Page 115 of Unbroken

FIFTY-TWO

Devon

“Where are we?”Blakely asked as I opened the passenger door and helped her out.

“Somewhere you’re going to love,” I said by way of explanation. She cautiously followed me, an unsure look narrowing her eyes.

“Is this where you take me to kill me and dump my body so no one ever finds me?”

Glancing back at her, I raised my eyebrows in silent question.

“Too soon?” she quipped, and I shook my head as I laughed. Although it had been a shitty week since she found those flowers in her mailbox, something had shifted. She’d said that the fear that had been weighing her down for weeks had dissipated, and I’d witnessed it firsthand.

When I mentioned a date night, she jumped at the opportunity to get out of the house. And I was excited for what I’d planned.

We rounded the corner, and I motioned to the name of the business now in view.

“Break Stuff?” Blakely read the sign, then glanced over at me,her confused expression only deepening. “Besides that being the title of a Limp Bizkit song, I don’t understand.”

I pulled open the glass door and waved her inside. I followed her into the lobby and spotted Jason behind the front counter.

“Hey, Devon. How’s it goin’?”

“Good, man. How are you?”

He waved at a group heading out the door before turning back to us, spreading his arms out to his sides and motioning to the business he’d built. “Livin’ the dream.”

“Oh my gosh, it’s a rage room,” Blakely muttered next to me, glancing around the brightly lit space. The walls were white with a thick orange stripe in the center at about hip height. The concrete floors shined, and the muffled sound of objects breaking and music echoed from down the hallway at the back of the building.

“Yeah, it is,” I said, turning to meet her eyes and dropping my voice so only she could hear me say, “I know you’ve been angry, and you have every right to be. But I thought this would be…helpful in processing some of it.”

Pure delight lit her eyes, and an easy smile tugged at the edges of her dark pink-painted lips. “You’re the most thoughtful person I’ve ever met.” She kissed me then, just a light brush of our lips, but enough to make me chase just a little bit more. She laughed when I followed her as she pulled back. “Let’s break some shit.”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Jason exclaimed. He clapped and walked around the counter, motioning to the hallway. “Your room is all ready. Follow me.”

Blakely weaved her fingers through mine, and we did as Jason asked, following him down the hallway to a room about halfway down. Behind the first silver door was a small anteroom they used as a changing area. To the left, there were two open storage areas where we could store our belongings and change into the provided white suits and goggles.

“You’ve got the room for as long as you want it. Suits aren’trequired since neither of you have much skin exposed, but the goggles are recommended.”

Blakely peered into the room beyond while Jason leaned in closer to me. “I’m going to close up out front, and I’ve got a ton of donations to sift through. Someone cleaned out a house yesterday, and now I’ve got to organize all of it. Just head out through the back when y’all are done and call me if you need anything. Everyone else is gone for the night. And I turned off the cameras in the room—thought she might appreciate the additional privacy.”

I shook Jason’s hand and thanked him again. He clapped me on the shoulder in understanding. When Blakely had explained how angry she’d been, I knew this was exactly what she needed. I’d known Jason since college. He’d been through his own personal experiences that required “rage therapy,” as he called it.

So when I’d called him up and asked if we could have a room for a while, he didn’t hesitate to pull out all the stops. Even without the specific details or a reasonwhyI’d asked, he’d promised us unlimited time and resupplies as often as Blakely wanted.

And privacy, which was not only important to me but to Blake, too.

“It was nice to meet you, Blakely,” Jason said with a wave.

“Nice to meet you, too.” The door clicked closed behind Jason, and Blakely turned to smile at me. “This is…impressive. I can’t believe you planned this.”

“I’m glad you like it, but it’s not impressive, sweetheart.” I brushed the pads of my fingers over her cheek and kissed her. “I care about you, Iloveyou, so I’m going to show you in every little way I can.”

Her nose brushed mine as she lingered against me. She tasted faintly of cherries and like my entire fucking future.

“Now, what is it you said earlier?” I asked, peering over her shoulder at the room full of junk. “Let’s break some shit.”

She smiled and dropped her bag into one of the storage lockers.She tied her hair back and appraised the room through the wired glass. “I guess we can pick a weapon?” She pointed to the array of items hanging on the opposite wall.

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