His jaw tics as he leans down, and my breath leaves in a rush when he roughly grabs my side and pulls me to him. It’s distracting, because now I can feel something very hard jabbing into my stomach, and that something is barely being restrained by his jeans.
“If you keep pushing me, I’ll fucking consume you. That’s what I’ll do. Neither of us want that, Eve. Trust me.”
He turns and opens the door, moving aside for Sarah to walk in, and I watch as he slams the door much harder than necessary on his way out.
“What did you do to piss him off this time?” she asks.
“Same shit, different day,” I mumble.
She puts my clothes down, but she grows quiet. It’s then I notice she’s not the bubbly, smiling girl she normally is.
“Something happen?” I ask her.
She jumps a little like I’ve startled her, but she shakes her head.
“No. You should get changed. The sooner you’re out of here, the better. This hospital has too many cameras, and the feds are here to question Drake about his accident.”
“Since when do feds give a damn about a tattoo artist in a wreck? And what’s wrong with cameras?” I ask her, wondering if anything has been said or done in front of them. Surely Drex and the guys would have been aware of the cameras in the hall. I know none are in the room.
“Nothing.” She forces a smile before leaning forward and hugging me. “You’re tougher than you look. Drex is lucky.”
She looks almost sad when she pulls back, and I tilt my head.
“Sarah, are you okay?”
She keeps that fake smile intact, but all the life in her eyes seems to be gone. I swear she’s on the verge of crying.
“I got you another phone. Your old one was smashed in the wreck. It’s in your bag. I’ll call you later.”
Great. That means Drex is putting me on lockdown somewhere if she’s not even going to be allowed to come see me. Or he’s kicking me out again. Fuck it. Fuck him. Fuck this. I’m sick of feeling like I need permission to live my own damn life.
“You can come to my motel and see me. Snake wouldn’t get pissed, would he?”
She gives me a look that borders on confused mixed with amused. “You won’t be at your motel. Good luck trying to get Drex to let you go anywhere that isn’t right under him.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, he’s trying to stay as far away as he can.”
She shrugs, picking at something on her shirt like she’s a million miles away.
“If I could explain how cold-killers love, I would. They push you away, then they pull you back. If there’s any heart in them at all, they try not to drown you in their own personal hell. If they can change, they will. But not all of them can change. Most just hide who they are for the sake of someone they’ve loved. Sometimes they even manage to get lost in the illusion, and for the briefest of moments, they become someone they love too.”
She’s not making any sense. Or maybe I’m just not understanding.
“Sarah, you’re really confusing me right now.”
She gives me a watery smile while pulling me to her, and I hug her awkwardly when she holds me as tight as she can. It almost feels like she’s seeking comfort, so I hold her closer, standing there with no clue as to what’s going on all of the sudden.
When she finally pulls back, she clears her throat and wipes a tear from her eye.
“Why do I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me?”
She laughs humorlessly while turning toward the door.
“In this kind of life, Eve, no one ever tells anyone everything.” She turns to face me. “Remember that. It’ll save you the trouble of ever feeling betrayed. You’re the only one of us who is truly honest. It’s why so many are suspicious of you. Because the rest of us have secrets we live to protect.”
Chapter 29
DREX
Eve is asleep in my bed, but she seems to be sleeping peacefully instead of struggling. I keep checking on her like she’s suddenly going to disappear if I turn my head for too long.
She’s pissed at me. Which is better than continuing to look at me like I’m her fucking hero instead of her condemnation. This… All of this is my fucking fault. I should have sent her away on day one. Unfortunately, I didn’t give a damn about her on day one, so doing what was best for her wasn’t on my priority list.
Then I get to wondering what Ben might have done later if I wasn’t around… If she hadn’t been sent to me.
“You going to just keep staring at her like a fucking creeper?” Axle asks, raising an eyebrow at me as he walks toward me.