Page 54 of Drax (Iron Thunder MC 3)
He turned to me and cleared his throat.
“Look, MB, before we get tangled up in another relationship together, I want to make sure we make it work this time.”
I gulped. Drax was not the kind of man who wanted to delve into the nitty-gritty of a relationship. He was never much of a ‘talker’. So it made my heart thud to realize that was exactly what he was doing. I nodded.
“I love you and I want us to have an honest and open relationship,” he continued.
“Yes, that is what I want too. I don’t want to waste any time arguing with you when we can be happy together instead.”
“I’m going to try and be less stubborn,” he said. That made me smile. I was curious to see what that would look like!
“And I’m going to try and let go and trust you to make the right decisions for us,” I added.
He pulled me into his arms, and we were kissing again.
“I like this new side of my man. The one who is willing to talk openly about things,” I said. We were naked, our bodies warming up. Now that we had slept well and weren’t as exhausted anymore, I couldn’t wait for us to have another go…
“In the spirit of openness, there is something I need to tell you, MB,” Drax said and then gently pushed me away from himself. There was that lump in my throat again. “I know last night you said you don’t need to know the details and you’re happy just knowing that I let your brother live.”
All I could do was nod because I had no idea what else he could tell me about it. Was Crash dead? Was all that a lie?
He must have seen the fear in my eyes because he started speaking again, quickly.
“I don’t think I want to keep this information from you. As much as I want to keep you safe. Crash. Your brother. We’re holding him. Here.”
“Here? Where? What do you mean?”
“He’s in the basement cell,” Drax replied.
All this while, the whole night that I had spent feeling worried, anxious and nauseous because I had no idea what happened to my brother—and he was right here all along?
“I understand if you’re upset…” Drax was speaking again, but I lunged at him, wrapping him tightly in my arms.
“I’m not upset, Drax! I’m so happy. This is the best news. Thank you.”* * *“You were right, there is definitely something wrong with him. There is something different about him,” Drax said when I pulled myself away.
I was so relieved! Crash was alive and he was in Iron Thunder’s custody. This was the best outcome I could have hoped for.
“Yes, I know, he doesn’t seem to be himself,” I added.
“I think it’s drugs,” Drax said. I had a smile on my face from feeling relieved and grateful, but now it drooped.
“Drugs?”
“It’s in his eyes and how out of it he seems. He just didn’t seem to have a handle on things. He wasn’t acting like a leader when we raided Teasers. And there was just something…different about him.”
I didn’t want to believe what Drax was saying but I knew there was some truth to it. It had to be the explanation.
“You may be right,” I said and shook my head. “I don’t know what is going to happen with him, but I just wish…I just hope…I can help him somehow.”
“Convince him to accept our help, then,” Drax said.
My eyes shot up to meet his.
“Our help? Your help?” I wasn’t sure I understood what he was implying.
“Treatment. If it is drug addiction he is dealing with, then he needs professional help. He shouldn’t fight our help.”
I gulped. I didn’t know what condition my brother was in currently, but I knew he wouldn’t accept Drax’s help easily.
“Yes, that is what I hope for him too,” I said.
I was staring into Drax’s eyes. I could sense he was trying to read my mind and could feel my cheeks burning up. I didn’t want to actually say the words.
“You want to go see him, right?”
I gulped and then slowly nodded.
“But I won’t insist on doing it if you think it’s a bad idea.”
Drax drew in a deep breath and then shook his head.
“He’s being heavily guarded and watched by our guys, so there’s nothing he can actually do. You can go see him if you want. If you think that will help you feel better.”
“Yes, I think it will, and maybe I can get to the bottom of what’s really going on with him and convince him of getting the help he needs if he needs it.”
Drax leaned back in bed and nodded.
“Yes, I agree. Go and see your brother,” he said, and in that moment, I knew I loved him just a little bit more.* * *
