Page 21 of Saving Her Heart
Before he reaches me, Brad Hutchins appears at my elbow.
"This isn't over," he hisses. "You think you won? Valerie was going easy on you."
"Is that a threat, Mr. Hutchins?" Jax says, suddenly beside me.
Brad's eyes narrow. "It's a promise."
He storms out, pushing roughly past Hudson, who looks ready to follow him.
"Let him go," Jax says. "We've got what we need."
"What do you mean?"
He holds up his phone. "Recording app. He just confessed to conspiracy."
"You can't—that's not admissible?—"
"No, but it's enough for a warrant to search his property. Want to bet we find red paint?"
I stare at him. "You planned this."
"I protected you. That's my job."
"Your job," I repeat, something deflating in my chest.
"Yeah, Kendall. My job." His voice drops. "And my privilege. And my choice. And if you'd stop fighting me for five minutes, maybe my chance to make things right."
Before I can respond, Charli appears with a bottle of champagne she's definitely not supposed to have in the community center.
"Victory celebration!" she announces. "Kate's place in twenty minutes!"
The crowd starts dispersing, everyone talking excitedly about the meeting's dramatic turn. Mrs. Parsons gets escorted home by Mrs. Martinez, who promises to stay with her until Sarah arrives.
Valerie slinks out without a word, her phone pressed to her ear, probably calling her lawyer.
And I stand in the middle of the emptying room in my red dress, not fired but not vindicated either, with threatening messages on my phone and paint on two cars and Jax looking at me like he wants to say something but won't.
"Come on," he says finally. "I'll drive you."
"The paint?—"
"Can wait. You need to be somewhere safe."
Safe. As if anywhere feels safe now that Brad's escalating, Valerie's scheming, and Jax is living across the hall, making me remember things I've spent ten years trying to forget.
But I follow him to his paint-stained truck anyway, because despite everything, despite the years and the hurt and the careful distance I've maintained, when Jax says he'll keep me safe, I believe him.
And that might be the most dangerous thing of all.
Chapter 6
Jax
The coffee's still hot when I knock on Kendall's door at seven AM. I know she's awake—I heard her moving around twenty minutes ago, probably getting ready for damage control after last night's board meeting.
"What?" Her voice comes through the door, muffled but clearly irritated.
"Coffee delivery."
