Heartless Savage (Angels Halo MC Next Gen Book 6) Page 4

  “Zariah!” Zia Scarlett scolded as she lifted her head from the stack of papers Dad had given her to look over before he’d gone to a meeting earlier. “You are being rude and cruel.”

  “No, I’m not,” her eldest daughter argued. “I’m being honest. What would be cruel is if I allowed my best friend to be seen in public in such an awful dress.”

  “She’s right!” I heard the annoying sound of her friend’s whine, and it finally clicked in my head that they were on a video call. “My mom’s stylist picked out this dress, and I called Zariah for her advice. I knew she wouldn’t lie to me. Now I just have to convince my mother that it would be embarrassing for everyone if someone took my picture in this hideous thing.”

  An idea began to form in my head, and I jumped up from my seat without a word to anyone. Running upstairs to my room, I did a little research on my laptop that I typically only used for homework assignments. I had an iPhone, but I rarely used it. Mostly it was just so Mom could call or text me when we weren’t together. I lost it more often than not because I didn’t really like it, but right then, I was thankful for it.

  Another search and I found what I wanted, but I was going to need Mom’s help. Rushing back downstairs, I opened the front door where two guards always stood. “Get Mom’s car ready,” I told them. “She and I are going shopping.”

  The one to my left gave a firm nod and extracted his phone from his suit jacket pocket. Shutting the door, I returned to the dining room, where Mom was sipping another cup of coffee. As soon as I entered the room, her blue eyes were on me.

  “Well, you must be feeling a little better,” she mused. “Your color has returned.”

  “I know what I want for my birthday,” I told her in a rush. “But I need it today. Can we go shopping?”

  Her brows lifted toward the ceiling in surprise. I didn’t normally ask for something specific for presents. Family members always asked me, but I never knew what to say. I had everything I wanted or needed—until now. I wanted and needed Nova with me always, but Mom couldn’t give me that.

  “Good morning!” Nova greeted happily as she bounced into the room. Earlier in the week, she’d had her tubes put in. I hadn’t been worried because Ciana and Bennie had both had them done, and nothing had happened to either of them. She’d been sleepy the day it happened, but once the medication they had given her to knock her out so they could put the tubes in had worn off, she’d been nothing but her beautiful, happy self ever since.

  Her little arms hugged me before she climbed into her seat at the table. On instinct, I moved behind her, making sure she didn’t fall because the chair was too high for her, and I was always scared she might get hurt. “Zia, can I have a pancake, please?”

  “Of course, sweetheart,” Zia Scarlett told her as she placed a single pancake on her plate and then a few slices of bacon. “Juice?”

  “Mm,” she mumbled around a mouthful of food. “Thank you.”

  “Mom, can Nova come with us?” I asked, not wanting to spend even a minute away from her.

  “If her parents say she can,” Mom said with a nod.

  An hour later, after I’d promised Nova’s dad that I would protect her with my life, we were in the electronics store at the mall. The sales associate held up two different iPads, and I examined them both. “Which will have a better quality of picture when we video chat?” I asked, and the man blinked at me.

  “How old are you, kid?”

  “I’ll be nine in two days,” I told him, annoyed he was asking me questions instead of answering mine. “Which one has the better picture quality?”

  “They are equally good. These are the newest models with high-definition cameras. The only difference is the hard drive, the capacity for how much is downloaded and stored, like pictures and apps.”

  I released Nova’s hand and picked up one of the boxes, seeing how heavy it was. It was surprisingly light, and I figured Nova’s arms wouldn’t get tired holding it. “I want the one with the biggest hard drive.”

  The associate glanced from me to Mom, who stood off to the side, watching but not participating. “Okay, kid. What else do you need?”

  I turned my attention to Nova. She shifted from one foot to the other, her beautiful face showing how bored she was. But she’d been waiting patiently while I picked out my birthday present. The present I planned on giving to her so we could talk every day over video.

  “Do you have anything to protect the iPad in case someone drops it?” I asked. Nova wasn’t clumsy, but even I dropped things at least once a day. I didn’t want her to drop and break the iPad. Then I wouldn’t be able to see her the way I planned on doing every day.

  “Sure, little dude. Let me show you a few different ones.” He motioned us toward the back wall, where they had a huge selection to choose from.

  Taking Nova’s hand, I followed him over to the display. “What color do you like the most, Nova?”

  Her eyes went straight to a neon-pink case. “That one!”

