"I was hoping you would say that." She gave him a quick hug before saying, "Get some rest, and I'll be back later to check on you."
By the time she closed the door, he was already sound asleep. She followed me down the hall, and as soon as we stepped into my room, she wound her arms around my neck, clinging to me for several moments. When she finally looked up at me, I could see the exhaustion in her eyes and said, "Why don't you lay down and get some rest?"
"Will you lay down with me?"
"Of course."
She crawled into bed, and as soon as I settled in next to her, she curled up next to me and laid her head on my chest. We hadn't been lying there long when she whispered, "Thank you for coming for me today. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't come."
"Don't you know … there's nothing in this world I wouldn't do for you, Alex." I looked down at her as I said, "I never dreamed I could love anyone like I love you. You have me heart and soul, and I'll die giving you everything I have to give."
She eased up on the bed and leaned towards me, pressing her lips against mine. "I love you, too, Mason … so very, very much."
As she laid her head down on my chest, I told her, "You scared me today. I was afraid something would happen before I could get to you."
"I'm really sorry. I didn't think I had any other choice."
"Why don't you tell me what happened?"
She let out a deep breath before saying, "He saw me outside by the fence. That's how he knew that we were trying to trap him."
"Did he tell you that?"
"Yes. He mentioned it during the phone call." She let out a deep breath before saying, "I still don't know how my father found out about Jason."
"He was a smart man. There's no telling how he found out."
With the tip of her finger, she trailed lines across my chest as she told me all about Jason's phone call, and how her father threatened to kill him if she didn't come to his apartment alone. She didn't think she had a choice but to do what he'd asked, and her voice was strained as she described seeing Jason so badly beaten. She was even more surprised when she found out Marcus was there. Her voice grew soft as she told me how he wouldn't even look at her, making her think that he was there to help her father. It wasn't until he brought out his weapon that she realized he was there to protect her. With each word she spoke, her voice became more and more faint. Knowing she needed to rest, I whispered, "It's over, baby. Just try to get some sleep."
It was then that she whispered something that made my blood run cold. "I wish I could believe that."
"Your father is gone. There's nothing more he can do to you."
"It's not him that I'm worried about. It's his brother, Josue. He's even worse than my father."
Before she could explain any further, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, leaving me wondering if there was more hell to come. I was tempted to wake her and ask what she'd meant, but decided to let her sleep. We both needed to put this night behind us, and I knew that as long as we had each other, we could face whatever came our way.
Alex
The days after the attack were tough. I was struggling to come to terms with everything that had happened. Losing someone you care about is one thing, but watching them take their last breath is another thing altogether. It stays with you, lingers in your thoughts and haunts you in your dreams. Shadow knew what that was like. Remembering the pain he'd gone through when Michele died, he arranged for Marcus to have a proper burial. He thought it might help me find some sense of closure, but even after his funeral, I was still having a difficult time. Shadow assured me that things would get better. That I just needed more time, but I didn't agree. I needed something to take my mind off of things, so against Shadow's wishes, I reopened the bookstore. I knew he was worried that my father's brother, Josue, would come after me, especially after I'd explained his connection to my father's business, but I was done living in fear. I wanted to get back to work and visit with my customers so I could find a sense of normalcy in my life again.
I found solace in my old routines, and with each day that passed, I felt the tightness in my chest starting to fade and it wasn't long before I was back to my old self again. I was pleased to see that I wasn't the only one who found comfort in old routines. I'd only had the store reopened for a few days when Shadow came strolling through the door. Like so many times before, he walked over to the counter and made himself a cup of coffee and then scanned the different shelves looking for the perfect book. It was at this point his routine took a dramatic change. Instead of going to the back of the store to read, he'd find a spot close to me and we'd spend our morning together. Those moments quickly became the best part of my day.
I was happy, truly happy, and things in my life were finally settling down. Shadow had me talk to Gus about my Uncle Josue. After I told him everything I knew about him, he assured me that the brothers would keep an eye out for him. Knowing they would do everything in their power to keep him at bay, I let go of my worries, and eventually our lives got back to normal. After spending the night making love to Shadow, I woke up with my head on his chest and his arm wrapped around my waist. There was no better feeling than feeling his warm body next to mine. With great hesitation, I got up and took a long, hot shower. Once I was done, I got dressed and headed to the bookstore to get things ready to start the day. I'd just gotten things ready when Jason came charging in.
He could barely contain his excitement as he asked, "Did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"The Sacred Knights are going to be at Newman's tonight!"
It was good to see that all of his bruises had finally disappeared, and all his lacerations had healed. They had been a constant reminder of his kidnapping, and while he'd assured me that he didn't blame me for any of it, I couldn't help but feel guilty about it. As he stood there with a thrilled look on his face, I hated to disappoint him, but I had no idea who he was talking about. Having no idea what to say, I replied, "Okay?"
"Aren't you pumped?"
"Umm … I hate to break it to ya, but I've never heard of the Sacred Knights."
His mouth dropped as he looked at me with utter disbelief. "Are you kidding me! How do you not know about them? They're huge!"
"I don't know what to tell ya. I've been busy."
"Well, that must be rectified. You've gotta come with me."
I grimaced as I told him, "I'm sorry, but I can't."
"What? Why not?"
"I've already made plans with Shadow." I could see the disappointment in his eyes as I continued, "We're going over to Blaze's house for a cookout with the guys. You should come grab a bite with us."
"Nah. You go ahead. I don't want to intrude."
"Don't be silly. You know Shadow wouldn't mind. I think you're kind of growing on him."
"Really?" he asked, sounding hopeful.
Over the past month, Jason had made a habit of stopping by the bookstore at times when he knew Shadow would be there and had even come by the clubhouse a few times. At first, I thought it was just his way of checking up on me, but I quickly realized there was a different reason for his visits. Even though he'd never admit it, I could tell that he was intrigued by Shadow and the club, and the more time he'd spent with him, he discovered that he was actually a good guy-a guy he actually liked. I know he was surprised by the fact, but I couldn't have been happier. I smiled at him as I answered, "Yes. Really. You should really think about coming by. Maybe we could hit the concert after?"
"Okay. I think I can do that."
"Great. The cookout starts at six. I'll text you with the address."
"Sounds good." As he started for the door, he said, "I'll see ya tonight!"
Once he was gone, I hurried to wrap things up, so I could close the store early. I wanted to have time to take a quick shower before we headed over to Blaze's place. As soon as the last customer left, I locked things up and headed upstairs to my apartment. Even though I spent every night with Shadow, I hadn't officially moved in with him, mainly because there simply wasn't enough room for all of my things in his room. We'd tried finding a place of our own, but nothing seemed to suit me. Shadow had dropped several hints, letting me know that he was growing impatient, but I wanted to hold out for the perfect place for us to start our lives together.
After I got dressed, I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs. I'd just locked the door, when Shadow pulled up on his motorcycle. As I walked over to him, I smiled and said, "Hey, there handsome. I wasn't expecting you to come here. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. Everything's good." He offered me my helmet as he said, "I had something I wanted to show you before we headed over to Blaze's place."