I don’t glance over at her, but I can imagine her lips pulling into a frown while she glares at me in anger.
After I pull on my boxers, I walk into the closet and get dressed in my gym clothes. I need to work out; more specifically, I need to hit something. Maybe that will make me feel better.
Speed walking toward the door, I try to ignore Aurora completely, but before I make it into the hallway, she speaks again. “I’m glad you told me about your family, and I’m sorry you lost them.”
I don’t think; I only react. In a flash, I’m across the room, my hand wrapped around her slender throat. Aurora’s eyes go wide with fear as I squeeze enough to take her breath away.
“Don’t ever mention my family again!” I scream into her frightened face. “You are here to serve a purpose, not to talk.”
I shove her against the mattress, leaving her gasping for air, before I stomp out of the room and lock the door behind me.My body is vibrating with anger, and I don’t even know what I’m so furious about. All I know is that this is not how today was supposed to go.
Once I’m in my home gym, I head straight to the heavy bag, wrap up my wrists and pull on my boxing gloves. Then I let all my rage out through my punches.
I’m not sure how long I pummel the bag, but after a while my muscles ache, sweat pours down my back, and despite the gloves, my knuckles hurt. It’s still not enough. My mind remains unsure, my gut telling me that things are not right. I wish I could put my finger on it, so I can fix whatever is wrong.
“Who are you pretending to beat up?” Nick’s voice comes from behind me. I didn’t even notice him coming in. Another wave of annoyance washes over me. I’m off my game.
I don’t stop my workout, but instead deliver punch after punch until my breathing is ragged and my biceps burn.
“What do you need?” I demand between jabs.
“I was going to go over the funeral arrangements with you. We’re expecting a lot of high-profile people to attend, and I think we should prepare for some hostility.” He pauses and waits for me to say something. When I don’t, he continues. “I have created a list. We should?—”
“Figure it out! What do I pay you for?” I basically sneer at him.
Nick grabs my wrist, forcing me to stop and turn toward him. “I’m going to ignore what you just said and remind you I’m your best friend and not some servant you can boss around. What’s wrong?”
Staring at my most trusted friend and the genuine concern in his eyes, my fury finally simmers down slightly. The words I just threw at him replay in my head, and regret fills me. Without Nick and the rest of my team, none of this would have been possible, and I can’t forget that. I owe them everything.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that,” I admit shamefully.
“Damn right. Now tell me what the fuck is going on with you?”
I suck in a deep breath, gathering my thoughts. What exactly is wrong? “I don’t fucking know.” I’m not great at talking about my feelings, even with Nick. Maybe, especially with Nick. I don’t want him to see me as weak.
“Well, you better figure it out, because this…” He waves over my face, “…is not working for me.”
“It’s not really working for me either, but I’m not sure how to fix it.”
“Shouldn’t you be over the moon right now? Everything went according to plan,” Nick reminds me.
“I know. I guess that’s the problem. I’m not over the moon, and I don’t know why,” I reveal.
“I see.” Nick sighs. “It’s not what you expected… she is not what you expected.”
“Aurora has nothing to do with this,” I lie.
“Are you sure about that?”
Not wanting to be untruthful again, I simply don’t answer at all. “What about the list? We should go over it,” I say, desperate to change the subject.
Nick frowns, giving me a look that says, I know exactly what you are doing. Regardless, he drops the Aurora thing and goes straight into laying out his plan for the funeral. The more I listen, the more I agree with him. Many high-profile players have announced their attendance at Donovan’s wake, and having that many unpredictable people in one place is a dangerous situation.
“We’ll have extra security set up around the graveyard. Everyone should be armed and on high alert. I wouldn’t put itpast anyone to start a fight, no matter the occasion or location. These people have no respect.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Nick nods. “I’ll gather a security team and make sure they are briefed.”
“Thank you.” My words don’t feel enough, so I add, “I mean it. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
