AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ChapterTen
Journey stormed into their bedroom and wanted to slam the door in Laz’s face, but she refrained. Her husband had done plenty of crap to anger her over the years, but today, the way he’d been treating her was unacceptable.
She paced the length of their bedroom twice to calm herself. It wasn’t working. Not even the soft lighting from the bedside table lamps and the tranquil blue-gray walls could soothe her tattered nerves. By the time Laz walked in, she had hoped to have quieted the angry thoughts running through her mind.
Instead, she wanted to knock some sense into her husband.
But when she swung around to face him, some of her anger drifted out of her like air from a balloon. Her big, strong man was hunched forward slightly and clearly in pain. His long, dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, giving her a clear view of his pale face and pinched features.
Without a word, he shuffled past her and sat in an overstuffed chair near the windows. The blinds were drawn, and he didn’t bother turning on the lamp perched on the small table between the chairs. It was semi-dark in that corner, but there was just enough light in the room for her to see him watching her.
“I hate this,” she mumbled, unsure what part she hated the most. The fact that they were fighting or the fact that he wasn’t himself tonight.
She wanted so badly to sit in his lap and wrap her arms around him—something she did often, but she couldn’t. Unless she wanted her ass to end up on the carpeted floor because she had a feeling that that was where he’d dump her if she tried to snuggle up to him. He might be in serious pain, but the way he was glaring at her with his beautiful hazel-green eyes told her he was ready for a fight.
“I’m sorry, all right?” Journey said. “God knows I wish I was there to….”
“No.” Laz shook his head. “I’m glad you weren’t at the scene. I have never been as afraid as I was, knowing there was a chance that Arielle could’ve been hit by a bullet. I can’t even explain that type of fear, but it would’vekilled mehad you been there and in danger. I wouldn’t have been able to handle it.”
Her heart flipped inside of her chest. She had no doubt that he would’ve done the same thing he did—fight to get to her and make sure she was safe. With him sharing that information with so much emotion in his tone, she knew their love for each other was stronger than any disagreement they could ever have.
Yet, the tension between them was proof that it took more than love to keep a marriage together.
“Laz—”
“I just wanted you to be there when I needed you the most—aftereverything went down. Arielle was inconsolable, and hearing the fear in her cries….” His words trailed off, and Journey thought he was done talking, but then he said, “I needed you.”
His voice cracked, and he rubbed his hand over his mouth and down his beard. He laid his head back and closed his eyes.
The guilt Journey had experienced earlier was back with a vengeance, stabbing her in the chest.
“You’re my everything, which is why this shit we’re going through is hard as hell,” Laz bit out, emotion clogging his throat.
“I messed up,” Journey admitted and dropped down in the opposite chair. “I put the job first when I promised you that I’d take today off. I’m sorry. I am so sorry you guys couldn’t find me.”
She didn’t bother explaining how important her case was or how their key witness was dead, while some of the other witnesses were running scared. At the moment, none of that mattered, and Laz had heard it all before with different cases, which made her feel even worse.
“I love you more than anything in this world,” she said, not bothered by the fact that his eyes were still closed. “I know lately it doesn’t seem like it, but it’s true. Thing is, though, I’ll be damned if I let you talk to me any kind of way like you did today.”
He opened his eyes, but kept his head back and stared at the ceiling. When he didn’t speak, Journey stood and started pacing again. This time she shortened the distance and paced back and forth in front of the chairs.
“Now, let’s discuss what you said downstairs,” she continued. “I’m a grown woman, Laz. You might be my husband, and normally, I go along with what you say.”
He made a sound that resembled a grunt but didn’t say anything more.
Journey fought a smile. “Okay, maybe I don’t go along withanythingwithout pushback, but I trust your judgment more than anyone’s in this world. That said, though, I can’t do my job with security following me around.”
“It’s non-negotiable, Jay,” he said just above a whisper, exhaustion dripping from every word. It was a good sign that he was calling her by the nickname he’d given her. “I need to know that you’re protected while the guys and I figure out what the hell is going on.”
Journey listened and knew she would be wasting her time arguing this subject. Besides, she didn’t want him worrying about her while trying to figure out who had ambushed him earlier. “Fine, but the guys have to do what I say and not scare my witnesses away.”
Silence.
She’d take that as a win.
“Secondly, I understand why you want to keep Arielle close. If I could, I’d hold her and never let her go, but she’ll be safe with my dad in Florida. If we have to, we can hire security to go with them. Either way, I think she should go. Also, Gen said that she and Myles are letting Collin go with them. We have to let Arielle go on this trip.”
More silence.
