22. Chapter 22 - Regina
Chapter 22 - Regina
T he pounding on the door matches the pounding in my head.
Sleep eluded me last night, and when I woke up this morning, my head felt like it would split in two. The cause would be understandable if I had gotten my drink on like I originally intended to. You know, before the whole bar fight and all.
Assuming it’s Gypsy and the building is on fire due to the early hour, I don’t bother to cover up. Yanking the door open and finding Chayce on the other side has me regretting that action.
He pushes his way inside, not waiting for an invitation, forcing me to step back. Chayce pulls the door closed behind him as I rub the sleep out of my eyes, trying to focus. Looking him over, the crazed look in his eye gets my attention.
“What is going on, Chayce?” I question, immediately on alert, having seen that look on Rafferty’s face more times than I care to think about. “What’s happened?”
Holding his hand out, indicating the couch, he places his hand at the small of my back, guiding me to it. I try and ignore the heat that spreads through my body at the innocent contact.
Taking a seat on the edge of the couch, Chayce looks around the room as if looking for a threat he hadn’t noticed yet. Gripping his hand in mine to get his attention, he looks down at our connection before meeting my gaze.
“Rafferty called me,” he says matter-of-factly.
Those three words have me jumping to my feet. My fingers twist the hem of my shirt as I pace.
“Why did he call you?” I ask accusingly.
Chayce falls to the couch, scrubbing his hands over his face before answering me, his head tipped back onto the top of the couch. After several long moments, he sits forward, placing his elbows on his knees.
“Jaygon is missing,” he says flatly as his gaze moves to the floor, unable to maintain eye contact with me. “Rafferty and his partner had their forensics team restore papers that were found in his apartment.” Chayce pauses as if regretting the news he has to give me. “Jaygon sold you to several different men in an attempt to cover a gambling debt. Rafferty suspects that he not only placed a tracker on your car but also your phone and possibly on your computer.” His words are rushed as if he is trying to give me the news as quickly as possible.
“What?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
My body starts shaking as anger takes hold. Chayce is instantly at my side, wrapping his strong arms around me. Pulling me tightly to his body, he rests his chin on the top of my head as tears of frustration begin to stream down my cheeks.
“We need to go through all of your stuff and make sure there is nothing else here,” he informs me, as if delivering more bad news is going to send me over the edge. “Once we do that, we are going to move you to my house,” he says, not giving me an option to object. “We will take care of your phone and computer in my office. If Jay tracked you here, it is too much of a risk for you to stay in this apartment alone,” he explains, slightly softening his domineering orders.
Nodding my head rapidly, trying to figure out why Jay has done this—besides the obvious, my teeth start to chatter. Between the cold, since I am only wearing a T-shirt and underwear, and nerves, my body begins to shake uncontrollably. Chayce guides me to the bedroom so I can put some clothes on, not commenting on my state of dress or lack thereof.
Moving to the bathroom to collect myself and pack my toiletries, Chayce starts going through my luggage and personal items.
It took us almost two hours to go through my clothes, luggage, makeup, and personal belongings that I have with me. Thankfully, we didn’t find anything. I still don’t have the warm and fuzzies about it, feeling dirty, maybe even violated. Not to mention, I have watched one too many crime shows on television. I know they can hide that shit in a button or something.
When I mentioned this to Chayce, he gave me an incredulous look but said he understood and would do whatever I was comfortable with. Not wanting to leave a mess behind for Gypsy, we brought everything to the jail. Once we arrived, Chayce gave me a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt so what I had on could be added to the rest. He secured both suitcases in their locker room. Chayce made a joke, trying and failing to lighten the mood, that if Jay did put a tracker in there that we missed, wouldn’t he feel stupid tracking it to a sheriff’s office?
His comment made me smile, but it was forced.
Deakon, Chayce’s brother, is good with tech. The sheriff’s office also has access to various programs the average person does not. It didn’t take him long to confirm that Jaygon did, in fact, plant a tracking software on my phone. Thankfully, my computer is secure with a thumbprint scan, and he was unsuccessful in tampering with that.
Not wanting to take a chance, I call Emma from the desk phone, instead of my cellphone. She answers just before the call goes to voicemail.
“Hello?” she answers, sounding suspicious.
“Hey slut, it’s me,” I say, needing to hear a comforting voice.
“Bitch, what the fuck is going on?” she yells before continuing a barrage of questions, not letting me answer one before the next begins. “Why are you calling me from a sheriff’s office? Do you need bail money? If you do, why didn’t you call Rafferty first? Maybe he can use his police powers for good for a change instead of giving pretty girls speeding tickets all the time.” The last part of her statement has a genuine smile stretching across my face.
Emma has a lead foot and thinks that just because I am related to a cop, she is exempt by proxy from getting citations. As soon as she takes a breath, I launch into the tale of what has happened over the past couple of days.
“Bitch, please tell me this is a bad joke?” she asks very seriously, offended on my behalf.
“I wish it was Em. Rafferty is going through all of my stuff and packing me up,” I say seriously. “I told him to get a moving company to help, but he is insisting on doing it all himself.”
“Back the fuck up a minute,” she yells. “What do you mean Rafferty is packing your stuff?” Her question has an edge to it that isn’t normal for my best friend.
