She answered with a silent shake of her head. Her hands were trembling as she followed him into the back room where the relentless knocking continued.
He patted his pockets, and cursed. “I don’t have my gun with me tonight.”
“That’s all right. I’ve got this!” She whipped the pepper spray from her purse, brandishing her weapon with pride.
*****
Jaxon heard a man’s muffled voice yelling through the door, his words unintelligible.
“Let me in, Carrington!” Jaxon bellowed.
The answering words were louder, but still indecipherable.
He reinstated his barrage on the door, adding in a few kicks. “Open this door! I mean it!”
The door swung toward him, almost knocking him down, and he stumbled back behind it. He grabbed the handle, swinging it out of the way, and bounding through. “Ely—” His words were cut off by a blast of moist spray. And his face caught on fire.
Part 23: Tears
“JAXON? OH MY GOD! I’m sorry, but I didn’t know who was at the door. I thought you were that creep who attacked me.”
“Ahhhhh!” Jaxon let out a long stream of garbled screams and curse words, fumbling blindly into the room as tears poured from his eyes. “Where’s the sink?”
“That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen!” Baron howled with laughter.
Elyssa led Jaxon to the utility sink, and he turned the water on, first splashing water on his face, and finally sticking his entire head under the faucet.
Baron roared again, laughing until he fell, with limp muscles, into a chair.
“Let me get you some paper towels.” She ran to get a roll, and returned to find Jaxon still under the stream of water.
“It’s not coming off. I need soap.” He spoke without taking his face from the flow.
“Here—here’s some soap. Hold out your hand.”
He rubbed the soap on his face and rinsed, repeating the process multiple times with Baron’s cackling accompaniment in the background.
“Stuff it, Carrington!” Jaxon stood, dripping, blotting his face with the paper towels.
Elyssa cringed at sight of the swollen skin around his half-closed watering eyes. His entire face and parts of his neck glowed Rudolph-red. “Oh my gosh—your face looks terrible.”
“He hears that all the time. Right, McCall?” Baron broke out in uncontrolled mirth.
Jaxon’s face grew even redder as he glared at Baron. He looked like he might attack him right there in the shop. She stepped in front of him. “Jaxon, I’m so sorry. I had no idea it was you. What are you doing here?”
“I came to save you from this murdering criminal. You don’t know him like I do.”
The chair scraped the floor as Baron leapt to his feet. In a blink he had the front of Jaxon’s shirt balled in his fist. “You shut your mouth, McCall, or I’ll shut it for you.”
*****
Jaxon felt an odd sense of calm. He didn’t care if Carrington hit him. He didn’t care if he smeared his reputation. He was finally going to speak the truth, no matter the consequences. He ignored the burning sting of the pepper spray.
“What’s the matter? Are you afraid I’ll talk about what really happened?”
“Shut up!” Baron growled.
“You kept your dirty little secret from most people, but I know the truth.”