Chapter 38
thirty-eight
. . .
The phone rang while I was still standing in my kitchen, staring at the coffee I’d made, my thoughts stuck on Remo’s sudden appearance after two months, that unshakable audacity, and the stinging welts he’d left on my backside. I felt angry all over again.
“Ishika,” Stasia said the second I answered. No greeting, no buffer. “Don’t freak out.”
My stomach dropped anyway. “Why would I freak out?”
A pause that filled itself with worst-case scenarios before the other person caught up. “Sean is in the ER.”
I stopped breathing. “What?”
“He came in about an hour ago. Facial injuries. Bruised ribs. He’s stable, but—”
“I’m coming.” I dumped the coffee in the sink and called a cab while rushing to my bedroom.
The ride there was a blur of red and green lights with my own pulse roaring in my ears. How did Sean end up in the ER not even two hours after leaving my home. My mind tried to connect dots it didn’t want to see. I pushed them away, one by one. Remo wouldn’t. He warned Sean and let him go.
Stasia was waiting just inside the ER when I arrived, still in scrubs, arms folded tight across her chest, worry spanning her face. “Tell me what happened,” she said, eyes searching my face.
“I don’t know.”
She didn’t buy it. “You went on a date with him, Ish and now he’s here.”
I rubbed my hands together, trying to ground myself. “Remo was at the restaurant.”
Her eyes sharpened instantly. “Remo?”
I nodded; aware she was already connecting the dots I ignored earlier. “He tried to get me to go home. I refused. He showed up at my place and saw Sean kiss me, but Remo didn’t touch him. He just told Sean to leave and he did.”
“And you believe that’s where it ended,” she said flatly.
“Yes,” I replied a little too fast. “I’m sure of it. Remo was controlled and more interested in me. He was gone for two months, he wouldn’t do something like this the day he returned.”
Was I being na?ve or a fool?
She studied me, expression hard then sighed. “You don’t really know what he’d do.”
“Would he really hurt someone just for kissing me?” Of course he would. Look at what he’d done to Billy and that man merely grabbed my hand.
God, I was such an idiot.
Stasia opened her mouth to say something, but a doctor approached us before she could.
“You girls can go in, he’s awake?” Tim, the ER resident smiled.
Sean was propped up in the bed, one eye swollen, lip split, color drained from his face. When he saw me, he tried to smile. That nearly broke me.
I rushed to his side. “Oh my God, Sean. What happened?”
“Guess I should stop letting women ruin my luck.” He winced slightly as he shifted.
Stasia crossed her arms. “This isn’t funny.”
“Sorry,” he said quickly then looked at the clock. “You shouldn’t have come, Ishika. Nothing’s broken.”
I frowned, recognizing the anxiety I knew well, and leaned closer. “Did Remo—”
“No.” A muscle jumped in his uninjured cheek. “No. Not him.” His eyes flicked to the door, then back to me.
Stasia shot me a look that said she didn’t believe Sean. “What then?”
He glanced between us, embarrassed now. “I stopped at the gas station a few blocks from your place. Just wanted snacks before heading home.”
My stomach tightened.
“There were two guys,” he continued. “One had a gun. Told me to hand over my wallet, keys, phone. I didn’t argue.” He gave a small, humorless laugh. “I’m not stupid.”
“And the injuries?” Stasia pressed.
“One of them hit me when I turned too slow, then both,” he explained. “I think I blacked out for a second. Next thing I knew, someone was calling an ambulance.”
Silence settled over the room. I searched his face for cracks, for fear that didn’t match the story. For anything that pointed back to Remo. Either he was good at acting or he was telling the truth because I found nothing.
“That’s awful,” I whispered.
Sean nodded. “Yeah. Guess it’s not my night.”
Stasia still looked unconvinced. “They didn’t say anything?”
“No,” he replied. “Didn’t even know my name.”
I exhaled slowly, relief and shame tangling in my chest, reaching for Sean’s hand. “I’m so sorry.”
He squeezed back weakly. “Hey. You didn’t do this.”
I nodded, even as a cold tingle slid down my spine because a small, traitorous part of me wondered whether the truth could look exactly like a lie and still be dangerous. For now, though, I chose to believe Sean until he spoke again.
“Ishika, I enjoyed our date, but I think its best we remain friends.” My brow shot the same time Stasia’s did. Sean laughed, soft and uneven. “Not because you’re not a great date but after meeting a man like Remo, I don’t want to step on his toes.”
That tingle became a full-blown tripwire. Without meaning too, Sean had just confirmed what I already assumed. My gaze met Stasia’s, her wordless confirmation followed with a subtle nod.
I brought out my biggest smile. “Sure, Sean, friends.” I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Just to be clear though, I’m not dating Remo and he means nothing to me.”
Sean looked at his phone again. “I don’t think he knows that.”
“Well, he’s about to find out.” My hand tightened around my phone, eager for another face off, this time I’d make sure I spilled more of his blood.