He hums, “Do whatever you think will be best. You are fully in charge now. But Mr. Slade...?”
“Yes?”
In a tense voice, Michaels whispers, “If anything should happen to Meadow...an accident of any kind.” He clears his throat. “Don’t feel obliged to protect her with your own life like you would mine. After all, I pay you to be my bodyguard and not hers.”
I clutch the phone again, this time ignoring the pain in my shoulder.One day, Mr. Michaels, I am going to kill you for the way you treat your own flesh and blood. And I am going to enjoy it.
“Understood,” I say coldly and we hang up. Turning to Meadow, her frightened gaze meets mine and she’s gone pale. She looks puny, like she could get blown over by a harsh wind. Her whole demeanor calls for me to keep her safe, keep her under my watch at all times and I walk over to her, restricting myself from taking her into my arms when I notice that she’s trembling.
Lifting her chin halfheartedly she says, “Did you call the cops?”
“No, but that reminds me...” I look down at my phone, “I need to text the cleaning lady.”
Meadow frowns. “Cleaning lady? You’re concerned about shiny floors now?”
If I wasn’t in such a foul mood, I would have smiled. “Cleaning lady is a fixer. He’ll take care of the guy lying dead on the bottom of your pool.”
Shivering, she murmurs, “You need to get to the hospital.”
Her sudden care for me surprises me. I don’t need her fussing over me but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it. It appeals to some primordial side of mine, making me want to give it back to her times ten.
“There’s no time. We need to leave.Now.” I inspect her closely. “Where’s the bag I told you to pack?”
Those brown, perfectly shaped brows of hers knot. “I didn’t pack one. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Fuck. “My patience is already running low, you do not want to test me,” I warn and her eyes flash. “Now get in the fucking car or you’re going to get on my bad side. This isn’t the Meadow show anymore. Do you understand me?”
Gulping, she says, “Where are we going?”
“To my place.”
Meadow looks down at her dog. “What about Persnickety?” At the sound of her name, the dog lets out a weird yap before bursting out in a row of circus tricks as if trying to impress me. Not that it has the desired effect.
“I don’t give a rat’s ass about that rat,” I grind in exasperation but Meadow tugs the thing to her chest like it’s a very furry baby.
“If she doesn’t go, then I’m not going either.” Her mind looks made up and I don’t want to fight her on this. All I care about right now is to get her to safety.
“Get in the car,” I snap and she hurries inside together with the dog and I take the driver’s seat. Luckily I tanked my car just yesterday which means there will be enough fuel to take us up to Fates Falls.
Flexing my jaw, I start the car, rolling out of the courtyard then out of the gates and I try to ignore the fucked up pain in my shoulders. We have a four hour drive ahead of us and I better not black out.
“When are we coming back again?” Meadow asks and I bend the truth and say,
“Soon.”
“Did you call my parents?”
I don’t answer, making her insist, “You must have. Did they get worried when they heard what had happened to me?”
Feeling like I’m between a rock and a hard place, I reluctantly reply, “Yeah.”
It’s a lie but she seems calmed by it and I jerk my head at the glove. “Open it. There’s painkillers and a bottle of water in there.”
Pushing the dog a little out of the way, she takes out the painkillers and the bottle. “How many?”
“Four,” I answer and she tilts the tube and sprinkles them into my hand. Her own hand shakes but she tries to keep it steady, earning my appreciation.
Moving the bottle to my lips, I drink, replying, “Thank you.”