Chapter 11
“Son of a fucking bitch!”
I’d gone out to my car to go get Courtney and I some good coffee drinks and found that my car was totaled. The back end was completely smashed, the tires were flat, the windshield was completely busted, and it looked like the axle was broken. Courtney came running out of the apartment, her eyes wide as the sky as she surveyed the damage. I was already on the phone with my insurance company while I took pictures, sending them everything I could so they could assess the damage. They informed me an insurance adjuster would be out there this afternoon to take a look and tow it away if necessary, but I knew it would be totaled. They’d cut me a check for the measly amount of money my car was still worth, and I’d be out of a way to get myself to and from work.
Good thing I had fucking taken vacation.
“You know damn good and well who did this,” Courtney said.
I walked around the car and noticed there were some paint scrapings on it. They didn’t match the color of my vehicle, but they sure as hell matched Jeremy’s. I told Courtney to get the police officers on the phone, so she called them up.
“I’ve got them,” she said.
“Officer Rowland, how may I help ya?”
“Officer Rowland, it’s Lexi. We spoke last week about—”
“Yes, yes. I’ve been in contact with your friend. Everythin’ all right?”
“My car’s been totaled. Someone smashed into it last night. The car left some paint scrapings on the back of my car as well as some tire tracks. That anything you could use?” I asked.
“Yes, ma’am. Don’t touch anythin’. We’ll be right over.”
I handed the phone back to Courtney before I pulled out mine. I called Logan and Liam to tell them what had happened. I needed someone to calm me down, someone to talk me through what was going on. At this point, even my rock-solid best friend was beginning to feel unsafe in the apartment. So unsafe that she was talking about going and staying with someone else until this was all said and done.
I honestly couldn’t blame her. If I had the option, I’d do the same. But, besides the twins, Courtney and Jeremy were the only people I really knew in LA I had recently realized that Jeremy had always discouraged me from making relationships with my coworkers. Now I could see it as yet another way to keep me isolated.
“He what?” Liam asked.
“I couldn’t get Logan on the phone, so I wanted to at least let one of you know. The police are coming out here to take pictures and stuff. I just didn’t know who to call, I guess.”
“Put her on speakerphone,” I heard Logan say.
“Hello?”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I was finishing up a rousing arm wrestling game with one of the guys and didn’t feel my phone vibrate. Liam said something about your car getting totaled? Were you in an accident?” Logan asked.
“No. It was smashed into last night, and the paint left behind from the other car matches his car,” I said.
“Are you all right?” Logan asked.
“I really don’t know anymore,” I said honestly.
“Beautiful, we’ve got a few more days at the department before we can pull away. That’s how it works around here. Four days on, three off. But if one of us can pull away, we’re coming to see you, all right? Did you call your insurance company?” Liam asked.
“I did. They’re sending out an adjuster this afternoon, but it’s totaled, guys. And I don’t have anywhere near the money to replace it.”
“Just take a deep breath. We’ll help you figure everything out, all right?” Logan asked. “In the meantime, keep yourself safe. We’re gonna be checking in on you frequently, understand?”
“Okay. All right. I see the police pulling up, so let me go.”
“Never,” they both said.
I giggled as I hung up the phone. The police officers from last week pulled up and immediately went over to the car. They started taking pictures of the car and the paint, some of which they scraped off and put into a little bag. Officer Rowland came and stood beside me, trying to comfort me as I watched them work.
“Got some good news. Wanna hear it?” he drawled.
“Holy fuck, yes,” I said breathlessly.
“There are cameras across the street. I’m gonna be headin’ out once we’re done here and talkin’ to the state about accessin’ ’em. If we can get some sort of a shot of the car that ran into yours, maybe a make and model, we’ll be one step closer to figurin’ all this out.”
I couldn’t help but throw my arms around him. Finally, we had a fucking lead to nail Jeremy. I hugged him tightly as he patted my back, and the first thing I wanted to do was text the twins. I left the officers be to do their thing while I went up to the apartment. Then I sent a message out to all of them. Liam and Logan said they were relieved, but the Jameson brothers piped up more than I thought they would. Kyle started going on about how he was taking the day off from his practice to come see how I was, and Kevin jumped right on the bandwagon.
I took the time to settle them down, telling them I was all right for now, but they weren’t having it.
One of us can be your escort around the city, Kevin said.
It won’t kill our patients to be left in the hands of our nurses for a few days, Kyle said.
It’s all right, really. I can use Courtney’s car if necessary, but I don’t have to work until after the holidays. I was a bit shaken up, but I’m doing better, I said.
