“Nah-uh. Give me the real reason you want to ditch.”
Damn it. Fine. “I’m going to see Fox.”
His gaze hardens. “Seriously? I don’t think that’s a good idea. After he’s been treating you like crap, you just forgive him? You should listen to Dad and just stay away from him.”
“Well, I can’t.” Staying away from Fox was never in the cards for me. The desperation flooding my voice makes him pause. “Just—Can’t you trust me that I know what I’m doing? He needs my help and I’m going to give it to him.”
Holden lets go of my elbows and steps back, scratching his chin. “I still don’t want to let you go.” He holds up his hands when I open my mouth. “God, you’re annoying when you get your head stuck on something. Are you sure? Mom and Dad will be pissed and you’re already skating on ice so thin it’s cracking. I think they’re serious about that disciplinary school.”
“I know. But I’m sure.” I offer him a half-smile and hold out my hand for the keys. “It’s time I stop letting what’s expected of me dictate my life. It’s making me miserable and I’m done with feeling like crap to make everyone else happy.”
Conflicted emotions flit across Holden’s face, but after a few moments he nods. “Okay. I don’t want to, but I hate seeing how unhappy you’ve been this year. Just be careful around that guy.”
“He’s not a threat to me. He never really was.” My throat burns as I think about those case files again for the accident and what I’ve learned from Fox. “I’m going to fix what broke between us.”
And help him prove his parents were murdered.
Holden drops the keys to his Audi in my hand and the taste of freedom bursts on my tongue. For a second, I wish I could just go and never stop, but I fight back the familiar urge. First, I have to find Fox and help him. My road trip escape will have to wait indefinitely until then.
“Maise,” he calls out as I turn to go, already tugging off the polyester graduation gown over my dress. When I look back, his brows dip and he scrubs a hand through his light brown hair. “I’m sorry I’ve been a shitty brother.”
“You haven’t been. You’ve just been dealing with your own stuff.”
“Still.” His shoulders sag with his sigh. “I could’ve pulled my head out of my ass for five minutes to see how hard this year has been for you, too. Or how all your smiles are fake. I’ve been a selfish bastard, but that stops now.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat. So someone did notice, he was just too torn up about his own problems and crushed dreams to let me in for some solidarity. “It’s fine. We’ll talk later. I’ve got to go.”
“I’ll cover for you with Mom and Dad.”
“Thanks, Holden.”
Twenty-One
Maisy
Skipping out on my high school graduation ceremony to search for Fox—and most definitely pissing my parents off in the process if Holden can’t make up a good excuse for why I’m not there to receive my diploma—is all good in theory.
In practice?
I have no idea how I’ll find him. It’s hard enough to trail him whether he knows he’s being followed or not—he’s good at covering his tracks. If I hadn’t stowed away in his Charger, I never would have gotten the slip on him. My fingers tap out a random beat on the steering wheel of Holden’s car as I drive aimlessly for a few minutes through the rolling hills on the winding road at the base of the mountains.
You can figure this out. Think. Where would he go to look for the pieces of the puzzle he needs to prove his parents were murdered?
Nexus Lab. It’s the best I can start with for now, considering what Fox showed me in his garage when we were kids.
On my way to the pharmaceutical company where Mom now holds the highest position of power, my phone dings with a text notification. The bluetooth connection shows it’s from an unknown number on the console screen in the dashboard. My brow furrows. Maybe it’s the fact I know Fox is trying to prove his family was murdered, or maybe it’s the adrenaline rush still buzzing from making a decision for myself to leave my graduation ceremony, but a random text from an unknown number has my stomach rippling with suspicion.
Once I reach a red light, I snag my phone from the cup holder and check it.
Unknown: 1207 Rolling Rock Drive, Ridgeview, Colorado 80304
“Huh.”
The address isn’t for Nexus Lab. It’s the opposite direction, on the other side of town near the shipping district full of warehouses and not much else. Is this Fox’s number? It has to be. I suck in a breath, the horrible thought crossing my mind that he could be in trouble and this is his way of asking for my help.
As I input the address to the GPS feature on Holden’s car, a fierce determination settles in my shoulders. I’m coming, Fox.
The first thing I notice when I arrive is that I don’t see his Charger or his motorcycle. But an SUV that looks just like the one that tailed us the day Fox met with Lana is here, along with a whole matching fleet.
I hope Fox is the one who found them instead of the other way around since they didn’t seem all that open to a friendly chat when they tried to run us off the road. But I have no clue how he managed to locate these guys when I didn’t see any identifiable plates in the chase. I pull the car into an open spot and look down at the outfit I’m wearing—another one of Mom’s designer picks, paired with my lowkey rebellious disregard for wearing underwear or a bra.
“Just gonna roll with it and hope for the best,” I mutter as I leave the car.
The warehouse is isolated on a no outlet lane with no others nearby. I don’t come to this part of town often, but I follow the row of SUVs around the corner. An eighteen wheeler is backed up to an open bay door and I catch sight of Fox. My steps falter as I head for him and the man with a clipboard he’s talking to.
Always aware of everything, he spots me before I even reach them and his eyes tighten at the corners. Hot and cold tingles run across my skin and I suppress a shudder from the intensity in his gaze.
