Thorneless (Rose of Thorne Series) (7 page)

Lucas

Our time in New York is magnificent, but as the week draws to an end, I begin dreading our departure. I know she isn’t going to like our next destination one little bit.
 I had known for a while now that we were going to have to head back to Austin to take care of some business for my firm. I haven’t told her because I know she’ll refuse to come with me.  In order for her to ever have a future of any sort, she must first face her past.  I’ve watched her blossom over the past months and I think a trip home is the best thing for her right now. Even if that means she hates me for it in the end.

“So . . . where to now, c
aptain?” Skylar energetically speaks to my pilot as she boards the jet.  My pilot is about to speak when I talk over him.

“Well, how about you just relax and find out when we get there?” I suggest.
 I can’t have her freaking out on me here in front of everyone before we’re scheduled to take off.

Skylar smiles and kisses me on the lips before moving past me to take her seat. I breathe in a sigh of relief and pray that she won’t hate me in a few hours. Licking my lips, I enjoy the delicious berry flavored lip gloss that still lingers on my mouth. I need to savor that kiss because it just might be the last one I get from her for a while.

The fiery sun is just setting in the sky when we finally touch down in Austin, Texas.  I’m so nervous that I feel like I’m going to throw up all over my lap. Skylar turns to me and flashes me that smile that always takes my breath, and then turns to peek out of the window to guess where we are.  Normally this is a fun game, but not today. When she sees the familiar surroundings of the tarmac and then the “Welcome to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport” sign over the building, her lip begins to tremble.  She turns and looks at me with confusion.

“Skylar, let me explain.” I try to tell her my reasons of being here, but she stands in anger and yanks her bag from the side compartment beside her.
 

“No!
 You don’t get to explain yourself! Why didn’t you tell me we were coming back to Austin?” She asks with pain in her voice.

“Because I knew that you wouldn’t come with me if I had told you we were coming home,” I reply.

“This isn’t my home. Home is a place where you feel safe and loved.  Home doesn’t mean nightmares and monsters that chase you in your sleep. This isn’t home anymore. I don’t have a home now.”

Her words cut through me and I immediately regret my decision of bringing her back here against her will.
 

“I want to go some
where else now!  Please, Lucas! Take me away from here right now!” She pleads in a panicked voice.  I reach to try to calm her, but she jerks back away from me.  I’ve never seen her this afraid before and it’s painful to witness. At this moment I’m willing to take her anywhere she wishes.  I don’t want her to ever be scared of anything.

My pilot picks that moment to walk through the cabin and politely interrupt our conversation.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Rose, but there won’t be any flights leaving tonight.  The fog has already set in heavy and I was lucky to land us as it is.”

“You have
got
to be kidding me!” She screams, swinging her bag over her shoulder and quickly walking past me.  She doesn’t give me a chance to speak or to react before she exits the plane.  By the time I make it down the stairs, she’s getting into my town car and is pulling away.  I could make one phone call and stop her, but I don’t.  Right now, I let her run, because she thinks she needs to.  What she doesn’t know is that I’ll always be here when she’s tired of running and wants to find the home she so desperately seeks.

I text my driver a short message and smile.
 

ME:
 Notify me immediately of Ms. Rose’s requested destination.   

DRIVER:
 I am to drop her off at the nearest car rental place.  That will be J & E Cars, located a couple of miles from airport.  I can detour and give you time if you need it sir.

ME: Yes, give Ms. Rose a slight detour
.

With another quick phone call, I’ve made arrangements to discreetly purchase whatever car Skylar selects. Then, I’ll activate the GPS location device on it to locate her whereabouts.

She thinks she can run, but she needs to know that she can never hide.

Skylar

I don’t know exactly how he found me but he had.  I don’t even bother looking over in his direction as he enters the bar. You’d think he would’ve known what kind of an effect being back in Austin would’ve had on me.  He should’ve told me we were heading back here.  If I’d known, then I wouldn’t have come back at all. I’m not ready to face the ghosts of this town. They haunt me enough as it is everywhere I go.

I turn up the shot of tequila in front of me and keep my focus ahead at the mirror on the bar wall. My mascara is smeared and dried against my skin. I know I look like hell, but I sure as hell don’t care.
 I’ve made it damn near clear to every guy who has approached me so far tonight that I am not interested.  Perhaps it’s the lost look in my eye or the smeared makeup on my face, but they leave me alone for the most part.

Lucas takes a seat next to me at the bar, but I refuse to look at him. If I do, then he’ll see my face.
 There’s no way I’m letting him see the pain that I’m feeling.  The pain I’m trying so damn hard not to break me.  The pain that I pray I can make go away through enough of these shots.

He orders a tall mug of beer and sits quietly beside me while he sips on it.
 He knows this irritates me more than bugging me with questions.  It’s the torture of silence.  It’s the torture of making me have to explain myself when I’m not ready to.  Well, guess what? He isn’t going to win at this tonight.  I’m too pissed off and what he doesn’t know is that I embrace the silence right now.

He doesn’t let the game go on too long. Twenty minutes goes by before
he breaks the silence.  

