Watching.Judging.
I thump the wood again, wishing the arm would break and growling when it doesn’t.
“She’s done.” I shake my head and point at Apollo as I breathe through a wave of pain. “Too much fucking trouble. Tomorrow, you take my car, you throw her in the trunk, and you fucking—”
“What, Zach?” Apollo cuts in with a snort, shaking his head at me. “We tell Gabriel his girl child wandered into the woods and gotetby bears?” His lips twitch and he smooths his fingers over his mouth as if he could wash away his words.
A dark smile slowly spreads over my face. “I knew you weren’t just a pretty face.”
Chapter Eleven
Trinity
Iwake up to the sound of muffled voices and intense nausea. Pushing up to my elbows, I scan my dark surroundings to try and figure out where I am. This can’t be my room. There are too few lumps in the mattress. The sheets are too soft. And it smells like Reuben, not mothballs.
Reuben.
Shit, I’m in his room. Hisbedroom.
And I need to puke.
I slide off the bed onto wobbly legs. The room is so dark that I hit my knee against the side of the bed as I head for the glowing outline of the door.
It opens before I can reach it. Reuben’s silhouette blocks out almost all the light.
“Bathroom,” I say in a tight voice.
He grabs my shoulder and herds me out of the room. Everything’s a blur until I reach the bathroom, where all I can focus on is the toilet.
Thank God he opens the lid for me, because I barely bend over before I puke.
Fingers brush my temples, drawing my hair away from my face. A large, cool hand caresses the back of my neck as I puke out my guts, stomach lining, and a lung.
I finally rock back on my heels. Reuben’s holding out a washcloth for me.
Deliciously warm.
I wipe my face with it and stand on shaky legs. He points to the basin. There’s a bottle of mouthwash there, the sink already filling with more warm water.
“We’ll be outside,” he says, turning to the doorway.
Apollo moves aside as Reuben approaches.
I clean myself and the bathroom as well as I can and try to ignore the fact that I still feel tipsy. When I step into the living area of Reuben’s room, the smell of coffee hits my nose.
I still can’t believe seniors get an accommodation like this if their grades are good enough. I guess Father Gabriel really wants me to work my way up from the bottom.
Apollo brings me a cup. “Cream and two sugars.”
I can’t help but smile. It’s sweet that he still remembers how I take it, although the day he saw me putting in sugar I’d given myself a double dose.
Hell, I probablystillneed the energy. Maybe this will become my regular serving from now on.
“What time is it?” I ask, glancing around. The lights are on and the curtains are drawn, but it doesn’t feel like it’s night time yet.
“Five,” Reuben says. He’s sitting on one of the two couches that make up his living area. “Come sit.”
His quiet command makes my hackles rise. I glance at Apollo with raised brows, but he just gives me his usual lopsided smile. “We need to talk,” he says. Then he goes and fetches another two cups of coffee, handing one to Reuben before sitting down beside him.