“The sheriff, Chayce, is my mate, or I guess it is more that I am his mate,” I explain. “Raff explained how it works. We just started discussing this last night, so the finer points of how this works is a little fuzzy,” I finish.
Em sniffles. “You’re leaving me,” she says quietly.
Hearing the dejected tone come from my bubbly friend has my heart breaking, causing me to tear up. Hearing what Jaygon has done made me more angry and frustrated. Hearing my best friend go quiet and holding back tears has me shedding some of my own.
Chayce, who has been acting like he hasn’t been listening to every word of our conversation, is suddenly at my side, wrapping an arm around me and holding me close.
“C…can I… What is he?” Emma stutters between sobs, not batting an eye at the fact I just told her that I am mated to a paranormal.
Knowing about paranormals for several years now is nothing new. They came out to mixed reviews, both for and against their kind. A handful of people that we know have come out loud and proud, but it never affected how we treated them or how they treated us. They are, after all, still people.
Looking up at Chayce, a resigned look is on his face. He gives me a subtle nod of acquiescence.
“He’s a dragon.” My words are just loud enough for her to hear me. As soon as Emma hears them, she starts screaming, forcing me to hold the phone away from my ear. Her sobs stop immediately, and her entire attitude changes.
“Does he have any brothers?” Emma questions very seriously.
Chayce releases me with a quick kiss on the forehead. Leaving the office, I notice his shoulders shaking in suppressed laughter. Once the door closes behind him, he loses control as loud laughter can be heard through the building.
“Actually, he does, three of them,” I answer, once again holding the phone away from my ear in preparation for her to start yelling again.
“No shit!” Emma says excitedly. “I need to get myself some of that. Prepare for invasion. I am packing now.”
Now it’s my turn to laugh. Although knowing my friend, she isn’t kidding.
“I will talk to Gypsy,” I tell her. “You have a place to stay.” Hoping that the bar owner won’t mind. I don’t want to assume that Chayce will be accepting of Emma staying in his house. Not knowing anything about his home, I don’t even know how many bedrooms are in it. “Just make sure you check the weather report,” I warn, thinking of my own stupidity. “This area can be dangerous. Oh, and look out for wolves on the road.”
Something occurs to me that I urgently need to talk to Chayce about.
“I gotta go.” My words are abrupt, cutting our conversation short. “Keep me updated on when you think you will be here,” I state, not quite a question. “Miss you, slut!”
“You too, bitch. I will talk to you soon,” she says before ending the call.
Hanging up the phone, I take a moment to collect myself. The past twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind. My life has turned upside-down in the blink of an eye, and I am struggling to keep up with all of the changes.
Moving to the door of Chayce’s office, I pull it open, finding him talking to a man I haven’t met yet. Their conversation halts as I make my way closer to them in the lobby area of the office. Chayce tilts his head, indicating his office, forcing me to change direction as the men head that way.
Once inside, Chayce approaches me, leaving the guy in the doorway.
“Regina Chaney. This is Jorden D’Angelo, Crispin’s brother and beta. Jorden, this is my mate, Regina,” Chayce says that last part proudly.
Jorden looks a lot like his brother, with shaggy blond hair, pale green eyes, and a soft smile.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say, extending my hand to shake.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Jorden says, warily watching Chayce from his position at the door. He makes no move to shake my hand, causing my brows to furrow.
“It’s because we haven’t completed the mating,” Chayce whispers, letting me on to Jorden’s movement, or lack thereof, is not to be taken offensively. “Did you need something?” he asks, distracting me from Jorden.
“Uhm, yeah,” I say, forcing my attention away from the other man and toward Chayce. “A couple of things, actually. First, I need to talk to Gypsy.” Chayce’s brows knit together in confusion. “Emma is coming to town. She will need a place to stay,” I explain, earning a nod of understanding in return. “Second, now that I know you all are paranormal, that wolf that I almost hit… Was that one of the townspeople?”
Jorden has a hand over his mouth, trying to hide a smile, but I catch it out of the corner of my eye despite his attempt. Cocking a hip and crossing my arms over my chest, I raise an eyebrow in his direction.
“Yeah, that is one of ours,” Jorden informs me, telling me without directly saying that he and his brother, at least, are wolves. “He is also one of the ones that was arrested during the bar fight,” he adds, making me feel guilty.
“Really?” I say in excitement, deciding that I have to do something nice for this guy since he pretty much saved me twice.
Jorden’s gaze flicks to Chayce, suddenly nervous.
“Yeah, it was Madox,” Jorden says with a cringe at Chayce’s unasked question of who.
Chayce’s body seems to grow as he stares Jorden down.
“Is Madox going to be a problem?” Chayce grinds out, smoke spilling from his nose and mouth.
Jorden starts shaking his head back and forth rapidly. Stepping closer to Chayce, I wrap my arm around his waist, and he deflates slightly. Soaking up the warmth of his body, I tune out their conversation.
Chayce kisses the top of my head before swinging me up into his arms. His body moves, bouncing me slightly. It’s obvious we are now outside when the cold really hits me, causing me to burrow closer into Chayce’s body. He settles me in his truck and closes the door once he has my seatbelt fastened. It doesn’t take him long to climb in and start the vehicle.
“Where are we going?” I question, through a yawn.
“Our house,” he says, his tone unreadable.
Butterflies fill my belly with his simple phrase. It amazes me that Chayce has already accepted, without a doubt, that I am his.