Shadow:Satan's Fury: Memphis Chapter(29)

       
           



       

"Then, talk to me. Tell me about the nightmares."

"You. You're the only thing that's on my mind," he snapped. "Every minute of every fucking day, it's you."

I stepped towards him, and as I placed the palms of my hand on his chest, I told him, "I know you are worried about the club using me to get close to my father, but I trust them and most of all, I trust you. Together, you will find a way to make this work. You'll see."

"I won't let anything happen to you, Alex."

"I know that. You just have to believe."

He leaned towards me and kissed me lightly on the forehead before he said, "I've gotta get going."

"If this thing us between is going to work, you can't keep shutting me out. You have to find a way to talk to me."

"I will, but not today. I've gotta go."

"Fine." As he started towards the door, I told him, "Be careful."

"Always."

He closed the door behind him, leaving me alone once again. Since it was still so early, I crawled back into bed and tried to go back to sleep. After a great deal of tossing and turning, I finally managed to doze off. Several hours later, I woke up to the sun trickling in through the curtains. I glanced over at the clock and saw that it was almost eight. I stayed there for several more minutes, but when my stomach started to growl, I eased out of bed and started to get dressed. I'd just gotten on my clothes when I heard someone knocking. I opened the door and found Riggs standing in the hall with my laptop and a cell phone. "I thought you might need these. I transferred all of your contacts to the burner, so you are all set."

As he handed them over to me, I said, "So, they're safe to use now?"

"Yep, you're all good. Just be careful about who you call and what you say. You don't want to take any chances."

"Okay. I will. Thank you so much!"

"No problem."

When he turned to leave, I asked, "You aren't going with the others?"

"Yeah, we're just about to leave now."

"Oh  …  umm  …  have you seen Shadow?"

It was obvious from his expression that my question had caught him off guard. "No, but I'm sure he's just been getting ready for the run. You want me to let him know that you're looking for him?"

"No. That's not necessary. I was just curious."

"All right then. I'll see ya when we get back."

"Okay. I hope it goes well."

When he turned to leave, I closed the door, then took my laptop over to Shadow's desk and turned it on. I tried to log into my email, but when I realized that my account had been deleted, I closed it and reached for the cell phone Riggs had given me. I scrolled through the contacts that had been added, and stopped when I came across Jason's name. As I sat there staring at his number, I was overcome with guilt. I hadn't spoken to him in days, and knowing he must be worried, I dialed his number. It rang several times before he finally answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, Jason. It's me, Alex."

"What the fuck, Alex? Where are you?" he roared.

"I  …  uh." I hadn't actually thought things through and struggled to find the right words to say to him. "I had to go out of town for a few days."

"You should've called and told me something! I didn't know what to think. Hell, I was about to contact the police!"

"I'm really sorry. Things got really hectic, and I forgot to call."

"Whose phone number is this? I've been calling yours for days and haven't been able to get anything but your voicemail."

"I lost mine and had to get a new one."

"Well, are you okay? I've been going out of my mind worrying about you."

"Yes. I'm fine. I'm really sorry that I worried you, but an emergency came up and I had to leave unexpectedly."

I could hear the concern in his voice when he asked, "What kind of emergency?"

"Just a family thing  …  I'll explain it all to you later. I just wanted to let you know that I was okay."

"When are you coming back?"

"I'm not sure just yet. I'll call you when I figure things out."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No. This is something I have to do on my own."

"Are you sure? What about the bookstore?"

"I don't know what I'm going to do about that. For now, I will just have to keep it closed. I don't have any other choice."
                       
       
           



       
"Why do I get the feeling you aren't telling me something?" he pushed.

"Because you are a worry-wart who always assumes the worst. I'll be fine, and as soon as I get back, I'll explain everything."

"What about  … "

Before he could finish his question, I said, "Jason, I've really got to go. I'll be in touch when I can."

I hated being so cryptic, but the last thing I wanted was for him to get involved in this mess with my father. I had no choice but to hang up the phone and pray that he wouldn't do anything stupid. As I sat there going over everything in my head, I felt my stomach rumble with hunger. While I didn't have much of an appetite, I knew I needed to get something to eat, so I put my phone down and headed to the kitchen to find something to settle my stomach. On most mornings, you could hear the guys bantering back and forth as they ate their breakfast, but it was oddly quiet as I stepped into the kitchen. After I made myself a bowl of cereal, I went over to the table and sat down. I'd just started eating when I heard someone walk in. I turned and saw a beautiful brunette wearing hospital scrubs covered in bright colored balloons coming towards me.

She smiled as she said, "Hey! You must be, Alex."

"I am." I returned her smile as I replied, "And you must be Blaze's fiancé."

"That I am." She extended her hand to me as she said, "My name's Kenedee. It's great to finally meet you."

As I shook her hand, I couldn't help but stare. She was quite beautiful, and with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, she looked so young and innocent, making me wonder how a woman like her ended up being with a man as fierce as Blaze. "It's nice to meet you, too. I've heard a lot about you."

She went over to the counter, and after she poured herself a cup of coffee, she came over and sat down next to me. "Yeah, I bet you have. These guys always have some story to tell."

"That they do. Sometimes I have to wonder if they are all true."

She laughed as she replied, "Oh, they're true. They might exaggerate here and there, but they're all true."

"Oh, wow. That's a scary thought."

"At least they've lived to tell about it."

"That's very true." I giggled. "So, how did you meet Blaze?"

Her face lit up at the sound of his name. "We first met down at Daisy's, the club's diner. He helped me get my food out to my car, and then we met again when his son was admitted into the hospital where I work. He asked me out, and I guess the rest is history."

"I remember Blaze telling me that you worked at the trauma center. Do you like working there?"

"It gets a little intense at times, but I love it."

"It's great that you love your job like that."

"Yeah. I couldn't imagine doing anything else." She took a sip of her coffee before asking, "You own a bookstore, right?"

"I do. It was actually Hallie's. She was a close friend of mine, and she left it to me when she died last year."

"Oh, I hate to hear about your friend. She must've been special to leave you the bookstore."

"Yes. She was very special to me, and I still miss her dearly. I think about her every morning when I open the store."

"I can imagine." I could hear the curiosity in her voice when she asked, "You met Shadow there, right?"

I couldn't hold back my smile when I answered, "Yeah, but it took me forever to actually talk to him. You know, he can be a little intimidating."

"Hmm  …  yes. Yes, he can." She laughed again. "I have to admit, I was a little surprised when Blaze told me that Shadow was seeing someone."

"Really? Why is that?"

"Well, like you said, he can be a little intimidating, and he's not a big talker."

"No, he's definitely not, but he says a lot with only a few words."

She studied me for a moment, then smiled as she asked, "How are you adjusting to things around here?"

"I don't know. Pretty good, I guess. I'm still getting to know everyone, but I think it's going okay."

"I know it can be overwhelming. I still remember my first few days. It was an adjustment for sure, especially with all the different rules."

"Rules?"

"You mean Shadow hasn't talked to you about it?"

"No. Not really."

I could see the surprise in her eyes when she answered, "Oh."

"With everything that's been going on, we really haven't had time to talk about it. So, what are these rules you're talking about?"