“Sorry, the smell, it’s too much,” I sighed.
“Of course. We have a few men set up in the apartment next door making calls, so why don’t you go in there and wait? It’s clean, well, as clean as a human slob would leave things anyway. Still a hundred times better than your place. I’m so sorry that this has happened to you,” he ended with.
“Yeah, me too,” I agreed as I walked a few steps to the next door, also open.
The two men there with phones to their ears nodded to acknowledge me as they gestured to the couch for me to sit. One hurried to throw dirty laundry off it before I got there, not missing a beat in his conversation as he did so. I practically fell onto the dingy, greenish couch, slipping into a well-worn spot. I didn’t know the guy who lived here, other than to wave when we passed each other in the hall, but at the moment that seemed like a concern for a child.
Letting my eyes close, dry now from too many tears shed, I drifted into the black haze of my ramshackle mind.
Chapter Twelve
The scent of greasy cheese and spicy tomato sauce roused me first. Vivian dropped three large boxes on the coffee table, having to push aside paper plates and coffee shop cups to do so. The two guys, having ended their conversations minutes before, though I hadn’t opened back up my eyes, dug into the boxes.
“We’ll eat and then relieve Sam and Dirk from the door so they can eat,” one of them said to Vivian.
She only nodded before turning to me. “You want some?”
I shook my head, “Not yet. I need to see him first, to see him healed, to settle my stomach.”
“Well then, ask and you shall receive, my love,” Lex said, his voice full as I turned to see him walk in the door.
“Lex,” I got out as my shaking legs flew to him.
He wrapped me in a huge hug, regardless of anyone else in the room, and I let him, sinking into his arms, letting my head fall to his chest. I inhaled his spicy scent that mingled with my vanilla soap. My fingers gripped his shirt as they pressed into the muscles of his chest. Hearing his voice, touching his body, taking in his scent, and seeing him healed... all I needed was to taste him to be whole in this moment.
As if he’d read my mind, he tilted up my chin and placed a light, but full, kiss on my lips. When he pulled away, in response to my wide eyes, he stated, matter-of-factly, “They already know about us, remember?”
“Yeah. Doesn’t mean it’s okay to flaunt it,” I teased, my face burning red, feeling all eyes on me.
“Ah, pizza,” Lex exclaimed, as he moved us to the boxes. He pulled out a piece, cheese hanging in strings, and lifted it to my lips for the first bite.
I took a nibble, but then chewed slowly, willing myself to swallow and keep the tiny morsel down afterward, shaking my head against another immediate bite. Aware they all watched me, still, I kept my eyes on Lex. I needed to prove to my addled brain that he lived and breathed here beside me.
After taking a huge bite of the slice himself and winking at me, he asked in a low voice of the others, “So where are things at? And, I can’t thank you enough for saving my hide, and coming to Christina’s rescue, although unlike me, she seemed to be doing fine on her own.”
Words erupted simultaneously, those like him reprimanding him that it takes a pack sometimes, correcting him that he’d fought with all he had, exclaiming they wanted to hear about my powers, and so on.
Lex only shook his head, a slow smile building on his face. “I couldn’t do this life without you.”
“Nor we without you,” Riker shot back, punching Lex in the arm.
“Nice,” Lex laughed now. “Come on, what is going on?”
“You tell us first,” a voice said from the hallway.
The two men on guard filled the door. Vivian moved to give them each a piece of pizza.
“Okay. Well, this guy in a black suit showed up flanked by several wolves. Six. He took some time talking shit to Christina before he let his wolves attack me. Though, they didn’t want me dead. They toyed with me until I was too weak to fight for her. He spoke of revenge, of making me watch him take her.” He stopped as a low growl filled his chest.