Toxic (Book Three of the Twisted Series 3)

by Emily Rose

  Jaxson had lied to me, which told me that whatever it was that he was lying to me about had to involve me.

  And I would find out exactly what the fuck it was. I just hoped I figured it out before it was too late.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ray

  “Why do you need Saturday off?” Anna asked as we refilled the stack of to-go cups that afternoon.

  I groaned, “Because my mother has decided to get married and she wants to do it this weekend. I’m assuming that means Saturday, but it could mean Friday. I need to leave Thursday to head to Palm Bay,” I said.

  Anna stopped stocking and looked at me quizzically. “I thought you and your mom didn’t talk very much?”

  “We didn’t, but she went through rehab. That’s where she met my new stepdad apparently,” I said.

  She blinked in surprise. “Well, I mean that’s good, but are you sure you want to go down this path with your mom?”

  “No, but I feel like I should at least try,” I said honestly and opened more cups before I placed them accordingly on the counter.

  “Ok, well you have been a great worker, so I’ll let you have those days off, but only if you can cover for Seth next Friday. I know that’s normally your day off, but he’s taking off and I can’t handle this place on my own,” she said.

  I cringed. “Well, I have class that day and it’s a long day.”

  Anna groaned, “Ok, ok. I forgot school started back up. I will figure it out. Don’t worry about it. Just take the time you need, and we can figure out next week when it gets here.”

  I smiled. “Thank you. That helps me so much.”

  She shrugged, “Whatever. You’re like a stepdaughter to me. I will do what I can. I know I won’t be able to do that every time, but I can work around it this time.”

  I really did appreciate Anna. I sat the cups down and leaned over to give her a quick hug, “You’re the best,” I said before I pulled back.

  She waved me off. “Whatever. I’m just a dirty old lady that needs to get laid.”

  I laughed, “I did not need to know that.”

  Anna wiggled her eyebrows and nudged me with her hip, “Oh, come on. Like you haven’t been getting laid by that hot husband of yours.”

  And there went my happy moment. Anna realized it too, because she gasped and sat the cups she had been holding down as if she were getting ready for a juicy story and needed the extra hands. “What the hell did he do?” she asked.

  I loved the way she was willing to take on Miles without hesitation. Like she could take him down with her pinky. Miles was, well, scary at times.

  “Uh, well, he kind of went on a road trip,” I said.

  She looked confused, so I went on.

  “With another woman from his past that I know nothing about, but he claimed it he knew her brother and owed him for something. I don’t know. I’m still trying to figure it all out,” I said.

  Anna popped her knuckles. “Oh, that boy better not let me catch him in here trying to order a coffee. I will not hesitate to throw that shit right at his dick and balls, making sure it was piping hot.”

  I cringed, because that sounded painful even to me. “Uh, please don’t do that. I would like for him to continue to have working male parts.”

  She groaned. “Fine, I just won’t serve him then.”

  “That’s better, I guess. At least his naughty bits won’t be harmed that way,” I said with a laugh.

  Anna didn’t seem to agree with this, but she dropped the subject of Miles’ male parts and went on with the rest of the conversation, “So, other than your asshole husband taking off with another chick that you don’t know anything about, is there any other juicy news I’m missing out on.”

  I thought about that. There was so much I couldn’t tell Danny or Rachel for obvious reasons, but I could tell Anna. She never saw them, and she wouldn’t share the information anyway, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to put words to what I was thinking at this very moment.

  “Oh, now you have to tell me,” she said, noticing my hesitation.

  I sighed heavily. “I don’t know how to say it.”

  Anna pulled out the barstool that sat behind the counter and sat down on it. “Well, I’m an expert with words, so just tell me what it is and I’m sure I can figure it out.”

  I looked at her. I could see Anna like a mother even though she acted more like someone my age. I knew I could trust her and that made me feel like I could tell her…everything. Even if I wasn’t sure what it meant.

  I took a deep breath. “Ok, this is going to sound all kinds of messed up,” I said and then checked her expression, but it didn’t tell me anything, so I went on. “I had a moment. It was weird, and I don’t really know what to think of it,” I said.

  Anna lifted her eyebrows, “A moment? With who?”

  “That’s the weird part. It was Miles’ best friend,” I said shamefully.

  It wasn’t until I spoke the words that I realized that moment Jaxson and I had shared at Twisted was real. It really happened and that scared me so much, especially after last night’s events.

  He was now my best friend’s ex-boyfriend.

  Guilt ate away at me, because even though I hadn’t done anything wrong by talking to him, sharing that moment with him just wasn’t right. It wasn’t supposed to happen. I had known Jaxson for so long and other than the moment we shared when he had asked me to dance, I couldn’t think of a single thing that made it seem like he was more than just a friend.

  Until the other night.

  I had touched him. Not in the way I would touch Miles, but I had touched him.

  “Oh fuck!” Anna said.

  I blinked at her, shocked to hear such a strong word drop out of her mouth, but she was right. I might not be able to put words together to figure it out, but Anna could.

  And “oh fuck,” was hitting the nail right on the head.

  “Yeah…” I said.

  “What do you mean by moment? Like what happened?” she asked.