“Skylar, I’m sorry.
 I should’ve told you about needing to return here.  I just thought you were ready to face it.  You’ve been doing so well lately.”

“We’re friends right?” I say turning to him and revealing the dried black streaks of my tears on my face.

“Skylar,” he whispers my name with pain in his voice.  I can see the sorrow in his eyes.  He wants to continue, but I don’t give him the opportunity.

“Then as my friend, I’m asking you to leave me the hell alone. I don’t need a babysitter tonight, Lucas,” I say as hatefully as I possibly can before turning up the shot in my hand. I motion for the bartender to pour me another one and hesitantly he does. After my last drunken episode, I know I’ll regret this in this morning, but right now that’s the least of my concern.

“Skylar! Stop it! For fuck’s sake
stop
!” He yells and snatches the drink away from me.  The contents pour all over my arm and onto my skirt. I slap my hand down on the top of the bar and shove myself off the stool and glare angrily at him as he stands to face me.

“What Lucas?
 I’m giving you the night off from me.  Don’t you ever just get exhausted from all of this?  Really you should be happy that I’m helping you out. I’m a lost cause, so run while you can!  Believe me, I won’t blame you.  Go find you some girl and have some fun tonight. You deserve it.  Trust me—being celibate doesn’t suit you.”

“Stop it
, Skylar!”

“No! You stop
, Lucas! Stop treating me like I’m made of glass. I’m a broken mess. I’m no good for anyone. Not even for myself.“

“Angel . . . ” H
e breathes and reaches out for me, but I yank back.

“I’m not your angel!
I’m not anyone’s angel!  Angels are blessings and I’m nothing but a curse!” I reply with pain now oozing out of my every word. “Would an angel do this?” I ask as I grab the man beside me and slam my mouth against his.  The more I let go to feel the pain inside me, the more I intensify the kiss with the stranger.  I dare a glance back to find a heartbroken and raging Lucas.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this way before.  
What the hell am I doing?  Why am I am hurting him?   

The man whispers in my ear for us to go back to his place.
 I nod.  I flip the switch. I refuse to feel right now.  
I have to do this. It’s the only way.  
The stranger wraps his hand around my waist and turns to pay the bartender.  I expect Lucas to be there, but he’s already gone.  Part of me breathes a sigh of relief and the other part of me begins to panic.  

As hard as I try to turn everything off again, the switch isn’t working.
 It’s like there’s a struggle inside me to turn it on and off.  One second I’m numb, the next I’m hurting.  What do I do when I’m alone with this man?  I’ve never done anything like this before.  

You need to do this
, Skylar!

Stop it
, Skylar! You can’t do this!

The inner battle continues raging in my head. Oh dear God
, what do I do?

Suddenly, my path is blocked and I slam into a solid wall of muscle.
 The spicy cologne invades my nose and I feel myself begin to shake with fear.  Not fear of him, but fear of losing myself. It’s the only thing I have left and I can feel it slipping away.

“What the fuck
, man! Get out of my girl’s way!” The guy behind me shouts. I glance up into Lucas’ face and he locks eyes with me.  He’s breathing heavily and I see things in them that I’ve never seen before.  Have I been blind all this time? Does he love me?  Has that been there all along?  Gently, he drags me to the side and faces the stranger that I had been leaving with.

“She’s not your girl, man. And she isn’t leaving here with you tonight or ever for that matter,” he says and the man swings his arm in Lucas direction.
 Lucas ducks and returns the blow, landing it in the stranger’s gut and causing him to fall to the ground in agony.  The man is so drunk that he doesn’t fight back and Lucas takes my arm and jerks me out of the bar.  

When the night air hits me, I can feel myself quickly sobering up.
 He pulls me toward a tall new black Silverado pickup truck.  Almost all Texan men love their trucks, but I hadn’t thought Lucas to be one of them. He always liked to drive his fast cars more I suppose.  I stand there in confusion as he opens the passenger side door and motions me up to the door.

“Get in!” H
e orders, but I refuse to move.

“No!” I
stubbornly reply.  I’m not doing this with him now. I’m in no mood for a lecture.

Growling, he steps in front of me and scoops me up in one quick movement and places me in the truck.
 I’m too tipsy and shocked to fight him, so instead I revert to crossing my arms and pouting.
Yeah, I know it’s really mature of me to act like a five year old right now, but if he’s going to treat me like one, then I’m going to act like one.

He closes my door and moves to the front of his truck where he begins swearing loudly and kicking the gravel with his boots.
 
He is going all Texan boy on me tonight.
 He slams his fist into the hood of his truck over and over again, causing me to jump in my seat.  I seem to have really done it this time. His emerald eyes meet mine through the windshield and he sees the terror on my face.

Hesitantly, he breaks our gaze and moves around to the driver’s side and climbs up into the cab with me.
 He never speaks as he cranks up the truck and slams it into gear.  Rocks spit everywhere as he tears out of the parking lot and onto the old country road.  For miles and miles we travel in silence.  Again, the silence is killing me, but I won’t let him win.