Embracing Everly (22 page)

“I’ll talk to him.”

Dawson glared at Mick, but Mick ignored it and shoved past him to get to me. “Hey, Angel.”

“Hi.” I took one last look at Dawson before turning back into my room, wanting him to follow me. “Close the door,” I told him as he followed me as I hobbled inside.

Mick was quick to my side as I dropped the stupid crutch. I didn’t even know why I bothered with it. “I got it.”

“Let me help you, babe, please,” he pleaded.

“I’m fine. I did that on purpose. I hate that stupid thing.” That was a lie. It slipped from under my arm, but I refused for him to know how weak I felt. That was the only reason for the crutch. I didn’t need it for long, but for now it helped with my one bad foot. I needed it more for balance.

I fell back onto my pillow; the short walk taking everything out of me. Mick knelt on the floor, his hands resting on my bed. “Everly, I am so sorry for what he did to you. I wish…”

“It’s not your fault, Mick,” I cut him off.

“It is though don’t you see? If I didn’t push you away, Ev, it could have made a difference, but I was being immature. You became too much, too fast, and it freaked me out even though I knew how I felt about you. You would never have gotten hurt, I would’ve been with you if I had been man enough to stay.” He got off his knees and sat next to me on my bed, his eyes staring into mine. “Why were you even there?”

“His friend called me in a panic saying something was wrong with him. It was a set up to get me there. Billy locked me in, but then he also was the one who took me to the hospital. I don’t get it.” I shook my head, trying to make sense of all of it.

“Guilt most likely. It happens more than you think.” His hand ran through the loose strands of my hair. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel great once I pop that magic pill over there.”

Mick’s eyes drifted to the prescription bottle on my nightstand. “Be careful with that shit. It’s addictive as hell.”

I sighed. “I’m tired, Mick.” It was true, but I had a feeling the conversation was going in a direction I wasn’t ready for so I pull the old tired bit.

He nodded. “Okay, I’ll let you sleep.” He slowly hovered over me, his eyes trained on mine, his mouth tenderly touched my lips, but only for a second. “Don’t give up on me yet. I told you I’d mess up, but I won’t again, Ev. I love you with every fiber of my being, Angel.”

He stood to leave. “Mick,” I called out.

He stopped and turned. “How do you know Dawson?”

He was silent for a beat. His face showed I caught him off guard, but then he reeled it back in. “I don’t. I just met him.” He walked out, quietly shutting the door behind him, not once looking back at me.

I COULDN’T BELIEVE
she asked me. I also couldn’t believe I lied right to her face. What choice did I have? Oh, yeah, by the way, I’m not who you think I am. I’m a twenty-five-year-old bounty hunter that your dad and Dawson put in charge of your safety. I was screwed if she forgave my last mistake only to find out another. The truth? Maybe I should tell her? What I needed to do was grow some big ass, hairy balls, man-up and tell her the facts. But when would the right time be?

“Where are you going?” Dawson asked as I started for the door.

“Going for a walk. My mind is blank. I don’t feel like talking. I got nothing left to say right now to you. I’ll be back later,” I said, letting him know he wasn’t getting rid of me so easily.

Without realizing where it was that I was heading, I ended up on campus at the fraternity house. Some punk led me to his room believing the lies I dished out claiming I was a buyer and needed something ASAP. Charlie was asleep and as much as I wanted to kill him, I couldn’t. But, I was going to do something to make him understand he was going down.

Once the punk cleared the room, I knew I’d have only minutes to taunt him. I checked over my shoulder at the closed door that led to the fifteen or so guys downstairs that thought I was here just to pick up some product. “Hey, asshole, wake up,” I smacked his face. His eyes flew open, confusion and then fear rang through. He went to scream, but I covered my hand over his mouth. “I’m going to kill you for hurting her. It’s going to be slow, and painful once you’re behind bars. I’m going to have someone rip your ass to shreds in every way imaginable, so do yourself a favor, stock up and smuggle some lube to prison.” I patted his face hard in a quick succession. “You’re going to need it.”

“Hey, who are you?” A guy walked in and dumped his bag down on the opposite bed.

