Dax kept his hands in the air, even as the painful urge to pull her away from Travis came over him. He deserved a bullet to the chest. He hurt her. Every time he left before morning—or left in general—he hurt her. Look at what leaving her this morning created. It put her in the path of danger. As much as he wanted to lower his weapon and aim it straight at Travis’s heart, he held his hands in the air. Sarafina clung to Travis’s arm, yet she didn’t reach for the gun. Travis didn’t look at her, his eyes glued to him.
“He hurt you, didn’t he?” Travis finally looked at her. “I can’t believe my father would ask me to kill you. I could never hurt you. I’ll never let anyone else hurt you either.”
“He didn’t. I swear. Please put the gun down.”
“He didn’t call.” Travis’s brow rose. He didn’t ask a question, but he still acted like he needed an answer.
“He showed up. That’s more important than a phone call.” Sarafina looked at Dax, finally offering a tentative smile, then looked back at Travis. “I’m sorry about your father. I would’ve never asked you to make that kind of decision.”
Travis’s hand wavered. “I know you wouldn’t. You thought I was going to shoot you, didn’t you?”
Her hand slid down his arm, grasping the gun. “I was prepared for it, but I know you’re not your father. Any bad thing he did doesn’t reflect on you. You’re a good man.”
Travis let go of the gun. Sarafina grabbed it. “You are truly the perfect woman. I wished you loved me instead of him.”
“I’m sorry.” The tears had abated, but a lone tear slid down her cheek.
Travis wiped it away. “Don’t be. I’ll kill him if he ever hurts you.” He glanced at Dax, his eyes reinforcing his words.
Dax nodded as he lowered his hands. He’d take the threat. If the time ever came that he hurt her, he’d want nothing more than Travis to end his pain. That was the last thing he’d ever do.
“I need a drink. I sure hope you still have the bottle of scotch I left here, Fina.” Travis walked past Dax without flinching or fear that he would slap handcuffs on him for shooting his father.
That was the last thing on his mind. Although, it should be front and center. The only thing he wanted was standing a few feet from him. He rushed to Sarafina and took the gun from her wobbly hands, setting it down on the coffee table. Wrapping her tightly in his arms, he let the tremors settle, soothing her as best as he could.
“You can’t arrest him, Dax. Please…he didn’t mean—”
Dax kissed her. Lightly. Tenderly. Enough to quiet her words that came out in trembles. “I know self-defense when I see it. You always, since the beginning, told me he would never hurt you. I don’t doubt that anymore. He’ll never see a jail cell if I have anything to do with it.” He kissed her again—to give himself more reassurance that she was okay. “Because he chose to save you over his father. And for that, he’ll never see me gunning for him again.”
“Thank you.”
“Are you okay? I’m sorry I ever left.”
Her eyes glided to the body on the floor. “I…”
He grabbed her hand and walked her out of the living room and into the hallway that led to the kitchen. “I need to call this in, but I need to know you’re okay first.”
“I don’t know how I feel. One minute Mr. C’s telling Travis he better shoot or he’s dead to him. He had the gun pointed at me. I thought he was going to shoot.”
He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, the tremors still sparking like fireworks. “You’re an amazing woman. That’s why he didn’t. I’m sorry. For everything.”
“It’s not your fault.”
A lame laugh burst out, echoing around the tiny hallway. “A little bit. Your life was normal, carefree before I came.” Rubbing his jaw, he shook his head. “I wish I could erase these last few minutes for you. You should’ve never had to endure that.”
“And you shouldn’t have to run anymore.”
He shrugged. “That remains to be seen, but you’re probably right. Technically, with Martin out of the picture, Travis is head of the business now.”
“He’ll fix it. He’ll take care of it.”
“Are you sure you don’t love him? At the wedding…”
She stroked a hand across his cheek. “I’ll always love him. But he doesn’t have my heart like you do.”
“That’s something that makes me very happy to hear. Ryan asked if I could live without you. I was prepared to run without you by my side. I thought that would be the best way to protect you.” He pulled her into his embrace. “I’m an idiot sometimes. I hope you can forgive me when I act that way.”
Her lips tipped up into a beautiful grin. “What are you saying, Dax?”
“That I can’t live without you. I love you with all my heart. I need you to keep me safe. Only you can do that properly. That walk down the aisle nearly killed me, but not with you hanging on my arm.”
“I love you, too. But I thought it was your job to keep me safe?”
He kissed her, slipping his tongue in for a brief taste. “I kind of like how we keep each other safe. You do the aisle thing better than me. Walk down the aisle with me again. I need the practice.”
She leaned back, brows dipping, almost as if she were trying to decipher his words. “Are you…”
“Yeah, I am.” Smiling wide, he pulled her in for another kiss. “Marry me, Sarafina.”
“Damn, already?”
He turned his head toward Travis, who stood in the hallway with a glass in his hand. The torment written on his face couldn’t be faked or erased. At the moment, Dax didn’t care. “Would you honestly give her a chance to get away?”
Travis chugged his glass back, his face grim. “Hell, no.” He tossed his head toward the living room. “About my father…I didn’t want to do what I did. But there’s no way he would’ve let either of us walk out of the house if I didn’t. I don’t know everything, but what I do know, the information is all yours.”
Dax nodded. “I guess I should call this in. I got distracted.”
Travis swirled the ice in his glass, then lifted his lips into a grin. “Yeah, Fina has that effect on people. Don’t forget what I said.”
“Loud and clear. I’ll hand you the gun myself.” And he would. He’d rather die than hurt Sarafina in any way. A quick nod from Travis and he knew he read his mind.
A warm hand curled around hers that were clasped in her lap. Lifting her head, she burst into tears at the sorrowful face staring back. “Lily, I’m so sorry.”
Lily sat down and hugged her. “Fina, none of this is your fault. Are you okay?”
She pulled away, wiping the tears with a quick swipe of her hand. Pathetic. Here, Lily’s father was dead, and she was making it about her. She should be wiping Lily’s tears away. Why wasn’t she crying?
“I wish people would stop asking me that. I’m fine. I should be asking you that question. Your father—”
“Became not worthy of my affections when he told his people to kill Ryan. When he told my brother to kill you. Screw him. Are you okay? Because I’m still shaking a little here. I think I need another vacation with Ryan to sort out my feelings.”