Page 121 of Fall to Me
“What are you saying?” He pauses for a second. I wait for it to finally click. “He’s there. Isn’t he?”
“Yep. Yeah. He is. Oh, you know how it is with that ol’ bastard. Never really learns. Kinda like that saying, some people live and learn and some people just live. Anyway, Mom, like I said, I just made it home, and one of the guys popped in.”
Jaxon leans forward, elbows on his knees, and lights a cigarette like he owns the goddamn place. He takes a drag and tilts his head to the side, his brows pulling down into a frown like he doesn’t know what to think of me.
“Stay on the phone with me and keep him talking. Don’t do anything rash. He could have a weapon. We’re on our way.”
“Oooh. Can’t wait!” I force a fake laugh. “Alright. Love you too, Mom. Bye.”
Hearing the detective yell at people on the other end, I turn the volume down, then pretend to end the call. I place my phone receiver end up in my back pocket, hoping the detective can hear what’s going on.
Keep him talking.
I’m good at talking. I can do this.
The question is, can I do it without losing my shit and killing the fucker with my bare hands?
“I would ask who you are, but I don’t want to insult your intelligence by playing dumb. You obviously came for a reason so let’s chat,” I say, crossing the living room and making my way into the kitchen. “Want a beer or something?”
I can tell he’s confused as hell as I make my way to the fridge, pull out a Corona and hold it up. He wasn’t expecting that kind of greeting. Is it a good idea to give a psycho alcohol? Probably not, but the gesture is throwing him off, so I pop the top andslide it to the end of the island before I lean back against the kitchen counter. My heart rate spikes as he unfolds himself out of my chair and crosses the space to stand at the island. He picks up the drink that I’ve offered him, tilts the bottle up, and takes a long pull.
We match each other in build and height, which partially explains why River was so apprehensive when she first met me.
Looking around the apartment, he asks, “Where’s Rivie?”
I have to force myself to stay in place. Stay even-tempered. To keep my molars from grinding and my nostrils from flaring. I even out my breathing and wave a hand around in the air, keeping lightness to my voice as I answer.
“Oh, you know how women are this time of year. They always have to buy a gift for every single person they know and come into contact with. You in town for long?”
He shakes his head and pulls out the stool to sit down. “No. Just in town on business. Thought I’d stop by.”
I watch his mannerisms. He seems docile right now, but a few things—besides coming into our home uninvited like it’s normal—have alarm bells going off in my head. For one: his face is free from expression, and his brown eyes look empty. Then, there’s his relaxed and hunched shoulders. Like he’s given up. When someone gives up, things go south pretty quickly.
He takes a drag off his cigarette and holds it up. “You have something I can ash in?” he asks with no inflection to his voice whatsoever.
I reach into the cabinet next to me, my eyes never leaving him, grab a juice glass from the shelf, then slide it over to him before leaning back against the counter.
“Thanks,” he says, blowing a plume of smoke out of his mouth, then he ashes into the glass. I have a feeling that I have until he’s done with that cigarette before shit hits the fan.
“You look like you have a lot weighing you down,” I say.
He tilts his chin down and runs a hand over his short brown hair as he huffs a breath. “I didn’t mean to hurt her. I came here to apologize. I’ve tried calling and texting, but her phone’s been disconnected. And then there’s those fucking guys who follow her around everywhere. All I want to do is tell her I’m sorry.”
He lifts his chin, and his eyes lock with mine. Yeah. I’m gonna call bullshit on that. One thing I can say about Jaxon is that he’s a good actor.
“How did that make you feel?”
“Out of control,” he admits quickly, surprising the hell out of me.
Not having access to her is driving him out of his ever-loving mind.
“I can imagine it’s been very frustrating for you to not feel in control of a situation.”
So, maybe I’mnotvery good at this whole thing because I just dropped a little sarcasm. He narrows his eyes at me, and in an effort to correct my mistake, I hold up my hands in surrender. “Hey, I don’t like it when I don’t feel in control of situations either. The good news for you is that youarein control here.”
Jaxon’s silent for a minute before he takes his fist and begins pounding it against the side of his head over and over as he growls, “I can’t get her out of here!”
So, he’s right-handed. Good to know. It’s also his first show of emotion so maybe all hope isn’t lost.
