Love a Boss (Boss Duet 2)

She nodded as I walked past her to the bathroom. Lucy was asleep, thank God. She didn’t need to see her father in this condition.

I just hoped I didn’t need medical attention.

Fuck, the eye was definitely swollen. Bus

ted lip. I raised my shirt and noticed the black bruises already showing along my ribcage.

“Do you have ice?” I asked, leaning my head out of the bathroom door.

She went into the kitchen, and I moved back to study my reflection in the mirror. The damage was bad but not hospital worthy. Just rub some dirt in it. I heard the saying many times before and laughed when I thought about actually doing it.

Ok, it hurt to laugh, so I wouldn’t be doing that anytime soon.

Blair entered the bathroom with a bag of ice, some pills, and a concerned look on her face.

“Here, take these. You’ll thank me in the morning.” She dropped two pills in my hand. “Well maybe not. Might kill you to say those words to me.”

“Oh, ha ha.” I filled a tumbler with water from the tap and swallowed the pills down. “Hey, Blair,” I said as she walked away. She stopped and peeked over her shoulder. “Thank you,” I whispered.

Another pity party began to unfold when I realized the thoughts I had while lying on the pavement.

Penny. Was she involved somehow? It would be really fucked up if she was. Was that why she didn’t tell her father to fuck off? I was an idiot.

Blair left, and I tried to take a shower. And by try, it was difficult to not wince in pain the entire time.

When I toweled off, I wrapped it gingerly around my body and headed to clue Blair in on what was going on.

She had already put my blood stained clothes in the laundry. I told her the important parts of the story as my eyelids grew heavy.

“Blair, thanks for letting me stay here.”

“Sure. And Theo, I’m sorry. Maybe this is in some weird way a plan to lead you back to what’s important in your life.” She laid some pillows and a blanket on the couch, and I thanked her. Her complete cryptic message lost on me.

The night’s events, maybe the drugs still floating through my veins, or the pain medicine Blair gave me had me passing out the minute my head hit the pillow.

FIFTEEN

PENNY

I needed to see Theo. Now.

I couldn’t let him think I would pick turtles over him. I headed in the direction of Theo’s house while I reached for my phone.

Straight to voicemail. Fuck. Trying a few more times, I stepped on the accelerator wanting to get there as fast as I could.

When I arrived at his condo, I knocked until my hand hurt. Where was he? I tried to think of all the places he could be and dialed the Lopa’s number.

It was early, too early for him to be at work.

With an ounce of hope, I dialed his number again, it rang—and rang and rang. Please pick up.

A woman’s voice answered, and my heart lurched.

“Who is this?” I asked.

“Blair. Who’s this?”

Oh, thank God. He was there to see Lucy.