Then at least let us do something. Treat you to dinner. Take you out to get your mind off things. Something, Kevin said.
A date with the Jameson brothers didn’t sound so bad. They were tall, thin, muscular—but unassumingly so. I remembered how beautifully their auburn hair shone, even in the fluorescent lighting of the hotel event room that night. Their blue eyes were set behind glasses I wouldn’t mind sliding off their faces. They could take me out to dinner, maybe play a little doctor with my body. I could fake a little cough, maybe tell them my legs hurt a bit.
Oh, I could definitely use the distraction of two tall, handsome doctors.
We’re taking you out, and that’s that. Tomorrow night, eight o’clock. How does that sound? Kyle asked via text message.
Wow. So demanding, Dr. Jameson. Are you always like this? I replied.
He can get a bit impatient, yes. This from Kevin.
I would love to go out with the two of you tomorrow evening. I could borrow Courtney’s car and meet you guys somewhere? I asked.
No way. We’ll be picking you up. Shoot us your address sometime tomorrow, and we’ll see that beautiful smile that I haven’t been able to get out of my head around eight. Kyle was definitely the more assertive twin.
I bet she gets that about her smile all the time. I couldn’t take my eyes off those legs, Kevin chimed in.
I giggled at their comments as excitement rose in my chest. I was going on a date with the Jameson brothers. I squealed, and Courtney came darting into the room. But before she could even shoot me a question, my phone vibrated again.
At the risk of sounding needy, I was wondering when Logan and I might be able to see you again.
It was a private message from Liam, and I felt my skin tingle. I smiled and closed my eyes, basking in the sensation of what it felt like to have men like them falling over their feet to get to me. Yes, they were all proving to be beautiful distractions, and I enjoyed talking with all of them late at night. I hadn’t heard too much from the Oakley brothers, so I assumed they were on the field a great deal practicing with their teams, but the Wolf brothers appeared with messages every single evening. Tony would send me pictures of the views he was taking in, while Terry sent me messages about the things he was learning about other countries. Their travels for business took them to all sorts of places, and I was jealous that I couldn’t explore like that myself.
I’m honestly not sure. I mean, I’m up for it, if that’s what you’re asking! Let’s get you guys through your work days this week, then we can chat about it. How does that sound?
Sounds perfect, Liam said.
Throughout the rest of the night, I was bombarded with text messages from all of them. They all kept telling me how they were going to make sure I was safe and protected, how they wouldn’t let Jeremy take anything else from me. I resisted the urge to tell them about the encounter at work, not wanting to stir up anything else among the men. But oh, how my heart soared. They were all so brazenly protective in all the ways they could be. The Castle brothers were ready to set up camp in my apartment while the Jameson brothers were about to start paying for a security alarm system. The Wolf brothers were two steps away from putting a protective detail on me and the Oakley brothers finally chimed in with the fact that they could do a great deal of damage with a baseball bat and a football helmet.
I talked with all of them while I thought ahead to my date tomorrow night. I was excited to see Kyle and Kevin and was looking forward to getting to know them better. But I was also excited about the prospect of being with them, of running my fingertips through their auburn locks of hair. My body shivered at the thought of another ménage a trois, but before I could really get into the fantasy, my phone rang again.
Only this time, it was the police.
“Hello?”
“Miss Marx? It’s Officer Rowland. Listen, I got all the evidence back we took this afternoon, an’ I got some good news an’ some bad news.”
“All right. Start with the good,” I said.
“Not only was there a videotape of the car that captured the license plate, but the license plate routed back to your ex, Jeremy Newberry. He also left fingerprints on the car, probably when he got out to smash in your windshield. We’ve issued a warrant for his arrest.”
“That’s wonderful! Holy shit! Thank you so much.”
“Don’t thank me just yet. We went to his work and his home, and he isn’t anywhere to be found right now. His phone’s not on an’ we can’t remotely activate it. Probably took the battery out. I’m tellin’ you this so you can keep an’ eye out. He knows he’s messed up. Now we can put a detail on ya if ya want, but ya need to make sure you take precautions.”
“I will, Officer. The detail won’t be necessary. Please keep me updated, and thank you so much for all your hard work,” I said.
“It’s what we do, ma’am. We’re almost there. Just hang tight.”
I knew this was the point where I should take one of the sets of twins up on some of their offers. If there was a point in time where I needed to be forthcoming about my need for help, it was now. Things had gotten very serious. There was a warrant out for Jeremy and he was nowhere to be found. He’d officially proven himself to be violent, and that both infuriated and scared me. I looked at my phone as text messages kept rolling through from the guys, and for the first time I found myself at a loss.
I had no idea who to ask for help.