Page 44 of Twisted Hearts

“I’ll need to call Jaxon once we get there, give him an update. He’ll need to know what happened.”

I stared out the window, vaguely registering the streets and buildings we passed as he drove through the city. “I know,” I said, and even my voice sounded listless.

What in the hell was my dad involved in where everything could go to shit so quickly?

“Is there…is there anything you can think of that would explain what happened today?”

I dropped my head to the headrest. Closing my eyes, I tried to think of anything, but the only thing I kept coming back to was that guy in black, the guy with no life in his eyes that sucked the oxygen from the air around him. Just thinking about him made me shiver.

“That guy, the one I told you about…it’s connected to him.”

He gave me a questioning look before focusing back on the street and heeding Siri’s instruction to turn right. “You think?”

A heavy sigh fell from my chest. There was so much pressure it felt like I would collapse under the weight of it all. “I don’t know. I have no idea what’s going on at all anymore, but Dad’s attitude…everything changed that day, so it’s the only thing I can put my finger on.”

“Then we’ll figure out who he is.” He reached over, took my hand, and squeezed. It was meant to be comforting, but all it did was remind me how big of a mess this all was.

Now I was dragging more people into my drama. Sure, it was their job, but I didn’t want anyone hurt because of me for any reason.

Another thought hit me. “What if…what if my mom was only acting like that because of my dad? Because he was there?”

There was a heavy pause from him. “It’s possible.”

“But you don’t believe it?”

“I don’t know what to think about any of this, to be honest, but I can promise we’ll figure it out. There’s never a reason for a woman to live in fear, and that’s something both Jaxon and I believe strongly in.”

My throat was dry from crying, but still I wanted to do it again, wanted to cry until the world was flooded and Daniel washed out into the ocean. I couldn’t even find it in myself to be embarrassed about losing it in front of Shawn. He had held me for as long as I needed, not saying a word until I pulled back and wiped my eyes. He’d grabbed tissues from a box on his desk and handed them to me like he held crying women in his arms on a daily basis.

Hell, maybe he had. Once I was on my feet, he’d treated me like nothing had happened, like his shirt wasn’t soaking wet from my tears.

“Thanks.” My voice croaked and I swallowed, cringing at the dryness scraping down my throat.

“It’s going to be okay.” He gave my hand another squeeze and let go.

I flexed my fingers, missing his warm strength as soon as it was gone.

“You keep saying that,” I replied, eyes closing. God, I wasexhausted. It was a miracle I’d lasted this long today. Had it only been that morning when Jillian had called me?

It felt like it’d been days since I sent that first text to Shawn about wanting to meet with Jaxon, and in reality it’d been six hours.

Six hours that felt like days. How long would the next few days feel like?

An eternity, probably.

There was the quiet rumble of his truck’s engine moving down the road, the gentle murmurs from the country music radio station coming from the speakers. There was a heavy weight of silence between us for the rest of the trip until he turned back into the alley and pulled up to Shannon’s building.

I was halfway to a nap, my mind hazy and groggy. Once he parked, it took me a moment to realize we’d arrived.

“Come on, I’ll help get you upstairs.”

He hopped out, grabbed his bag from the bed of his truck, and came around to my side. I hadn’t yet opened the door, much less scrounged up the energy to climb down.

“You’re wrecked,” he muttered, sliding his free arm around my waist to help me down.

“Just what every woman wants to hear. Sounds lovely,” I muttered.

His laugh rumbled in his chest as he held me to him and walked us toward the door. There, I entered in the code.

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