Chapter 21

Adam

We’re half-way up the stairs to the apartment when I realize I forgot to grab the mail. Gage never thinks of it so I’m sure it’s been sitting since Friday.

“I’ll meet you up there, I’ve gotta grab the mail.”

I wave Nox ahead and turn to jog back down the stairs.

As I predicted, the mailbox is overflowing, primarily with junk mail. But as I pull everything out, something heavy tumbles out of the pile and clanks onto the floor.

I bend down to see what I dropped and still when I notice it’s an engraved metal lighter. My hand trembles as I reach for it, but I pull back at the last second before I can grab it. Something in my gut is telling me this is related to the damage done to my car and the harassing note.

What if Nox was right? What if his ex is behind this? That takes things from irritating to dangerous.

I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone.

It only rings once before Cas answers.

“Everything okay?”

“I’m not sure.”

“I’m right around the corner, I’ll be right there.”

Less than five minutes later Cas strides into the lobby of my apartment building looking concerned.

“What’s wrong? Is Nox okay?” Cas asks.

“He’s fine. I just found this in the mailbox.” I gesture toward the lighter on the ground. “I’m worried Nox was right about this being his ex.”

Cas nods and stoops down to look at the lighter.

“You could be right. Let me take this and check it for fingerprints. If need be we’ll get a protective detail on him. But I need some proof before that’ll be approved.” He pulls a baggie out of his pocket and uses it to pick up the lighter.  “I’ll let you know as soon as I have something.”

“Thank you.” I clap him on the shoulder and then see him out.

By the time I get back upstairs Nox and Gage are in the kitchen talking about the fictitious tattoo convention.

“You took a while grabbing the mail,” Nox notes. His tone is light but the concern in his eyes gives him away.

“Ran into a neighbor and talked for a few minutes,” I lie. I don’t want to freak him out until Cas gets a chance to check for fingerprints.

“Can I talk to you for a second, Gage?” I ask before I can lose my nerve.

“I’m just on my way out, can it wait until tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

“I’m pretty tired. I’m going to take a shower and go to bed,” Nox says.

With Gage standing here I can’t offer to join Nox or ask him to come sleep in my bed. I smile and nod before watching him walk out of the room. 

 

 

Nox

I’m annoyed and distracted. I’ve been making stupid little mistakes all morning while I’ve been working with Madden.

“Everything okay?” Madden asks, eyeing me with concern.

“Fine,” I lie unconvincingly.

“Bullshit. Talk to me.”

I sigh and sink down into the chair by his desk. It would feel better to get a second opinion.

“Adam told me he loves me.”

Madden’s face lights up with a smile.

“That’s amazing, why do you look so bummed about it?” Then his face falls. “Oh no, do you not love him?”

“No, I do,” I hurry to explain.

“What’s the problem?”

“He said it during sex. So, I don’t know if it counts and it feels like, maybe…”

“You think he only likes you for sex?” Madden guesses.

“Exactly.”

“I can see why that would worry you,” Madden agrees and my heart sinks. “But, I think you’re reading the situation wrong. Adam’s not the type of guy to say something like that unless he means it.”

“He is the type to stay with someone for sex,” I point out. “Everyone talks about how awful Kira is and he was with her for years.”

“He wasn’t with her. He never took her on dates or let her spend the night in his bed. It’s different with you guys. I see the way he looks at you.”

“Oh.” The hurt I’d been carrying in my heart for days starts to thaw. “Oh.” It dawns on me this could mean Adam really loves me.

“Talk to him about it,” Madden suggests.

I nod and stand.

“Thank you.” I pull Madden in for a hug before going in search of Adam.

 

I find Adam in his office.

“Hey, can we talk for a second?”

“Of course.” He waves me in as he pushes back from his computer and stretches his neck. “Everything okay?”

“Something’s been bugging me for the past two days.”

Adam’s brows furrow and he opens his arms to welcome me to him.

“Come here, Bird, tell me what’s bothering you.”

I crawl into his lap and bury my face against the crook of his neck for a second, taking in his scent to calm my nerves.

“I love you Nox, you can tell me anything. Is this about the stalker bullshit? Or are you struggling with your addiction?”

“You love me?” I ask in awe.

“Of course, I do.”

“I thought…” I take a deep breath and blow it out before finally meeting his gaze. “I thought you were saying it because of sex the other night.”

Adam continues to look confused for several seconds before the problem dawns on him.

“Oh, Bird, no.” He clutches me harder. “I’m sorry I made you question it, but you mean so much to me. You, not your body and not for sex.”

A lump forms in my throat. How can this be real? How can a man like Adam feel that way about someone like me?

“What’s wrong?” Adam asks, tilting my chin up so I’m looking at him again.

“You can do better than me. Maybe you think you love me now, but eventually…”

“Lennox Dalton, listen to me right now.” His firm tone sends a thrill up my spine. “I will tell you this until you believe me, you are incredible. You might have had a hard start in life, but that’s what makes you so amazing. I love every scar and every blemish on your body, because they show your inconceivable strength. There are so many people out there who are fake and empty, they’re shallow. You have depth and substance. You manage to have a sense of humor and a bright outlook in the face of everything. You are my hero.”

