Page 38 of Find Me

“Rhett?” I croak quietly.

“Just me here, love.”

I startle at the sound of Jax’s voice, and my eyes go wide with surprise as I see him sitting on a chair beside my bed. At first glance he looks relaxed, but as my vision starts to clear I’m shocked at the level of undiluted rage simmering beneath the surface of his eyes.

I try to sit up, but my body screams at me, protesting even the slightest movement. My throat feels like sandpaper, so dry I can barely speak, and my head is pounding. My muscles are sore, and I feel like someone has chewed me up and spat me out.

“Rhett, is not here.” Jax seethes. “And since I saw the two of you at Heat last night, I assume he is the one who brought you home and left you to die on your balcony alone.”

Shit.

It takes a moment for me to register everything Jax is saying, my energy so drained it’s as if my brain is struggling to process what I’m hearing.

Jax is mad. Rhett left me. I almost died.

Questions started to swirl around my head, wondering what exactly had transpired for me to end up in my bed with Jax watching over me, and I realize I don’t remember most of the night.

“You’re mad at me,” I say quietly.

Jax takes a breath, running a hand through his hair.

“You were out of control last night. But that’s not what I’m mad about, it’s your life and you can do what you want. What I’m mad about—and yes, I’m livid—is that your boyfriend brought you home and quite literally left you to die. After watching him carry you out of the club, I thought I should check in on you. When you didn’t answer my calls, I assumed the worst and came over. When I pulled in, I saw Rhett speeding out of the driveway…” He pauses.

Carried out of the club. Left me to die. Jax came over. I continued to try and piece everything together.

“What happened?” I ask, my voice raw.

“I knew something was wrong when I saw him leave.” He continues quietly, “I watched how he interacted with you last night… I learned enough about him to know that not much was going to stop him from spending the night with you.” Anger dances behind his eyes, the meaning behind his words clear. “I raced upstairs and when you didn’t answer the door, I broke it down. I hoped—I hoped, love—that I was overreacting, that I was being some overprotective idiot. But when I couldn’t find you in your apartment I panicked. My brain went a million miles a minute trying to piece together what could have happened to you. And then I saw you outside—sprawled out on your balcony in the cold. So yes. I’m mad. But more than that, I’m scared. You scared me.”

He takes a deep breath. “I thought you died,” he whispers quietly and I’m shocked at the shakiness in his voice, the genuine sadness in his eyes.

“Jax, I’m fine, see? I just needed to sleep it off…” My voice gravelly as I try to prove I’m okay.

“You needed Narcan,” he says quietly.

I freeze in response to his words.

“For some reason, a reason that I’m sure you’ll tell me all about, your boyfriend chose to leave you dying in the cold rather than get you help. And for that, I will literally kill him.”

I look at his face for any semblance of sarcasm and find none. Jax is staring at me with a look of fury that would make most want to shrink away and disappear. But something inside of me sparks as I hear him wanting to defend me.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I say quietly, my words catching in my throat as I start to cough.

“That’s your takeaway from everything I just said?” Jax says as he reaches for a glass of water and hands it to me.

The first sip feels like heaven, my throat immediately feeling better.

I try again. “I just mean… I thought you should know after yesterday that he’s not my boyfriend… not anymore… I would never… I mean… I’m not committed to anyone else…” God I’m making a mess out of this.

The silence that follows is thick with tension as I try to process everything that has happened while trying to keep myself together.

I find myself trying to keep the tears at bay as I sit up slowly, the cool air refreshing on my bare legs as I pull the blankets off me. I know Rhett isn’t a great person, the way I acted in his presence is evidence enough, but the way he acted last night confirms he never actually cared about me.

“You two were acting awfully close considering you’re not… together,” Jax says. “And with the way you were all over each other last night, it makes me think you’re either fucking him or lying to me.”

The words hit me like a slap across the face, but my hurt is quickly replaced by indignation. “It’s rude to spy on people you know,” I say firmly.

“I wasn’t spying, I was simply observing you.”

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