Page 19 of Untouchable
“Whatever you want to do is fine with me. Bring her by when you’re ready, but don’t leave until Dodge and Trainer get here. We want her safe on all fronts, and I sure as hell don’t want to risk my family.” Us being in contact is a risk, and I know that.
“We’ll be there after breakfast. Thanks, Shaw.” Hanging up, I head back inside and strip down, joining Joss in bed and pulling her into my arms. This might be the last time I get to hold onto her for a while, and I plan to savor every damn second of it.
CHAPTER13
Jossilyn
Itry not to pout as I listen to Braxton explain his plan once again to his friends Dodge and Trainer, who arrived this morning and met us back at Shaw’s ranch. I don’t want to be left behind, I want to go with Braxton, but I understand his motives, his need to make sure I’m safe while going after the person trying to kill me.
In light of the notes and the intimate nature of them, plus the break-in of my hotel room, it was always thought to be a male stalker who was after me. Joseph Clancy, Jr. had even made sense. Especially because he actually paid money for me.
Who even does that?
Now, Braxton is convinced it’s one of my sisters. The mere idea is so hurtful that my chest aches just thinking about it.
My own flesh and blood.
How could she…they?
If I had to bet, my father put them up to it. The hatred he harbors for me, Sage, Porter, and Trusen is so deep inside his soul that I wouldn’t put it past him. I wish I could go see him, look into his eyes, and ask him why.
Why sell me?
Why nearly kill Sage?
Why were we nothing more than vessels for him to punish repeatedly, and why is he doing this now?
It’s been five years. I’ve spent at least three of them in the public eye, but I’ve been more easily accessible because I’m rarely in a secure location—not until Braxton returned. Yes, I love and trust my brothers to protect me, but they don’t have the same experience as the men in this room do.
“You okay?” Monroe leans against the counter next to me, where I’ve been washing the same cup for the last ten minutes as I listen to the men.
“Scared,” I whisper to her. I’m so scared. Not just for me but for Braxton and what he’ll encounter all alone as he searches for my sisters. “Angry. I’m so angry all the time.”
“Can’t say I blame you.” I do look over at the woman to see her eyes sharing my pain. “My own mother sent a crazy stalker after me. Hiring Shaw to help was the best decision I ever made. Even if it was my first solo one.”
“It’s a physical ache. Right here.” I rub the palm of one hand across my sternum, trying to make the pain go away.
She nods and places a hand over mine. “I wish with all my heart I could tell you it disappears or gets better with time, but that betrayal stings so sharply and often comes in waves of sorrow long after healing has begun.”
Tears crowd my vision because I know the feeling all too well. “I wish I could find it in me to ask for guidance and wisdom. To believe in the omnipotent again, to know someone is still out there for me to seek guidance from. Father stole so much from me, and I haven’t been able to reclaim it.” The anger pushes my tears over the edge, and I want to hit something.
It was not until the past year that I truly realized I wanted the ability to trust and believe in God again. I know Sage attends church sometimes. She feels a peacefulness there that she never did in our old chapel. Porter and Trusen were never really believers of a higher power, and sometimes, I envy them that because they don’t feel as though they lost parts of themselves.
“Hey,” Braxton’s raspy voice whispers in my ear as he comes up behind me, hands on my hips, dragging me back into his body. Immediately, I’m surrounded by his warmth and the continual safety he provides me. “Deep thoughts?”
Blowing out a breath, I glance back at him, amazed as always at our size difference. He’s at least a full head taller and nearly twice my size in width.
“I think I might want to go back to church.” It’s clear I’ve stunned him. Hell, I am, too.
“Right now?” I shake my head; I’m not in a hurry. If I know one thing, it’s that the church will always be there. “When I come back, we’ll get it arranged.”
Turning in his arms, I wrap mine around his waist and bury my face in his chest. The pounding of his heart is the steady sails in my stormy waters. “I don’t want you to go,” I say again. I’ve spent so many years away from him that I don’t want there to be any space between us again.
Unrealistic and illogical as it may be, I’m terrified that once he leaves, he won’t return. “You know I’m coming home to you, right, pup?” His hands delve into my hair, forcing me to look up at him as he tilts my head back. “Nothing will keep me from you anymore.” He leans down to kiss my head. “We’re forever, and as soon as I can, I’m making it official.” My breath hitches at his words. “I’m not asking, pup. I’ll never ask permission with you again. I’ll tell you how it is, and you can get on board, or you can fight me.” His devilish eyes give away that he might want me to fight him once in a while.
“Please be careful, Braxton.” He hasn’t said it, but I know he’s worried that it’s not one of my sisters after me. I can see the lingering concern in the corners of his eyes as his gaze rakes over me like a caress.
“Always, pup.” Leaving a lasting kiss on my lips, he reluctantly draws back before taking his leave for Colorado first. I know his plan is to stop in to check on my brothers and assure them I’m alright, then to speak to the detective about getting his hands on any surveillance from the day of the shooting before moving on to Arkansas.