Page 29 of Tommy
And the private event goes from a party of two to one.
Chapter 11—Tommy
“Want a drink?” I head to the bar, already knowing I need a double to finish out this night. Perhaps I can get drunk enough to pass out before I do something I can’t take back. Other than what I’m already doing.
Why the hell did I bring her here?
I could have just as easily driven her to a hospital or even to her place and called a doctor there.
But I didn’t.
I brought her to my house.
Myhouse.
Not a family property, but mine. Stupid on so many levels. But only one that really matters.
That she’s more than an employee. Which is a problem.
This last month, I buried myself in work. I had hoped that she was just something I looked at to bide my time between meetings. A pretty distraction. But my first reaction was to bring her here. Taking her somewhere else never even crossed my mind.
Until I saw her in my shirt.
That’s when the warning bells started going off.
Because my first thought—myonlythought—wasI want her in more of my clothes.
“Um… should I?” I look over my shoulder at her. She hasn’t moved from the seat she sat in earlier. “I mean, because of the meds?”
I shrug as I pour myself a very generous drink. “Your choice.”
Turning, I lean back against the bar by the windows and watch her nibble on one side of her lip. She’s conscious enough to not bite on the whole thing, as is her usual habit.
Finally, she shakes her head. “Just water. Please.”
Pushing off the bar, I go to the fridge, grab her a bottle of water, and then come back to the table. I uncap it for her before glancing at the prescription Doc left and giving her the dosage he recommended. Maybe I should have waited to give her the meds till after I got my questions answered. However, seeing her in pain isn’t working really well for me.
Having Doc come and check her over curbed some of my need to kill. Not all, though, which is why I have a team on standby, waiting for my call. Waiting for details I plan to get from Payton about who did this to her. I don’t care about the why, just the who.
“Thank you.”
I nod as I pull out the chair beside her. Doc had her move her chair a bit to get her to sit straight when he examined her, which has her beside the table and not facing it. I mirror mine to hers but pull it a little farther back to give us more room. The more space between us, the better it is for my brain. The one part of me setting off alarms. My hands itch to touch her. To pull her close and check her over on my own. But I resist.
Barely.
“Tell me what happened.”
“I… I did.”
I shake my head after taking a sip of my drink, sloshing it around in my mouth for half a second before swallowing.
“No.” I shake my head. “You lied to me. I want the truth. What happened? Falling down, even on stairs, doesn’t do this. And I’m warning you.” I pause to let her know how serious I am. “I don’t like to be lied to. Ever.”
“I… I….” She takes a breath and closes her eyes before she continues. “I was attacked.”
When I say nothing, she opens her eyes and looks at me.
I try to keep my face neutral, but my jaw is tight. I knew she was, but hearing her confirm it is almost like a shock to the system.