  I picked it up, reading all the details listed on the box. “Is it the best?” I finally asked the sales associate. “If she drops it, will it keep it from breaking?”

  “She can drop it, run over it with a car, or throw it in a full bathtub, and it will be safe. This thing will protect it from everything but fire.”

  “Perfect.” I frowned, trying to remember everything I needed. “What about cell service? Can I get that on there too? Or is it only through Wi-Fi?”

  “You can get a hotspot for it,” he told me. “You sure you’re only nine, kid?”

  “I’ll be nine in two days,” I repeated. “Tell me how the hotspot works so I can teach her how to use it. She’s only three.”

  I had a dozen more questions, but the guy answered them all before finally scanning all the items. He gave us the total, and Mom swiped her black credit card. I was handed the bag, which I gave to one of our guards as soon as we were out of the store. I kept my other hand wrapped around Nova’s. We stopped for ice cream, and then I took her to the Build-A-Bear shop.

  “Whatever one you want, you can have,” I told her.

  “I don’t want one if you don’t get one,” she told me with a pout.

  “Okay, I’ll get one too. Pick one out for me.” She decided on a yellowish teddy bear for me that reminded me of her hair and then a tie-dye bunny for herself. As we waited for them to be stuffed—after Nova gave them a bath and brushed their fur—I recorded a message to put in hers. “Now I can always tell you goodnight before you fall asleep.”

  “I wanna do it too,” she said, picking up a heart-shaped box. The sales associate helped her record her message. “Goodnight, Ryan! I love you bunches and bunches and bunches and bunches!”

  Mom and the saleswoman laughed, but all I could do was stand there and try to catch my breath. She loved me. That was good, because I loved her too. How could anyone ever meet Nova and not love her? It was impossible.

  Nova took the box once the recording was complete, hugged it to her chest, then kissed it before placing it into the bear. It was sewn shut, and then she rushed to find an outfit for our new stuffed toys.

  “I thought this was your birthday present we were shopping for,” Mom murmured as we both watched Nova bouncing excitedly from one set of clothes to the next, trying to decide which outfit my bear needed.

  “This is for my birthday. Making Nova happy like this is the best present I could ever have.”

  Mom stroked the backs of her fingers down my cheek. “We really can’t keep her, but I wish we could. I love how happy she makes you. I haven’t ever seen you smile so much, l’venok. And seeing this smile is what I live for.”

  “I know we can’t keep her. Yet.”

  “Yet?” she repeated, her brow scrunching up.

  “When she’s old enough, I’ll marry her,” I explained. “And then we can keep her forever.”

  Her mouth turned down disapprovingly. “Ryan, you don’t marry someone just to keep them. You marry them because you love them and can’t live without them.”

  “Exactly,” I agreed with a nod.

  She let out a heavy sigh. “I can see we need to have an in-depth conversation later, my little lion. But for now, go have fun. Soak up the time you have left with your friend.”

  7

  Ryan

  Ryan Age 10 : Nova Age 4

  Picking up the consent form from my desk, I went into Mom’s room. I’d forgotten to have her sign it the night before when I’d gotten home from practice. She’d already been in bed and Dad said she wasn’t feeling well, so I hadn’t wanted to bother her. He’d been on his way out the door for a business trip to Chicago, so I hadn’t wanted to make him late by telling him what the consent form was about. It was just for a field trip to some museum in the city, and I wasn’t even sure I really wanted to go. I’d been there a few times already with my cousins, and it had been boring.

  Knocking on my parents’ bedroom door that was slightly ajar, I waited for Mom to say I could come in. But instead, I heard the sound of someone throwing up and groaning like they were in pain. Dropping the piece of paper, I took off running in the direction of the sound. The light in the bedroom was off, but the one in the bathroom was bright and glaring down on Mom as she sat on her knees in front of the toilet, vomiting repeatedly.

  Thinking quickly, I found a washcloth and dampened it with cold water. Once I’d wrung out the extra water, I placed it on the back of her neck like she did for me when I was sick, and I started rubbing her back. It took a few minutes before she was able to stop dry heaving, and then she dropped back, wiping at her sweaty brow.

  “What should I do?” I asked her, wondering if I should call Dad or run and get Zia Scarlett.

  Taking the washcloth from her neck, she wiped her face with it and gave me a weak smile. “Nothing, l’venok. I’m fine.”

