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I threw down the covers. “I’m not at home!” I shouted and nearly passed out from the stabbing pain in my temples. Grabbing my head with both hands, I fell back onto the bed.
This time, footsteps pounded on the staircase, and for a moment, panic set in. I jumped out of bed, completely naked, and grabbed a baseball bat from my closet. Aimed high and ready, I held up the bat and waited.
“Oh, god!” Luke groaned when he walked into my room. “Put some damn clothes on.”
“I could have killed you!” I said, dropping the bat.
“Yeah, well, your stink might. What the hell is that smell?”
We both looked at the stains on my sheets. I cringed. “It’s not what you think. I may have dropped some scotch when I took the bottle to bed with me last night.”
“Were you sick?” he asked, pulling the sheets off the bed.
My mind came up blank. I couldn’t remember much. “I don’t think so.”
“What are you doing here?”
“You haven’t shown up to work in two days. You haven’t answered any of our calls. What do you think I’m doing here, Ryan? I’m making sure you’re not dead.”
“Well, I’m fine. You can leave now.”
“What the hell’s gotten into you? I thought Laura was released. I thought everything was all right now?”
“She was released,” I said, and dropped back into bed, draping my arm over my face.
“Then, why the hell aren’t you out there celebrating with her instead of getting pissed drunk by yourself at home?”
“Because…” I mumbled into the inside of my elbow.
Luke put both hands on his hips. “Because?”
“Just forget it. Go home, Luke.”
“Not until you tell me what’s going on.”
We really were stubborn bastards, weren’t we?
Rossi’s words echoed in my head, and I couldn’t get past them. “Because I don’t really know who she is, all right?”
“What are you talking about?”
I sat up, pressing my back to my upholstered headboard. “We dated for months but she never opened up to me. She was always a closed book. Even now, after everything, I find out she applied to graduate school and I knew nothing about it.”
“Why do I get the feeling there wasn’t much talking involved?”
I gave him a side look but held back my eye roll.
“Did you speak to our aunt? I heard you went to visit her and that you even moved her to a better place.”
“Yeah.”
“So, it went well?”
“I think so. I’ve forgiven her, at least.”
“I see. But you haven’t forgiven yourself, then.”
I lowered my arm to glare at him. “I’ve never blamed myself, Luke. I did nothing wrong!”
