I stop dead in my tracks. So, the guy has some bombs to drop, does he? Burke wouldn’t have told them that. But recent events have taught me I should be a little less trusting of Burke. I don’t know what the truth is in all this. I have to look out for myself, and I want to get back to Teagan.
“I have his statement right here. You can see it if you’d like if you don’t believe me. It’s right here in black and white.”
The sergeant holds out a piece of paper, and I glance from him to the door. I’m free to go. He’s made that clear by not stopping my attempt to leave. But do I want to see Burke’s statement? Do I want to see if what the Sergeant’s saying is true? No, I don’t.
I set my sights on the door and begin my exit. “Good-bye, Sergeant Metzger, and I hope I don’t see you again.”
“Don’t go far, Paisley. We’ll be in touch.”
I leave him sitting in that room and head back to Teagan’s. Nurses are in the room, but it looks like they are almost done cleaning and bandaging her cuts. Teagan looks tired but perks up when she sees me. Her hand reaches out to me, and I cradle her shaky hand in both of mine. I’m in the way, and an annoyed nurse clears her throat. I give her my attention.
“Is she okay?” I ask, looking for answers.
“Teagan’s all right. We’ve done tests and X-rays to make sure nothing is going on inside, and we’ve ruled out any internal bleeding. She has a fractured wrist and a couple of bruised ribs. The wrist will need to be mended, but her ribs just need some time and rest.” She takes a deep breath as I take in everything she said. Then, she continues, “Her external wounds are greater in number, but they all are relatively minor. She needed a few stitches on her upper thigh and a couple on her torso. She has abrasions and some heavy bruising—mostly on her face, wrists, and abdomen—but we’ve cleaned and bandaged them. She’ll heal with minor to no scarring from the things I’ve mentioned. Do you have any questions?”
That news allows me to take a hefty inhale of relief. “Just one. Are you almost done with her? I think she needs some rest.”
The nurse nods and looks over to her coworkers as they continue to work on Teagan. The nurses talk with their eyes, as if we’re not in the room, and then she returns to me.
“Yes, I think we’re about done here. We’ll give you some privacy and Teagan time to rest. My name is Audrey. I’m Teagan’s head nurse. If you need anything, you can push the call button to get ahold of me. Jessie here”—she points to a young girl who hardly looks old enough to be working in a hospital—“is a nursing student, and she’s on my service, so she’ll be checking in. You can also ask her for anything you need.”
The nurses finish up and assemble behind Audrey.
“We gave her something for the pain,” she says, her voice low so as not to disturb Teagan. “She probably won’t be awake much longer.”
The nurses turn to leave.
I let out a, “Thank you,” as I pull a chair up to the side of her bed and take her hand.
Her eyes are already closed, but I can tell she’s trying to stay awake.
“It’s okay, Teagan. Just rest. You need your sleep. I’m here with you.”
Her eyes remain closed, and her breathing gets deeper. I watch her sleep, anxiously checking the rise and fall of her chest.
My breathing gets heavy, and my heart rate spikes. I know he’s here before he even says anything. Slowly, I force my eyes from Teagan to the doorway. A rush of emotions hits me as my eyes connect with Burke’s. I should hate him, but I don’t. Not even close. Passionate energy swarms all my senses, clouding them and making them work overtime. I try to calm my emotions, but as soon as I do, suspicion flows in.
I make an irrational, sleep-deprived decision as he takes a step inside the room.
I can’t do this.
Paisley
I run, needing to get the hell out of that hospital room, trying to put as much distance between Burke and me as possible. The smell of the hospital, the quiet throughout the halls, and the nurses with their looks of pity begin to suffocate me. I can’t get outside fast enough, almost sprinting to reach the exit. Part of me can clearly see the irrational side of me is taking over, but I need to get things figured out, and playing house with Burke won’t help me clear my head.
