The initial messages had started as worry, but then Jane said,Hell. Even if she was that drunk (which none of us believe), can we talk about Alex Chase swooping in to rescue her like that?
Leigh sent an eye roll emoji.Yes. His forearms looked delicious, Frederick. More importantly, honey will you let us know you’re okay when you can? If you need somewhere to go, I can make up the couch. No one will look for you with a bunch of old ladies.
Who you callin old?was Jane’s response.
Leigh sent another eye roll emoji.
I thought about her offer, about how nice it would be to crawl into her maternal protection and hide until this got better. But it wasn’t just the press I would be hiding from. I needed to face this thing with Alex.
I texted,Thanks for checking on me. We can’t set the story straight for a few days, but they’ve got it all under control. I’m going to hide out with Alex for now, but appreciate your offer more than you’ll ever know.
Get it, girl, was Jane’s response.
Leigh sent an eggplant, a peach, and a flame. It was my turn to send an eye roll.
“Where did you have in mind?” I asked Alex. It was difficult to imagine there was anywhere we could go right now and not be noticed.
“Joshua Tree. It’s only a few hours from here.”
“That sounds suspiciously like you want me to go camping with you. I’m not really a sleep in a tent kind of girl.”
He shook his head. “No tents. Scout’s honor.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I swear you won’t have to sleep in a tent. Joshua Tree is…special to me. I want to share it with you.” He looked into my eyes as he said it, like he was trying to make sure I knew it was important.
“Goddammit. Okay, fine. I’ll go.”
He beamed. “You stay here and get ready. I’ll run home and grab my stuff and pick you back up on the way.
And that was how I found myself driving in his truck to do something outdoorsy for the first time since I’d been a kid.
I hated nature. My feelings about Alex Chase were more complicated.
34
Alex
Ilooked over at Elena in the passenger seat and couldn’t help grinning. She’d sashayed past the waiting photographers to my truck in an immaculate white blouse, flowing skirt, elegant wide brimmed hat, and wedge sandals. She looked like she was heading to a photo shoot instead of a national park, but she was here and that was what mattered.
I was still stunned she’d agreed to come. This couldn’t be any more out of her comfort zone. She wasn’t in control, hadn’t prepped ahead of time, and didn’t know what to expect. But it was still going to be a disaster if she hated it.
She looked at something on her phone, sighed heavily, and put it down again. I wished I had Lucas Steel’s powers to see to it that anyone who wronged her met a slow, painful end. It wasn’t a lesson she’d meant to teach me, but I now had a clear understanding of why he would melt the minds of the warlords who kidnapped Freya, before delivering their heads as an apology gift.
Instead of scaring the hell out of her by telling her that, I said, “Asha warned you not to look. You can’t control it right now anyway, so looking is only going to make you feel shitty.”
“It’s horrible. I know this is what I signed up for, but living it feels different from imagining it.”
“Tell me about it.” She didn’t smile at my joke. “I promise we’ll make it right.”
“Some of it.” She sighed.
We reached the entrance of the park a few hours later and I kept glancing over to see her reaction. As we drove through the stark desert filled with nothing but giant rocks and weirdly shaped Joshua trees, she finally spoke. “No wonder my friends like coming here to do hallucinogenic drugs. It looks like we’ve stepped into a Dr. Seuss book. It’s stunning.”
I let out a breath.
I eventually turned into the Jumbo Rocks campground and found the spot I’d managed to book from a last-minute cancellation. It was tucked deep in against the rocks, so it felt secluded and private despite being in the campground.
