Sweet Agony (Angels Halo MC Next Gen 2)

“What?” I stared at him in bewilderment. “No, of course not. I haven’t had any pain medication in a few days now.”

“Huh. Then you must be high on something else.”

“I’m not high,” I snapped at him, confused as to why he thought I wasn’t lucid. “Why would you think that?”

“Because I might not know Theo as well as Lexa does, but I do know that he’s been twisted in knots over you and what’s been going on back east.” He stood, dusting off his work pants as he descended the steps. “Give him a few days. He’ll return for you.” On the sidewalk, he paused and glanced back at me. “I need to get to work. Have to make these people think they did the right thing by voting for me. See you around, Tavia. And if you happen to come across my wife, tell her to get her sweet ass home.”

Chapter 15

Tavia

After the sheriff left, I couldn’t stand to be outside. The sun felt too bright, the air too thin, the sounds of the outside world echoing in my head. Going back inside, I asked Flick if there was a computer or tablet I could borrow so I could contact my professors.

School had only been a fleeting thought since being shot, but I couldn’t afford to lose my scholarship for nonattendance. I needed to let them know why I wasn’t showing up for my classes.

“I think I can find you something,” she told me with

that warm, maternal, and understanding smile of hers. “Make yourself comfortable, and I’ll bring it to you.”

I went back to my room and sat on the end of the bed, staring out the window at the sun as it slowly moved across the cloudless sky. A tap on the door was my only warning before the door opened and Flick walked in, carrying an older style iPad in her hand.

“This is Nova’s old iPad. She has a phone now and never plays with this thing, so you can use it all you want.” Handing it over, she stepped back. “Let me know when you get hungry. We can have lunch together.”

“Thanks, Flick,” I mumbled, and she gave me a wink before turning and leaving me alone.

Once the door was closed behind her, I turned on the iPad and opened a browser window to check my email. I had to work through the list of things already waiting on me, mostly emails from my other clients asking if I was okay and why I hadn’t contacted them or shown up for our usual appointments.

I figured it would be bad for business if I told them I’d been shot and there was a Russian mobster trying to kill me, so I went with a simpler excuse. I was attacked on my way to a client’s house and badly hurt. That I was only just now out of bed and able to move around. All of it was true, just not the full story, which I didn’t plan on sharing. But I apologized for not contacting them all sooner and promised I would be back on my feet soon before pleading with them not to find a new tutor to take my place.

I would help them via email all I could, so that was a plus, and if push came to shove, I could do video conferences if needed. I couldn’t afford to lose even one client, any more than I could the loss of my full-ride scholarship.

Once I had everyone filled in—with the exception of Sofia since I was fairly sure she already knew what was going on—I emailed my professors and gave them the same excuse, hoping they took pity on me and excused my absences without it affecting my grades or the attendance policy that would hinder my funding for the upcoming term.

By the time I was done, I could barely keep my eyes open, and it wasn’t even noon yet. I hated being so weak, but apparently I was still recovering. All I wanted to do was sleep. Tossing the iPad aside, I crawled up the bed and slid under the covers, not even bothering to turn off the lights before letting sleep take me.

A firm tap on my bedroom door roused me sometime later. Blinking my eyes open, I saw the sun was starting to go down, and I sat up in bed just as the door opened.

Lexa walked in carrying four large shopping bags, one of which was from Best Buy. Grinning, she walked over to the bed and placed all the bags around me. “Sorry it took so long. The mall is about an hour away, and I had to do a little searching for all the things on Theo’s list.”

I frowned down at the bags, then up at her. “What’s this?”

“Presents from Theo. A new laptop for you to do all your schoolwork on, a new phone, and a few other little things.” When I just glared down at the bags, she lost her grin. “What’s wrong? You don’t like them?”

“I don’t want any of this,” I told her, and I pushed the bags to the end of the bed without even looking at the contents. “Take them back. Keep them for yourself. Do whatever you want, but I don’t want anything from Theo.”

“Ah, come on. Don’t be like that.” She picked up the Best Buy bag and tried to offer it to me. “It’s got everything you need. Trust me, because I had them set it up before we left the store. Theo was insistent on every last detail.”

“Fuck Theo,” I muttered under my breath. “Look, Lexa. I don’t want to be a bitch to you, but I don’t want anything from Theo. Not his money, not his time, or anything else. Apparently I don’t even warrant a goodbye from him, so it’s obvious I don’t matter to him. And I’m not going to take things he’s only offering because he feels guilty.”

Tossing back the covers, I got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom. “Please, just take this stuff back or keep it. Honestly, I don’t even care what you do with it. Just keep it away from me.”

I stayed in the bathroom long after I heard Lexa leave, the rustling of the bags telling me she’d taken them with her. I didn’t know what all was in those bags other than the electronics, and I didn’t want to know.

If Theo’s goal was to soften me up with gifts, he was miles away from hitting the mark. I didn’t want his blood money or his gifts to repent for all the sins he’d committed against me. His words of love were nothing, not that I’d believed them to begin with. But if he’d really cared about me—if he’d known me at all—he would have realized that throwing money at me was not how to show me he cared.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to swallow down the lump that was choking me, and I walked back into the bedroom. As I did, there was a sudden noise so loud, it sounded like an explosion, and the house literally shook.

Frightened, I ran to the window to see what had caused it.