  I sighed and leaned against the counter. “Well, he was leaning against the wall and I just, I don’t know, I saw him there. I thought something was off about him- “

  Anna stopped me there. “Wait, something was off?”

  I nodded, “Yeah, like he didn’t look well. He was pale and tired looking, so I was concerned. I reached up and felt his forehead. I know that sounds totally harmless and it might be, but it was the way he had looked at me when I did it,” I said as I thought back to the way his eyes had changed when my skin touched his and then the way he had told Danny that we weren’t talking about anything, when we were really talking about shit I never thought I’d share with him.

  “Hmm, do you think he likes you?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “Nope. There’s no way that’s it. He knows I’m married and plus, he knows Miles way too well for that. They’re like brothers from different mothers. He wouldn’t do that.”

  Anna arched an eyebrow at me. “Are you sure? Brothers sometimes cross each other.”

  I refused to believe that. Jaxson and Miles would never let that happen. “No, not them. They might cross anyone that messes with either one of them or their families, but not each other.”

  “You honestly believe that?” she asked.

  I nodded. “I do.”

  “So, if you believe it, then why is this bothering you so much?” she asked.

  I opened my mouth to answer, but then closed it when I realized I didn’t have an answer. I wasn’t sure why this was bothering me. I mean I was friends with Jaxson too. It was only natural that I would share things with him and be concerned for his well being, especially since he was currently still in love with my best friend. They might have ended things, but their love for each other wasn’t over. I knew that, because I had seen how broken Danny was this morning.

  She still loved him, even if she didn’t want to let herself be with him.

  “Ok, let me ask this instead,” Anna said and then
scooted off the barstool to stand in front of me, “Do you care about this guy?” she asked.

  “I love Miles,” I said firmly.

  Anna sighed, “I know, I know. I’m not asking about him. I’m asking about his friend.”

  I was very careful with my answer. “I care about him, yeah. Like I care if he dies or not.”

  “Ok, good, we’re getting somewhere now. So, next question, what did you feel when you touched him or when he looked at you? Did you feel anything?” she asked.

  For whatever reason, her question brought on a chill that made its way down my spine and I must have not hidden it very well, because Anna spoke.

  “Oh shit,” she said.

  I shook my head. “No, no! That was so not what it looked like. I mean, I felt like we had shared a very important moment, but I didn’t feel anything else.”

  “You sure?”

  I nodded. “Yes, I’m positive.”

  I didn’t want to believe what my body seemed to be telling me. I didn’t want to think that was even possible. That couldn’t be possible right?

  But her question had caused a reaction, one I couldn’t even begin to understand. It wasn’t like the way I had felt when Miles touched me or looked at me for the first time in “that way,” but it was weird.

  No, I couldn’t see myself feeling anything like that with Jaxson. There was no possible way.

  Nope. None.

  “You need to be sure,” Anna said and then grabbed my shoulders, “Because baby girl, love is tough and sometimes we get lonely during it. Don’t mistake loneliness for something it’s not,” she said.

  That struck a nerve. One I didn’t even know I had until that moment.

  “Talk to your husband about this situation and forget about the dumb moment you shared with his friend, because it’s the right thing to do,” she said.

  I nodded. Leave it to Anna to put me right in my place.

  “Ok. I’ll talk to him,” I said.

  *

  After our conversation, I had spent the rest of the day tending to customers and restocking everything. Before I knew it, my shift was over, and I was walking out the door into the evening air. I could hear the crickets singing their songs as I pulled Danny’s car keys out of my purse.

  It was after seven, which was my favorite part of the day. I loved the time between when the sun started going down and nightfall. I breathed in the fresh air and caught a scent of freshly cut grass, one of my favorite things about summer. It made me sad that it would be over soon. I hated winter with a passion.

  I reached Danny’s car and unlocked the door. When I got in, I started it and rolled the windows down, so some of the summer air could blow in. Next, I pulled my phone out and connected it to the Bluetooth stereo Danny had got a few months back. I couldn’t believe this damn car was still running after this long, but the fucker refused to die.

  Once my phone was connected, I scrolled through Pandora until I found a song I wanted. I clicked on “In the Summer” by Chris Webby ft. Merkules and turned up the volume until the doors vibrated. I smiled and put the car in gear before I backed out of the parking lot and headed back across town. I sung along with the lyrics as the air drifted in through the windows, tangling my hair in the process.

  I didn’t care. I was having “me” time and it felt so nice. I let my voice reach an all-time high as I drove, but there was no one around to laugh at me, so I felt good about doing it. I was halfway through the song when it suddenly got cut off by a incoming phone call.

  I groaned and looked at the name that popped up on the radio.

  Jax, it read.

  I sighed and then pressed the button on the display to answer. “Hello?” I said inside the cab.

  His voice came through the speakers. He had always had a deep voice, but the car speakers made it sound even deeper. “Hey, I didn’t catch you at work, did I?” he asked.

  I laughed. “No, you just caught me in the middle of singing and totally ruining my moment of fame.”

  To my surprise, Jaxson laughed. He laughed. “Well, shit. I wish I could have heard that.”

