Night Is Darkest by Jayne Rylon (books recommended by bts .TXT) 📕

“Down boy.” Jerome looked back and forth between the territorial display and Lacey rolling her eyes. “Your little lady isn’t my type…if you know what I mean.”

“Thanks, Big J. See you tomorrow.” Her sudden dismissal may have been rude but she didn’t need rumors of this flying around the hospital.

“Take care, Tiny L. I mean it.”

She shook off Mason’s hefty biceps then swallowed a big gulp of the rejuvenating brew before marching toward her Civic with the guys in tow.

“I’m going to get the patrol car from out front. Ty, you drive Lacey.” Mason peeled off from their impromptu parade, heading toward the short-term lot.

Lacey vetoed that idea. “You can ride with me but I’m driving.”

“What are you trying to prove, little one?” Tyler played the voice of reason but her pride refused to concede defeat.

“I do this every single day. I’m fully capable of getting myself home.”

“Today’s not every other day and I happen to be available. You look like shit.”

“Nice. Just what a girl wants to hear from the new man in her life.” She belted back another shot of caffeine. “Aren’t you supposed to be a sweet talker?”

“Damn, you know what I mean. Let me drive, Lace.”

“Thanks, but no.” She covered the slight dizziness stealing her balance by pausing to take another sip of her latte. It had to kick in soon. If the guys figured out how she felt they’d never let her leave the house again.

Especially right now, she needed to have some control over her life.

“Jesus Christ you’re stubborn, woman.”

“Better get used to it buddy.” She knew she was being a bitch but a sudden unsettling urge to surrender made her fight twice as hard. Sleepiness usually made her irritable but the vehemence of her reaction startled her.

Lacey concentrated on reining in her temper as they approached her car. A muted beep accompanied the flash of her taillights when she unlocked the doors.

“I don’t like the thought of you walking out here at the ass crack of dawn. It’s dark and there isn’t adequate traffic flow to discourage bad behavior.” Tyler scanned the lot as they climbed into her car and fastened their seatbelts. “I bet you don’t even have security escort you.”

“I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself.” If he’d eased up on all the sudden, overprotective nonsense, she might have asked him to take the wheel. Instead, she reached for the paper cup then let a mouthful glug from the opening. She willed the potent concoction to jolt her system long enough to get her through the twenty-minute drive, then turned the key in the ignition.

Tyler seemed content to let the topic drop before it escalated into a full-blown argument. Instead, he leaned his head into the rest and watched the traffic stream by as she merged onto the highway. In her rearview mirror, she caught sight of Mason drawing wild gestures in the air above the steering wheel of the patrol car as he followed close behind. No doubt, he verged on blowing a gasket because she hadn’t done as he commanded.

The soulful strains of Leona Lewis singing about “Bleeding Love” reverberated through their temporary truce. She hummed along to chase off the lingering exhaustion. Though she’d listened to the song about a million times, the lyrics wouldn’t quite come quick enough to her tired mind for her to sing along. As it turned out, even such a beautiful distraction couldn’t invigorate her.

She rubbed her burning eyes with discreet swipes she prayed Ty wouldn’t notice from his angle. Then she snatched up the half-empty coffee, forcing herself to ingest more of the bitter liquid. She started to choke when a yawn startled her mid-swallow.

“Are you okay?”

No! She cleared her throat to rid her windpipe of the offending drops then replied, “Golden.”

Just when she thought they’d moved past the subject, Tyler continued his rational discussion. “No one’s saying you aren’t capable.”

“That’s how it feels to me.” He’d hit the nail on the head.

“Mason and I need to take care of you, Lacey.” He sighed when she tensed but dug himself deeper. “You’re our responsibility now.”

The lines of the road blurred, the headlights of oncoming cars transformed into starburst prisms, as stinging tears gathered in her abused eyes. Though they didn’t fall, they must have impacted her vision. She couldn’t focus. “That’s how you think of me? I’m tired of being a burden for someone to look after. You think I don’t know how much Rob sacrificed because of me? I won’t let you guys pick up where he left off.”

Alarmed by her limited visibility, she flipped on her blinker to exit the motorway for an alternate route home. Though longer, it made for an easier drive on less travelled roads.

“Where are you going, little one?”

They jerked to a stop at the traffic light topping the ramp, Mason still tailing. She took the opportunity to steal another fortifying sip from her cup. “The back way. I think it is some…”

“Some what?”

She shook her head to clear the distress retarding her thinking. “Huh? I meant it’s faster.”

Tyler didn’t argue but she noticed the curious stare he gave her.

While she waited for the signal to turn, she scrunched her eyes to clear the grit pricking them.

“It’s green, Lacey.”

Irritated for being caught off guard, she stomped on the gas a bit too hard but Ty was wise enough not to remark on it. On their way again, she wound through the sparse woods hiding affluent properties that comprised this neighborhood of the suburb. Without the distraction of other cars and the high speed of the interstate, she managed better even though her body continued to shut down for the night.

She flipped on the heat to counter the chills wracking her.

“What I said before, it didn’t come out right.” Tyler tried one more time to explain himself. “I don’t want you to think you’re an obligation. I meant that because we care for you, we don’t want to see anything else happen to you.