Page 71 of Ruined
After ordering a few pizzas, we made our way back to the living room where the two men started catching up. Eli filled him in on the things happening in his brothers’ lives while Holden told him that he’d had enough of city life and was looking for work in a small town too.
“Don’t even think about telling me to come to your town, Jackson,” Holden warned. “Willow Creek might be pretty and all that, but it doesn’t have sandy beaches or crashing waves.”
Eli’s hearty guffaw filled the room, “The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind, Shaw.” Just then the doorbell rang prompting Holden to excuse himself to answer it.
The second it was the two of us, Eli touched his fingertips to my cheek. “You okay, sunshine?”
Would I ever get used to this man looking at me with so much love and concern etched on his beautiful face? I didn’t think so. Giving him a small smile, I confessed, “I’m scared that something will go wrong.”
“Nothing will go wrong.” I looked to the doorway where Holden stood holding two stacked pizza boxes. He ambled in, placed the food on the coffee table and took a seat again. “The warrant is legit. The judge who issued it didn’t need a lot of convincing; his son had fallen in with the wrong crowd and ended up close to death. Needless to say, he is not fond of dealers.”
The warrant might’ve been legit, I was positive the so-called evidence wasn’t. “And the drugs? Where did they come from?” I couldn’t believe what I was asking.
Holden simply shrugged. “I have friends in high places and some in very, very low places.” He leaned forward and lifted the lid of one of the pizza boxes. After snagging a slice, he settled back into his seat. “To be honest, I’m more concerned with you being there tomorrow.” He looked me straight in the eyes.
Next to me, Eli shifted, protectively wrapping his arm around my shoulders. He was preparing to say something, but I beat him to it. “Why?”
Holden’s gaze flitted between me and the man holding me tight against him. “You’re going to be face-to-face with the man who attacked you, keeping him busy at the door while Eli here sneaks in and plants the product.” He took a bite of his pizza, and after chewing and swallowing, he leaned forward. “Are you sure you’re up for that?”
I straightened my spine and squared my shoulders. “He needs to know that he hasn’t won. I’m not a victim, I’m not even a survivor. I’m me, and no one can ever take that again.”
