Page 26 of Before the Fall
My mind races with a hundred questions. What kind of family is this that an uncle would kill his own nephew? How can we find out if Jaxon is alive or not? What are these men doing about finding him?
The younger man steps up to the side of my bed and smiles. “Jaxon told me all about you, Tia. I know he’d want us to take care of you, and that’s what we’re going to do. For what it’s worth, I don’t think my father wants Jaxon dead. Victor Varens isn’t a good guy, by any means, but killing family isn’t something he’d normally do.”
I notice the older man named Ryker doesn’t look so sure about what this man is saying, so I look at him and ask, “Why does it seem that you don’t believe what this guy is telling me? I want the truth. That’s all. If you think Jaxon is gone, then just tell me. I need to know.”
He takes a few moments before he answers, “My brother doesn’t value family as much as I do, but I think Jaxon’s still alive.”
I wait for him to continue, but that’s all he says. God, the last thing I need right now is a man of few words. I’d give anything for someone to run off at the mouth at this moment.
“So you think he could still be alive? Why would your brother take him if he’s family? I don’t understand.”
Sighing, he nods and then responds in a very measured manner that’s making me want to shake him right now. “My brother and I are in a power struggle. He wants to head the family like he has for years, but I think business should be handled in a different way. That said, my guess is he will keep Jaxon alive.”
I get the feeling he keeps the last words of that sentence to himself. For as long as he’s useful. Or something like that.
The other man who said his name was Cason winces, which tells me I’m probably right.
“Do you know where he is?”
They both shake their heads but say nothing. I want to jump up out of this bed and try to find the man I love, and these guys don’t seem to be much help. What I don’t understand is why.
A second later, the kind woman who was with me when I woke up walks back into the room and stops beside me. “Guys, I think she’s tired. Give her a little time to get acclimated to her surroundings.”
Immediately, I notice the older one’s expression softens when she speaks. The other one doesn’t react, but I feel like he wants to say more and can’t.
Or won’t. But why?
“Kaia is right. You’re probably not up to much talking right now. We’ll continue this later,” Ryker says before leaving and taking Cason with him.
“I was hoping to find out a little more from them,” I say to the woman who I now know is called Kaia.
“Don’t worry. They’ll be back,” she says with a smile. “Would you like me to open the window more? It’s a beautiful day out today.”
When I don’t answer, she goes ahead and opens it, making the curtains billow in the breeze. I don’t mind her wanting to make it nicer here for me, but I really wanted to find out more about where Jaxon is and what’s happening to him.
“You know, Jaxon slept in that very bed last week. I woke him up and…”
She doesn’t finish her sentence, so I quickly ask, “And what? Did something happen?”
I watch as her cheek’s grow pink with a blush. Avoiding my gaze, she fusses with the comforter at the bottom of the bed and answers, “He wasn’t wearing any clothes, and when I walked in, he was naked as a jaybird. That’s what my mother used to say when my sisters and I walked around the house without clothes on. ‘You’re naked as a jaybird, Kaia! Get back in that room and get dressed this instant.’ I guess she had a problem with nudity.”
As I listen to her, I get the sense she had a problem with Jaxon’s nudity. That makes me smile because the man has never enjoyed wearing clothes if he doesn’t have to since I’ve known him. I swear he would be naked every minute of the day, if he could.
“That sounds like him. He’d get to my apartment, and I don’t think an hour went by before he was walking around without a stitch of clothing on his body. I think he does that because he knows how good he looks.”
Kaia smiles and shakes her head. “That might be, but I’m his aunt, and the last thing I needed to see was his business out there front and center.”
Typical Jaxon. He probably felt not a hint of embarrassment either, if I know him.
“Let me guess. He just sat here in all his glory until you asked him to cover up, right? I think that man should work at a nude beach or something since he loves being naked so much.”
She sits down on the bed near my feet and chuckles. “Ryker likes to tell stories about how Jaxon would always give his mother a hard time about wearing clothes when he was a little boy. He’d walk around the yard buck naked, and she always had to chase after him to put a coat on him. He tells that story much better, but it seems he’s been like this his entire life.”
After she finishes speaking, we sit in silence for a while as I think about the man I love out there God only knows where. Is he okay? Is he hurt? I know his uncle isn’t a good man, but would he actually kill his own nephew?
As if she knows what I’m thinking, Kaia says in a low voice like she doesn’t want the men in the house to hear, “I think he’s alive and fine. Jaxon is tough. Yes, Ryker and Cason are tough too, along with all the guys they have working with them, but there’s something about Jaxon that tells me he isn’t going down without a hell of a fight. Stay positive. I know it’s hard, but remember who he is. You’ll be together again.”
I take a deep breath in and let it out in a rush when my ribs send messages of utter agony to my brain. “I want to believe that. We weren’t together for a year because of his job, and now he’s gone again. I’m not sure I can deal with this if this is what life is going to be like, though.”