CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
NATHAN
I STOOD OFF to the side with my arms crossed and jaw locked tight as Elise spoke with a detective. The detective listened intently, his notepad in hand, while Elise confirmed my worst nightmare.
Someone wanted to hurt her.
Not just anyone.
Her ex-boyfriend, Jax Henley.
I kept my expression neutral, but inside, something dark and furious coiled in my chest. The list of possible suspects the detective had asked Elise to compile wasn’t a list at all. It was a single name.
I clenched my fists, barely resisting the urge to punch a hole through the wall.
The swarm of police officers and CSI techs combing through her house only added to my fury.
Flashing lights illuminated the night, their red and blue glow casting eerie shadows across the driveway.
Officers snapped photos of the crimson writing scrawled across Elise’s wall, took samples, dusted for prints.
But I didn’t need evidence to know what was happening.
This was personal.
A direct message to Elise.
And the worst part? I hadn’t known about any of this. Not about him. Not about what he did to her.
I thought I knew Elise.
The woman who brightened every room she walked into, who always had a smile for everyone, who laughed freely and loved openly.
I didn’t know she had once loved a man who put his hands on her.
I didn’t know she had once feared the man she loved.
And now he was back.
The front door opened, and Kelsey walked in, her expression hard but concerned. She’d rushed home as soon as she heard what happened, and now she looked ready for a fight.
“Taylor has you set up at a hotel?” Elise asked her. I had told Elise that it was best that her friends get out of dodge for a while in case Jax came after them to get to her.
“Yup,” Kelsey said, then hesitated. “Though I’m not sure why. I can handle myself if Jax is dumb enough to come back.”
I scoffed before I could stop myself. “I don’t doubt that. But if he was willing to break in and leave threats, there’s no telling what he’s capable of. He could be armed.”
The words hung heavy in the air. Elise flinched, and my gut twisted.
What else hadn’t she told me?
“Still,” Kelsey crossed her arms, chin lifted in defiance. “I don’t like that he’s chasing me out of my own home.”
Elise’s face crumpled with guilt. “I’m so sorry, Kels. I should’ve known this would catch up to me one day.”
Kelsey pulled Elise into a tight hug. “Hey, none of this is your fault. It’s Jax’s. He’s the one who can’t move on with his life.”
“I just hate that this is affecting you too.”
Kelsey squeezed her tighter. “It’s okay. I was in this the moment you met the asshole. He messes with you, he messes with me.”
Elise sniffled, and something in my chest cracked.
She didn’t deserve this.
No one did.
“You sure you don’t want to come stay with us?” I asked Kelsey. “You’re more than welcome to.”
“Thank you, but Taylor already set me up in a hotel for the next couple of weeks until Jax is caught,” Kelsey explained. “She’s actually waiting for me outside, so I’m going to go.” She turned to Elise. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Elise nodded weakly. “Yeah.”
“I’ll take care of her,” I assured Kelsey.
Kelsey gave me a look. One that said she’d hold me to that promise.
“Call me if you need anything,” she told Elise. “I’ll FaceTime you later.”
Elise forced a small smile. “Sounds good.”
One last hug, and Kelsey was gone.
The house was eerily silent after the police and investigators left, except for Ryan who stood near the door. Now, it was just me and Elise.
I watched her closely. She was rattled but trying not to show it.
“You have everything?” I asked.
“Um, I think so?” Her voice was uncertain. I didn’t like that.
“If there’s anything you’re missing, I’ll have someone go buy it for you.”
“Thank you.”
I gestured toward the door. “Come on.”
She followed me out to the car, her steps hesitant.
I knew she was trying to process everything. Knew she wasn’t ready for the weight of it all.
Neither was I.
The car ride was silent. My grip on the steering wheel tightened with every passing second. I was pissed. More than that, I was seething. When I got my hands on that bastard...
No.
I forced a slow breath. If I let my rage take over, I wouldn’t be thinking straight. And right now, Elise needed me to be clear-headed.
But when I glanced over at her, I found her looking at me instead of out the window. Her expression was unreadable, but there was something lingering in the way her lips parted, in the way her fingers trembled slightly as she clutched the strap of her bag.
She was scared.
Not just of Jax, but of what was building between us.
I’d called her my girlfriend earlier tonight.
The words had left my mouth without hesitation because it was true.
She was mine.
And now? Now, I was going to protect her with everything I had.
I pulled into my underground garage, and Ryan was already outside before the car came to a full stop. I stepped out first, scanning the area before rounding Elise’s side and offering my hand.
The moment we stepped into the elevator, the air between us thickened, charged with something unspoken.
She wasn’t just here because she needed safety. She was here because I needed her close.
The elevator doors slid open moments later, and she stepped out first, her shoulders tense. I followed, watching her before I tossed my jacket onto the couch and walked toward the kitchen. “Make yourself comfortable. I’m making tea.”
She shook her head. “You don’t have to.”
“I know,” I didn’t look back as I put the kettle on. “Please sit. I’m worried you’re going to fall over.”
By the time I returned, she was curled up on the couch, looking impossibly small against the cushions. I handed her the tea, watching as she took a sip.
Chamomile. Her favorite.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
I sat across from her, leaning forward. “Tell me what happened.”
She hesitated. “You heard most of it.”
“I want to hear it from you.”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed before she told me everything.
About Jax.
About the abuse.
About the night the cops saved her life.
“They received dozens of calls a day regarding domestic abuse, and apparently they were expecting a body when the neighbors called them to report a disturbance. They would’ve found a body had not our neighbors called when they did and the police hadn’t arrived on time.
They arrested him and I haven’t seen him since they put the handcuffs on him, but he’s out of jail now and seems like he wants to finish what he started.
” Every word she said made my blood boil, but I kept my expression under control.
“I try not to think about what would happen if the cops didn’t show up when they did but,” She drew in a shuddering breath.
“Sometimes I think I don't deserve to be one of the lucky ones.” Elise whispered and I snapped.
I was in front of her in seconds, cupping her face in my hands, tilting her chin up so she had no choice but to look at me.
“Don’t ever say that again,” I warned, my voice rough with barely restrained fury. “You didn’t deserve what he did to you. No woman does.”
Her lips trembled. “I should’ve left after the first time.”
“Men like that are master manipulators,” I said, my voice low and dangerous. “They make you think it’s your fault. It’s not. You hear me baby? It’s not your fault.”
Her eyes welled with tears. One slid down her cheek, then another.
And I couldn’t take it.
I sat on the couch and pulled her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her.
She didn’t resist.
She just curled into me, her body shaking.
And I knew then, without a doubt, I’d do whatever it took to keep her safe.
Because Elise wasn’t just someone I wanted.
She was someone I needed.
I held her close, the words I couldn’t speak echoing in my head. The fury was still there, simmering just beneath the surface, but it wasn’t just rage I felt. It was protectiveness. A deep, visceral need to shield her from everything she’d been through and everything she still might face.
I couldn’t get Jax out of my mind. The bastard had touched her, hurt her, made her think she wasn’t worth saving. And that thought? That thought alone made me want to destroy him.
But I knew, deep down, that it wasn’t just Jax I was angry at.
It was the fact that I hadn’t been there for her sooner.
I felt a low growl in the back of my throat, one that I had to bite back.
“You’re safe with me,” I whispered into her hair, my fingers trailing lightly down her back, trying to soothe her, trying to erase the tension from her body.
Her breath hitched, and I felt the subtle tremble in her shoulders. She was afraid. Of Jax. Of everything. And maybe, just maybe, she was afraid of letting me in, too.
But I wasn’t going to let her push me away. Not now. Not ever.