Chapter 21
Zane
Maybe I should have gone after Dillon, but I couldn’t. Not yet. Not until I had everything I needed to put my bastard stepfather behind bars and keep her safe. There was no way in hell I was putting her in the middle of this. I had to finish what she’d started, not just to save my ass, but to show her that I believed in her.
Kade knew what I was doing when I said all those things about my relationship with Dillon, and he’d called me out on my bullshit, but I never meant what I said, or expected her to overhear any of it.
Anger at the injustice of everything boiled just under the surface. I wanted to punch something. Anything. Mainly my asshole stepfather, but I would settle for a wall right now.
How did I go from an uncaring asshole to this in a matter of weeks? Dillon meant everything to me and I couldn’t wait to tell her. If she’d pick up her damn phone I would start. Last night had scared the shit out of me because I wanted so much more. It was the first time I could see myself opening up to someone. Now I wanted everything. Kade was right, I was pushing her away without even realizing it.
Now she was gone.
And I didn’t know if I would ever get her to listen to me again. I grabbed my cell phone out my pocket again and sent a text to the only person that might be able to help me. As I waited, I laid back on the bed and tried not to breathe deeper to take in more of Dillon’s floral scent that still clung to the sheets. It was too much. I couldn’t stay lying there, wishing she was coming back. I knew she wasn’t.
There was a knock on my door a few minutes later. Savannah peeked her head in and closed the door behind her when she saw me on the edge of the bed with my head hanging in my hands. I was such a fucking mess right now and as much as I didn’t want anyone to see me like this, I needed the help more. She walked to the bed and sat down next to me.
“Why did she leave?” she asked softly.
It surprised me, because I expected tough love, not this side of her. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
“It’s a long story.”
“We’ve got time.” She took my hand in hers and squeezed once. Giving me the courage I needed.
So I told her the whole sordid story. I explained how Dillon had started an investigation into ESEC and how all fingers pointed back to me, but when she dug deeper things weren’t exactly what they seemed. And how Dillon had finally confided in me about what was going on and I’d reacted like a fucking idiot. Then I told Savannah that I was in love with Dillon. I opened up about making love with her and that I was finally ready to admit that I wanted more than just sex and having some brainless bimbo on my arm week after week. And finally, I laughed humorlessly as I explained the conversation with Kade and what Dillon had overheard was my last ditch attempt at self preservation.
Savannah was quiet when I finished. I didn’t blame her. It was a lot to digest, but I needed some kind of response. Good or bad it didn’t matter. I just needed her to help me, give me some kind of hope for the future.
“Zane, if you love her why didn’t you stop her? You could have tried harder to make her listen to you.”
I winced. “I wanted to. God I wanted to, but I just…couldn’t.”
“You’re scared.”
“Terrified,” I whispered. “Among other things, but yeah, I’m scared as hell that I’m going to lose her.” I sucked in a breath. “And now I’ve ruined your honeymoon. This was supposed to be your perfect wedding and I’ve fucked it all up with my drama. Justin is going to be pissed.”
She waved me off. “I left Justin in a sex dazed coma. He’ll be fine for the next few hours while we talk about this. Zane, you haven’t fucked anything up. We’ve been friends for how long?”
“Ten years.”
“Ten long years and I’ve never once seen you look at anyone the way you look at Dillon. If you didn’t come to me with this I would’ve been pissed at you.” She was quiet for a minute. “I get that you’re scared, but sometimes there’s some pretty damn good payoff when you get over that fear. You and your brother are more alike than you know.”
She stared down at the rings on her left hand. My brother had been terrified of commitment and marriage, but somehow Savannah had helped him realize how stupid he was being and what he’d be giving up if he let her go.
“There’s no way to fix this is there?” I asked.
She pulled me into a side hug. “There is, we just have to figure it out. Do you have proof that David is setting you up?”
I shook my head. I knew where it was though and damn it I was going to get it. When it was all turned over to the police I wasn’t sure how that particular situation would go since it wasn’t exactly legal how I planned to get it, but first I had to get Dillon listen to me.
Savannah tapped her lips with her nails. “Dillon needs to write this story, and it has to go national. It can’t be some little article that’s swept under the rug with local news and politicians that can be bought off. We can’t risk you going down for any of David’s shit.”
“I wanted to tell her that I knew where to look to get what she needed once the weekend was over. I wanted this time for us. That was obviously a mistake,” I muttered.
She arched a brow and narrowed her lips. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. She has some trust issues of her own—not that I blame her for leaving after what she heard—but you’ve both made mistakes.” She patted my arm again. “Truth or dare?”
Now I was the one giving her a funny look. “Dare.”
“I dare you to go tell Dillon you love her.”
