Page 27 of Cruel Savior

I headed out of the clubhouse in the direction of home when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and stared down at the screen. Shit.

Houston calling.

As much as I needed to talk to him, taking this call now would take too long. I was seconds away from my cabin and I couldn’t risk derailing that plan. I touched the dismiss button and made a mental note to call him back as soon as I could.

With my stomach clenched and braced for anything, I opened my front door and walked in. Only I found… What the hell?

Chapter Fifteen

Amanda

Twenty minutesafter Axel had finally left, the tears had dried up and the dry sobs began. To make matters worse, a strange woman I didn’t know from Adam showed up at the door. My first assumption—that she was there to see Axel—had been incorrect.

She was there to see me.

“What do you mean JD sent you? For what? Does he need something?”

“Not at all. He figured you might need someone to talk to, and I tend to be pretty good at that.”

I stared at her for a long time trying to figure out her deal, when it finally dawned on me. “Oh my God, are you some kind of therapist? Did he send you to talk me down from an apparent breakdown?” I was proud that my words were clear and the hiccups were gone, but that didn’t mean I could hide the swollen eyes or splotchy skin.

But that was beside the point. How dare he!

“Yes, I am a psychologist, but more importantly, I belong to the club. That means not only do you have complete confidentiality in anything we talk about, but you can talk freely about club business that you normally couldn’t share.”

I don’t know why, but her words annoyed me more than they comforted me. Did they really expect me to just welcome a stranger into my personal business and reveal all of my secrets? Maybe on a cold day in hell.

“I’m afraid they’ve wasted your time. I’m not in the market for a confidant.”

The woman laughed. “That’s a new one. I don’t think anyone has ever called me that, and I’ve pretty much been called everything else you can think of.”

I tightened my grip on the door, trying to remain calm.“I was trying to be kind.”

“Oh really?” She looked skeptical. “Why would you be kind? I mean who would blame you if you were pissed that a strange woman showed up at your door expecting you to bare your soul to her?”

“Then why come?”

“Because I can’t resist. If someone is hurting, and I’m in a position to help, that’s what I want to do.”

“Well, I definitely don’t need a fixer. I can fix my own problems.”

“Most people can. Although a lot don’t realize they can for a while. That’s where I come in. I offer a little clarity.”

“Oh, my clarity is just fine. For example, I’m perfectly clear on the fact that the men in this town think they have all the answers.”

She snorted. “Good God, isn’t that the truth. And yet we still love them anyways.”

She could speak for herself. If there was anything of mine that was broken, it was definitely my capacity to love. Plus, I was pretty certain no one would mistake my anger for love. That would be insane. Okay, so maybe I had a lot of thoughts Icouldshare, but that didn’t mean Iwantedto share them.

“Can I at least come in, so when JD asks how it went, I can say I tried? We don't have to talk about anything you don't want to. In fact, we can just gossip about the boys of the club if you want. You must have some questions."

It felt like a definite ploy. But I'd dealt with my fair share of psychotherapists over the years and I was pretty sure I could handle one more. I'd become quite adept at keeping them out of my head without being too obvious when I had to. But in this case, there was no reason to pretend. Nothing in my life hinged on whether this woman wrote a positive report and gave me a clean bill of mental health.

"I guess." I stepped back and allowed her entry, and then closed the door behind her. "It wouldn't hurt to get a rundown on the who's who around here. I didn't know the club members all that well ten years ago, since Axel wasn't quite a prospect yet, but there are a lot of new faces."

"That there are," she said taking a seat at the kitchen island instead of one of the comfier chairs in the living area. "I also haven't been in here since Axel took the place over." She turned and surveyed the spacious living area. "Not bad for a bachelor."

While I agreed, I opted to keep my comment to myself. But with her at the island, I felt like I needed to do something to keep myself busy. "Can I get you something to drink? I was just thinking about baking some cookies, if Axel has the ingredients..."

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