“You know, you’re not supposed to upset me,” Holly accused.
Brax immediately grew pale. “Christ, I’m sorry, Holly. Are you okay? Any cramps?”
“That was mean,” Derrick told Holly.
She sighed, looking guilty. “You’re right. Brax, I’m sorry, I never should have said that. I feel fine. I promise.”
“You’re right, though, I’m supposed to be keeping you calm.”
“And you are. I’m just being a brat.” She grabbed his hand, squeezing it. Then she turned to Derrick.
“So Jacey and the baby are okay?”
“Jacey has some bruising. They want to keep her in another day since she had some bleeding. I’ve just seen Ava, she’s had the all-clear to go home. They’re waiting on the discharge papers.”
“Thank God.”
Brax frowned. “In your text last night, you said it might be deliberate?”
“From what Jacey told me, yes, I believe so.”
“That’s what I think too,” Holly agreed. “No way was it an accident. He just kept coming at us, Max couldn’t get away. Then after the crash, he must have decided to come back for us. I wasn’t really sure what was going on, but Jacey seemed to think it was the same car. I don’t know how she knew, but it was really suspicious when nobody came running to help us. He quickly took off when another car started to approach. Who would want to hurt us, though? Was it something to do with Roarke since it was his car?”
“Good guess, love, but we’re pretty sure they were after Jacey.”
“Jacey, why?” Brax asked.
“Jacey’s husband abused her. She left him a few months ago and she’s been hiding from him ever since. She thinks he’s out to kill her. I need to get all the details from her, but I’m also worried about upsetting her too much. This needs to be done delicately, when she feels safe and secure.”
Brax nodded.
“How horrible,” Holly said, looking at him shocked. “I just can’t imagine anyone abusing Jacey. She’s so fragile and sweet. I admit, at first I was a bit taken aback by how quickly you’d moved her into your house and I kind of thought she might be a gold-digger, but after spending the day with her, I realized she’s kind of shy. She’s so sweet and lovely. That bastard.”
Derrick nodded in agreement. “Anyway, I wanted to warn you guys to be on the alert. If it is Jacey’s ex, I don’t think he’ll come after any of you. But in case we’re wrong about any of this, I’d be much happier if you accepted some extra security.”
“Security?” Brax asked.
“I’ve spoken to Roarke, he’s got a good security system, but he’s going to hire some men to watch the house. I’d like to do the same for you guys. Let me hire a few men to watch over your place.”
“Derrick, don’t you think you’re overreacting, I mean, you should be worried about Jacey’s security, not ours,” Holly said.
“Oh, believe me, her security is very much on my mind. But you are my family, the two of you. I need to make sure you’re protected.”
Brax was silent for a long moment. Derrick wasn’t sure if he would take him up on his offer. It had taken a lot of talking before Brax allowed him to buy Holly a new car. Brax was a proud man and he made a good living with his construction business, but he didn’t have the money to pay for round-the-clock security. Derrick just hoped he’d push past his pride and see that this was for the best.
“All right,” he replied with a nod. “But only if you promise to keep us updated and for God’s sake, be careful.”
Derrick nodded with relief. “Don’t worry. I intend to ensure that I live a long and healthy life.”
***
Jacey looked around Derrick’s bedroom as he placed her gently on the bed. “I never thought I’d be so pleased to be back in this bed.” She stuck out her lower lip. “Though I’m getting really tired of resting. Couldn’t I just sit on the sofa in the living room? I promise not to move around.”
Derrick shook his head. “Sorry, baby. The doctor said you were to have a few more days of bed rest then you could slowly resume your normal activities.”
“Like I even know what normal is anymore,” she muttered as he stripped off her clothes and helped her dress in one of his shirts.
“I know, beautiful. But one day we’ll get there. One day we’ll be so normal you’ll almost wish for a bit of excitement.”