Page 25 of Take Me to Church
Christian eases on to the next exit ramp, maneuvering us into an area of Memphis close to the one I visited earlier this week. “Wedon’t do anything.” He turns at the base of the ramp, intently focused on the road. “This isn’t something you worry about. I’ll handle it.”
“How am I not supposed to worry about it?” A little of the upset I know I should be feeling finally starts to rear its head. I motion around the car. “I’m currently sitting in a dead guy’s car leaving all sorts of evidence everywhere.” I collect the pile of my hair and clutch it in one hand. “My DNA is probably all over. I shed like crazy.”
“I will take care of it.” Christian’s voice is firm and unyielding and I know I shouldn’t just let him make this decision, no matter how much I want to.
“So now you get to be in charge of my life?” I force myself to fight him. To stand up for myself the way Piper or Stella would. That’s why I escaped my old life, right? So I could do what I wanted and no one would ever make decisions for me again.
But Christian’s reaction to my argument is nothing like I’ve experienced before. Instead of getting pissed, he suddenly looks tired. “That’s not what I meant.” He rubs his clean hand, the only one he’s touched me with, against his eyes, scrubbing hard. “I’m not trying to be in charge of your life, this just isn’t something you should be involved with. It will put you in danger if—”
I laugh, sounding a little bit unhinged as the shock seems to wear off. “Are you trying to say I’m not already in danger?” I stab one finger at the dead guy in the backseat. “Because I’m pretty sure Rodney told at least a few people what his plans were and the second he doesn’t show up at wherever he’s supposed to be next, they’re going to come looking for me.”
The reality of what I’m saying sinks in a little and I almost want to cry. If I was in this mess on my own I probablywouldcry. Hell, I’d probably be curled up in the fetal position on the floorboard sobbing until I threw up.
But I’m not alone. Christian is here at my side.
And I’m not doing this for myself. I’m doing it to save Myra. Because I promised her I would do whatever it took to get her away from them.
It’s starting to seem like I really meant it.
That realization smothers down the tears and replaces them with the same sense of determination I felt when I decided to leave my family and their fucked-up beliefs behind. I take a shaky breath and repeat the question I asked earlier. “So, what do we do now?”
Christian glances at me again, resignation joining the exhaustion etched into his features. “Now, we figure out how to make this go away and keep you safe.”
I sit up a little straighter, feeling like I’m in control of my own fate for the first time. Like maybe I can finally tackle everything in front of me.
Up until now, so much still felt like it was being dictated by the men in my past. The jobs I could get were limited because of my education. My ability to make friends was subpar because I didn’t understand other people my age or the way the world really worked. Even clothes and hair were a struggle, leaving me caught in a confusing place where I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted.
I wanted so much to break free, but it wasn’t as simple as I expected.
And then Myra called, looking for help. Forcing me to tackle yet another thing I was completely unprepared for.
But in this moment I feel like I can do it.
Because the man next to me is on my side. He won’t let me fall and he won’t let me fail.
I meet Christian’s eyes as he eases through the heavy metal gate of what appears to be a warehouse. “Okay.”
10
CHRISTIAN
I PULL UP to one of the bay doors as it lifts, easing Rodney’s sedan into the warehouse my family owns and shutting off the engine as the door slides back down—hopefully before anyone has spotted the car.
Coming here puts my entire family at risk. We’ve all worked so hard to get away from what we used to be and now I’m dragging us right back. But I don’t have any other options. I can’t deal with Rodney or his car on my own. Especially not if Lydia insists on being a part of it, which it appears she does.
Cody, my brother and the man in charge of the warehouse, walks up the side of the car, tucking a pen behind one ear, a clipboard clutched in his hands. He reaches the open window and leans down, holding my gaze a second before his eyes move to the woman in the passenger’s seat. He gives her a grin. “Looks like you’ve had one hell of a day.”
Lydia’s brows lift, her eyes moving from Cody to me and then back again. “You could say that.”
Cody glances into the back seat before straightening and pulling open my door. “Why don’t you get your girl set up in the office? Damien will be here in a few minutes with Niko. I’ll come get you when they pull in.”
I don’t correct his assumption that Lydia is mine. I don’t want to admit I’ve put everything we have on the line for a woman I’m not currently attached to. It’s the same reason my brothers don’t know about what Simon, Tate, and I do in our free time. Breaking our rules for family is one thing.
Breaking them for strangers is another.
Normally, the secret I keep doesn’t bother me. I know what I’m doing matters. Changes lives. But Cody’s reaction to what I just drove into his warehouse is dragging up the guilt I usually manage to avoid.
I offer him a nod because I can’t manage much else. “I really appreciate it.”
