“So, she’s not dealing with it. She’s just hiding inside herself.”
“I wanted to kick the guys ass, Pete,” I admit with an exhale. I hate men like that. The ones that believe they can take what they want by any means necessary. The ones who exploit the vulnerability of a woman.
He chuckles at me, but he isn’t surprised in the slightest. “Then why didn’t you?”
“I don’t know. I guess because I was more worried about Zoey at the time." It is the truth but not all of it. Normally, I would have kicked a dick like that guy right in the balls. I'm still not one hundred percent why I chose to start recording the incident instead of kicking is ass.
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
I shake my head then decide on a change of subject. “How was your trip?”
“Same old, same old. Nothing too exciting. Did get a new recruit. Has a lot of potential.”
“As much as me?” I tease with a grin.
“Darlin’, there will never be another you. You could still be big you know.”
I shake my head. “I never really wanted to do it for those reasons. You know that. I did it because it was fun.”
“And then it wasn’t.”
I nod in agreement. “And then it wasn’t. It’s like it was becoming all about the money. It wasn’t about how good I was or how much I accomplished anymore.”
“You know you don’t have to explain to me. Whatever makes you happy. Speaking of happy. This Zane fellow. You really like him?”
I feel myself turning red, and in that moment, I realize that I really do like him which sets off alarms in my mind. It also makes me a little nauseous. Not that it really matters. We are separated by several states and a time zone. But still, I don’t deny it. “You’d like him too. He plays for the Raptors.”
Pete’s eyes cloud over for a minute with shadows I don’t understand. “Zane Valen is the Zane you’re talking about?”
“That’s him,” I nod with a smile. Pete smiles back but something seems – well, it seems off. I don’t question though. I tell him I have to go before my appointment shows up. I’m really hoping Maddox is gone when I get back.
Pete walks around the desk to give me a tight hug then walks me out of the building.
When I walk back into the shop, Dane is waiting for me as is my appointment. “You have guests back there,” he tells me with a concerned look.
I nod without asking who it is. I make my way to the back, my client following behind. I walk into the back room and feel all the blood rush from my face when I see Jax standing there with a guy that could be his twin, except that he is obviously older. His brother.
“I – Jax what are you doing here? Is Zoey with you?” I ask while inwardly wincing at the sharp pitch to my voice.
His eyes narrow as he walks to me. His brother doesn’t move which suits me fine because dude is intimidating as fuck. “You know she’s not. She hasn’t left that damn apartment in two weeks. The first damn night I get her out of that apartment something happens, and now we’re back at ground zero. No, worse, because she won’t even leave for therapy now.”
I flinch. After talking with Pete, I came to the conclusion that I needed to tell Zane what happen but having Jax verify what I already knew stings a little.
But I don’t reallywantto talk to Jax. Especially not with his brother in the room. I don’t know his brother. I just know the guy emits coldness. The room temperature feels ten degrees colder just with him standing there.
“You and I,” he gestures between us, “are going to talk.”
“I can’t right now, Jax.” I say without meeting his eyes as my guilt grows. This isn't a problem I'm used to having. I face things head on. But this situation is complicated. I see the right thing now, but at the time I risked upsetting one of two people. I chose to upset Zane over Zoey.
Was I self-sabotaging? “I have an appointment," I finish telling him.
“It can wait,” his brother says as he takes a seat on the leather sofa. He leans back with his hands behind his head, and I swear the temperature falls another ten degrees.
I haven’t felt intimidated by a man in years, but this man makes me feel like a child about to be scolded by their parent. Or like he's the executioner at my death sentence. His hazel eyes, that are so much like Jax's, feel like they could shoot ice bolts at me. He is an iceberg. I literally feel a chill cross my skin.
Jax walks across the room to sit in my chair. He stretches his long legs out in front him and props his arms behind his head. “I’ve got all day, Tori,” he tells me, but his tone is more of a threat than a statement.
He’s not leaving without answers. There’s determination etched in his face, but for the first time I see something else in his eyes. A darkness I didn't notice before. The same thing I see in his brother’s ice- cold eyes. Something that says he will do whatever it takes to protect Zoey.
