Read Online OtherSide Of Fear (Outside The Ropes #3) by Ashley Claudy - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ashley Claudy
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things I know nothing of. You would have been born already when I met your mom. He was just someone she was dating, and he didn’t stick around very long once she got the job with me.”
“That’s when she met Nikolai, right? At the restaurant?”
She reached for the bottle, but stopped herself at the mention of Nikolai. I had only questioned about him because she had brought him up earlier. Obviously she knew things, I wanted to find out what.
“Right.” She rose from her seat, chair dragging over the tile floor. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed. It’s been a long day, with a lot of sun.” She looked down at me with a shaky smile. “Good night and have a safe flight since I won’t see you in the morning.”
“I was raised in eight different homes.”
“What?” her ponytail swung as her head shook, but she sank back into the chair.
I took a deep breath, stilling the storm in my stomach. “I wasn’t raised by anyone I knew or that knew Angela. I was in foster care.”
“That’s awful. Well good thing you’ve found my son, you’ve got a family now with us—however crazy we may be.” Her smile seemed genuine, but I waved it away.
“I was saying that so you’d understand. I was asking questions because I don’t know anything about her really or who she was with,” my throat was closing up, but I forced out the words, “or who my father could be.”
“And that makes it even worse that I was just talking.” She leaned closer to me over the table. “Hun, I don’t really know anything. That was a bad time for me and I’m afraid I pulled Angela right into it with me. When I said we were friends, I guess I should have said we were users. We mostly got high together, until she left to go work for Nikolai and I stayed at the restaurant. I really didn’t know her for very long.” Her chest was rising and falling with her heavy breathing and she leaned back in the chair. “I’m sorry. That’s a time that’s hard for me to think about, a time when I completely lost myself, and it took a long time to find my way back to me.” She stood up. “There’s nothing I can tell you anyways, except you don’t want to know any of those people. Gage may remind me of his father, but he’s different. I know he is.” With those cryptic words, she nearly ran from the room.
I replayed the conversation in my head, over and over, but all I knew was that I wanted to find out more about Jared. And more about Gage’s father, Aaron.
***
As the airplane taxied around the runway, I prepared myself to meet Gage. I lined up everything I wanted to say like little soldiers going into battle. He was going to talk, I would make sure of that.
I had entertained the idea of staying with Dexter and not coming home, but I needed answers. I needed to try one last time.
Gage waiting at the luggage return gave me an odd sense of relief, at least he showed up. But he should have never left without me to begin with. The sight of him cracked the dam of my emotions. The pressure of them constricted my heart with an ache that made it hard to breathe.
He took his hat off, rubbing his hand over his hair and then pulled it back on. The small gesture gave me a small comfort; I wasn’t the only one nervous. Good, I had wanted to make him sweat.
Giving me a small smile, he wrapped his arm around me in greeting and kissed the top of my head. A rage simmered inside my veins as we waited in silence for my luggage on the carousel.
He grabbed my suitcase when it appeared and then gestured toward the sliding doors of the airport, out to the parking lot. I followed him to the SUV and he opened the door for me before walking around to his side.
When the car turned on, he turned down the volume, taking quick glances to me as he maneuvered out of the parking space. “I didn’t think you’d actually get on that plane. I thought you would have stayed there.”
“I thought about it.” I looked out the window, away from him. The careless
“That’s when she met Nikolai, right? At the restaurant?”
She reached for the bottle, but stopped herself at the mention of Nikolai. I had only questioned about him because she had brought him up earlier. Obviously she knew things, I wanted to find out what.
“Right.” She rose from her seat, chair dragging over the tile floor. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed. It’s been a long day, with a lot of sun.” She looked down at me with a shaky smile. “Good night and have a safe flight since I won’t see you in the morning.”
“I was raised in eight different homes.”
“What?” her ponytail swung as her head shook, but she sank back into the chair.
I took a deep breath, stilling the storm in my stomach. “I wasn’t raised by anyone I knew or that knew Angela. I was in foster care.”
“That’s awful. Well good thing you’ve found my son, you’ve got a family now with us—however crazy we may be.” Her smile seemed genuine, but I waved it away.
“I was saying that so you’d understand. I was asking questions because I don’t know anything about her really or who she was with,” my throat was closing up, but I forced out the words, “or who my father could be.”
“And that makes it even worse that I was just talking.” She leaned closer to me over the table. “Hun, I don’t really know anything. That was a bad time for me and I’m afraid I pulled Angela right into it with me. When I said we were friends, I guess I should have said we were users. We mostly got high together, until she left to go work for Nikolai and I stayed at the restaurant. I really didn’t know her for very long.” Her chest was rising and falling with her heavy breathing and she leaned back in the chair. “I’m sorry. That’s a time that’s hard for me to think about, a time when I completely lost myself, and it took a long time to find my way back to me.” She stood up. “There’s nothing I can tell you anyways, except you don’t want to know any of those people. Gage may remind me of his father, but he’s different. I know he is.” With those cryptic words, she nearly ran from the room.
I replayed the conversation in my head, over and over, but all I knew was that I wanted to find out more about Jared. And more about Gage’s father, Aaron.
***
As the airplane taxied around the runway, I prepared myself to meet Gage. I lined up everything I wanted to say like little soldiers going into battle. He was going to talk, I would make sure of that.
I had entertained the idea of staying with Dexter and not coming home, but I needed answers. I needed to try one last time.
Gage waiting at the luggage return gave me an odd sense of relief, at least he showed up. But he should have never left without me to begin with. The sight of him cracked the dam of my emotions. The pressure of them constricted my heart with an ache that made it hard to breathe.
He took his hat off, rubbing his hand over his hair and then pulled it back on. The small gesture gave me a small comfort; I wasn’t the only one nervous. Good, I had wanted to make him sweat.
Giving me a small smile, he wrapped his arm around me in greeting and kissed the top of my head. A rage simmered inside my veins as we waited in silence for my luggage on the carousel.
He grabbed my suitcase when it appeared and then gestured toward the sliding doors of the airport, out to the parking lot. I followed him to the SUV and he opened the door for me before walking around to his side.
When the car turned on, he turned down the volume, taking quick glances to me as he maneuvered out of the parking space. “I didn’t think you’d actually get on that plane. I thought you would have stayed there.”
“I thought about it.” I looked out the window, away from him. The careless
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