29. Aliyah
ALIYAH
The engine of Jackson's Aston Martin growls as we speed through the dark streets. His knuckles are white on the steering wheel, jaw clenched so tight I worry he'll crack teeth. The silence in the car is heavy, broken only by Antonio's labored breathing from the back seat.
"I'm fine," I mutter, though my hands won't stop trembling. The adrenaline crash is hitting hard, leaving me feeling hollow. "You don't need to-"
"Don't." Jackson's voice cuts like steel. His eyes stay fixed on the road, but I feel the fury radiating off him in waves. "Just don't, angel."
I sink lower in the leather seat, wrapping my arms around myself.
The tender spots from when I was slammed around earlier are starting to throb, but they're nothing compared to what Antonio's sporting.
I glance back at Jackson's cousin, sprawled across the back seat.
His face is a mess of purple and red, blood still trickling from his split lip.
"Jackson," I whisper, "About Antonio-"
"He knew better." The words come out as a growl. "He was supposed to watch you."
"It wasn't his fault. It was a car wreck."
Jackson lets out a low growl, and I'm a little worried he might kill his cousin for this. Hopefully, he'll calm down.
We pull up to the iron gates of Ryker's estate, and Jackson punches in a code without slowing down. The car tears up the curved driveway, gravel crunching under the tires.
In front of the house, Jackson kills the engine and is out of the car before I can blink. He yanks open the back door, jerky Antonio's nearly unconscious form. "Get inside," he snarls.
To Antonio's credit, he manages to keep himself upright and head up the drive. He might be all jokes, but it's clear he's cut from the same cloth as Jackson.
Before I push my door open, Jackson is there, lifting me in his arms. I don't even protest this time as he carries me inside. He knows exactly where he's going, striding through the dim hallways toward the medical wing. The sterile smell of antiseptic hits my nose as we enter.
Jackson barks at someone to get Naya before lying me on an empty bed. Antonio has already collapsed on the one next to me. Anger radiates off Jackson as he crosses his arms and glares at the door, waiting for Naya to appear.
"I'm fine," I insist again as Jackson paces the length of the medical room like a caged predator. "Just a little banged up."
The door bursts open, and Naya rushes in with Ryker's imposing figure right behind her. Her protective braids swing as she makes a beeline for me, dark eyes scanning my body for injuries.
"What happened?" She grabs my shoulders, then immediately releases them when I wince. "Who did this?"
"Later." Ryker's deep voice fills the room as he moves to stand beside Jackson. The cousins share a look that sends chills down my spine - two apex predators planning a hunt. Where Jackson vibrates with barely contained violence, Ryker emanates an icy calm that's somehow more frightening.
"Not later." Naya's voice carries the authority she uses on difficult patients. "I need to know what I'm dealing with to treat them properly." She gestures between Antonio and me.
"Just take care of Antonio first." I try to shift back, but she grabs me.
"You're bleeding." Her fingers ghost over my temple.
"It's nothing-"
"Stop it." Jackson's command freezes me in place. "Let her check you over, angel. Or I'll make you."
I bare my teeth at him. "Try it, tough guy."
"Both of you, enough." Naya pushes me further back on the bed to look at me. "Ryker, get me my kit. And someone better start talking."
I watch Ryker move to comply without hesitation, his muscled frame fluid despite his size. The way his steel-gray eyes soften when they land on Naya doesn't escape my notice. It's like watching a wolf turn into a puppy - brief but telling.
"It was a little car accident," I finally admit as Naya starts cleaning the cut on my forehead.
"Two guys ran them off the road," Jackson bites out. "I caught them trying to nab her."
Naya's jaw drops open as her gaze swings to me. "What?"
I glare at Jackson. "It's not a big deal-"
"Not a big deal?" Naya practically screeches as she starts to clean me up. "What else aren't you telling me?"
I let out a heavy sigh, my fingers automatically finding the delicate necklace at my throat - the one hiding my latest collection of secrets. "I was threatened."
"By who?" Naya's hands still on my temple.
"Don't know their names." I shoot Jackson a look, but his dark eyes give nothing away.
"Two guys cornered me in the mailroom of my building the other day.
Said their boss was pissed Jackson grabbed me the night of the party.
" My throat tightens at the memory. "Apparently their boss had plans for me that night too. "
Jackson's massive frame goes completely still - that deadly stillness that means someone's about to bleed. His jaw works silently as he stares at the wall, and I know he's replaying the footage in his head. He told me he saw it on the cameras and sent guys to protect me.
He kept me safe and gave me my space. I couldn't even begin to explain what that meant to me.
"That's why I wanted to keep quiet about..." I wave my hand between us, not sure what to call whatever this thing is between Jackson and me. "About him having me at his place. I figured if no one knew where I was, then they couldn't track me. They didn't bother me before."
And I really want to keep Jackson safe. Whoever is after me clearly doesn't understand abiding by the rules that men like him play by.
"And you didn't think to mention this?" Naya's voice rises with each word.
"We were handling it." I shift uncomfortably, looking to Jackson. But over his shoulder, Ryker looks pissed.
Ryker's hand clamps onto Jackson's shoulder, and for a moment I think Jackson might actually fight him. The muscles in Jackson's back bunch beneath his blood-stained dress shirt as he stares Ryker down. But Ryker just tightens his grip, steel-gray eyes promising violence if Jackson doesn't comply.
"Outside. Now." Ryker's voice carries that eerie calm that makes even hardened criminals flinch.
Jackson's dark gaze finds mine, something possessive and raw burning in their depths. His jaw works as he fights whatever words want to spill out. Then he turns on his heel and stalks from the room, Ryker right behind him.
"You're an idiot." Naya's gentle fingers probe my ribs, making me hiss. "These guys tried to grab you, and you kept it quiet?"
"I had it handled." I track the shadows of the two men through the frosted glass of the medical room windows. Their silhouettes are intimidating even from here - Jackson's militant stance, Ryker's predatory stillness.
"Like you had it handled tonight?" Naya's voice drips sarcasm as she shines a light in my eyes. "You could have a concussion."
I bat her hand away. "I'm fine."
"You're stubborn is what you are." She starts cleaning the cut above my eyebrow with precise, clinical movements. "Jackson's going to lose his mind over this."
"He needs to calm down. I've dealt with worse-"
"That's not helping your case." Naya's fingers still against my skin. "You know what he is, what they both are. These men don't handle threats well, especially to people they..." She trails off, but I catch her meaning.
"Don't." I shake my head, ignoring the way it makes the room spin. "Jackson and I…we haven't figured out what this all is."
Just that he's threatened to kill people on my behalf and I'm living with him. But I don't need to hash that out right now.
Naya's knowing look makes me want to squirm. "Keep telling yourself that, honey. But I've seen how he watches you. And you're not as indifferent as you pretend."
Through the window, I watch Jackson glare at his cousin while Ryker speaks with a serious expression on his face. The tendons in Jackson's neck stand out as he argues back, his movements sharp with barely contained violence.
Jackson's worked up about my accident. He cares about me…
And then his voice fills my head.
Because I fucking love you!
Yeah. I'm in deep.