Chapter 29 A STORM OF EMOTIONS
What the heck is going on here? One would think I had shot a member of a gang family and now his entire clan was after me.
"Do you see the reason why you need to come with me?" he asked, and without giving me a chance to reply, he grabbed my hand, pulling me along. As we moved, my eyes scanned the room - and I saw them. They were following us, their eyes locked on me like predators closing in on prey.
"Who the heck are these guys, and what did I do to deserve this?" I found myself blurting out as we both stepped into the elevator heading to the third floor.
But instead of answering me, Mr. Lennox took out his phone, his grip on my hand tightening as if letting go meant losing me to the shadows stalking us. He dialed a number, his voice low but sharp.
"Get the car ready. We'll be meeting you in a minute," he said, and as soon as the elevator doors opened, he dragged me down the hallway. We stopped in front of Room 309, and he slipped a key card into the slot, pushing the door open before pulling me inside.
The moment the door closed behind us, I yanked my hand free. "You are not answering my questions," I demanded, my voice laced with frustration.
He didn't even glance at me. Instead, he walked past and disappeared into another room at the far end, leaving me standing there - fuming.
The place we were in was breathtaking. Luxury dripped from every corner - polished marble floors, warm golden lighting, and walls lined with art worth more than my apartment building. The wide glass windows stretched from floor to ceiling, showing off the glittering city below. Drawn to it, I stepped toward the balcony. The night sky stretched out endlessly, sprinkled with stars that shone defiantly even without the moon.
But the beauty did nothing to soothe me. My thoughts spun back to Mia. Where is she? Is she alive? Is she somewhere in this building... or has she already been taken? The uncertainty gnawed at me like a slow, relentless burn.
"I don't think this is the time to admire the city. In case you missed it, you're in serious trouble for harassing a member of the Shadows," Mr. Lennox's voice cut sharply through my thoughts.
I turned. He stood in the doorway, a sleek black bag in his left hand, his other hand casually resting in his pants pocket. That calm, collected expression on his face only poured fuel on my frustration.
"Did you just say I harassed him?" I snapped. "He was the one who harassed me - not the other way around. And don't act like you didn't see it!"
"Miss Carter," he said evenly, closing the distance between us, his gaze locked onto mine like a vice, "I'm going to ask you again - what are you doing at the party dressed like that?"
The intensity in his eyes made it impossible to look away. And damn it, those eyes... they reminded me of Renna. My chest tightened.
A long sigh escaped me as guilt crept in - I had promised her I'd be back today. My throat tightened at the thought. Forcing myself to look away, I stepped back, hating how the little space between us made it feel like the air was running out.
"I need to go. Just tell me how to get out of here," I said sharply, turning my back on him.
"You're still not answering my question. What brought you to the party, and how did you end up wearing that dress?" he pressed, stepping toward me.
I immediately moved away, refusing to let him close the space between us. My skin crawled at the thought of him pushing me into a corner.
"Don't tell me..." he said slowly, his voice dropping into suspicion, "you borrowed money from their loan shark?"
That was it. I lost it.
"Can you drop it? I just want to get away from here - away from you and those Godforsaken motherfuckers - because you all disgust the living hell out of me!" I fired back, my voice trembling with both fury and exhaustion.
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Jaxon's POV
There it was again - that raw, unfiltered hate in her eyes. It was the same every time, a burning mix of rage and something deeper... something I could never ignore. Beneath all that venom, her gaze carried a sadness that clung to her no matter how hard she tried to hide it.
I walked up to her slowly, watching her fight for control, her chest rising and falling in quick bursts. She's angry, but it's not just about me... it's about something else entirely.
"Have we met before?" I asked, my voice low, my eyes never leaving hers. "Aside from the day I saw you at the sheriff's office... have we crossed paths before that?"
Her green eyes flickered. For a brief moment, they turned cold - but not empty. There was something there... a hint of realization. Then she laughed, and the sound of it was sharp and bitter, cutting through the air like glass.
"What was I thinking? I can't believe I never saw this coming," she muttered to herself, shaking her head.
Her words tangled in my mind, leaving me even more confused. "See what coming?" I asked, trying to read her, to piece together the meaning behind her outburst.
She stopped, fixing me with a stare so intense it almost made me flinch. "At least now I'm sure," she said, her voice dripping with conviction. "You're only after my parents' ranch. But it won't be for long."
Her words didn't clear anything up - they only made the fog in my head thicker.
A sudden wave of dizziness hit me, sharp and disorienting. My body swayed as the fatigue from earlier slammed into me, mixed with the strain of my PTSD episode this morning. I shut my eyes briefly, willing the spinning to stop.
When I opened them again, she was already at the door - my suit jacket that had once been on her shoulders was gone.
"Where are you even going?" I asked, my voice low, an overwhelming urge to just collapse washing over me.
"Unlike you, who runs hell and is the devil himself, I need to get out of here-so I can breathe without feeling like someone's choking me," she replied, her voice dripping with venom, every word designed to cut deep.
I simply nodded, already feeling drained from all this. Whatever had happened tonight, getting her out of here was the smartest choice.
"Fine," I said flatly. "First, you need to change out of that dress. You can wear this," I added, holding out the bag. "I'll show you a way out once you're ready."
\---
Nancy's POV
I watched him place the bag down on the table. For a moment, he looked... pale-almost unsteady-as he walked out of the sitting area and into the adjoining room.
I couldn't believe it. He didn't remember me. I had been so caught up in my own emotions that I hadn't noticed it earlier-the emptiness in his eyes when they met mine. There was no recognition there. No flicker of the past.
It didn't seem like he had any memories of that night.
Meanwhile, I had been forced to carry those memories like chains around my neck-chains I couldn't break free from no matter how hard I tried. My chest tightened, and I let out a slow, shaky sigh, feeling my heart sink further.
I didn't know how to feel. Should I be relieved that he had no memory of Renna or her existence? That maybe, whatever his motives were, they had nothing to do with her?
Or should I be angry-furious-that I was the only one left to live with the truth of that night... and the evidence burned into my mind?
My gaze lingered on the closed door, a flicker of unease rising in me. Was he okay? He'd looked... weaker, like he could pass out at any second. And yet, why should I care?
Shoving his face and every trace of him from my mind, I pulled the bag closer and quickly changed into the sportswear I found inside. It was way too big for me, but far better than wearing that Godforsaken dress.
Once I was done, I went to the door and called for him. When he returned, he looked even paler than before, his steps heavier.
"Let's go," he said, his voice quieter this time. He led the way down the hallway until we stopped at an elevator, which he unlocked using another key card-this one engraved with VVIP in sleek gold letters.
"This will take you to the private parking lot," he explained once I stepped inside. "My assistant will be waiting for you there."
For a brief moment, his gaze locked on mine. But unlike before, I couldn't read him at all.
"See you in Hollowmere, Miss Carter," he said, his tone unreadable, just before the elevator doors slid shut between us.
I leaned back against the wall, letting my mind replay the night's events, desperately trying to push them out. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't escape the hollow ache of not finding Ravyn Vale or Mia.
And worse still... I couldn't get Jaxon Lennox out of my head. His face. His voice. The way he lingered in my mind like an unshakable shadow.
I hated that I couldn't even define my own emotions anymore.