Page 82 of Twisted Revelations

38

Beverly

Dax had left Luke alone. I wanted to protest, although I knew the men knew what they were doing. What if something went wrong? What if they’d missed something and there were more gun-wielding bad guys waiting?

Dax assured us Luke was safe, but my tension wouldn’t be released until I saw him. “He’ll take care of the bodies,” was all Dax would say when I’d questioned him a second time about Luke.

Dax checked us into another M. Exclusive location and got us settled before he left to go and help Luke. To say we were being spoiled was an understatement. Knowing someone like Dax could ruin us. Hell, it already had. When he said he was taking you somewhere, you could rest assured it would be a place to blow your mind.

Although I was surrounded by breathtaking beauty and lavish luxury, I couldn’t force myself to sleep. I was too spun up to eat the juicy steak I’d ordered from room service on Dax’s endless tab. I bit into my lip, eyes glued to the door, praying they’d walk in already.

We were aware of DG6’s capabilities, not to mention they had an endless supply of soldiers who were willing and ready to die for the cartel.

“You like him, don’t you?” Laura inquired. She’d polished off a steak that was bigger than her leg and was now cutting into mine. When she glanced up at me, her gaze dared me to lie.

“The pale giant. You like him,” she didn’t intend it as a question.

“You like him, don’t you?” I questioned her in return, aiming my head in the direction of Dax’s room. The suite he’d gotten us had two bedrooms, but he’d changed up the sleeping strategy this time, informing us he and Luke would take turns alternating between the smaller bedroom and extra-large couch in the living room while Laura and I would share the larger of the two bedrooms. He wanted one of them to be on guard as the first line of defense, which was fine with me since we had been attacked the moment we’d arrived.

I was thankful the sleeping arrangements were different from those of the first leg of the mission. I wasn’t altogether sure I’d stop myself from jumping Luke if he closed himself inside a room with me.

“He kept a bullet out of my ass and put his life on the line to keep us safe,” was the answer Laura gave to my question. I squinted, struggling to remember what I’d asked. Since when had she cared enough to use what someone had done for her as a justifiable answer?

My body turned slowly as I pinned her with a sharp gaze. I wanted the truth.

“There is nothing there,” she offered, giving into my hard glare. “He will be gone in a week or two anyway,” she finished, rolling her eyes.

I could tell by that crease in her forehead that I’d get nothing more from her about Dax. So, I prepared to give her my answer about Luke.

“Yes. I like Luke. There’s a calmness about him that’s relaxing. His size causes people to judge him before they know him. They assume that he’s intimidating, weird even, when he’s everything except that. Well, I do sense he has a dangerous edge to him, and considering who his friends are, there has to be,” I declared, more as justification for my own understanding. “He has characteristics that I rarely find in men.”

Laura lifted a skeptical brow. “And you found all this out on a two and a half hour plane ride. You know his whole life history. Are you planning on hooking up with this guy?”

There she went, acting like my mother. I liked Laura being protective of me, but this was one of those times I didn’t want her to be. For once, I wanted to get to know someone I found interesting no matter how long it lasted. I stuffed my feelings and answered her questions.

“No, I don’t know everything about Lucas, but I like him and I’m not going to be too quick to pass judgment on him.”

She screwed her lip up. “Lucas, huh?”

“Please don’t start with me, Laura. Why don’t you go and get some rest? I’ll be in there in a little bit.”

“Why?” she questioned, that crease in her forehead dented. “So, you can stay up all night waiting for a man you met a few hours ago? What happened to your vow to find a permanent man? One that wants more than a fly-by-night relationship? What do you think this is going to be with this man?”

She was making my damn scalp itch, throwing my damn words back in my face. I knew what I’d said, and it was my vow if I wanted to break it. The whole time she’d been hiding her crush on Dax, I hadn’t bothered her. Now, that I thought about it, she and Dax had gotten cozier. I should have known something was off the moment their arguments died down.

“I never bothered you about Dax, even though you kept whatever it is going on between you two from me. Knowing you, you’re probably giving that poor man fits with the unbreakable chastity belt you’ve strapped on. I’m at least willing to admit that I like Luke.”

Laura was keeping secrets and was probably torturing Dax in the process. The way her eyes shot up at my statements caused my lips to twitch. I’d struck a nerve by suggesting she and Dax had something going on.

Had my suspicions about the way she and Dax had started to act toward each other been correct? Had Dax cracked through her concrete brain and the wrought-iron gate she kept around her heart, mind, body, and soul? I was starting to believe so.

After a deep sigh and her ignoring my question, she stood. “I’m going to bed. If you want to waste your time, go ahead. Good night,” she called back, and her clipped tone was not missed. I’d pissed her off asking about Dax. Whether she admitted it or not, Dax had found a way to get under her thick skin.

“Good night,” I called after her. If I chose to stress over a man I’d just met, so what? I’d stressed over much less in my time.

* * *

My eyes flutteredopen as I struggled to piece together my surroundings. The hotel, the lovely suite Dax had rented for us. My head whipped around when I noticed a fluffy white blanket covering me, one I hadn’t placed there. It was pitch dark outside, but the television provided enough lighting to show Luke sitting in the chair at my head.

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