AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Since high school?” he asks with a horrified look on his face. “Well then, I think it’s about time for someone new.” He shakes his head and looks as if he can’t believe he had spent nearly a decade with her. “Being around her makes me so fucking angry and I don’t even know why!”
“I’ll let you rest,” I tell him, leaving before his temper escalates any further. “I’ll stop by and check on you tomorrow.” I turn toward the door and see Vanessa standing outside of the room. Judging by the look on her face, it’s apparent that she is mustering all of her strength to keep from bursting into tears.
“He’ll come around,” I whisper, putting my arm around her and giving her a one-armed hug. “They’ll have to adjust his meds. He’ll be fine.”
“Nothing is going to be fine,” she whispers, pulling me away from Tyler’s doorway. “I can’t go through this again. I thought it would get better, but it’s actually getting worse. He is so angry with me… I can’t take it anymore.”
“We’ll talk to Dr. Novacek and see if he will adjust his meds,” I reason with her. “You’re pregnant and I think it’s just a matter of getting his mind and memory straightened out.”
“I still love him, but I can’t do this anymore,” she replies, seeming to want to drop the topic. “But, I’ll give Dr. Novacek a call.”
“Okay, I’ll touch base with you tomorrow to see what he suggests. We’re going to stop by in the morning and give everyone an update,” I tell her, moving toward the doorway. “Stay strong and we’ll all get through this. Mandy and I have a date with an SEC investigator,” I tell her, glancing at my watch. Walking away, I am hoping that today isn’t an example of what Tyler is going to be like going forward. It will be miserable for both Mom and Vanessa.
Chapter 16
Mandy
Trey seems a little bummed out after we retrieve the SUV from the valet and head south toward the SEC regional headquarters. I’m excited to see what they have dug up on Tommy and whether or not it can be extended to a criminal case. He has rubbed me the wrong way since the first night we met, as well as in every encounter ever since.
“Tyler was a total asshole today,” Trey finally says after riding in silence for several blocks. “He actually said that its time for a new girlfriend and Vanessa heard him say it.”
“He probably didn’t realize what he was saying,” I speculate, wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt. He has been through a lot.
“It would be one thing if he used to be a nice guy and had become an asshole after being poisoned,” he responds, turning back toward the window. “But he’s been an asshole ever since he hit puberty.”
“We’ll soon be done here and then you won’t have to deal with him much,” I reply, knowing full well that it’s not true. If they are the two majority owners of Addison Media, they are pretty much tied together.
Trey rolls his eyes and glares at me. “Do you really believe that?”
“No. I was just trying to make you feel better,” I tell him, giving him an innocent smile and scooting closer to him. “I’m just excited to get some dirt on Tommy.”
“Yeah, I knew that’s why you’re in such a good mood,” he replies, placing his hand on my thigh and looking into my eyes. “I know he’s dirty and I know he’s very smart, but I think you’re smarter… so hopefully we can nail him to the wall.”
“You might want to focus a little more on Carly,” Anthony declares after checking a message on his phone. “Apparently, Agent Mitchell was able to track down two large transfers from her account, one of which went to an Eastern European bank.” He pauses for a moment before continuing his thought. “Son of a bitch, maybe it is The Ghost.” He checks both side mirrors, before peering back at us through the rear view mirror.
“You just got paranoid, didn’t you?” Trey asks him with a hint of sarcasm.
“If you had ever seen any of the man’s work, you would be more than just paranoid,” Anthony replies with a stoic expression. “The guy would string up his own mother and not think twice about it.” He stares back at us for another couple of seconds before focusing his attention back on the road.
A chill runs through me as his words soak in. I’m suddenly glad that Trey bought a bulletproof SUV and we have a decorated Navy Seal Sniper as our chauffer. I think back to the harrowing ride we had the night we met him. We survived that night on sheer luck and the grace of God.
