Mantis (K19 Security Solutions 4)

“My parents are arriving this afternoon.”

“Your parents? I didn’t realize—”

“That I am capable of using a phone?”

He shook his head. This was hardly the first time he’d seen Alegria in bitch mode. He’d learned long ago to walk away when she got like this, but that wasn’t something he could do now. “Try to get some rest,” he murmured.

“I don’t want to rest,” she snapped. “All I’ve done is sleep.”

“It’s what your body needs to heal.”

By the look on her face, Mantis knew every word he said was only making things worse.

“Tell you what, maybe I’ll head home for a little while and let you have some time to yourself.”

He couldn’t tell whether the idea of him leaving made her happy or sad.

“Fine.”

“You know how to reach me if you need anything.”

“Right.”

Mantis leaned down, put his arm around her shoulders so she couldn’t jerk away from him again, and kissed the top of her head.

“Happy New Year,” he whispered in her ear.

—:—

Once she was certain Mantis was gone, Alegria turned the upper half of her body toward the window, clutched the pillow to her chest, and let the tears flow that she’d held in since she overheard Mantis’ conversation with his mother.

She hadn’t realized what day it was, but then, Alegria had no reason to celebrate.

This New Year’s Eve wasn’t going to be much different than the two before it. Last year she didn’t have any idea where in the world Mantis was, or even if he was still alive. The year before, they’d had a terrible fight, and he’d left, much like he did today.

She’d done a lot of thinking while she lay in yet another hospital bed with her body broken.

Her life as she’d known it was over, and it was time to make some drastic changes. Once her parents arrived, they’d help her figure out her next best course of action. Whatever that turned out to be, her new life had to be vastly different than the one she’d been trying so hard to get back to.

Only yesterday she’d begged Mantis not to leave her. Then, she’d still believed the paralysis in her legs would go away when the epidural wore off. The fact that it hadn’t, was what made her decide it was time to move forward and leave the past behind, particularly the part with Mantis and Dutch in it. A new year meant a new life.

She closed her eyes against the other memories she had of New Year’s Eves, the ones that had been good between her and Mantis.

“Where are we going?” Alegria asked for the countless time.

“Be patient and have faith.”

“You know I don’t like surprises.”

Mantis laughed. “You don’t like feeling out of control. You love surprises.”

Was that true? She thought back on all the times he’d insisted, like he was now, that she be patient and have faith in him.

“It’s good for you to let go every now and then.”

Alegria rested her head against the seat and fought the anxiety that came along with not knowing where they were going or what they were doing. Within minutes she found herself dozing off. Each time her head bobbed to her chest, she’d wake herself up.

“You can’t even let go and sleep,” he laughed.