Page 62 of Find Me

“I went to Rhett’s,” I say, shame lacing the words as they leave my mouth.

For a moment, Ryan is silent, with no witty comeback or response to my statement, before true anger flashes across his face.

“Tell me I did not just hear what I think I did. That you went to Rhett’s apartment. Straight back to the guy who almost let you overdose and who your boyfriend and I left half dead only hours ago? Tell me you value your life more than that, Evi!”

Boyfriend? I think quietly.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I say to Ryan, who ignores me and continues talking, more so to himself than to me.

“So, when you said you were in Rhett’s neighborhood, you were really…” He trails off.

“Sitting outside of his apartment door… after I had a chat with him,” I finish.

“Shit.” Ryan lets out a loud exhale, still holding my shoulders, steadying me as I put all my energy into keeping myself upright.

He looks me up and down as if making sure I’m in one piece. “After you had a chat? Evi, please tell me you didn’t—”

“I didn’t do anything with him Ryan, if that’s what you’re insinuating. Fuck. I didn’t go there looking for that. I went for… something else,” I say, the last two words coated thick with shame.

“Something you knew Jax and I wouldn’t let you have.”

“Something like that,” I confirm.

Ryan nods slowly, a sadness taking over his features.

“Let’s get you home,” he says quietly, before picking me up in one swift movement, tossing me easily over his shoulder.

A shriek escapes my lips. “Put me down!” I demand.

“No,” he responds simply. “Your feet are cut up enough as is, the least I can do is carry you to my car.”

“What, no motorcycle today?” I ask, surrendering to his firm grip on me, unable and unwilling to fight against his strength and logic.

“I was hoping I would be wrong, but I figured I might need to help you get home when I found you.”

“What made you so sure that you’d be able to find me?” I ask.

“Because Evi, whether you like it or not, you’re important to Jax, which means you’re important to me. And like I’ve told you, there’s no end I wouldn’t go to for someone I care about,” he says blatantly.

“Oh,” I say quietly. He approaches a black car, opening the door and gently placing me onto the black leather seat in the back.

“Get some rest, Evi, I’ll wake you when we’re home,” he says, while shutting the back door to the car, the tinted windows shading me from the bright morning sun.

My eyes close as I hear him get into the front seat, talking quietly on his phone before starting the car and driving away.

The motion of the car and the sound of the engine create a blanket of noise around me, and I close my eyes as I come down from my high, drifting off to sleep on our journey home.

CHAPTER 21

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I wake sometime later, stretching before I open my eyes. My hands reach above my head, and I expect to feel the side of the car door above me. But instead, I’m met with a soft pillow and leather headboard, which means I’m no longer in the car. As I bolt upright soft black sheets fall off my body, sheets that are not mine. The bed is low, and I wince in pain as the hardwood floors meet my battered feet as I stand up, desperately trying to figure out where I am.

The room is huge. The ceiling reaches higher than I can fathom, and one wall is comprised entirely of windows, the clear glass giving an unobstructed view of the city below. A soft glow radiates from the lamps framing the bed and highlighting the leather headboard set against a wall made of concrete. I turn around to see bookshelves taking up space on the other side of the room, next to a leather chair and side table that faces the bed. This has to be Jax’s room. It feels like him, the mix of warm and cold, as industrial and cozy accents mix together expertly to create something unique. Just like him.

I go to the door, turning the handle to pull it open, only to be met with absolute resistance. No matter how hard I pull, the door does not budge, and the handle remains stuck in place.

Was I …? Did he …?

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