Off Limits(123)

“You have a pistol?” I asked, the words coming through like listening through a wall of cotton.

“No, just an airsoft gun that I sometimes shoot paper targets with,” Rita said, “which is specifically why I don’t want to have to pull the damn thing.”

Rita led me to her car, guiding me into the passenger seat. “All right, now buckle up. I’m going to send Kade a text message, the doctor agreed to at least let him get those. If they haven’t doped him up to let his body rest, he’ll be relieved. If not, he’ll get it in the morning.”

“I want to go back to the hospital,” I said, surprised at the little girl’s voice that came from my mouth. “I want to see Kade.”

“Visiting hours start at nine thirty tomorrow. In the meantime, we’ve got to pick some people up from the airport. Kade called some guy named Vince, who’s flying down first thing in the morning.”

I lost all track of time, exhaustion dropping over me again, and the only thing I was aware of for the rest of the night was Rita helping me up the stairs to her apartment and tucking me into her bed. She leaned over and kissed me on the temple, and whispered in my ear. “It’ll be all right, Princess Alix. Trust me.”

I woke up the next morning to find my pillow wet with tears, and Rita sitting next to the bed, a steaming cup of something in her hands. “You didn’t sleep well,” she said matter-of-factly. “Dreams?”

“None I can remember,” I whispered. “I guess I just wished yesterday never happened.”

“What did happen, anyway?” Rita asked. “I mean, there’s the public story about a traffic accident, but then with what you said yesterday, and with the little that Kade texted me . . . ”

I told Rita everything, from the start of it all at the UFC event, to the photo shoot, to Kade and I making love the day before and Sydney walking in on us. I even told her about Paris Nova and how Mom was now pregnant. “Fuck,” she said as I finished my tale. “And so Sydney’s the one who released the video to the Web.”

“Yeah, obviously so,” I said. “I’m sure the cops are looking for him, but Sydney knows how to disappear. He’s from a bad background, he’s probably got connections that can keep him safe for a long damn time.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Rita said, thinking. “But that’s for later. It’s nearly eight o’clock, we need to swing by the airport to pick up Vince before going to the hospital. I know you want to be there as soon as visiting hours start, right?”

“Right,” I said, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. Suddenly, a dark thought struck my mind. “Rita?”

“Yeah, Alix?”

“What . . . what if Kade blames me for Derek’s death? I mean, my mother seems to.”

Rita shook her head and took my hands again. “Never, ever blame yourself for Derek’s death. You need to be one thing more than anything else over the next few weeks.”

“What?” I asked, looking into her eyes, which I noticed for the first time were a pretty shade of honey brown.

“You need to be strong. You need to be the rock that Kade, and eventually your mother, can lean on. You’ve been learning how for the past few weeks, right?”

I nodded. “I guess. But it’s different when I’m being strong for Kade, and being strong in the face of this insanity.”

Rita nodded. “Which is why you have more than just Kade to help you. Like I said, Kade’s still my friend. I’m going to support him and you both. So don’t worry. What could the world throw at two super sexy subs like us that we can’t handle?”

I smiled, at least tried to, and squeezed Rita’s fingers back. “But you said it yourself, you’re a switch.”

Rita shrugged. “Details, details. Come on, let’s get to the airport.”





Chapter 24





Kade





I was just finishing a hospital breakfast of ice chips (my surgery meant nothing but IV fluids and feeding for two days) when the door to my room opened and a whole group came through. After fielding questions from the police earlier, they were the first people all day I’d wanted to see. It seems that cops cannot wait until after breakfast to ask their questions.

“Good morning, Kade,” Rita greeted me, stepping through the door first. She held open the door, waving into the hallway. “I have someone for you.”

Alix was hesitant to come through, her eyes still downcast. After what the staff had told me of the way her mother had treated her, I understood why, but she never should have worried. I pulled my air mask down and waved. “Alix . . . come here.”

At my welcoming words she rushed across the room, slowing only enough to not jar me as she gave me a hug. “Kade, oh Kade,” she whispered into my neck as she squeezed me tight. “I’m so sorry.”

I patted the back of her head and held her, knowing that no matter what, no matter what ‘subs are strong’ line that Rita had fed her to get her moving that morning, Alix needed my strength as much as I needed hers. More than that, she needed my acceptance. “It’s okay,” I whispered, not sure if she could hear me through my air mask. “I love you.”

The next person to greet me was obscured by the mass of Alix’s blond hair in my eyes, but I could recognize that voice anywhere after working together. “Mornin’ boss. Don’t expect a hug like that from me.”