I patted his face, hard again for extra measure, and gripped his chin forcefully. “I’ll see you in hell.”

I turned around and held up my hands. “I’m going.” I wanted to do so much more. The thought of beating the hell out of him, feeling and seeing his fear like he probably caused Everly was all I wanted. I refrained for one person and one person only. Everly. I needed to be there for her. The way Dawson spoke of Thomas and his situation, it didn’t sound good, and I didn’t want her alone if that happened.

I found myself at the Loving Cup sipping coffee, staring at an empty stage. We were waiting on Charlie getting booked and his trial. And for Thomas Moore to come out of hiding, hopefully, alive because I had no idea how Everly would make it if he didn’t. My lie I wanted to keep buried until the last possible minute was ripping me to shreds. The not knowing what she would do once she found out drove me half insane with worry.

I stayed there for hours just watching people come and go, trying to make sense of everything that had happened to her. To me. How strange it felt to be so concerned about someone other than myself. If I had my own choice, I’d whisk her away, disappear and figure everything out as the days passed by. I knew that wasn’t ideal, and most likely would never happen with Dawson keeping watch. I also knew he was gunning for me to take off and leave Everly alone. I knew I should let her move on, to find a man deserving of her, but I just couldn’t seem to do it. Not yet. Not until I knew the end of the story with her. It was of the utmost importance to me to know she’d be taken care of, safe and happy if I found the strength to walk away.

I grabbed a white peach tea to take back to her after contemplating for hours my next play. I felt like I was in a damn chess game, and if I made one bad move, I’d lose everything I had ever wanted.

Dawson was outside when I got back to her place. I watched from my truck, waiting for him to stop pacing and talking to whomever it was on the other end of his cell. After a few minutes, I made my way closer to hear his conversation. “How is that possible?”

He looked up when he heard me approach. He gestured for me to wait until he was finished. “Yeah, I’m on it.”

“That was Fuzz. Bad news.”

I braced myself for the words. “Thomas is unreachable for at least another month. DEA is getting ready to make a bust, once they do he’s good to go. They think it could take at least twenty to thirty days to finish up, maybe longer. And somehow that dick kid has someone in his corner. Court has been pushed back for a bit.”

I breathed a sigh of relief he wasn’t telling me her dad was dead. The Charlie shit pissed me off, but we’d get him. I patted his shoulder and started into the complex.

“That’s not all,” he added.

I stopped instantly without turning, waiting for some bomb to drop. “There’s a deadbeat dad who has been skipping out on his child support down in Tuscaloosa. Beats his kids and wife whenever he sees them. Wife called in a special favor. State is doing shit to help her, and she’s about ready to lose her house. It’s an old friend of Hammer’s. I need you to go take care of it.”

“Have someone else teach him a lesson.”

“I want you to do this, Irish. It might be good to get away for a few days. Everly has too much on her mind to deal with you.”

I pounced, dropping her tea and fisted his shirt in my hands. “She has too much to deal with? What about me, Dawson? You put me here to do a job and yeah, shit got real, but I’m not leaving until I know she’ll be good without me. Until she tells me, I’m staying.” I shoved him back.

“It’s an order or you’re out.”

A cynical laugh bubbled from my throat as I shrugged. “Fine, I guess I’m out.”

“Mick, don’t you walk away from me.”

“Why?” I spun around. “You don’t even know her anymore. I do.” I shouted, pointing to my chest. “I am the one whose been watching her, taking care of her, loving her, so fuck you Dawson and your club.”

“Didn’t do a very good job seeing she got busted up.” That did it. He knew the exact button to set me off like a smoking gun. My fist flew out, ramming into his jaw. Dawson fell back, his ass slamming onto the ground hard, and I took pride in dropping him. His hand came up, rubbing his face, his eyes screamed one huge ‘fuck you.’ “I’ll give it to Spidey, too personal for Hammer. You have one week to get your shit figured out before I tell her everything.”

I took off and made it to her room just as she was attempting to make it to the bathroom. “You need some help there, Angel? I could help you in to the shower or bath, whatever it is you need.”

