My phone buzzes…Unknown Number.
Tick tock, Dean. You should tell your girlfriend to watch her back. BTW, she looks even prettier up close…bet she screams real pretty, too.
My first instinct is to break something, punch a hole in the nearest wall. But right now, I need to find Aubrey and not let her out of my fucking sight. I grab my jacket and gun—stuffing it in the back of my pants. Barely aware of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears. I storm out of my room, through the lobby, and I’m halfway to the door, vision tunneling, when the wiry redhead—who I’ve come to know as Savannah—pops up at the front desk.
She raises an eyebrow. “You look like hell, Dean. Is everything okay?” And I can tell she’s not just being nosey this time but genuinely concerned.
“Not now, Savannah,” I grunt, barely slowing down. She calls after me, but I’m already shoving out the inn doors. Right now, nothing else fucking matters. Not until I’ve got eyes on Aubrey…making sure she’s safe, and that none of those bastards have gotten close.
I’m on the sidewalk, moving fast, scanning every storefront, every corner that someone could be hiding, every stranger. Then, I see her across the street. A mess of sandy blonde hair piled on top of her head, wearing jeans and a Cozy Corner T-shirt, all casual, looking cute as hell. And damn, if her ass doesn’t look good in those jeans.
Focus Dean.
I start to cross, then freeze. One of the Rising Tension guys is talking to her. Jax. And he’s standing a little too close for my comfort. Jax is one of the biggest and meanest guys in the club, known for the snake tattoo he has slithering up his neck.
Jax is leaning into Aubrey’s space, saying something, with that slimy grin I’ve seen too many times, plastered across his ugly face. I can tell he’s making her uncomfortable by the wayshe’s shrinking away. But she plays it cool, doesn’t run. My girl is stubborn like that.
Before I realize it, I’m halfway across the street. “Hey,” I bark, my voice sharp enough to cut through steel. “Get the fuck away from her.”
Jax looks up, eyes cold, grinning wide. “Well, well, look who crawled out from under a rock.”
Aubrey’s eyes find mine, wide and confused. Until realization hits. “Dean, it’s fine…”
“No,” I snap, stepping between them. I shove Jax, hard. “You need something, you come to me. She’s got nothing to do with this.”
Jax just laughs, hands going up in mock surrender. “Relax, Dean. I was just being friendly.”
“Don’t mistake me for someone who’s naïve about your version of ‘friendly.’”
He leans in, drops his voice. “Careful, brother. You keep on, you’re going to start drawing unwanted attention.”
“I’m not your fucking brother,” I hiss.
He smirks and backs away. “We’ll see how long you can keep playing the hero. You think she’d still look at you that way if she knew the truth about why you left?”
I watch him leave, my fists clenched tight, fighting the urge to chase him down and end this whole fucking mess right here. Aubrey reaches out and grabs my arm. She’s shaking.
“Dean, what the hell was that? Is he part of that club you mentioned?”
I turn to her, trying to keep my cool. “THAT, Aubrey,” I say through gritted teeth, “…is exactly what I was trying to avoid.” My voice is sharp, too loud, as my anger and panic start to bleed through. “You wanted to know why I’ve been so on edge; why I wouldn’t tell you shit about my past? Jax is why. Guys associatedwith Rising Tension are bad news, and they don’t play games. They don’t care who gets hurt to make a point.”
I can feel myself starting to go off, my fists clenched tight, my breathing heavy. “You keep pushing for the truth, and this is what happens. They sniff out weakness; they see you even just speak one word to me, and suddenly you’re in the firing line. That’s why I was trying to keep this fucking wall up, Aubrey!”
She looks up, and there are tears in her eyes, but I’m thrown off because it’s not fear for her own safety. It’s fear for me.
“I don’t care about them, Dean. I care about you; I’m scared for you.”
At that moment, my anger falters, and my gut twists at the thought that someone is actually scared for me, and not because of me. It’s fucking foreign, the idea that anyone would care what happens to me, that I matter to someone.
For a split second, I can’t breathe. All my life, people have either wanted something from me or wanted me gone. But here she is, with tears in her eyes, terrified not for herself, but for me. I don’t know what the hell to do with that, so all I can do is stare at her, my words stuck.
I take her face in my hands, fighting the urge to break down right here on the street. “Baby, I’m so sorry.” I rest my forehead gently against hers. “You’re not the problem. I am. I’m the reason they’re here. If they think you mean something to me, they’ll use you.” My throat tightens. “I’m trying to keep you safe.”
She shakes her head while angry tears streak her face. “By pushing me away? Dean, that’s not how you protect someone. That’s running scared.”
I want to argue, but I can’t. She’s right. All I know how to do is run or fight, nothing in between.
“I can’t lose you,” I whisper, my voice broken.
