and closed my eyes, too exhausted and disheartened to analyze the implications, though one thing I knew for certain.
Abbott De Luca hadn’t just fooled the world; he’d fooled his own daughter.
“Are you sure you wanna do this?” Jax stalled outside the entrance of the hospital.
“I’m not sure of anything, but I can’t not see her.” Gritting my teeth, I stared through narrowed eyes at the building. News of Alex’s resurrection from the dead hit the media that morning. I was hoping she’d give me answers, but mostly, I had to know she was okay.
“Have you stopped to consider this stunt might land us both in jail?”
“Yeah, I have. Look, you don’t need to go in there. I won’t blame you for taking off.” We’d cleared the air the other night, but things were far from settled between us. He still hadn’t moved back into the cabin, and the subject of Nikki seemed to have moved into taboo territory.
Jax slumped his shoulders, and his sigh ruffled his hair. “Dude, this is a bad idea.”
“Undoubtedly.” I stepped past him, and the sliding doors opened. Jax hurried after, his steps thumping quietly on the polished floors. I didn’t know what had happened to Alex, how or where she’d been found. According to the media, she was in stable condition, but that was all I’d found out.
After a quick stop at the information desk to ask which floor she was on, my heart pounded as Jax and I waited for the elevator. He shuffled his feet, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here. The arrow lit up, and the doors opened with a ding. A group of people exited, each giving us weird glances, their eyes roving over our bare arms and the ink on our skin.
Never failed to get a reaction from some people.
“I’m telling you, this is a mistake,” Jax said once the heavy doors slid shut and we were the only two that remained.
“I don’t care. After everything I put her through, I owe her this much.”
“Bullshit,” he muttered. “What you put her through?” He leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “She screwed you over, man. She had it coming.”
“No one deserves that.”
“Her spoiled ass did.”
“A couple of days ago you cared enough about her ‘spoiled ass’ to look into her whereabouts.”
Jax sighed. “I did it for you. Not like it did any good though. She must’ve been hiding on the moon.”
We arrived on the fourth floor, and I stepped out before Jax could further needle me. His footfalls landed with more attitude than usual. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something about the situation rubbed him the wrong way—besides the whole we-could-go-to-jail aspect. Something about Alex rubbed him the wrong way.
We turned the corner and headed down another hall. Up ahead, a circular reception desk took up the middle. A woman sat on the other side of the counter, eyeing me behind feminine pink glasses, when a bulky form stepped in the way.
“You’ve got balls to show up here.”
I met the hard-as-nails gaze of Abbott De Luca, a man I’d once admired. The calendar told me a lot of time had passed since then, but it seemed like only yesterday his opinion of me mattered. The man I remembered had given me his utmost respect. Time and accusations sure had a way of changing things. Now he stared me down as if I were a cockroach that needed exterminated.
“I’ve always had balls. You know that.” He’d been impressed with the way I handled myself during fights. Determined with a ruthless edge, was what he used to say about me. Though Zach never admitted it, I knew my relationship with his father had bothered him.
“What are you doing here, Mason?”
“I came to see Alex.” I cleared my throat, wondering if she’d told him about the kidnapping. “Is she okay?”
His gaze darted left then right. “Let’s go into the lounge.” His attention glanced off Jax, and I introduced them as we moved into the vacant room. Abbott closed the door before turning to me with a glare
Abbott De Luca hadn’t just fooled the world; he’d fooled his own daughter.
“Are you sure you wanna do this?” Jax stalled outside the entrance of the hospital.
“I’m not sure of anything, but I can’t not see her.” Gritting my teeth, I stared through narrowed eyes at the building. News of Alex’s resurrection from the dead hit the media that morning. I was hoping she’d give me answers, but mostly, I had to know she was okay.
“Have you stopped to consider this stunt might land us both in jail?”
“Yeah, I have. Look, you don’t need to go in there. I won’t blame you for taking off.” We’d cleared the air the other night, but things were far from settled between us. He still hadn’t moved back into the cabin, and the subject of Nikki seemed to have moved into taboo territory.
Jax slumped his shoulders, and his sigh ruffled his hair. “Dude, this is a bad idea.”
“Undoubtedly.” I stepped past him, and the sliding doors opened. Jax hurried after, his steps thumping quietly on the polished floors. I didn’t know what had happened to Alex, how or where she’d been found. According to the media, she was in stable condition, but that was all I’d found out.
After a quick stop at the information desk to ask which floor she was on, my heart pounded as Jax and I waited for the elevator. He shuffled his feet, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but here. The arrow lit up, and the doors opened with a ding. A group of people exited, each giving us weird glances, their eyes roving over our bare arms and the ink on our skin.
Never failed to get a reaction from some people.
“I’m telling you, this is a mistake,” Jax said once the heavy doors slid shut and we were the only two that remained.
“I don’t care. After everything I put her through, I owe her this much.”
“Bullshit,” he muttered. “What you put her through?” He leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “She screwed you over, man. She had it coming.”
“No one deserves that.”
“Her spoiled ass did.”
“A couple of days ago you cared enough about her ‘spoiled ass’ to look into her whereabouts.”
Jax sighed. “I did it for you. Not like it did any good though. She must’ve been hiding on the moon.”
We arrived on the fourth floor, and I stepped out before Jax could further needle me. His footfalls landed with more attitude than usual. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something about the situation rubbed him the wrong way—besides the whole we-could-go-to-jail aspect. Something about Alex rubbed him the wrong way.
We turned the corner and headed down another hall. Up ahead, a circular reception desk took up the middle. A woman sat on the other side of the counter, eyeing me behind feminine pink glasses, when a bulky form stepped in the way.
“You’ve got balls to show up here.”
I met the hard-as-nails gaze of Abbott De Luca, a man I’d once admired. The calendar told me a lot of time had passed since then, but it seemed like only yesterday his opinion of me mattered. The man I remembered had given me his utmost respect. Time and accusations sure had a way of changing things. Now he stared me down as if I were a cockroach that needed exterminated.
“I’ve always had balls. You know that.” He’d been impressed with the way I handled myself during fights. Determined with a ruthless edge, was what he used to say about me. Though Zach never admitted it, I knew my relationship with his father had bothered him.
“What are you doing here, Mason?”
“I came to see Alex.” I cleared my throat, wondering if she’d told him about the kidnapping. “Is she okay?”
His gaze darted left then right. “Let’s go into the lounge.” His attention glanced off Jax, and I introduced them as we moved into the vacant room. Abbott closed the door before turning to me with a glare
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