“Could you help me to the tub. I feel so dirty. I just want to sink down and relax in some hot water and bubbles. It’s been days.”

“Yeah, stay there.” Once I started the water and added some of the stuff sitting on the side of her tub, I went back for her. She leaned on my shoulder, using it as support instead of the crutches, which thrilled the hell out of me.

We both stared down, watching the tub fill; the scent of eucalyptus engulfing the small room. I heard her suck in a deep breath, moaning her appreciation for the scent. “Can you help me take this off?” she asked, barely a whisper. Her hooded eyes finally lifted to mine.

“If you’re uncomfortable, I won’t look.”

She managed a small, nervous smile. “It’s fine. Better you than Dawson for this job.”

She lifted her arms over her head as I closed my eyes, as promised, raising her shirt over her head and tossing it onto the floor. Her hand gripped my shoulder as she wiggled her way out of her sweats. “Mick, I need a hand now.”

Having to, wanting to and not wanting to, I opened my eyes. I tried to abstain from looking, but the markings down her side were bright blue with streaks of black running through. I winced. “Fuck, babe.”

“It looks a lot worse than you think. You should see the other guy,” she teased, and I appreciated her trying to make light of it, but it just made me see red all over again.

“I heard you got him good. Proud of you for that one, Ev. Not many girls could’ve managed it.” I held out my hand, and she gripped it firmly in hers as I helped her inside. I grabbed the towel off the rack and folded it in half, tucking it behind her head and then added one on the ledge to rest her casted arm on. “I could stay in here until you’re finished.”

“I’m fine, Mick. Just come back in twenty minutes to help me out.”

“Are you sure?” God, I wanted so badly for her to beg me to stay. To climb inside and hold her until the pain lifted from both of us.

“I just need a few minutes, okay?”

“Yeah,” I paused, my eyes dipping to her mouth. I sighed wanting to kiss her, but thought it would best not to tempt myself. “I’ll be right outside. Holler if you need me before the twenty is up.”

She nodded and watched me as I closed the door, blocking her from my view.

“Jesus Christ!” I jumped when I turned to find Dawson hovering outside the door.

“You’re going to sit your punk ass down and tell me everything for me to allow this happen. Thomas trusted me with her, and I trusted you. I promised him no man would touch her, but you did, so this puts me in a small, very uncomfortable position with him.”

I shrugged, grabbing a bottle of soda from the fridge. I sat down with Dawson glaring down at me, waiting for his answer. “Have you spent five minutes with her?”

“You know I have.”

My shoulders rose and dropped. “That’s it. Five minutes was all it really took.”

“Don’t screw around, Irish. I know you.”

“I’m not, Dawson. I fell in love with her. I don’t know what else to tell you. I’m not going to apologize for it either. I haven’t ever been with someone so sweet, so fucking lovable in my whole life. I wrote my parents off a long time ago, any friends, chicks I dated in the past. It’s like I’ve been doing without, you know. I looked at everyone in my life like they were always going to wreck me, hurt me like my own damn family. And then all of a sudden this little hell on heels steps in and gives me something good. Something I need, something I want. So, no, Dawson don’t ask me again because I’m not leaving unless she orders me out. And, I’ll deal with her father when he gets back. Does that answer your question to your satisfaction?”

He slumped back into the chair, obviously shocked at my admission. “Does she feel the same?”

“Yeah, or at least she did.” I rested my elbows on the table. “Dawson, don’t fight this. Let me be happy for once?” I wanted him to leave us alone. To go back to Florida and let the rest of the semester pan out.

“I got word Charlie’s trial is next month for the drugs only. It seems he had a girl, Billy’s sister named Faith, working in a pharmacy stealing all the prescription drugs he was selling. She’s been served too. As far as Ev, there’s no proof he did anything to her. She can file a suit and testify, I haven’t mentioned any of this to her yet. Billy is claiming he wasn’t around. He’s denying bringing her to the hospital too. It’s her statement against Charlie’s. Once he’s in the cage, and we know which place, I’ll put out the order. For now he’s out on bail.”