He’s not wearing his usual leather jacket, ripped black jeans, or the heavy combat boots. Instead, he’s dressed in a sharp suit and it’s actually pretty distracting because he looks hot. Warmth pools low in my stomach, and I can’t decide if I prefer him rugged and rough, or clean cut with the sinful edge lurking beneath his hard blue eyes.
I glance between him and the warehouse employee, plastering on my brightest smile. The older guy seems wary of me despite my nice dress, studying me with a small frown as I stick my hand out. This isn’t my world at all, but I’m not letting that stop me from getting sucked in if it’s part of helping prove the Wilders were murdered.
“Hey! I’m M—”
Fox sucks in a breath and takes a small step forward. It’s a subtle move, but I catch it and correct myself.
“Millie. Intern,” I add when I spy the Nexus Lab ID badge clipped to his jacket. The guy with the clipboard raises a brow. I gesture toward Fox with my thumb. “Sorry I’m late. They keep sending me for coffee runs when I’m supposed to be assigned to his side to learn about the department.”
Fox relaxes slightly, but is still wound tight. “Right. I forgot to mention her when I called to arrange our meeting.” He pauses and shoots me an assessing glance that seems to go straight to my soul. “She’s new to all this.”
I almost laugh, but stop myself, keeping my friendly smile in place as I sink into the role of eager intern. The clipboard guy shakes my hand, then strokes the trimmed stubble growing around his mouth.
“You were saying,” he prompts.
“The higher ups are looking to double check and tighten communication between departments,” Fox says. “I’m here to audit that and confirm the shipments through each distribution network.”
While they talk, I let half of my attention drift around the warehouse. There’s not much to see. Only a few employees mill around packing boxes and transporting them on forklifts into the truck waiting at the bay door. The logo for Nexus Lab is all o
ver the place and I realize this is a shipping warehouse for the company’s manufactured product. This is the first time I’ve ever been to one of the other sites of the company. Usually I only go right to Mom’s corner office at the sleek building nestled at the base of the mountains, but something nags at me as I take everything in.
The quantities are off from what I would expect. Most of the boxes carry the same label for a synthetic opioid rather than a variety. The company is supposed to be one of the top pharmaceutical manufacturers in the country, so why would they be making such large amounts of the same thing? And if this is the shipping department, shouldn’t there be more here than the sparse equipment and a handful of employees? It’s all weird.
“This hasn’t been an issue before,” the older guy says. “As far as I know, the company likes it this way.”
I glance between the skeleton shipping crew and the number of boxes full of synthetic drugs being piled into the truck. There’s no way there’s such a high demand for only one drug when they’re meant to be making all kinds of things.
Fox holds up his hands with a crooked smile that makes my knees go weak. “Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just doing my job, same as you, man.”
“Right. Okay, come this way.”
He takes us through the procedure they follow at the warehouse and shows Fox his clipboard so we can match it to what Fox has in a list on his phone. A large portion of the shipment is heading for the same two places—an address on the west coast and one in the northeast. That doesn’t seem right. I wish I knew more about Mom’s company to know if there are medical companies in those locations that would order such a large amount of the same drug.
“So, as you can see,” the manager says, slapping his clipboard. “All in order.”
“Right,” Fox agrees. “Thanks for your cooperation.”
He nudges the small of my back and we head for the bay door. The manager stops us before we make it out.
“What department did you say this was for again? I’ll need to write it in the log. Protocol and all, you know how they are.”
Fox barely reacts, but I go rigid, thinking we’re caught. He calmly offers his ID badge for the guy to copy the information to his clipboard. Whatever is on it, the manager is appeased and sends us on our way.
“Thanks for your cooperation,” Fox says.
My thoughts race as I try to work out the puzzle in front of me. What is Nexus Lab really up to? Isn’t it illegal to flood the market with this much of one drug? There are regulations for what they’re allowed to produce, I’m sure of it.
If this massive supply is making it to the legitimate market at all, that is. I don’t like the thought as soon as it crosses my mind.
Fox grabs my elbow and leads me outside, his grip hard and unyielding. He doesn’t slow his long strides and half-drags, half-carries me out the door and around the corner behind a pile of shipping palettes.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he demands through clenched teeth, dropping the cool and collected act.
“I came to help. The address sent to my phone… I was already skipping the grad ceremony to find you, but I thought it meant you needed me.”
“Needed you?” Fox drags his fingers through his hair and jabs his finger back toward the building. “You almost blew my cover.”
I cross my arms and frown, eyeing him up and down. “Which looks flimsy at best.” I flick his badge. “This doesn’t look fake or anything, even if it passed for a legit one. How did you get this anyway?”
He grumbles something under his breath and pinches the bridge of his nose, ignoring my question. “How the fuck did you even get here?”
“The address sent to my phone, I told you.” I show him the text. “You haven’t given me your number, but when you sent it I knew it was you.”
“You thought—” He breaks off with a curse, pulling a face as he glares over my shoulder. “I’m going to kill Colt for bringing you here. I told him to stop surveillance tracking,” he mutters. I have no idea what or who he’s talking about. Turning his attention back to me, he shakes his head. “I didn’t send for you, Maisy. You can’t help.”
