Page 58 of Drive
Ash mounted the steps then and halted in surprise, his eyes on Jacques. With Jacques’s hand cupping her face, Rainey knew they painted an especially intimatepicture.
Jacques dropped his hand and stood, extending an open palm to Ash. They murmured their introductions, and Rainey caught the firm handshake that each exchanged, the wariness in Ash’s eyes that suddenly gave way tocuriosity.
“Rainey’s talking to someone named Larry,” Jacques explained just low enough for her tohear.
Ash nodded knowingly, his mouth a grimline.
Ignoring Larry’s monologue, she faced Ash and spoke, her voice breaking only twice as she delivered the news. “We have a b-brother, Ash. Isn’t that fucking amazing?” Even to her own ears, she sounded crazed, the anger and betrayal making her voice pitch higher. “Hell, with our father, we probably have a dozen out there. Maybe if one of us needs a kidney one day, we’ll get to meetmore.”
Ash’s eyes widened a fraction at her outburst, and he looked to Jacques for anexplanation.
But Jacques just turned from him and sat again next to Rainey. “Baby, let me take over for you,” he urged, nodding to the phone at her ear she now ignored. “Go talk to yourfamily.”
The kindness in his eyes did her in. As her throat closed on a sob, Jacques took the phone from her with one hand and pulled her into his chest with theother.
And wounds old and new tore heropen.
Chapter 15
Jacques had pieced together enoughof the details from Rainey’s side of the conversation to guess what needed to be done, so after he asked the guy named Larry to please hang on, he’d set the phone down and clasped an inconsolable, heartbroken, and devastatingly beautiful Rainey in hisarms.
Watching her cry — holding her sobs against his chest — felt like a punch in thestomach.
Ash’s eyes met his over Rainey’s head. His voice was just above a whisper when he spoke. “I refuse to talk to that asshole or his lackey. You gotthis?”
Rainey’s tears soaked through hisshirt.
“Gotit.”
“Good. Find out where this brother is. Get anything they have,” Ash instructed. “We’ll deal with this on ourown.”
Jacques nodded in silent agreement. And his next move was instinct. He tilted his chin down and pressed a kiss to the top of Rainey’s hair. The scent of wild orange and lavender he recognized as hers made him squeeze her tighter. He hated to see her upset, but after weeks of not seeing her at all, having her in his arms still felt like agift.
Ash stood back while Jacques tried to console her, but every line of the man’s physique held tension. He was impatient, Jacques guessed, to get inside and talk to Rainey’s sister. Jacques’s guess was confirmed a moment later when hespoke.
“Rain?” he asked, and Jacques was relieved to hear that he spoke gently. “Honey, let’s go upstairs and get Holiday up to speed. We’ve got a lot to tellher.”
Against him, Rainey swallowed audibly and bobbed her head, but she didn’t pullaway.
“Rainey, Jacques’s got this under control. He’s gonna get what we need to find this kid, and right now I need you to explain all this to Holiday. You gotta be strong,sweetheart.”
At that, Rainey jerked upright and pushed out of his arms as if she had something to prove. “I’m okay. I’m okay,” she insisted, wiping her tearstained face with the back of her hands. “I’m s-sorry.”
Despite her words, she didn’t look okay, and Jacques didn’t like Ash rushing her. “Take your time, baby,” Jacquesmurmured.
Her eyes met his then, and he saw a flash of horror cross them. “Oh, God, Jacques, I’m so sorry. I didn’t meanto—”
He gripped her shoulders and shook his head. “Don’t be. Go up when you’re ready. I’ll be righthere.”
Rainey sniffled and wiped her cheeks again. “Okay.” Then she closed her eyes and set her jaw. “Fuck. That fuckingasshole.”
With that, she stood, patted Jacques’s hand as she moved away from his touch, and faced Ash. “Let’s go make Holi’s day,” she saidsourly.
Her sarcasm reassured him. He had precious little experience with women and tears. Emmie, his old girlfriend, would just shut down and clam up when she was upset. If she cried, it was never in front of him. Seeing Rainey weep had spurred in Jacques a rough-and-ready urge to protect her, and if she wasn’t okay, he didn’t want to let her out of hissight.
He watched her and Ash head to the door. Archie followed until they reached the entrance, but then he turned back and rejoined Jacques, claiming the spot Rainey had vacated. Glad for the company, Jacques settled a hand on the dog’s curly head and picked up the phoneagain.
“Still there, Larry?” heasked.
