“The doctor told you to try after a few weeks. Not right away.”
“But I’ve got to get back to work.” She clenched her teeth as she forced herself to move. “If I take too long, people might forget about me, and I’ll be the understudy…”
“No one is going to forget about you, baby.” Not possible.
“And I need to pay bills—”
“I pay your bills.”
She gripped the kitchen island for balance, lifting her foot to take a break. “I don’t want your money, Heath. I don’t need you to take care of me—”
“You agreed to marry me.” I came to her side and stared her down. “So, yes, I’m going to be taking care of you. My money is your money. So, don’t worry about money ever again.” I gave her an authoritative expression, warning her not to question me.
She was quiet.
I moved to the fridge. “What do you want for lunch?”
“Anything…I don’t care.” She tried to walk again.
I shut the door and turned back to her. “If you rush it, you’re just going to hurt yourself more. Listen to the doctor, alright? Now, sit your ass down.”
Both of her eyebrows rose in offense. “What did you just say to me?”
“You heard what I said.” I pulled out the chair at the dining table for her.
She walked to the chair, gave me a defiant look, then fell into it. But her look was savage, like I’d pay for the bossiness later.
I stepped into the kitchen and made lunch, indifferent to her wrath. I made sandwiches and salads before I carried the plates to the table. I fell into the chair close to her and started to eat right away.
She didn’t touch her food as she stared at me, like she demanded an apology before she would touch anything. “You know—”
“Damien came to the Underground last night.” I knew I was being short with her, an abrupt change in mood from our previous joy. She needed to understand why. She needed to know what happened with her brother.
Her mouth stayed open for a few seconds in shock before she closed it again. Then her expression completely changed, turning soft, confused. “What happened…? What did he say?”
“He didn’t say much. He delivered money then walked out.”
“Oh god…” She leaned forward and planted her face in her palms.
“That’s why I’m not in the best mood today.”
She held her position as she breathed to herself, sighing loudly, before she pulled her hands down again. “I guess I should have expected repercussions from screaming at him.”
“Getting money seems like an odd repercussion.”
“Yeah, I don’t get it either.” She propped her chin on her hand and stared across the room.
I stared at my food, starving but with no real appetite.
“Should I talk to him?” she whispered.
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. I had no idea what it meant. I’d assumed the money was lined with explosives, but it was clean. Unless he’d invented a device that couldn’t be detected, it seemed completely legitimate.
“Damien promised me he wouldn’t hurt you…and he wouldn’t go back on his promise.”
I hoped he wouldn’t. I didn’t want to fight someone with my hands tied behind my back. My phone vibrated in my pocket, so I pulled it out in case it was important. That was when I saw his name on the screen. “He just texted me.”
Her head snapped in my direction. “Oh my god, what did he say?”
I read it out loud. “‘I want to talk to you.’”
She sighed. “That’s it?”
Another message popped up. I read it. “‘At my office. Now. Come alone.’”
Catalina didn’t touch her food because it didn’t seem important anymore. “I guess that’s okay. He’s not going to shoot you at a bank…”
“I have no idea what he’s capable of.”
“Well…bring your gun.”
I set the phone down and turned to her. “What’s the point, baby? Unless you give me permission…”
She looked into my eyes and struggled with the decision. Then she shook her head. “No.”
I didn’t take offense to it.
“He won’t hurt you. He won’t go back on his word.”
I hoped she knew her brother better than I did, because right now, I couldn’t read him. That was my specialty, but I was going into this completely blind, with no insight whatsoever. I grabbed the phone and texted back. Be there in 10.
Another message popped up. I’m unarmed.
I turned to Catalina. “He just said he’s unarmed.”
She sighed in relief. “He wouldn’t say that unless he meant it… He just wants to talk.”
“About what?” I asked.
“I…I have no idea.” She shrugged. “I seriously don’t.”The lobby was empty, as if he cleared his schedule for this. Hades must have been at home because there was no sign of his presence. There was no secretary at the front desk. I helped myself to the hallway lined with windows.
All the doors were shut—except one.
I stopped outside of it, not nervous, just full of dread. I was prepared for the unexpected, always. But this wasn’t a normal afternoon for me. Emotions were in the way of my logic. My future wife was on the line, and this was the roadblock in the way.