  “No, you don’t. You will never hear that,” I said, and I couldn’t stop the grin that had crossed my face at the sound of his laughter. It was a nice thing to hear, no matter who it was.

  “Aww, come on,” he teased.

  “Nope, not happening. Miles hasn’t even been able to hear me sing. There’s no way I’m going to let you hear it,” I said.

  “So…” he said.

  “Jaxson,” I scolded.

  “What?”

  “I’m not letting you hear me sing when I haven’t even let my husband hear me sing. It just doesn’t seem right. Like I don’t even feel right talking to you right now after what happened last night,” I said.

  “So, because I’m your best friend’s ex-boyfriend, you are going to start avoiding me now?” he asked.

  I took a deep breath. “I thought about it.”

  “I’m also your husband’s best friend and he asked me to watch out for you. That will be hard to do if you’re constantly avoiding me,” he said.

  That was so very true.

  “I know. Let’s just change the subject, okay? What did you need?” I asked as I flipped on my blinker and turned down Miles’ street.

  “When are you coming to pick your car up?” he asked.

  I groaned, “Shit, I keep forgetting it’s there. I’ll have to figure it out. I doubt Danny will drive me over there to get it.”

  “I can come pick you up,” he said.

  I bit my lip. He could, and I could just drive my car back, but I wasn’t all that sure about him coming to Miles’ house to pick me up with Danny there.

  God, their breakup has really made things harder between everyone.

  “Can you stop at the end of Miles’ road? I don’t want Danny to see you picking me up. The last thing I need is for her to start thinking something crazy,” I said.

  He chuckled deeply. “What? Like me and you are messing around?”

  My face heated at that thought. What the fuck…

  “Uh, yeah, that would be really bad, especially since I’m married too,” I said.

  Jaxson laughed, but he dropped the subject, which I was thankful for. “I’ll park down the road. When do you want me to come pick you up?”

  I eased into the driveway of Miles’s and put the car in park. “Uh, give me about ten minutes and then you can head this way.”

  “Alright, and I talked to Miles earlier. He told me to tell you that he really needs to talk to you,” he said.

  I glared at nothing. “I bet he does.”

  “Hey now, don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just giving you the message, because I said I would,” he said.

  “Yeah, thanks. I’ll see you in a little bit.”

  “You’re welcome,” he responded before the line went dead.

  I sat in the car for what felt like forever and then finally shut it off. I grabbed my purse and pulled it over my shoulder as I got out and headed inside.

  When I came through the door, it was dark, and I realized that Danny must be still asleep. I sat my purse on the counter and Danny’s keys. I headed to the bedroom then and eased the door open. That was when I saw Danny sitting on the bed, completely wide-awake, watching TV, and eating popcorn.

  Shit.

  I sighed and walked inside the room. “Hey.”

  She jumped, spilling popcorn everywhere, “Damn, you scared me. I didn’t hear you come in.”

  I laughed, “Yeah, the door was unlocked. You should be more careful.”

  I wasn’t sure how I was going to explain changing clothes, but I couldn’t really think about it. I walked over to the dresser where I pulled it open, grabbing some sleep shorts and a tank top. I stripped and then put the clean clothes on, leaving my work clothes on the floor.

  Danny didn’t bother asking since I hadn’t changed into anything unusual for this time of night. I left her in the bedroom and went back i
nto the living room.

  I stood there a minute, debating on the best way to do this. It felt so weird, because I wasn’t trying to sneak around. I just knew Danny wasn’t in any position to hear that I was meeting up with Jax, even if it was just to pick up my car. I felt bad, but at the same time, she had to understand that I was friends with him too.

  I took a deep breath, grabbed my phone and house key. I knew if I was going to do this, I just had to do it and if that meant explaining it later, then okay.

  “I’ll be back!” I yelled and then hurried out the door.

  I heard her ask me where I was going a second before the door slammed shut. I closed my eyes and pulled my shoulders up at the sound. I felt so bad, but I had to get my car.

  She wasn’t going to take me over there and Miles wasn’t here to do it. I could always ask Rachel or Kevin, but then I would have to explain why Danny wasn’t doing it. I wasn’t sure either one of them knew about the shit that had gone down between her and Jax, but I wasn’t about to be the one to break the news.

  I pushed these thoughts aside as I headed down the driveway, bypassing Danny’s and Miles’ car, and taking the sidewalk that would lead to the end of the road. It wasn’t far to the end, so it didn’t take long before I saw Jax’s Dodge Challenger parked against the curb, the park lights the only indication that it was still running.

  I couldn’t even see inside the damn thing due to the tinted windows, but I could hear the bass from whatever song he was listening to as I continued toward it.

  When I reached the passenger side, I took a deep breath before I opened the door and heard the music as it blared around me as I got in.

  I looked sideways at him.

  Jaxson looked like he had just rolled out of bed. His hair was messy, he wore sweatpants and a simple black T-shirt. He returned my gaze.

  “What the hell are you listening to?” I asked over the music.

  He grinned and nodded toward the radio, which showed the song title and artist name. “One Question” by E-Dubble was what I read.

  I listened to the lyrics and my eyes widened. “Oh, wow.”