Page 90 of Roots of the Wicked

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Jax

The night sweats came more frequent, the demons from my past being let loose to wreak havoc on my mind while I slept. The exposure, and extra attention I had gone out of my way to avoid, had taken my already paranoid state to an all-time high. It was only a matter of time before the tape holding me together ripped apart, and I was clueless as to what would seep out of me.

I’d been ducking and dodging Chase’s calls, but I had finally given in and agreed to meet with him. Despite the newest threat lingering over my head, I believe it was time we talked. We’d agreed to meet at his house in Westport, since it was the most secure in keeping out the media.

Morgan, the house manager, escorted me into the house. My eyes found Chase immediately. He waited just inside the door. He was so handsome and put together, my damn breath caught and stalled my motor functions. He was dressed conservatively in black slacks, and a light green button up that intensified the radiant sparkle in his eyes.

“Hi, Jax. You look lovely as always,” he said. His word sounded as sincere as his expression he presented.

“Thank you.”

Although he didn’t say it, I didn’t miss the way his eyes sparkled at my presence. My voice was lost under the weight of seeing him, so I inclined my head. My heart flooded with intense emotions, the kind that had me wanting to wrap myself around him. I didn’t notice the tremble in my body, until he stood close enough for me to feel his warmth. Had he noticed my breathing had hiked up a notch?

His smile didn’t help things either. Seeing him smile, made my lips turn up on their own accord. After his scanned me, his eyes locked with mine, and didn’t drop until I was seated.

His sinful scent caressed me next. The spicy and relaxing mix invaded my senses. Although I was sure I was failing, I sat and pretended his presence didn’t affect me.

“I missed you Jax. I have honestly been pretty miserable without you.”

I missed you too.

My damn mind needed to shut the hell up, or had I said that out loud? Based on the way Chase smiled down at me, I had.

“Come. Have a seat please.” He ushered his hand towards the dining area, and waited until I was aligned with him, before he placed a delicate hand on the small of my back. The initial touch caused me to stifle a gasp, as I fought not to react.

“What did you want to speak to me about?” I asked.

“I wanted to talk to you, because we have discovered more evidence proving I was set up.”

Intrigued, I sat up in my chair. He had already told me he was innocent, but I was left with no choice but to refuse to meet with him when he called me the first time. A threat of exposing a video of my worst nightmare was hanging over my head, still was.

“What kind of evidence?” I asked.

He handed over a tablet and talked as I scrolled. “Someone went through a lot of trouble to set me up. The signatures on the documents required to use my company’s drone, were from digitally enhanced copies of my signature. Someone at the Alien Gang Internet Café, took remote possession of my laptop and sent those photos of us to the media. This person knew the café so well, we were unable to pull a full facial shot from the security cameras.”

I looked over the tablet’s screen, scrolling through the pictures, attempting to pick up on anything that stood out. Nothing registered.

“Whoever set me up, Jax, I believe their aim was to break us up.”

My gaze left the tablet and found his. “Maybe they did us a favor,” I offered, feigning nonchalance.

“You and I both put forth a lot of effort to spend time with one another. We enjoyed the time we spent together. You survived my family. Whether you admit it to yourself or not, we were good together.”

Although I returned my gaze to the picture I was studying, I was focused on his words and sensed the hurt in his tone from my casual behavior.

He sat motionless, as I examined the evidence he presented. After a long while of studying the data, I glanced up. I had accused him of something he didn’t do and soon after, I stopped digging into the case where it concerned his innocence. I had promised him, the night after I had revealed to him my secret that I would never stop fighting for him. If I had kept digging, maybe I would have found he was innocent.

“Chase, I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I apologize for not believing you when you told me you didn’t do this. And I apologize for damaging your laptop and destroying your data. I had no idea any of my fallout would affect you. I never believe you were involved in this, until I saw what I believed was solid evidence.”

“Thank you, and as hard as it might be for you to believe, I understand why you did what you did. You may think I don’t understand your position because I have always had money, but I know how difficult it is to make a name for yourself. I clawed my way out from under my father’s shadow, because I wanted to make a name for myself. The task wasn’t easy having access to millions, so I know how difficult it was for you to do it without money.”

He reached across the table for my hand, but I didn’t give it right away. He kept his hand there, not caring about my stubborn defiance. The deep affection that filled his expression was my undoing.

When I placed my hand inside his, I relaxed. My mind eased and my tension disappeared. I could breathe. Damn, I didn’t know how much this man affected me until he’d put his hands on me.

Chase had helped me weave a path through a minefield of horrific memories. He unknowingly kept me from falling into the abyss of darkness that constantly clawed at me. I believed he was the path.

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