“Like hell I can’t. I want to.”
Standing my ground, I silently dare him to tell me what I can and can’t do. I’ve had enough of playing by the rules and doing what’s expected of me.
Fox blows out a breath, treating me to the same once over I gave him. Except his eyes drag much slower over my body, lingering at my chest for a beat before lifting to meet my gaze again. His head jerks with the force of his snort.
“Always so fucking stubborn.”
Somehow he makes it sound like it’s a trait that gets under his skin and makes him fond of me at the same time.
“You shouldn’t be here.” He rubs his mouth. “I can’t let you get involved in this.”
“You can’t do all this on your own,” I reason. “I know you said we can’t be friends, but I want to help. Two heads will be better than one.”
It sounds like he mutters that he already has an additional head, but he continues pinning me with his stare, working his jaw as he considers my offer. I have to sweeten it so he sees how much I need this as much as he does.
“With me, you get more access. I have the incident report from the night your parents…” I trail off, not wanting to say it. An ache of sorrow moves through me for the little sister he never got to meet. Licking my lips, I go on. “Look, helping you is the only way I can think to make up for my broken promise. Will you let me?”
The shadows in his eyes kill me. As soon as the impulse grips me, I take a step, bringing our bodies close together. I touch his chiseled jaw lightly and press up on my toes to kiss him.
Fox allows it, releasing a low rumble as my lips slide against his. He doesn’t let me in, so I start to pull away, but then he grips my waist and unleashes his storm on me. My heart sings when my back hits the wall of the warehouse as he claims my mouth with a deep kiss that sweeps me up in its possessive force.
This time when I pull back, lips swollen and tender, the shadows have cleared.
We gaze at each other and his thumb moves back and forth at my waist. With a sigh, he rests his forehead against mine. “There’s so much you don’t know still.”
“So tell me. Don’t push me away again. Let me in.”
Fox’s throat works with a swallow. “You want to help so bad? Fine,” he murmurs in resignation. “Just remember—you asked for this.”
Twenty-Two
Fox
Continuing my search for the truth with Maisy at my side wasn’t the plan, but she does everything her way. I almost laugh because I should’ve known better than to try to control her free-spirited nature. Maisy is only controlled by her wild heart.
After leaving the warehouse, I led her to a place to stash her brother’s car. As soon as she slid into the passenger seat of the Charger, my grip tightened on the wheel as my mind jumped back to the last time she was in my car. We drive to the diner near the interstate where I want to stake out a meeting Colt intercepted the details of.
The whole ride over, she had the window down with her arm hanging out to ride the waves of the warm air with her hand. More than once my attention snagged on the old leather bracelet she wears, the one with stones I gave her. She still never takes it off.
“I’ve never been on a stakeout before,” Maisy says after we’ve been parked for twenty minutes. She digs through the glove compartment. “We should’ve stopped for some snacks.”
I run my tongue over my teeth. “Stakeouts usually require quiet and concentration.” I gesture with the hand resting on the wheel to the target. “So keep those pretty lips shut before I find a way to make you be quiet.”
Maisy shoots me a look full of heat at my threat and I bite back a groan. God, this is torture after so many days away from her. The faint scent of sweet coconut on her skin is killing me.
“All right, grumpy.” With an impatient huff, she falls back agai
nst the seat and props one leg up against the door to get more comfortable. “You don’t have to be so bossy.”
“You don’t have to help,” I remind her, trying to find something to distract myself from admiring the length of her toned legs as the hem of her dress lifts higher from her position. “You’re only here because I’m allowing it.”
Letting her in is probably my worst idea ever.
After what she said at the warehouse, I considered that I’d been going about this wrong by pushing her away. She should learn the truth about her parents. Besides, by keeping her close I can keep an eye on her. She’ll either be an asset I can use against her parents, or if she picks them over me I’ll be aware of it before she betrays me again.
My gaze drifts to her for the third time in five minutes instead of where my focus needs to be and I bite down on the inside of my cheek. If she slouches anymore, I’ll be able to see right up her dress. A bolt of heat shoots to my dick. Damn little temptress…
Maisy draws me in with this crazy force made of the fabric of the universe. I drag my teeth over my lower lip and give her a subtle once over, wondering if her habit of forgoing underwear leaves her pussy bare beneath that dress. The last time I had her in my car, I couldn’t stop the fantasies from coming and they’re back in force now as the arousal builds, clouding my head with a hunger for her to ride my cock until she screams for me.
This time the want is even more intense, now that she’s forced her way back into my life, demanding to help after I kept her at a distance. She won’t let me go and it does things to my heart that make it twist around on itself and thump hard.
Blowing out a breath, I rest my hand on the gearshift between us and barely brush my fingers against her smooth thigh while fighting off the desire to drag her across the center console into my lap where I could kiss her.
After a couple of minutes, she adjusts in her seat, bringing her closer to me as she scans the area we’re staking out. “So what are we on the lookout for?”
Savage Wilder: Dark New Adult High School Bully Romance (Sinners and Saints Book 4) Page 18
