Page 52 of His Savage Bride
His face hardens as he stares at me. “Until Maximo is back on his feet, I intend to be your constant shadow. The bossman would expect nothing less, and I’m not going to disappoint him, or you. You’re everything to him, and it makes you important to me, too. Besides, I’m proud of you. Maximo needed a good woman in his life, and you…I don’t think God could have designed a more perfect woman for him.”
“Stop.” I shake my head with a smile as the blush spreads.
“I’m just saying you’re a rare one, Constance. Go clean yourself up. Give me that hoodie you’re wearing, and I’ll swap it for Van’s, then we’ll ride when you’re ready.”
I peel the outer garment off and hand it over to him, then walk up the stairs as he heads into the kitchen. I can see Van and Leonard as I ascend and give them a wave before I go to our bedroom and lock myself in the bathroom.
Once I’m safely alone, I sit down on the toilet and lean my head forward between my legs as a sob rips through me. I’m not sure if it’s relief that it’s all over or the terror of the day gripping me. Either way, I’m glad to be alone finally. I’ve held it together the last couple of hours since I’ve been home even while recounting to Leonard everything that happened, but now I can finally relax and just feel everything.
Once the trembling in my body has stopped and my hands are steady, I get up, take off my hat and run a brush through my hair, then touch up my makeup. I’m hopeful that Maximo will be awake this afternoon, and I don’t want to look as messy as I feel.
While I was killing off the rest of the Volkovs, I felt almost high. Filled with a righteous wrath I felt invincible. After having lived through my revenge, though, I realize how horribly wrong it could have gone at any time. My hand drops to my belly to protectively cover my tiny passenger. “I’m so sorry all that happened,” I whisper to them. “I did it for us. To make sure that no one will ever try to hurt you.”
Once I’m confident in my appearance, I let myself out of the bathroom and go back downstairs. In the kitchen, Van and Trenton are both drinking a beer while Leonard is putting away the sandwich supplies he had laid out on the counter.
“Are you sure you’re not hungry?” Leonard asks me.
“I’m fine. Thank you, though,” I reply.
“I’m going to take Constance back over to the hospital,” Trenton tells Van. “You hang out here with Leonard until Tony gets back, then he’ll take you back over to the Kings, or wherever you might want to go.”
“I’ll head back to the clubhouse,” Van tells him. “I’ve got an apartment there. You’re welcome to come by anytime, you know,” she adds with a smile to him.
“Oh, hey, you two should switch hats too,” Trenton says in an obvious deflection as he points to my head. “I don’t want there to be any obvious differences when we go back this afternoon.”
Van laughs and tosses the hat she was wearing down on the counter. “Keep both of them,” she says. “They aren’t really my style.”
“Thank you for your help today,” I tell her as I switch my hat.
“That’s sweet, but you don’t have to thank me,” she says. “Trenton already paid me. If you guys need a double anytime inthe future, you know who to call,” she adds with another smile at Trenton.
“Well, let’s hit the road,” Trenton says awkwardly and turns to me. “We need to go ahead and get going to lead the cop away before the glass guy leaves. It’s a small detail, but I’d rather he not spot the repairman coming and going.”
“Jamie will take care of paying him. I’ll make sure he stays until you guys are clear,” Leonard says. “Let me know how Maximo is doing and I’ll keep Adeline informed, if she hasn’t already heard from the nurses. She wants to come by the hospital too, but I told her to wait until everything was settled.”
“Don’t forget about me,” Van says as she walks over and wraps her arms around Trenton.
“You know I couldn’t even if I wanted to.” He sighs as he returns her hug. “I’ll call you later and check in.”
“Don’t wait too long.” She arches an eyebrow at him. “I might have to do some things to make you jealous.”
“That’s enough of that now,” he chides her gently. “We’ll talk later.”
“All right.” She laughs as she runs a hand down his arm.
“Come on,” Trenton says to me as he hands me the hoodie Van had been wearing. I put it on and with a wave to Van and Leonard follow Trenton back outside and down the stairs to the car he had been driving today. It’s a blue older model Camaro that I had seen in the driveway before but never asked about.
“What made you pick this one today?” I ask as he opens the passenger door for me.
“Huh?” He looks surprised. “This one is mine. I’ve been keeping it in Maximo’s garage. I don’t like leaving it out in the weather. She’s a ’69 my dad and I put back together when I was in high school.”
“She? Well, she’s beautiful,” I tell him once I’m inside. He nods and closes the door, then comes around to get into thedriver’s seat and cranks the old beast to life. It roars and rumbles in that special way only old American muscle cars can. He drives us through the garden and past the gatehouse, then pulls up beside the officer still waiting on the far side of the cul-de-sac.
When Trenton rolls down his window, the officer is already waving at him. “You two heading back over to the hospital?” he asks us.
“Yes, sir,” Trenton drawls. “We got some lunch and rested a bit and now we’re headed back. You know how exhausting hanging out in a hospital can be.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” the officer agrees. “Ma’am,” he calls out to me. “You holding up all right today? Everything okay?”
