When she left, his father and brother had been his constant support. Without them, he doubted he would be the man he was today. He was going to take Lux home, but he didn’t know how she’d be received.
No doubt by now, Jason, Aviva, and MacKenzie all knew about his and Lux’s relationship. In all honesty, Aviva worried him the most. He knew if she decided she didn’t like Lux they were all in for a bumpy ride.
She was true to her word, Lux didn’t speak to him for the rest of the night. She dumped bedding on the sofa and disappeared into a room slamming the door in her wake. By the sounds coming from the room, Josh determined it was the bathroom. When she emerged, she acted as though he wasn’t there. She then opened, entered and slammed another door with finality.
When he detected no sounds coming from the room, he moved around the house checking locks and making sure everything was secure. After he had decided enough time had elapsed and with the stealth he was known for; he opened Lux’s bedroom door, secured the room and searched for and retrieved her passport and birth certificate.
Without detection, he returned to his makeshift bed. When he was as comfortable as a six foot six man could be on a five foot sofa, he dialed a number. “It’s me. I need your help.”
****
By the time Lux emerged fully clothed the next morning, Josh was up and dressed. The damn sofa was so small, in the end he’d given up all attempts at getting any sleep, plus his mind refused to still, assailed by one disquieting scenario after another.
Lux might not grasp the severity of the situation, but he did. He felt exposed, he was in an unknown country full of strangers with nobody to cover his back. As far as he was concerned, everyone was the enemy and the only person he could rely on was himself. He also knew containing Lux was going to be his biggest challenge.
Josh silently watched as she walked by still ignoring him. Lux brewed coffee and selected fresh fruit all without saying a word. When she dumped a bowl of fruit and a cup of coffee in front of him, he was a little surprised. Finished with her meal, he was further taken aback when a plate containing four slices of toast landed before him.
“I know how you like to eat. I don’t want you to return home and tell your family I didn’t even offer you a slice of bread, so I made you four.”
“Be still my heart. I’m glad you still care enough about my wellbeing to ensure I keep my energy levels up. Why is that, Lux?” Josh asked with a suggestive smile.
“Eat the damn toast or leave it, I don’t care!”
As she stomped away, Josh picked up the first piece of toast and made quick work of devouring it. By the time she returned his plate and cup were empty.
Standing by the front door, Lux waited, her foot tapping impatiently until Josh joined her. Securing her house she finally turned to him and held out her hand to shake his.
Josh somehow managed to withhold his amusement as he grasped her small hand. Running his thumb over her hand, his eyes never left her face as he tried to gauge her reaction to his touch. She was good, apart from a slight flare of her nostrils, she gave nothing away.
“Well, I can’t say it’s been a pleasure seeing you again, Joshua. But in all sincerity, I wish you well.” Allowing her to withdraw her hand, Josh watched as she walked away and got into her car. As she started the engine and backed away, adrenaline rushed within him and set him into motion.
She lived at the far end of a street that had only one turn to exit onto the main road. Breaking into a dead run, Josh cut across neighboring front lawns, cleared fences to reach the end of the road and positioned himself directly in the middle of the street. There was no way for her to avoid seeing him. He stood approximately two hundred yards away as she turned the corner.
Josh was aware of the moment she first saw him because she applied the brakes with enough force for the vehicle to screech to a stop. Bracing his legs apart, he stood his ground, his hands hanging at his side. His posture and position daring her to come through him.
He should have known better. She gave him fair warning as she gunned the engine. When he didn’t move, she came at him at full speed. Josh remained perfectly still estimating when she needed to brake before she hit him.
They both knew they were on the business end of a game of wills that neither of them was prepared to lose. As the car hurtled towards him, Josh braced himself ready to move aside at the last minute. With Lux, there was a possibility, she wouldn’t stop.
As she came closer, he could smell the burning rubber of the tires as they sped over the tarmac. From his calculation of the rate at which she traveled, she was going to mow him down in a few seconds.
Perversely, he liked the adrenalin rush. For the moment at least, he still had the upper hand, how much longer that would last, he had no idea.