Page 38 of Drifter
“Right here.” I lift my clutch from my lap.
He pulls out a small aerosol spray. It’s just small enough to fit in my purse. “Pepper spray,” he says, opening my bag and dropping it in. “You’re not going to need it, but it might make you feel better to know you have it.”
I nod.
“You ready?” he asks.
I force a smile onto my lips and put on the cool, calm face I always do when I come to my parents’, then rest my hand on Drifter’s arm. “Let’s do this.”
He gets out of the SUV, helps me out, then guides me to the front door. Drifter rings the doorbell, but instead of Constanza letting us in, Simon comes to greet us. His expression tells me that something is amiss.
Drifter asks immediately, “What the fuck is wrong?”
Simon looks over his shoulder to see if anyone’s there, then leans in and in a quiet tone says, “Dad invited Dr. Sutton and his wife to dinner. I swear I didn’t know. They got here just minutes ago. I was just about to send you a text when you rang the bell.” As if he needs to prove his loyalty, Simon shows the half-written text that says Abort. Dad invited Su. That was as far as he got.
Drifter clenches his jaw and grips my hand tighter, tugging on it. “We’re leaving,” he insists.
“No,” I reply in a loud whisper. “We need to buy four more hours from your last communication with Hawk. We’ve come this far.” Drifter is conflicted, but we need to see this through, so I pull out the big guns. I put my hand on his cheek. “Handsome, you’ll protect me. I trust you. We have our family out there looking out for us. We’re doing this, not just for me and Simon, but for all those other women who need us.”
Drifter takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. “He lays a hand on you, and I’ll cut it off,” he says gruffly.
“Simon, are you and your sister joining us, or are you having a private party in the hall?” Dad’s voice booms, making his presence known from the other room.
Before Drifter can respond, and based on his expression, it would have been a bloody start to the night, I answer, “Coming, Dad. I have to hug my big brother.”
Simon leads the way, while Drifter wraps a protective arm around my waist before following him. When we reach the living room, Mom and Elaine Sutton are sitting together idly chatting on the sofa. Dad is sitting in his armchair. Yes, his. He designated this chair to be solely his. Even if he isn’t home, no one is supposed to sit in his chair. Across from my father sits the man who has caused me endless sleepless nights and nightmares, Dr. Edgar Sutton.
I can feel my breath hitch, and Drifter notices, as he pulls my body into his possessively. Dr. Sutton hasn’t changed very much. His hair is grayer, he’s put on a little weight, but he has the same sly grin that makes me uncomfortable.
He begins to rise from his chair, but Drifter puts an end to that quickly, “Don’t bother getting up. You seem comfortable in your seat.” I don’t think it was his words that make Dr. Sutton remain sitting, but his tone had a definite warning that came through loud and clear.
Dr. Sutton grows pale. He must realize that Drifter knows what he did to me. But his ego is bigger than his fear and he recovers quickly. “We’re old family friends. I’m more of an uncle to Simon and Sasha. I’ve been the family physician since they were babies.”
“They’re not babies anymore. The only man who touches Sasha is me,” Drifter states. His steely gaze has its desired effect, and Dr. Sutton goes quiet, but the tic in his jaw tells us he’s not at all happy.
Thank God, Mom is animated enough to break the silence. “Darling, you have a man in your life and haven’t introduced him to your mother.” She sways while coming to her feet. Yep, that must be her second or third drink of the evening. I pull Drifter with me to end the staring standoff and go to greet Mom and Elaine.
I kiss my mother on the cheek and introduce Drifter. “This is Axel Drifter Denville. This is my mother, Dawn, and Elaine Sutton.” Mom nearly trips over her own feet as she reaches for the hand Drifter has extended for her to shake.
“Careful, Mrs. McGrath, we wouldn’t want this evening to end in an injury,” Drifter says, reaching out to steady her.
“Darn carpet has a snag,” my mother mumbles. There’s no snag, except in her mind. He helps Mom back to her chair and turns to Elaine.
“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” Drifter says politely. Elaine is a pretty, older woman with a kind heart. She volunteers at the hospitals and children centers, not on the board, but actually going in and doing the boring work, helping out where she’s needed. Elaine and Edgar never seemed to match. Where her husband is boisterous and pretentious, Elaine is the opposite. Elaine is a petite blonde with bright blue eyes, and they always seem sad to me. If I were married to a monster, I’d be sad too. It’s not that I know the state of their relationship, and maybe they’re perfectly happy together, but if I were to hazard a guess, I think she escapes through volunteering and keeping busy outside the home. I’ve often wondered why they never had children. Elaine has never spoken about it, but my mother assumed they couldn’t conceive.
“Please, call me Elaine. It’s good to see a strong man with Sasha. She’s a wonderful woman, you know,” Elaine says with a smile.
“I do know,” he confirms. “It’s my job to make sure Sasha is happy, and I take my role seriously,” he adds with a grin. Elaine chuckles, patting his hand.
“That’s right, dear. Treat her like a princess, and you’ll always be her prince,” she teases.
“A drink, Axel?” my mother asks, lifting her glass to her lips.
“I’m driving, but I’ll take a water or pop,” he says.
“Simon, sweetie, can you tend the bar?” Mom asks sweetly. “What are you having, Sasha?”
“We’ll help ourselves,” I murmur. When we turn back, I see Dad and Dr. Sutton talking in hushed tones. And I don’t like it.