I’m not the girl who stays for the long haul. My time with Burke was supposed to be an adventure. I wasn’t supposed to get caught up in my feelings. Maybe I’m panicking, but this isn’t what I wanted. I’ve always done better by myself. I was stupid for thinking it was a good idea to get involved with Burke.
Once I’m alone outside, I come to a stop. A weight lifts off my chest as I suck in fresh air. The feeling doesn’t last long though because the door I exited flings back open, and I spin. Burke stands there with a look of annoyance and confusion on his face. Not wanting to deal with him right now, I turn back around and walk away.
“Paisley, stop.”
I keep walking.
Walking away from Burke.
Away from ties.
Away from everything.
“Damn it, Paisley. This is childish. Don’t make me fucking chase you.”
I keep moving, but his hands come down on my shoulders. His touch is gentle but firm as he spins me around, and I close my eyes, like the child he accused me of being.
“Stop being difficult, and open your eyes. You know I won’t hurt you, right? You know the reason I pointed that gun at you was because Braelyn messed with my mind. Talk to me. We have some things we need to discuss here.”
I snort. It’s unattractive, but I don’t care. “Braelyn made you point a gun at me? Funny since I didn’t see her twisting your arm.”
A man walks by and gives us a funny look.
“This is why we need to talk, Paisley. A lot has happened, and we only have our own versions of the story. We need to compare notes, and I need you to know I’d never put your life in danger under normal circumstances.”
“Put my life in danger? Normal circumstances? My life is already in danger, and this is anything but normal fucking circumstances.”
“Can we go somewhere a little more private to talk about this?”
He’s already grabbing my hand and tugging me behind him before I can respond. I follow because I want some answers. Once I get them, I’m out.
He leads me to a small circle of cement benches and motions for me to sit. I do, and Burke follows suit, taking a seat across from me.
While waiting for him to speak, I make a decision to push him away. My defenses go up, and I turn off my emotions. I will do anything or say anything I have to in order to leave here alone today. This whole situation has put our relationship on the fast track. I don’t even know what I want from him, but suddenly, we’re tethered together by danger and drama.
“Kai and I went to the prison, but it was a waste of time. We were sent on a wild goose chase to get us away from the house, leaving you and Teagan vulnerable. I’ll never forgive myself for that. What you have to understand is that, when we got back from the prison, it was made to look like you were involved, like you were Braelyn’s partner.”
I want badly to interrupt about every five seconds, but I remain quiet. I need to know what happened. I’m listening for clues as to how I’m tied up in this, beyond being associated with Burke and the others.
“There was blood in Teagan’s room, but there was no blood in any of the other rooms. We tracked your phones, which led to your old apartment. When we got there, it was completely empty. Everything was gone. Your and Teagan’s phones were there in a closet. Teagan’s phone was lit up with a live feed of her, but yours was dead. The cops showed up and arrested Kai for Teagan’s disappearance but, again, no mention of you.”
“What happened with Kai’s arrest? The cop told me about it, but I didn’t ask questions.”
“I don’t really know much of the details there, but he was arrested shortly after the two of you were taken.” Burke waits to see if I’m satisfied with his answers, and
when I don’t ask anything else, he continues, “I went to your job, and one of the waitresses said you didn’t work there anymore. She said you and Braelyn were splitting town, leaving on a flight last night.”
“Wait. Why would she think I didn’t work there anymore?”
“Braelyn.”
I nod my head.
“So, I took off to the airport. I searched all night for any signs of you or Braelyn and, of course, came up empty. When I gave up and went back to my car, Braelyn was hiding in my backseat with a gun to my back. Long story short, I ended up getting the gun away from her, but Braelyn was quick to spew out lies. She told me you had been working with her from day one, and you faked everything between us to get intel. She knew every detail of the things that had happened between us. I started to believe her. When I saw you standing there, about to set that place on fire with Teagan nowhere in sight, I lost it.”
Neither of us speaks for an uncomfortable amount of time. I look at my knees, trying to avoid his eyes.