“I love you,” is all I manage to choke out before nuzzling my face against his chest again.

Adam’s arms are a warm weight around me, anchoring me.

“Hey, I’m done with my stuff for the day. You want to get out of here?”

I nod against his shirt before pulling back.

“Okay, let me grab my bag and I’ll be ready to go.”

I slide off Adam’s lap and make my way to Adam’s workspace to get my stuff.

I pick up my messenger bag and the step comes loose, spilling the contents all over the floor.

“Damn,” I grumble as I bend down to pick everything up.

My heart stops as my hand lands on an item I definitely did not put in my bag.

As my luck would have it Adam chooses that exact moment to walk up behind me.

“I know how this looks but I swear on my life this isn’t what it looks like,” I rush to defend myself as the small baggy of white powder trembles in my hand. I want to fling it away, flush it down the toilet before it can tempt me.

“Whoa,” Adam moves close and puts his hand over mine to steady me, somehow expertly slipping the temptation away with a slight of hand trick. “I know you’re not using.”

“You do?”

“Of course. After I missed all the signs with Johnny it’s become something of an obsessive compulsive thing for me. You and I are together all the time, you never have unaccounted for disappearances, you don’t have mood swings, there aren’t any physical signs like dilated pupils.” He looks me in the eyes, the warmth of his hand on mine is anchoring and soothing. “Are you struggling? Is that what this is?”

“No, I swear that isn’t mine. I know that’s the most cliché thing to say, but I don’t know where those drugs came from.”

Adam furrows his brow and then something seems to slowly dawn on him.

“That fucking psycho skank,” he grits out before shoving the drugs in his pocket and storming out.

I jog after him trying to keep up.

“Who?” I ask when we reach his car.

“Fucking Kira. This has her fucking stink all over it,” Adam grits out, getting behind the wheel while I jump into the passenger seat.

“Oh my god, yeah she stopped by here last week. She spilled my bag and then picked everything up.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. She came to the front desk and sort of got in my face. She totally could’ve slipped something into my bag.”

Adam grumbles low in his throat.

“So, where are we going?”

“To tell Kira to cut the shit with those threatening notes. And...fuck!...she trashed my damn car.”

“Maybe you should take a few minutes to calm down before we go over there,” I suggest. I’ve never seen Adam so angry. He’s white knuckling the steering wheel and practically vibrating with rage.

 

Adam

I’m vibrating with rage. Destroying my car was one thing. Whatever, insurance paid for it to be fixed, life goes on. But planting drugs in Nox’s bag is over the fucking line. What if I hadn’t been there when he’d found them? It’s too soon to challenge his sobriety that way.

“I don’t need to calm down,” I argue back at Nox. “I need to find that crazy bitch and explain to her once and for all that I don’t want anything to do with her.”

Nox places a hand on my knee, which calms me measurably.

“I understand why you’re mad, but the last thing you need is an assault charge against a woman.”

“She’s not a woman, she’s a demon,” I grumble.

“I know, but she appears as a woman and if you tried to tell the police she was a demon you’d end up in the psyche ward.”

I chuckle and a little bit more tension eases out of my body.

“Fine, I promise not to punch her. Can I at least go tell her to back the fuck off?”

“Okay,” Nox agrees.

We ride in silence for the next few minutes as I drive the familiar route to Kira’s apartment.

When we pull up, Nox’s grip on my knee tightens for a second.

“Come on, this will be painless,” I assure him.

I buzz for Kira’s unit and a few seconds later her voice crackles through the intercom.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Adam.”

“I knew you’d come crawling back,” she says before the door buzzes to let me know it’s open.

“Maybe I will hit her after all,” I grit out as we head inside.

“Why don’t you let me talk?” Nox suggests, grabbing my arm to slow me down.

I turn to look at him and realize what it might mean to him to fight his own battle on this one.

“Okay, but if she’s a total cunt I might have to jump in.”

Nox nods in agreement and moves to take the lead.

I stand behind him as he knocks on the door. The way Kira’s expression morphs from seductive to irate as soon as she lays eyes on Nox is worth the trip alone.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to tell you to back off. Enough with the notes and the property destruction. Your little stunt with putting drugs in my bag didn’t work. So, you’ve had your fun, you’ve thrown your fit, now it’s time to leave Adam and I alone. Adam is my boyfriend, he’s never coming back to you.”

Kira’s face begins turning red and I know an epic meltdown is about to ensue.

Sure enough, she lets out an unholy snarl and whips her attention toward me.

“He can never make you happy like I could. He can’t love you like I do. He’ll never be able to give you children and build a life with you. He’s just a fuck toy.”

I surge forward and slam my hand against the door frame to release some of the white-hot rage coursing through me.

“You were the fuck toy,” I growl. “Don’t ever get that twisted. You were nothing and he is everything. And if I ever see your face again I’m getting a restraining order against you.”

Kira sniffles and then the waterworks begin.

“Adam, please,”

“We’re done here.” I grab Nox’s arm and pull him away. There’s no reasoning with Kira when she’s like this, but I think I might’ve finally gotten through to her. If not, the restraining order will have to be the next step.