Page 74 of Caging Liberty
I blink away my thoughts when Angel’s office door opens and shuts. I turn my head to look at him just as he appears.
“Sorry about that,” he says, walking up to the couch.
I stick the bookmark back insidePet Cemeteryand set the book on the end table. “Who were you talking to?”
“Conference call. Don’t worry about it.”
Yup, he’s secretive.
I narrow my eyes. “At one in the morning?”
“It’s nine P.M. in China. Emergency thing… Like I said, don’t worry about it.”
“Are you going to have to leave again?” My heart picks up speed as I stare at Angel while he takes his time answering me.
He sits on the couch next to me and rests his arm behind me. “I missed you.” He brushes his knuckles over my shoulder.
“Are you going to have to leave again?” I repeat, letting my annoyance show.
He sighs and pulls his hand away, running it through his hair and closing his eyes. Eventually, he nods, and my heart drops into my stomach.
I turn to face forward and stare at the shelf my book will go when I leave here. At this rate, it should only take me six years to finish it.
“You know, I find it strange how you get pissed when I leave, yet you don’t seem to be happy when I’m here.”
I turn to face him, ready to fight, but the disappointment on his face stops me. I’m disappointed too. We just show it differently.
I stare at him a few moments, feeling my vulnerability as it bubbles to the surface. I try to live in the moment, to feel the safety I currently have with Angel sitting beside me, but I can’t see past Jasper Flynn. I can’t get him telling me he’ll see me tomorrow out of my head.
“Jasper Flynn says hi,” I say when I can’t think of another way to respond to him. I don’t think he could possibly understand the truth if I gave it to him.
I’m nothappywhen he’s here. I’m relieved. Really fucking relieved because it means life is a little bit safer for me, and it means for a couple hours a night, when it’s just the two of us, I get to be myself. I’m not interested in playing board games and telling stories, I just want to be here and be angry without being punished for it. That’s what he provides me. He’d never understand that.
Angel narrows his eyes. “Excuse me?”
“After he was done eye-fucking me in the playroom, he stopped me before I came here. He told me to tell you he says hi.”
I watch Angel’s face, searching for any hint of jealousy, but all I find is confusion.
“How do you know his name?”
That’swhat he focuses on? Not the eye-fucking part?
Asshole.
“He told me.”
Angel’s brow furrows as he moves his gaze to the coffee table.
“Why does it matter?”
“He shouldn’t be telling you his name,” Angel mutters under his breath. It sounds more like he’s talking to himself than to me.
“Why? Who is he?”
Angel’s eyes move back to me. “He’s a friend of mine. And Sawyer’s,mostlySawyer’s. We met in college.”
I stare at him, waiting for him to go on. He looks like he’s finished, but when it’s clear I’m not satisfied, he continues.