Chapter 66 DRENCHED 2
The rain only grew heavier by the minute. Each drop that struck my skin felt sharper than the last—almost punishing. But I didn’t move.
I just stood there, completely drained of strength.
My clothes clung to me, soaked through. My hair plastered against my face. Everything I had on was drenched, yet I couldn’t bring myself to care. I was too weak. Too empty.
If I walked away, it would feel like I had failed Zoe.
So I stayed.
Barefoot. Shivering. Staring into the distance as if the darkness would somehow give me the answers I couldn’t find.
Then I felt it.
The rain stopped hitting me.
A shield.
I blinked slowly before lifting my head, only to meet Jaxon’s gaze. He stood in front of me, holding an umbrella over my head, his eyes searching mine with an intensity that made my chest tighten.
“What happened?” he demanded. “Why are you standing out here in the rain—barefoot—and barely dressed?”
His voice carried anger.
But beneath it, I heard it.
Concern.
Worry.
And that was what broke me.
The tears I had been holding back burned at the corners of my eyes. I swallowed hard against the lump forming painfully at the back of my throat, refusing to let them fall.
I couldn’t even look at him properly.
He had warned me.
And I hadn’t listened.
Ashamed, I lowered my gaze.
“Come with me,” he said sharply, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward his car.
I didn’t resist.
I couldn’t.
My legs felt numb, like they didn’t belong to me anymore. I had been standing under the rain for so long that I barely felt the ground beneath my feet.
When we reached his car, he slipped my backpack off my shoulder before opening the back door.
I hesitated, glancing down at myself—at the water dripping from my clothes—then back at him.
“Get in the car,” he said again, his tone still edged with anger.
And I deserved it.
Without another word, I climbed in and pressed myself against the corner of the seat near the window.
The moment the warmth of the car touched my skin, reality hit me.
I was freezing.
My body trembled violently, and I instinctively curled into myself, pulling my legs to my chest and wrapping my arms around them as if I could hold myself together.
Only after Jaxon shut the door did I let myself break.
I buried my face in my palms, my shoulders shaking as silent tears slipped through my fingers. I tried to hold back the sobs, biting down on the sound, but the grief was too heavy.
Too loud.
And for the first time since Zoe died—
I allowed myself to feel it.
Jaxon’s POV
What on earth happened in the last few hours to leave her this devastated… this empty?
There was barely any light left in her eyes.
I don’t even think she realized how long she had been standing out there in the rain for her body to become that ice cold. She looked detached—like her soul hadn’t fully caught up with her body.
I walked straight to my truck and opened the trunk, pulling out two T-shirts and a pair of joggers. In moments like this, I was grateful for my habit of keeping spare clothes back there. I had never really thought about why I did it.
Now I knew.
Grabbing the clothes, I hurried back to the car. The second I opened the door and slid in beside her, a fresh wave of anger surged through me.
Not at her.
At whatever had done this to her.
Her sobs filled the quiet car, colliding with the steady patter of rain against the roof. Her body trembled uncontrollably, whether from cold or grief—I couldn’t tell.
“Nancy,” I called softly.
She slowly lifted her head to look at me. Tears shimmered in her eyes, her lips trembling violently from the cold.
The sight twisted something inside my chest.
“I need you to take off that wet dress,” I said gently. “Do you think you can do that?”
She gave a small nod, wiping at her tears along with the water dripping from her hair down her cheeks.
I handed her one of the T-shirts and the joggers before turning away to give her privacy. I quickly pulled off my hoodie and changed into one of the dry shirts myself, trying to focus on something practical—anything to keep from losing my temper at the state she was in.
“Are you done?” I asked quietly after a moment, needing to hear her voice.
“Yes,” she replied, barely above a whisper.
I turned back to face her.
She was still curled into herself, hugging her legs tightly to her chest as if she could protect herself from something unseen.
She wouldn’t look at me.
And I understood.
She needed space.
But she also needed warmth.
I moved closer, gently gathering her wet hair in my hands and squeezing out as much water as I could. Then I carefully pulled my hoodie over her head, guiding her arms through the sleeves.
It swallowed her frame.
She looked smaller somehow.
More fragile.
I rested the back of my hand against her cheek to check her temperature, but she flinched slightly before finally meeting my gaze.
Her eyes were distant.
Lost.
Filled with nothing but pain and confusion—like she couldn’t fully process what had just happened.
“What happened?” I asked softly. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” she replied faintly.
Relief flickered through me—but it didn’t last.
“What about Zoe?” I continued. “The officer told me she was awake. Is she okay?”
The moment I said Zoe’s name, tears rushed back into her eyes.
And that was all the answer I needed.
Something was very, very wrong.
“She… Zoe… she… em—she fell,” Nancy struggled to get the words out. “And then there was blood. So much blood coming out of her mouth. The doctor said she was fine. How come she’s gone?”
Her voice rose with each word, her breathing turning shallow and uneven.
“Hey—hey, calm down,” I said quickly, shifting closer. “Breathe with me.”
I could see it happening—the panic creeping in, tightening its grip around her.
“Why don’t you just stop being nice and tell me you told me so?” she snapped suddenly.
This time, there was anger in her voice.
Not at me.
At herself.
She needed someone to confirm her guilt. To blame her. To make sense of it.
“Maybe if I had listened to you for one second, she might still be alive,” she continued, her voice cracking. “Jaxon, they did something to her. She was fine—she was thanking me for coming to save her. I just stepped across the road to buy her something to eat because she was hungry. And when I came back… she was already choking on her own blood.”
Every word came out shattered.
Like she believed she had failed not just Zoe—but the entire world.
“Hey.” I reached for her hands, grounding her. “I need you to listen to me. First, you need to calm down and pull yourself together if we’re going to figure out what happened to Zoe. Okay?”
She bit her lower lip, trying desperately to hold back the tears. But they slipped down anyway. She wiped them quickly, as if ashamed of them.
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Good,” I said gently. “Now we’re going to go home and get you warmed up. You stood out in that rain for way too long.”
She nodded faintly and rested her chin on her knees, still curled tightly into herself.
“And you are not the reason this happened,” I added firmly, making sure she looked at me. “You tried your best to keep her safe.”
Her eyes met mine, searching for something—permission to believe me, maybe.
“I was at fault too,” I continued quietly. “I shouldn’t have left you alone to deal with the cops. I’m sorry about that.”
I pulled the hood of the hoodie over her head, shielding her from the lingering chill.
Then I moved back to the driver’s seat and started the engine.
As I drove toward the hotel, my eyes kept drifting back to her.
She was still shivering. Her head now leaned against the window, her gaze fixed somewhere far beyond the glass—empty, distant.
Lost.
What the hell did Scorpion and his team do that Zoe witnessed?
What did she see that was so dangerous they had to silence her?
What the hell is going on?
And how does all of this connect to Ravyn Vale?
If they could kill Zoe without hesitation, then Nancy has no idea the kind of danger she has already stepped into.
She showed up at their party.
Dressed like one of them.
Blended in.
Got Gary arrested.
And now Zoe is dead.
Once they see her as a threat—
They will come for her.