* * *
Six hours later I was standing in front of her door, knocking loudly and waiting for her neighbors to start calling the cops on me. I called out her name again and my head thunked against the hard wood as I waited for someone—anyone—to answer the door. She either wasn’t home, or she was avoiding me. I didn’t blame her for that. Hell, I would avoid me too if I could.
I never should have let her leave without explaining things, I thought for the millionth time that day.
“Baby, if you’re here, please open the door.”
The door wrenched open, causing me to trip inside the apartment. Hands gripped my shoulders tugging me back up to my feet. Instead of Dillon staring me down with her adorable mad face it was Jake.
And he looked fucking pissed.
“Thank God. Do you know where Dillon is? I have to—”
I never saw his fist coming—until I was laid out on the floor of her entryway. Fucker punched hard too. My jaw ached and I wondered if the side of my face was broken. Kade would have to fix me. And shit, wasn’t this guy a cop? He wasn’t supposed to be punching civilians, not that I didn’t deserve it for upsetting his sister.
“Stay the hell away from Dillon.”
I tried to sit up, but the room was still spinning so I laid back down. “I have what she needs to finish her story.”
Jake came into my vision from above me. “What are you talking about?”
Of course he was going to play dumb.
“She told me before we left for Niagara Falls. I brought her some of the things she couldn’t get on her own.”
He ran a hand over his face. “Why do I think there’s more to the story than either one of you have told me?”
“Because there is,” I huffed out. He glared at me, but I ignored him and attempted to sit up again. This time I was able to lean back against the wall. I ran a hand over my jaw. “I know you’re just protecting your sister, but fuck Jake. I’m a neurosurgeon. Do you even realize the damage you can do when someone punches as hard as you do?”
He folded his arms over his chest. “Start talking or I’ll do it again.”
I cracked my jaw and rested my head against the sheetrock behind me. “I’m in love with Dillon. She heard me say some things that weren’t…correct, but I thought would protect me in the long run. I was wrong.”
He offered his hand to help me get up off the floor. “You couldn’t have told her this before she ran out of your house?”
I took the offered hand and drug myself up off the floor. Jake nodded for me to follow him to the kitchen. It took a lot of restraint not to look over at the spot where I’d fucked his sister the night I caught her baking cookies. He really didn’t need to know about that or I would probably be back on the floor.
“She didn’t give me much of a chance.”
He pulled two glasses out of the cabinet and found a bottle of Dillon’s Glenlivit. I took the offered glass and raised it in a silent toast. “It took you a long damn time to get here if you’re so in love with her.”
“It took forever to get a flight out of NFS since it was the middle of the night, not to mention I had to explain to my mom why I was bailing on our family weekend. I came straight here from the airport. Where is Dillon?”
He ignored my question. “So what was your plan genius? Come here and explain everything to D? Expect her to fall in your arms and forgive you for being such a dick?”
“Nothing is ever that easy with your sister,” I muttered. “I hadn’t really come up with a plan. I just wanted to find her and talk to her, try to get her to listen.”
He grinned. “Glad to see she isn’t making it easy on you, Turner.”
“Your sister is the most stubborn, most amazing woman I’ve ever met in my life. She’s impossible, but I’m head over heels in love with her. Please, I’m begging you Jake, tell me where she is.”
He studied me for a few minutes.
“Please, I have to make things right with her.” Apparently I wasn’t above begging for his help either.
Jake took a sip of his whiskey and cocked his head to the side, considering his options. “If you hurt her again I’ll make that last punch look like a kiss on the cheek. Got me?”
I nodded.
“Did Dillon ever tell you about the family cottage in South Carolina?”
“The one on Pawley’s Island?” I asked.
He looked impressed. “That’s the one. She must like you more than she let on. I don’t think she’s mentioned that place since before our mom died.”
“That’s where she is?” I demanded, my impatience getting the best of me.
“Yeah, but I can’t guarantee she’s going to listen to you.”
I glared at him. “Look, I know I fucked up, but I’m not Travis.”
He looked at me incredulously. “She really did like you if she told you about him.”
“I just want a chance to talk to her,” I said with less venom this time.
Jake reached over and grabbed a notepad. I watched him write down an address. “That’s where she is, but you might want to give her a day or two to cool off. She’s hurt right now and not thinking straight. She quit her job.”
“Why in the hell did she do that?”
He stared at me for a few seconds. “The way she sees it, she ruined her integrity as an investigative journalist because she fell in love with you.”
I held back the smile that was trying to take over my face.
She loves me.
I didn’t realize how terrified I was that she wouldn’t love me back until Jake admitted to me that she was in love with me. I needed to find a flight out of Georgia.
“Thank you, Jake. I promise I’ll take care of her.”
He smirked. “If she’ll let you.”
I chuckled and swirled the drink around in my glass. “You’re right, if she’ll let me.”