Page 36 of Descent
Sauntering to the bars separating us, I tossed the plastic storage bag containing two PB&Js onto the concrete floor. “Wouldn’t want you to die from starvation.”
Though he deserved that and more.
Zach tumbled off the cot and crawled toward the food, his eyes flicking up to meet mine every couple of seconds.
“No thank-yous, huh?” I said as he began scarfing down the first sandwich.
“Don’t do me any fucking favors,” he mumbled, a scowl in his tone.
“I didn’t.” Returning his scowl, I clasped my hands at my back and stared down my nose at him. “Alex did. She turned the water back on before she left to come get me, which was more than you did for her. You’d be dead if she’d matched your sense of empathy.”
His attention veered behind me, and he didn’t have to voice the question.
“You think she wants to see you after everything you did?”
With a frown, he started in on the second PB&J. “She cares about me. Why else would she turn the water back on?”
“Did you care about the spiders you used to release outdoors?”
“I cared enough not to kill them.”
“Some people like to catch insects and put them in jars. That’s what you are right now—a bug in a jar.” A sadistic smile pulled at my lips. “Trapped and vulnerable to a kid with a magnifying glass and enough sunlight.”
“So you’re gonna torture me, is that it?”
“I’m not gonna do anything. I’ll leave your fate up to Alex.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Her choice might surprise you.” A hint of a smile twitched at his lips, and I wanted to wipe it off his face with my fist. I didn’t buy into his delusions for a second, but just the idea that he thought he could win her over after the hell he’d put her through—not just in the past several days but for years—sent rage rushing through my veins.
“Alex is stronger than you ever gave her credit for. I have no doubt she’ll make the right decision.”
It didn’t matter how much I knew deep in my gut that Alex despised this mother fucker—his smug certainty followed me upstairs, haunting every breath long after I shut off the light and slammed the door.
19. Twice the Loss
Rafe
Something vibrated against my hip, dragging me from sleep, and the absence of the warm body on the couch beside me was the first thing to register. Alex was nowhere in sight, but the hint of running water in the bathroom reached my ears. The thought that she felt the need to take another shower so soon sent an ache pinging through the chambers of my heart.
She could shower morning, noon, and night and still not wash this hellish experience from her being, and there was nothing I could do about that, no magic cure to be found that would heal her.
Only time would do that.
The buzzing sensation against my hip continued, and I retrieved the cell phone I’d gotten back from Alex last night. Jax’s face flashed across the screen.
With a swipe of my thumb, I answered the call. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Got the situation cleaned up,” he said without preamble as the distinctive whoosh of traffic sounded in the background. “No one will find a trace.”
“I can’t thank you enough.”
“Don’t mention it.” His nicotine habit was an audible exhale over the line. “Did you take care of Zach yet?”
“No,” I said, rising to my feet and stretching my calves. Sleeping on the sofa wasn’t my idea of a good night’s rest, but I wasn’t about to force Alex up those stairs our first night back. I wasn’t about to let her sleep alone either. “I’m still deciding what to do.”
“Look, man. I know I voted for prison last time, but he’s proven that’s a useless plan.”
“You think I should take him out?”
“I don’t think he’s given you a choice.”
“I agree. I’m hoping Alex is on the same page this time.”
“The way we found her…I’d be shocked to shit if she weren’t.” He let a beat pass, and muffled voices chatted in the background. “Listen, I’ve gotta go. I’ll come by in a few days to touch base.” The line went dead, and I wouldn’t expect anything else from Jax.
With a sigh, I set my cell on the sofa table on the way to the bathroom, figuring I’d join Alex in the shower. I’d almost reached the promise of hot water and my wife’s irresistible body when the doorbell rang. Changing direction, I questioned who the hell had the balls to show up on the island unannounced.
I pulled the door open, and the ground gave out from beneath me.
Will’s grandfather stood on the other side, looking as formidable as I remembered, though less so now that he was living the life of sobriety. He’d never liked me back when he lived in Dante’s Pass, and Nik and I had been tight. I was sure that held true now all these years later.
