Dani looked over at Alex, unsure if she’d heard her, and noticed her highly agitated state. She quickly found a safe place to pull over and turned off the car. "Alex, honey, tell me what’s wrong." She calmly reached out and placed a hand on her forearm. Her anxiety was obvious and hung in the air like thick dense clouds. "Look at me, Alex." She waited until she raised her eyes. "None of us would ever intentionally hurt you, you know that right?" Alex stared blankly at her. "Honey, you are very special and I owe you a debt I can never repay. I would never hurt you."
"You don’t know me, and I don't really know any of you."
Dani smiled and said, "I know all I need to know. You saved my daughter’s life. Everything else is unimportant. I’m sure you’ve made mistakes, done things you regret, and have things you wish you could change. After all you’re human. Those things don’t tell me who you are deep down. Saving a complete stranger tells me everything I need to know about you. As for what you know about us, just ask. I promise to answer any question you ask."
Alex frowned and took a deep breath in an effort to calm her rising fears. She wondered again at how easily these women had managed to breach her defenses, and if she could trust her feelings. "Why are you doing this for me?"
Dani gave Alex's arm a gentle squeeze. "I figure it is the least I can do after what you've done for me. Besides, I like you. I enjoy your company, and consider you a friend."
After a moment of silence Alex said, "I could be a serial killer. I might lock you in my basement and have my way with you before burying you in the backyard."
Dani smiled and glanced at her sister before saying, "Thinking about having your way with me are you? Are you letting your nerves give you away?"
Alex snorted. "If you believe that, then you believe the rest of the story as well. Besides, having my way with you doesn't have to be sexual." She looked at her with her eyebrows raised. "Still willing to take me home?"
Without hesitation, Dani answered, "Yes. Do you still want to go, or are you afraid we will take advantage of you?"
After a deep breath Alex replied, "Yes." She dried her palms on her shorts and pointed to a street up ahead on the left. "Turn left at Lake Shore Drive."
Dani narrowed her eyes as she stared at Alex. "That was a two part question you know." She started the car but left it in park. Alex quietly nodded. "You know you can trust us, right?" She looked over her shoulder at Nikki while she waited for the answer.
Alex stared straight ahead, refusing to look at either woman. After a moment of silence she said, "I've had a bit of bad luck with relationships. Trust is a logical act, and logic tells me that I can trust you. But trust is also emotional, and I'm not sure I'm emotionally capable of trusting anyone right now."
Dani frowned at the pain in Alex's voice. "Well, we'll help you through this rough patch, and maybe when it's over you'll realize that you can trust us." She checked for traffic and pulled out onto the street. "Left on Lake Shore, towards the lake?" She looked over and seeing Alex nod, turned down the specified street. Her eyes widened at the expansive, well lit streets and large houses behind walls and iron gates that stood as a testament to the wealth of the inhabitants. "Where to?" she asked.
"All the way to the end of the street."
Dani pulled up in front of the gate of the property at the end of the street. She was unable to see the house behind the walls, but thought it must be huge since the property that contained it was easily two to three times as large as any of the others on the street. She turned and looked at Alex. "Seriously?"
"The code is one two five nine seven." Dani pressed the buttons on the keypad and the gate slowly rolled open. She pulled in and watched it close behind them. Unable to see the house through the trees, she followed the winding driveway. She gasped when they rounded a bend in the drive and the lake suddenly came into view behind a surprisingly modest house. She pulled up in front of the house and stopped the car, taking a moment to let her eyes wander over the property.
Nikki opened the door for Alex and offered her a hand. Climbing from the car awkwardly, she clutched Nikki’s hand as she struck her foot against the door, and pain shot up her left leg. Nikki immediately slipped her arm around her and whispered in her ear, "You’re okay, I’ve got you."
Alex rested her forehead against Nikki's shoulder and bit her lip to keep from cursing. As the pain began to subside, she realized she was in Nikki’s arms and it felt good. She quickly pulled back and said, "I’m sorry."
"No need to apologize. I’m just glad I was here." She handed her the crutches and stepped back. "Are you okay? I thought you were going to curse like a sailor there for a minute."
Alex chuckled. "That obvious am I?"
Nikki shrugged. "It's what I would have done." She followed closely as she hobbled around the back of the car towards the front stairs. "I admire your restraint."
Once she finally made it up the steps, Alex smiled down at Madison.
