Page 35 of I Am Lioness

“I do, I can’t lie. Before all this happened, I was telling Bernie I wanted to ask you to come out here.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I've been missing you.”

“I miss you too, baby. Believe me.”

My heart fluttered and swelled with excitement and almost immediately I felt weighed down by an overwhelming sense of guilt for evening feeling a spec of happiness with the current disaster at hand.

“So tomorrow, really?” I asked, clutching the phone tightly.

“Really, really.”

I couldn’t sleep that night, too worried about Bernie to even close my eyes much less allow myself to drift off. After surgery they’d moved him to ICU to monitor him closely and because of that, I wasn’t allowed to spend the night.

At 4 a.m. I found myself in the hotel gym, sprinting on the treadmill with Evanescence blasting in my ears. I ran at the highest incline until I couldn’t breathe and then hit each machine crammed into the small space, pushing my limits almost excessively.

An hour later, drenched in sweat and feeling no less anxious than when I’d arrived, I was stepping off the elevator on my floor when I ran into Jason.

He wasnothappy.

When I’d told him Knox would be arriving in the morning, I all but saw the steam billow from his ears like an infuriated cartoon character you’d see on TV.

Surprisingly enough though, he chose not to utter a word. Perhaps it was because the waiting room was dead silent and he didn’t want to cause a scene or because he knew not to push this topic with me. Either way, the tension between us could probably be felt in China and it hadn’t dissipated even a smidgen overnight.

“We need to leave by nine.” I said to him as he brushed past me.

He stopped short and pivoted to face me, his mouth set in a grim line. “I’m very well aware. Thank you.”

My head flew back.

Oh, no, he did not.

“What is your issue?” I barked, instantly seething.

“No issue at all, Hazel.”

“Bullshit,” I spat, not caring that we were in the middle of the hall where anyone could potentially walk past us. “You’re pissy because Knox will be here in a few hours and you’re still holding something against him for no reason at all.”

He sighed exaggeratedly. “I’m not arguing with you and I’m certainly not holding anything against, Mr. Carr. You go ahead and believe whatever your little heart desires. I already voiced my opinion to you in Vegas, but you were right. It’s your life. I’m not intervening anymore unless it threatens my job. Now go on and get ready. Emmanuel and I will be up front at eight forty-five.

And with that, he turned on his heel and kept on toward the elevators, effectively ending the dispute and leaving me in a silent fit of rage.

Two hours later, I slammed the door to the SUV behind me when I scooted into the backseat. Manny was already behind the wheel and Jason climbed into front, promptly slamming his door as well. Manny glanced between the two of us, eyeing us warily before pulling out onto the main road.

Aside from calling the hospital to check on Bernie, the drive to the airport was made in silence, save for low sound of Charlie Puth’s voice singing about being one call away.Fitting, I thought to myself, seeing as that’s what Knox had been for me, a mere call away and he was coming to my rescue.

The very minute Emmanuel pulled up to the curb beside arrivals, I jumped out of the backseat and threw the door shut, eager to get inside. Jason eased his way out as well, giving Manny specific instructions on where to park. The opportunity could not have presented itself at a better time.

I bolted for the doors without a word, wantingand needingan uninterrupted moment with Knox. Jason’s resentful attitude toward him would do nothing but ruin it all to hell.

“Hazel!” I heard him yell angrily behind me, but I kept on in a full sprint, determined to have my way.

Weaving in and out through the throng of people, I pulled out my phone from my back pocket and dialed Knox’s number. It rang several times before he answered.

“I'm here, beautiful.” His voice was like liquid velvet dripping into my ear.

“Where?” I asked anxiously, still running mindlessly through the airport.

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