She tapped him on the arm. “Don’t be an idiot. Of course, I care. You won’t tell me what happened, just like that dratted cop behind the counter. Can you at least tell me this was a mistake? Is that why they’re releasing you already? They realized how dumb they were to arrest you in the first place.”
His eyes crinkled with compassion as his face continued to hold a frown. “My father may not be here, but he paid my bail. That’s why I’m out. We’ll have this situation sorted out soon. I don’t want you to worry about anything.”
“So, it’s a mistake?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take you home.” He started to put a hand on her back when her eyes widened with shock.
“Why is Franklin here? Were you arrested with him?” she whispered, trying not to make eye contact with that piece of scum.
“I was. Let’s go home.”
“Is Franklin going with you?”
“I’m sure my dad sent a car to take both of us home, so yes.”
She took a step back and let his hand fall away. “I came here to make sure you were alright and to find out what happened. I can make it home okay by myself.”
“Fina…”
Still refusing to glance at Franklin, who had the brains enough to stay away from them, she smiled at Travis. To offer reassurance. “You know he makes me uncomfortable. I’ll get home fine. I might even stop for coffee. Call me later, okay?”
He didn’t look like he was going to agree, his face a myriad of emotions that were hard to decipher, but he nodded once. “I’m doing more than calling. I’m coming over later. We’ll talk. This isn’t the best place for any sort of conversation. I’ll make sure you get a cab.”
She started to nod, then saw something odd out of the corner of her eye. Not sure if her mind was conjuring images to make her feel better, or if she really saw what she thought she had, but she shook her head instead. “I have to use the bathroom. I’ll be fine. Call me when you’re on your way.”
The pain etched across his face intensified. “Okay.” A simple word that held such emotion.
He walked away, giving her much-needed peace, especially since Franklin followed him out. Of course, not without glancing at her and giving her a leer that made her skin crawl as if a million spiders were inhabiting her body.
Turning her head to the left, down the hallway that was suddenly vacant, she started to walk. She had no clue where the bathroom was located, or if she was allowed to step in this area. Either the officer didn’t notice her move, or there was no issue.
Her heart started to race as she made her way, glancing into rooms as she went, trying to find the one man she never expected to see here.
Dax.
Was it him she saw? Or were her emotions so out of whack that she wanted to see him?
Having walked down the entire corridor, coming to a T, she decided to turn around and go home. Her mind had been playing tricks on her. That’s all it was. She took one step, then froze.
There. A flash of his face dipping out of sight to her right.
With quick footsteps, she made her way down a new hallway, stopping in front of a tiny alcove where Dax stood trying to hide from her.
“Well, I didn’t think this morning could get any more surprising. What are you doing here? Or are you going to refuse to answer my questions like Travis did?”
7
The pain and heartbreak written on her face had Dax feeling like the lowest scum on earth. Seeing her in the precinct had thrown him off balance. Trying to catch a glimpse of her, then attempting to hear the conversation with Travis had been a mistake. A deadly one.
Now she wanted answers. He was afraid to give them.
Not wanting to make a scene or be overheard by anyone, he grabbed her arm and pulled her with him until he came across a door. He whipped it open, stashed her inside, and closed the door quickly as he flipped the light.
A broom closet.
Great. He was stuck inside a broom closet with the one woman he couldn’t get his mind to forget. Her scent wrapped around him, making him almost forget why they were in the closet, to begin with. Then she spoke.
“Not going to talk, huh? Just push me around like the skunk you are.”
“Damn it, Sarafina, what are you doing here?”
“No. That’s not happening. You don’t get to ask questions expecting an answer. I want answers first. You start talking.” She pushed him away, then pointed an accusing finger. “What are you doing here?”
“I can’t answer that. I’m a jerk. There’s no denying that. You should go home and stay there. Don’t come back here.”
“How dare you!” She advanced at him, hitting his chest, pounding on him as if she could truly hurt him.
And she could.
Her hits didn’t hurt with physical pain, but every time her mouth made a small cry of anguish, it crushed him straight to his soul. He did nothing to stop her barrage of hits, letting her get her anger out. He deserved nothing less.
“I hate you. This isn’t fair. Men always getting their way, thinking they can avoid the questions, but expect them from you. Telling you what to do. No!”
She kept on hitting him until her face staggered into confusion, grabbing at his waist instead of hitting.
“Is that a gun? Why do you have a gun?”
She started to move his jacket at the same time he finally tried to stop her. “No, Sarafina, enough.”
“Screw you.” Struggling with him, she managed to snake her hand to his back pocket where she pulled out his wallet. A shove so forceful came from her that he had no chance to stop the momentum backward. No time to stop her from flipping open his badge.
“The FBI. You work for the FBI? I thought you worked on Wall Street.” Her eyes trailed to his face, a mingled sense of horror and shame pouring out. “Everything was a lie.”
Backing up, she hit the wall, unable to escape his reach any further. Stepping toward her didn’t seem like a wise option, especially since her eyes zoomed back to his badge.
“Not everything. Listen to me, Sarafina.”
Her head snapped up. “Oh, now you want to explain. Now you want to talk. Because your dirty little secret is out. You lied, Dax. Everything was a lie. Or maybe I shouldn’t even call you Dax. That’s probably not even your real name.”
Throwing his hand out with exaggeration, he growled, “Look at my damn badge again. My name is clearly written in bold black letters.”
Glancing down, she looked but said nothing.
“My name is Dax—Daxton. I didn’t lie about that. Ryan is my friend from college and I haven’t seen him for almost ten years. I didn’t lie about that.”
Her eyes rose with tears glistening in the corners. “But you lied about everything else, didn’t you?”
Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair to stop himself from reaching for her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and take that painful look away. “I had no choice. Do you have any idea what kind of man Martin Chilani is? What the man is capable of?”
She started to shake her head in denial, but he wasn’t about to let her ignore what she should’ve seen a long time ago. Like a panther on the prowl, he pounced on her, cocooning her into his body. “Stop looking away from the truth. You have to know he’s a dangerous man.”