Chapter 66 Need help
JAXON'S POV
The moment those words came out, I regretted them.
But Nathan already heard it, and his lips tugged back into a faint smile, "I figured that was how you would see it."
It made sense, right? I mean...It was the expected thought to have.
If I picked off anyone who knew how close Diana and Nancy were and, after explaining things to them, asked them for their opinion, surely they would say I was doing it because I saw Nancy as my daughter, too.
Seated there, I couldn't help but wish that was all there was to it.
If only she were just my daughter's friend that I cared for without wanting more in return, then things would be much easier.
I wouldn't have to feel like shit facing Nathan or Diana, and sometimes, Nancy herself.
Sometimes, I felt ashamed when facing her, because there was always this heat that arose just by staring into her eyes.
I would recollect the sound of her breathless whispers and moans, and sometimes even remember how her name sounded falling off my lips. It was for these reasons that I tried my best to make sure that I limited the conversations that I had with her.
It didn't make sense for me to go around feeling things that I shouldn't.
It made absolutely no sense that I even had those feelings.
My hands curled into fists, and I let out a heavy breath before I could fully clench them, forgetting that Nathan was right in front of me.
His voice snagged my attention back to him when he said, "I feel better knowing she's here, with you."
The pang of guilt that hit me almost made a bitter smile cross my lips.
Would he still feel the same if...
Letting that thought trail off, I forced my face back into a state of neutrality, "Yeah, I think so too."
And that was because, regardless of everything that was happening between her and me, she was safer under my roof.
If there was one thing I didn't doubt, it was my capability to keep her safe. I could at least do this one thing right.
Nathan went quiet for a while, looking as though he was pondering something.
I was right, because he lifted his gaze about a minute later, and there was a crease on his forehead.
"If Hudson really wants her found, then he won't just send anyone. He will send someone especially skilled, and he will escalate this matter if he has to."
"He can try," my response was quick.
Nathan's gaze returned to me, and his lips parted with part astonishment at how confident I sounded, but then he closed them right up, "What do you think will happen if he finds out she's here?"
"He won't," I responded with assuredness again.
I suppose Nathan was seeking a specific response from me because he pressed on, "What if he does?”
I paused, then muttered frigidly, "Then, he will regret it."
Nathan's expression finally eased, and he looked utterly convinced of whatever conjecture he had made up in his mind now.
He nodded once, "Alright."
No more questions came after that, and that was all the signs I needed to know that he trusted me completely and had left the entire matter to me.
That, however, didn't mean he wouldn't step in if need be.
Soon after, Nathan left, and I was once again left in silence, alone with my thoughts.
My mind returned to earlier this morning, in the kitchen, and the way Nancy had stared at me.
That girl, she was imperceptible sometimes.
I always prided myself on being able to read people, but when it came to her, that ability usually failed me.
More times than once, I just couldn't tell what she was thinking.
I exhaled then pushed myself off my desk to walk around it, dropping into my seat again.
Stretching, I grabbed the files on my table that I needed to look into and the ones that needed my signature appended, looking to start working when something fell off my table.
It sounded like a piece of paper.
Slowly, my gaze trailed down to it, and my chest tightened hard.
I stared at it for a very long time without moving, then slowly bent over to pick it up.
The woman in the photo was beautiful.
She had long black hair that reached to the middle of her back, and in this picture, they were spread out like the wings of a bird in the sky, but I knew it was because of the wind.
I knew because I was there.
It was I who had taken this picture, so I knew the details of that day all too well.
"Jaxon," I could remember the sound of her voice, and many nights after that, I couldn't get it out of my head.
Unconsciously, my hand passed over the picture, and then, I froze when I realised what I was doing.
Hurriedly, I tucked it back into my drawer, where it was supposed to be, where it was before I pulled it out sometime ago.
The drawer slammed shut harder than I intended, and I snapped to my feet, grabbing my phone.
I walked right out after that, and as soon as I made it out of the house, cold air swept at me.
Slipping into my car, I grabbed my wheels and prepared myself for a long drive.
Frankly, I had no idea where I was headed. All I knew was that I needed to clear my head, and right now, going on a drive seemed like a more preferable way to do that.
The wind breezed past my ears as I sped through the highway, but I didn't slow down once, not until the deafening bang of my tire giving out reached me.
The wheel jerked hard in my hands, and the car lurched sideways.
I tried to keep it under control, but there was only so much I could do before it skidded to a halt
Silence didn't follow; instead, the roar of engines reached me, and in succession, three cars surrounded me, doors slamming.
"Get him!"