“I’m sorry I doubted you, Paisley. I’m sorry I scared you. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
The lid on my infuriation with our situation bursts open. Fuck him for letting Braelyn into his head, and fuck him for getting into my heart. I’m angry, but I don’t really mean the hate I’m about to direct his way. I don’t blame him for any of this, but the selfish part inside me can’t resist using his guilt to push him away. I’m the worst kind of monster.
“I’m thinking you fed me a false dream! You told me I was safe, but I wasn’t. I wasn’t safe from them, and I sure as fuck wasn’t safe from you! You let Braelyn turn you against me. You believed I was capable of hurting Teagan.” That last one actually does hurt. I use that pain to keep going. “So, fuck you. Fuck you and all your bogus promises! I’m done, Burke. I’m so fucking done. I won’t put myself in danger again for you or anyone else.” Every other word out of my mouth is a lie. I don’t believe any of the things I said, but I forced them out anyway.
We have no trust in one another. How could we in this situation?
“That’s how you really feel?”
“It is.” It isn’t.
“You’re fucking scared, Paisley. You’re scared, and you’re running because you know what we have is real. I’m sorry this happened to you, and I would do anything to change it. I need you. Teagan needs you. Don’t run from me. Don’t run from us. I’m sorry I thought that, but I had only so much to work with. You have to understand how it looked.”
Fighting with him doesn’t feel right, but I push that aside.
“Are you thinking for me now? Speaking for me? I don’t need you to tell me how I feel or what I’m doing. I’m not running from you. I’m running toward myself. Braelyn betrayed me, and you drank her Kool-Aid. Don’t turn this around on me or try to explain away why you thought what you did. I’m doing what’s best for myself.”
“You’re what’s best for me, Paisley. I’m what’s best for you. But you’re right; it’s my fault you and Teagan were taken, and then I doubted you. I fucked up, but you’re the one failing us now.”
“I’m not failing anyone. I’m looking out for myself.”
But his words remind me, he doesn’t know that my association with him may not be exactly why I’m mixed up in all this. Honestly, I don’t want to tell him about the mural. I want to close up and keep the information to myself. It won’t help him figure this out, and I’d rather not ever think about it again.
I take a deep breath and look right at him. “When I woke up . . . after they took me, I was in an empty room with the door locked. On the wall in the room I was kept in was an exact replica of the flower mural from my dream.” It sounds crazy now that I say it aloud, but I push on. “It can’t be a coincidence. Braelyn was chosen or wrapped up in this from the beginning. I never told her about the dreams or the mural, so it being there couldn’t have been her doing. I don’t think my being with you is the sole reason I’m involved. It can’t be. The girl I grew up with is a part of this, and those flowers on the wall show I’m connected to this in a way that doesn’t involve you.”
Burke looks away and stares off into space. He brings his hands together and cracks his knuckles until it sends my nerves into overdrive. I wish he’d say something.
“You haven’t told anyone the details about your dreams? Ever?”
I shake my head. “No. Never. Not until you and then Kai.”
“If these dreams are really memories, it’s possible whoever is behind all this could be from your past.”
I think on that. It’s stupid, but even though I concluded I am more involved in this than we’d thought, I haven’t processed enough to come to the conclusion that this person may know me. They could be someone who was in my life at one time. The thought sends a chill down my spine.
“I don’t know. I don’t have any answers.”
Burke reaches out to me, but I pull my hand away. He flinches, hurt from my refusal of his touch, but he doesn’t push it.
“Were you hurt? Did anybody hurt you yesterday?”
“No. One guy tried to hurt me, but the others killed him for it. Another guy knocked me out when they took me, but otherwise, I was unharmed. I didn’t even see anyone else after that, except Braelyn. Wait. What happened to Braelyn? You said that she was with you.”
Burke shakes his head, and his brow furrows in irritation. “She ran before the cops got to her.”
That explains the reaction the cop had when I said her name.
