. ”
All she did was nod and somehow scoot closer.
Her shoulders shook with quiet sobs, and I just held her.
It killed me that she was in so much pain and there was little I could do to help her.
I wanted to destroy the person or people who caused this.
There were so many questions I didn't have answers to, but there was no way I was asking them now.
Lukas’s words suddenly echoed in my head.
I see the trust she has in you… The fact she’s attached to anyone is amazing. I know how heavy that responsibility can be to carry when their life is on the line.
It was a weight I happily carried. I loved that she trusted me enough to be this vulnerable. It was not something I took for granted.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed. It could have been minutes or hours, but eventually her breathing evened out, and I stopped rubbing her back, thinking she had fallen asleep.
“Please don’t stop. It feels really nice.”
“Sure thing.” I resumed the gentle back rub until there was no doubt Adair was asleep. It was then I finally allowed myself to drift off.
Fingers digging into my side, and a pained moan pulled me from my sleep sometime later, and I started rubbing her back again. “Shhh. It’s okay. I’m still here. I’ve got you.”
She whimpered and held me tighter. “Don’t leave.”
My heart broke for her yet again. It was horrible she couldn’t even escape the pain in her sleep. “I’m not going anywhere, Adair. There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Another sigh came out, this one sounding much calmer than the last, and I felt her muscles relax slightly.
Eventually, she stopped clutching me, and we drifted off once more, and when I woke again, I felt far more rested.
Did I actually get sleep? Did she?
I opened my eyes to find the bedside table lamp on and a book in front of Adair’s face.
I stared at the cover, smiling when I spotted Sunny’s name on it.
My smile grew when Adair giggled and turned the page.
It was then I realized I hadn’t heard her truly laugh since meeting her, and I wanted to hear more of it.
It was light and felt carefree. Two things I wanted for her more than I could articulate.
How long can I pretend I’m still sleeping before she realizes I’m not?
After turning another page, Adair shifted onto her back and the book was no longer blocking her face. It was fascinating watching her read. Her face was relaxed, and she wasn’t tense, watching every little thing. The smirk tugging at her lips and the sparkle in her eyes had me smiling.
As if she sensed my eyes on her, she glanced over, her eyes going wide when she realized I was awake. “Oh. Good morning.”
“Good morning. Did you sleep okay?”
Adair pressed her lips into a straight line as she nodded. “I did. Thank you.”
“Good.” I adjusted how I was laying and winced. It surprised me how sore my back was.
She sat up in alarm. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine.”
Adair narrowed her eyes at me. “Peter.”
“What? I’m sure it’s nothing a hot shower won’t fix. I probably tweaked a muscle laying at a weird angle.”
“Can I see your back?”
Not sure what she was going for, I complied without question.
She grabbed the bottom of my shirt and pulled up.
A gasp came out before something cold was pressed against my skin, then the fabric dropped again.
When I spun around, I could see the guilt all over her face as she dropped her head into her hands. “I’m so sorry, Peter.”
I reached over and gently pulled one of her hands away. “Please don’t be. What in the world would you need to apologize for?”
“There are bruises on your back… from me!”
“What?”
She balled her hands up into fists as they shook. “There are fingertip sized bruises on both sides of your back. I… I hurt you.”
“But did you spiral out to a point where you were thrashing again? No, you didn’t. Honestly, I’m happy I could do something… anything that helped. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to initially.”
She shook her head. “No. You did everything perfect last night. Honestly, it was the first time I didn’t go into a full panic attack and have to dive into a freezing cold or scalding hot shower to snap out of it.
” A long, controlled breath came out. “I forgot how well being held resets my brain. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. ”
“You didn’t make me uncomfortable at all, Hummingbird. I promise. I was happy to help you out last night, and I’m more than happy to do it again in the future. I told you I wasn’t going anywhere.”
Adair stared at me, studying my face intently. “You promised me that last night.”
“I did, and I still do.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“So, now that we’re both awake, what’s the plan?”
Adair let out a sigh. “I think I’m going to shower and then make sure my things are ready for travel. If I know Lynette and Lukas at all, we are going to be rolling out very soon.”