Page 26 of Dead and a Best Friend
To my utter relief, Pen was relaxing in the tub with her noise-canceling headphones on, paddling the water with her foot."She's okay. Give me a few minutes."
"I'm not leaving you two alone, so call if you need me. I'll wait in the lounge."
I slipped inside the bathroom and stood over Pen, blocking the overhead light. Her eyes snapped open in surprise and she yanked her headphones off. "Tallulah James! You scared me."
"Pen, you scared me to death when you didn't answer me. It was chaos at City Hall."
Her complexion paled. "What do you mean?"
I rubbed my temples. "I managed to save Levi. You know, from what happened in my vision?"
She nodded. "Go on."
"The bullet hit Angel instead, so he's dead. In the chaos, everyone scattered to safety, and somehow, Aiden escaped. I had to come here to make sure he hadn't come for you. Levi's out in the lounge keeping guard."
"Oh."
"Pen, you need to get dressed. I'm not sure what else to tell you." My head started aching from the stress of the day. Maybe it was from the punch to my face or from talking to Levi in my mind. It seemed to be easier to do now. Had the connection grown stronger because I'd used it a few times? Levi, too. The how and why could wait. “Pen, please get dressed. I'll wait with Levi."
"I don't knowwhat to do. I feel lost and overwhelmed." I looked at Levi feeling sad and helpless.
He took a step toward me as the door to my apartment flew open. Carlisle stood there. He gave Levi a quick glance before moving forward and enveloping me in his arms. I froze at first, but then I gave in. I hated myself for wanting this man when he continued to hurt me.
I broke free of his embrace and stepped into the living room, where Levi waited with a concerned look on his face.
"Don't cry, Tallulah."
"I'll cry if I want to, damn it!" I stomped my foot, hiccuped, and dropped into an armchair.
"What the hell is going on here?" Carlisle asked in an unpleasant tone.
"Why are you here?" I asked, instead of answering his question.
"I heard what happened. I wanted to make sure you were okay."
“I’d have thought you'd have better things to do, seeing as you rode off with Jane." I narrowed my eyes and noticed he glanced at Levi, who showed no signs of leaving. "I saw you," I added quietly.
"You don't need to cover for me."
"You didn't tell me. If he doesn't want me to know, then he shouldn't do things where I can see him."
Carlisle narrowed his eyes at me, and I let him see the hurt in my gaze. "Just go. I'm tired, and I've had a really shitty few months."
"Tallulah, we need to talk." He hesitated. "I can explain, but I shouldn't have to if you trusted me."
"You haven't given me a reason to trust you, Carlisle. You tell me one thing. You hide ten others. You knew I wanted Jane in prison. I told you that. Yet today, you went behind my back and got her out. That means you'd already set the ball in motion, right?"
He didn't answer.
I rubbed my forehead. "Please leave. I need to think about Pen right now."
Carlisle cursed but left as quickly as he arrived.
Levi moved forward and crouched in front of me. "Do you need any painkillers?"
"The kitchen drawer under the coffee maker."
I curled into the chair, pulled a throw blanket over my lap, and settled in. Levi gave me the pills and a glass of water. I smiled in thanks, too tired to say anything aloud. Once I had taken them, he moved the glass of water to a side table and sat down on the sofa.
