Stepping out of the way, I waved for him to come inside. “I would say you could sit down, but I don’t think Bristol would like you messing up the new furniture.”
“No worries. I’m too pissed to sit anyway.” I led him into the kitchen and grabbed two beers out of the refrigerator. He happily took his and guzzled it down.
“So what exactly are you looking for in a dirt bike? I had the perfect design in my portfolio, but whoever broke into my house has it.”
“Dude, I heard about that. Do you know who did it?” he asked.
I sat down at the bar and he joined me. “The police have their speculations, but it’s not certain. I just hope they figure it out soon.” I would have told him about Sadie, but I didn’t know him well enough.
“Me too,” Luke agreed.
I finished off my beer and tossed the bottle in the trash. “Okay, tell me what you want on your bike,” I said, grabbing a notepad and pen.
I knew everything that went into building bikes, so it was no shock when he went through his list; it was everything I would have asked for as well. As a kid, I rode dirt bikes all the time, but it wasn’t my passion. Football was the thing I devoted most of my time to.
After I wrote down all of his specifications, I knew I could design what he wanted. “Can you give me an hour? And then afterward, I can take you home so you don’t have to walk,” I suggested.
His eyes lit up. “Hell yeah, take all the time you need. Now I just pray my sponsors will like your design and roll with it.”
“There’s only one way to find out.”
—
I finished the sketch for Luke and took him home, and made it back to Bristol’s before her. Angela was supposed to come by and cook, but I decided it would be my night to show Bristol what I could do. The only thing I really knew how to cook was spaghetti, but it was the best damn spaghetti she’d ever have. My mother had taught me how to do it and ever since I’d been living on my own, I made it a point to cook it anytime I could.
When Bristol walked through the door, she took in a deep breath and smiled. “I think I’ve just died and gone to heaven. It smells amazing in here.” I handed her a glass of wine and kissed her.
“So what all did you find out with Jason? I’ve been so busy I never had a chance to call you.”
My smile faded and that rock in my stomach felt heavier by the second. “Why don’t we eat first and I’ll tell you all about it?”
“That bad, huh?” She set her purse down and went to wash up. When she returned, she sat down at the kitchen table, where I had just set her plate of spaghetti and a bowl of salad.
I joined her and took a long gulp of my beer. “It’s not something I wanted to hear, but luckily, Jason has his men out looking for the crazy-ass bitch.” She was about to speak, but I didn’t want to elaborate just yet. I wanted to give her the good news before everything went downhill. “But on a better note, Luke stopped by today. You remember him from Thanksgiving, right?”
She nodded. “Yeah, the motocross racer.” She took a bite of her spaghetti and moaned. “Oh my God, this is so good.”
“Thanks,” I said with a chuckle. “Anyway, Luke stopped by after his bike broke down in the woods. He wanted to see about getting the design we’d discussed made. Once it was all said and done, I drove him home with a design and I should hear something back next week.”
“That’s great!” she exclaimed. “This could be huge for you.”
“I hope so. It’d be nice to see my designs out there.” We discussed other topics as we finished our food, but I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d have to tell her what Jason said.
I poured her a little more wine and she narrowed her gaze. “This can’t be good if you’re trying to get me drunk.”
I shrugged. “That depends on how you look at it. What would you say if I hired you a bodyguard?”
Eyes wide, she choked on her wine and spewed it all over the table. “You can’t be serious.”
With a heavy sigh, I reached for her hand. “I wish I weren’t, love. But our situation might’ve gotten a whole hell of a lot worse.”
Chapter 26
Bristol
All night, I’d pleaded with Jaxon not to get me a bodyguard. He told me about the baseball player and his wife in Atlanta who were murdered by someone who could have easily been Sadie. I was pretty sure there were girls out there who fit her description. Hell, I didn’t even know what she looked like. She’d made sure not to send any photos with her face in them. Jaxon was going to show me a picture of her as soon as Jason texted it to him.
I wasn’t worried about her. I’d never physically fought anyone before other than my brother, but that was because he was teaching me self-defense moves. Jaxon’s main point was that if Sadie had a gun and held it to my head, my self-defense techniques wouldn’t exactly work against that.
Stepping into the shower, I let the hot water cascade down my skin, but nothing was helping the tension that made every muscle in my body sore. Jaxon had a game, but I couldn’t attend as I had to work. I was half tempted to cancel my appointments, but Jennifer wanted me to take a look at her house today. She and her fiancé had finally closed on it.
Closing my eyes, I leaned against the shower wall. What was I going to do? Jaxon wasn’t going to rest until I gave in. Knowing him, he’d forgo his game today just to stay with me to make sure I was safe. I couldn’t have that.
“I’m sorry, Bristol.” Jaxon’s arms wrapped around my waist and I jumped.
“Holy sh…you scared me.”
He held me tight and kissed my shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, moving his lips up my neck. “I know you’re not happy with everything, but I’m only doing it to keep you safe. If I could be with you twenty-four/seven, I would.”