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My mind goes crazy with everything that could be going on. He could be telling her a shitstorm of things about her mother, the gruesome details about her father, or convincing her that she needs to leave the lodge. He wasn’t happy she was here all week.
I chew at the inside of my cheek, trying to stop my teeth from grinding together. If this fucker is running wild again, I’m going to lose my fucking shit.
Sure enough, three feet into the hallway, Oakley is sitting in a chair by the window crying and Axel is leaned against the wall beside her.
If anyone ever described me as a kind, gentle man, they were wrong. I do my best to play by the rules, but it’s a lot of effort. Unfortunately, what comes easy is rage and vengeance against those who hurt my family.
I grab Axel by the back of his shirt and slam him against the back wall. My nostrils flare, my lips flatten, and my pulse races through me at top speeds. “What the fuck are you saying to her?”
“She saw the—”
“It’s not her, asshole. It’s you. What the fuck are you saying to her?”
“It’s my fault.” Oakley stands from the window seat and reaches out for me, softening the jagged edge of intensity that’s coursing through my body. “I saw he left his laptop out and there was a note flagged about me.” She cries harder, backing onto a bench as though she can’t stand anymore. “It was wrong, but the need to know overwhelmed me, and I…”
My mouth goes dry as I turn toward her, my attention no longer on Axel whomaybeisn’t as bad as I thought. “What’s going on? What did you find?”
She drags in a deep breath and looks toward me with a glassy gaze. “My mom died seventeen years ago. It’s public record. Nothing is hidden.”
Fucking Christ. “Was there a reason of death listed?”
Oakley buries her face against my waist and cries harder. I glance toward Axel.
“We were coming to tell you, man. I was just trying to get her stable. This all happened less than five minutes ago.”
“What happened?” My tone is biting, and though I know in reality none of this is Axel’s fault, I hate that I wasn’t here for Oakley when she got the news. “What’s the cause of death?”
Axel stiffens and crosses his arms over his shoulder. “Maybe Oakley should—”
“No. I can’t even say it,” she mumbles as she buries her face into my shirt. Fucking hell. If her asshole father wasn’t already on the chopping block, I’d go out there and kill him myself.
Axel stares down at the ground, then glances up at me. “Cause of death was blunt force trauma. Records say she fell down a flight of stairs heading into a canning basement… accidentally.”
Oakley cries harder and I wrap her tighter.
“Thanks, man. Go ahead for dinner. I’ll—”
“That’s not all.” He swallows hard and looks away, biting the inside of his lip. “When I was doing an address search, a new death certificate populated.”
My brows wrinkle. “What?”
Axel blows out a breath. “Her father. About a week ago, he was outside shooting his gun off and tripped, falling into the same canning cellar. They’re thinking he was out late and was discovered the next morning by staff. He suffered the kind of wounds that you would expect from a car crash on his way down.”
Maybe relief shouldn’t be washing over me, but it is.
Oakley stares up at me, blows out a heavy breath, and stands. “That’s why we didn’t hear any more shots that night or why no one has coming looking for me.”
“What are you feeling?” I hold her against my chest, desperate to make all of this okay again.
She stares ahead and then down at the baby boy growing inside of her. “I’m thinking that my mother sent you to me, Knight. I’m thinking that after all these years of believing she’d left me, she was there when I needed her most. She came back and made sure I had what I needed to raise this baby boy.” Tears well in her eyes. “And what I need is you.”
I lean down and kiss the top of her head, sucking in the soft scent of lavender in her hair. “All I need is you, cupcake. Should we get you something to eat or do you want to lay down for a bit?”
She blows out a heavy breath. “I think I’ll lay down for a bit. I was sneaking food with May all morning, anyway. You should go try the street corn. It’s so good.”
“I’m not leaving you alone.”
Axel lands his hand on my shoulder. “I’ll bring some food to the room for you guys. You take care of your girl.”