“During questioning, did you tell the police I was a whore? That you were putting me up in your big, fancy house to be at your service?”
“What? Are you insane? Do you really think I said that?”
I don’t know which way is up. Left from right is anything but clear. Nothing is certain.
“Did you? The sergeant who questioned me said your words were documented on your official statement. Why would he say that? What reason would he have to lie?”
Burke’s jaw works back and forth, and he’s back to cracking his knuckles, but it takes him a full minute before he says anything. “I never told anyone that. I would never tell anyone that. I don’t know why the police would make that up, but what I do know is that we have to trust each other.”
I laugh.
The laugh that comes out of my mouth doesn’t even sound like me. It’s callous. I’m cracking up. Burke brought the conversation back to us. I might regret it later, but I know what I need to do. I need him to believe I don’t want him. Even though I do.
“Do you even hear what you’re saying? How can either of us trust one another with everything going on between us? I was forcibly taken from your home, and instead of you riding in on your white horse, you barreled in, ready to take me down. Every step of the way, we’ve doubted each other’s intentions. There’s too much between us. Too many missteps. I’m better off on my own. I’m better off without you.”
Burke shoots daggers at me with his eyes. The look is more intimidating than when he actually had a gun in his hand.
We’re not going to see eye to eye here, so I push harder. “I need to distance myself from you. I want to go about this my own way. Whatever it is that was happening between us is over. This is not what I want. You’re not what I want.”
Burke stands and takes a step forward, and I stand, too. He doesn’t let up though, and soon, he has his arms around me. His physical touch is everything I have ever wanted. His clutch on me blurs my cognition and chips away at my resolve. I don’t want to be this close to him. I can’t remain firm while he touches me.
“Paisley, don’t do this. We need each other. I need you.”
I try to push away from him, but he keeps a firm hold on me. His hands roam my back, and then his fingers tug on my hair. The action causes my head to pull back, so we’re face-to-face. He’s guarded, but I can see the mix of emotions as plain as day as I look up at him.
“I don’t want this. I can’t do this. All of this, everything we started
between us, was a bad idea. I don’t want you. This is too much. I want to finish this without you.”
“You’re scared,” Burke challenges.
Damn right I’m scared. It’s the reason I know I’m doing the right thing here.
“I am, but that’s not why I’m telling you this. I’m telling you because I have to. What I’m saying right here is what I need. To live. To survive.”
Burke molds our bodies closer together, lowering his mouth closer to mine. “I can’t let you go off on your own while this is unsolved. You were kidnapped yesterday, and you want me to just let you walk away?”
“Kidnapped from your home. Under your watch. I wasn’t safe with you then, and I don’t think I’m safe with you now.” My words are harsh, and I regret them as they spill out of my mouth. I don’t mean them, but I won’t take them back.
Burke’s grip on me loosens, and our contact breaks. He puts his back to me before he asks his next question, “Do you really believe that?”
“Yes,” I lie.
He turns to face me, and a mask of indifference has lowered over his face. “Where would you go, Paisley?”
“I don’t know, but that’s not your problem. I’ll figure it out. I always have. I’m tired, and I just want to go. I don’t want to deal with this right now.”
His mask slips as he rubs his temples, and traitorous thoughts of what those fingers have done to me creep into my mind. I have flashbacks of the way he held me the morning I had my first nightmare in his bed. My own resolution cracks, and I falter in my decision. I shove the feeling so far down that I can’t see it anymore and square my shoulders.
“I have to go,” I tell him, already preparing for another argument from him.
“Let me put you up in a hotel. Have Kai come stay with you. You’ll have your distance from me, but you won’t be going it alone.”
“You’re not putting me up anywhere. I don’t need your money, and I don’t need Kai.”
He’s torn. That’s clear. I have no idea what his feelings are for me, but I don’t want to be his responsibility or his burden. I have to survive the way I always have. Alone.
Vengeance in Bloom (The Love Unauthorized Series Book 2) Page 4
