“This is ridiculous,” I muttered, stalking toward the front door. “I’m going home.” I got in my car and drove off. Since this place was so close to my parents’ house, Tackle could give Knox a ride home.
18
Tackle
“What was that all about?” I asked.
“I wish I could tell you.”
I turned my head and looked at Halo. He might as well have said, “I know, but I can’t say.”
“Is she okay?”
Rather than avoiding a straight answer, Knox didn’t respond at all.
“What was the deal with the family-discount thing? Why’d you shake your head?”
“She doesn’t know I’m paying half her rent along with mine.”
“Why are you?” I had a pretty good idea what Sloane’s salary was, and while this place wasn’t cheap, she could afford the rent. At least more than half of it.
“I just am.”
“You want a lift somewhere?” I asked when he locked the front door behind us.
“If you wouldn’t mind.”
Why would I mind? God, why did everything seem so off? Things were as fucked up between Knox and me as they were between Sloane and me.
Could I blame anyone other than myself for that? I was the one who’d started all this in motion the day I asked Sloane to meet me privately. I kept it going by having sex with her and turbocharged it by relentlessly pursuing her. And for what? More sex?
After spending two days convincing Nick that if she didn’t take K19’s relocation offer, I wouldn’t be able to protect her, followed by another two days getting her settled in California, I had a clear picture of what a pain in the ass I’d been with Sloane.
Listening to Nick plead with me, even with different words than I’d used, sounded the same. The more she grated on my nerves, the more I regretted every single thing I’d said to Sloane. I’d fucking stalked her, for God’s sake. No wonder she didn’t want anything to do with me. Today, it seemed like she couldn’t even stand being within five feet of me.
“Tackle?”
“What?” I snapped.
“Nothing.” Halo took off on foot.
“Don’t be an ass. Get back here. Of course, I’ll give you a ride home.”
“What’s your problem, man?”
I rubbed my head, reminding myself I still hadn’t gotten that haircut. “Nick.”
“You with her now?” Halo asked.
“No.” Furthest thing from it, actually, and I planned to keep it that way. “Her husband, he’s, uh, bad news. Beat the crap outta her.”
“Caruso?”
“Yeah. You know anything about him?”
“I’ve heard rumors.”
“They were probably accurate.”