Ipaced the length of my office over and over, my gaze darting to the locked door every five seconds as my heart beat staccato against my ribs. It felt like time was moving glacier slow and at lightning speed at the same time. I kept waiting for Raylan’s knock, and the longer it took for him to get to me, the more anxious I was getting. I was a mess and didn’t want anyone seeing me so frazzled, so I’d snuck back in through the rear door so no one else would know I was still here.
Havoc must have realized I was balancing on a sharp edge, because he didn’t whine or squirm to be let down as I clung to him, needing some kind of comfort to focus on.
Time was funny when you were anxious. It seemed like an eternity and the blink of an eye all at once, when the sound of knuckles on wood echoed through the door a second before Raylan’s deep, rich, surly voice said, “It’s me, Chaos. Open the door.”
I rushed for the door and threw it open, and immediately had to step back as Raylan moved forward. I heard the snick ofthe door closing behind him but I couldn’t focus on anything but his eyes. The specks of gray had turned molten, swirling around like mercury. He waspissed. That was carved into every line and angle of his face, as well as in the way his muscles were locked up tight, flexing and tensing beneath his skin.
Finally, I was forced to a stop when my back end hit the edge of my desk. His hand came up, his work-roughened palm resting against my cheek. For a man who’s entire being was dripping with barely repressed rage, his touch was so sweet and tender I couldn’t stop my eyelids from lowering as I leaned deeper into his touch, basking in the immediate comfort it offered.
“You okay, baby?” God, even those words—said in the gravelly smoke that was his voice—were soothing. His presence chased away all the lingering fear and filled me with warmth, wrapping around my insides like a sinful caress.
I tamped down the lust that flooded my veins every time he was around and focused on the here and now. My lungs expanded on a deep inhale, and I gave myself a second to take stock of how I was feeling. “I’m okay,” I answered, honestly, a little surprised at how truthful that actually was. But facts were facts. He was here now, and because of that, I felt a million times better.
“I’m sorry I called like that. I was just a little freaked out.”
His hand slid from my cheek so he could pinch my chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilt my face upward to meet his molten metal gaze. “Don’t ever apologize to me for anything. You got it?”
Any other time, I would have gladly snarked back, fighting against his bossiness because I could and because I got a kick out of going head to head with him, especially now since it tended to lead to somethingmuchmore fun. But I wasn’t feeling it, so instead of giving him my signature sass, I simply nodded.
He still remained so gentle with me, despite looking and moving like his body was made of stone. “You want to tell me what happened?”
I nodded, biting on my bottom lip. “Yes. But... not here. Can we—” I almost asked if we could go home, like my home was his, but managed to catch myself before that slipup. “Can you take me home?”
His thumb swept across my jawline, back and forth, like a windshield wiper, while his brows pulled into a deep furrow. “Of course. I just want to take a quick look at your car first. I’ll have your tire changed in no time.”
My lips pulled into a wince that had him going even stiffer, something I hadn’t thought humanly possible. “What is it?”
“It wasn’t just one tire.” If it were possible for a human to breathe fire, my office would have been ashes around our feet.
His nostrils flared as he took a step back, then, before I could say another word, he spun on the heel of his dusty boot and stomped out of my office.
“Raylan.” I panted his name, my much shorter legs moving at double the speed to try to keep up. “Please... just calm down.”
He shoved through the door so hard the heavy metal swung at whip speed, slamming into the brick wall on the other side. I raced through after him then nearly collided with his back when my SUV finally came into view and Raylan stopped on a dime.
All four tires were flat, looking like four melted puddles of rubber beneath the rims. They weren’t just slashed, they’d been hacked to oblivion, like whoever had done it was taking out some serious rage. The destroyed tulip was still on the hood, the wilting petals scattered about from the breeze, and the crumpled note was still on the asphalt where I had dropped it.
Havoc finally whimpered, definitely not a fan of the vibes coming off his mommy and daddy. “It’s okay,” I said softly,giving him a little bounce before swaying side to side like I was holding a baby instead of a puppy. “Daddy’s just processing.”
I returned my gaze to Raylan. It was either that, or he’d been frozen in place. He was so still I questioned whether he was breathing. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, he moved, taking one single step toward my car. The toe of his dusty boot hit the ball of paper, catching his attention. The instant those angry black words registered, he whipped around to me. Raylan reached into his pocket and tossed me the keys to his truck. “Inside now. I want you to lock all the doors and keep the windows up. I have to call this in.”
“But—”
He took a step closer and lifted his hand to caress my cheek again, but before he could make contact, reality dawned and he stopped, remembering we weren’t behind closed doors, all alone, where no one could see. A slimy, gross feeling wriggled down my spine when he stepped back, putting more distance between us. “Truck, Chaos.” I was about to argue until he looked me square in the eyes and showed me the thunderstorm of worry and panic and anger he had churning inside of him. When he whispered “Please” in a tone that bordered on ravaged, I took mercy on him and nodded.
This was my nightmare.All I’d wanted to do was go home and de-stress. To put this whole day behind me and loosen my muscles in a long, hot bath. Well, I might have been home... after way too long. But nothing about this was helping me unwind.
Raylan’s call to the police department was the first domino to topple, creating a twisting, winding chain reaction of drama and anxiety. My father might have been retired from Alpha Omega, but he still had all the same connections from back then. Once my name was uttered in connection with a crime, the phone tree had gone crazy. My folks were already getting phone calls about what happened before I’d had a chance to let them know, something that only made the situation that much worse.
My parents had always been protective, but I’d never seen them the way they were earlier tonight. They’d shown up at the bar while I was still locked tight in Raylan’s truck, trailing behind Hope Valley PD by less than a handful of minutes.
As I’d watched them go over everything with the police, I couldn’t help but feel like a child who had been sent to my room so the grownups could talk as I watched Raylan and my folks talk to the cops about what happened tome. I’d stewed in that freaking truck, alone with Havoc, until it wasfinallymy turn to give a statement. It felt like I’d been running on autopilot ever since.
Word had spread, and now my small house was full of my loving, caring, meddlesome family... and Raylan. Most of them so busy talking over each other I couldn’t get a word in edgewise, not that I was trying. I was coming down from the adrenaline rush, and now I felt the exhaustion weighing me down like my shoulders had sandbags resting on them.
I’d gotten tired of being talked about like I wasn’t in the room, so I’d decided to tune everyone out until something brushed against my hand, bringing me out of my daze. I blinked, my gritty eyes feeling like they were coated in sand. It took a moment for my vision to come into focus and for Rae’s figure to form properly from a blurry ball.
“Sorry. Were you saying something?”