  “But you were throwing up,” I argued. “You’re sick. You need to see a doctor.”

  “I have,” she assured me in a tired voice. “Everything is fine, I promise.”

  “But…”

  She tossed the washcloth aside and grabbed my hand in one of hers while her other hand went to her stomach. “We were going to wait to tell you, but I don’t want you to worry. Ryan, I…” She paused, and my stomach tightened into a painful knot.

  Please don’t say something bad. Please don’t let her have something that will take her away from me.

  There were two people in the world I couldn’t live without, and she was one of them. If I lost either Mom or Nova, I didn’t know what I would do. For the most part, I’d been forced to live without Nova except for our video calls. For my birthday this past summer, Mom and I had flown to California to visit with Nova and her family for a few days. But it hadn’t been nearly enough time for me.

  We were supposed to go back this coming weekend for Nova’s fifth birthday. I’d been trying not to think about it because I didn’t want my excitement at seeing my favorite person in the universe to annoy everyone, but the truth was I’d been counting down the minutes until I could hug Nova again.

  But if Mom was sick…

  “I’m pregnant,” Mom announced, her smile a little shaky. “You’re going to be a big brother.”

  “What?” I yelped in a mixture of happiness and nervousness. “You’re going to have a baby?” Mom nodded, her smile growing more and more wobbly by the second. “But you’re so sick.”

  Her hand tightened around mine. “It happens. Morning sickness is exhausting, but it won’t last long. As soon as this passes, I’ll be good as new.”

  I nodded, pretending to understand, but it didn’t really help my anxiety over something happening to her. Was being pregnant dangerous? I vaguely remembered Zia Scarlett being pregnant with Vito and Bennie, but I’d been so young back then that it was barely a memory at all. She’d been okay, though, at least while pregnant. Afterward, when she’d donated one of her kidneys to Zia Victoria, that was when she’d become so sick we’d all worried about if she would ever get better.

  Mom’s smile dropped, and she turned to vomit again.

  I stayed with her until she was done, then helped her stand and wash out her mouth before making her lean on me as we walked back into her bedroom. Being as careful as possible, I tucked her into bed. “You rest. Don’t worry about anything.”

  “Ryan…” She paused. “I’m sorry, but it doesn’t look like we will be able to go to Creswell Springs this weekend. I promise, as soon as this all clears up, we will go. Maybe for Christmas.”

  I nodded, understanding even though my heart felt as if it were on fire with disappointment. Mom’s health was more important than my own wants or needs. I didn’t want her to suffer through a long flight if she was sick just to make myself happy. Especially when I knew it was going to hurt even worse when I had to leave Nova behind.

  “It’s all right, Mom. We can go another time.” I kissed her cheek and turned off her light before backing away. “Do you need anything? I’ll get it before I go to school. Or if you need me to stay home, I can. With Dad in Chicago, one of us should be with you.”

  “No, no, you go to school. I’ll be fine in a few hours.” Her eyes scanned my face lovingly. “Thank you for understanding, l’venok. I’m so sorry.”

  I shook my head. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You can’t help that you’re sick. I love you, Mom. You being okay is more important.”

  Outside her room, I picked up the consent form and crushed it into a ball. As I entered my bedroom, I tossed it into the wastebasket and grabbed my phone and backpack. It was too early to call Nova and let her know I couldn’t make it for her birthday, but I knew I had to tell her.

  Downstairs, Ciana was waiting with Vito and Bennie. Zayne and Zariah had already left since they were in middle school, and that was in the opposite direction of ours. Vito and Bennie were in kindergarten, which had its own private wing and entrance, but the four of us always rode together every morning.

  Zio Ciro hustled us outside and into the back of the limo, where two guards were already waiting with the door open. While the twins argued and played tug-of-war with the strap of Bennie’s backpack, Zio scrolled through his emails. I sat against the door, frowning out at the passing scenery, wondering what I could tell Nova that would keep her from being upset that we wouldn’t see each other as I’d promised.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Ciana muttered beside me, keeping her voice low so only I could hear her. “You look sad. I don’t like it.”

  “I can’t visit Nova this weekend,” I answered back just as low.

  Her eyes widened but filled with sympathy. She knew how hard it had been for me when Nova had left that first time, and then when I got back from visiting her for my birthday this year. She’d tried to cheer me up, but nothing had worked because the only thing that could make it better was Nova. All I thought about all day, every day, was if she was safe. Was she happy, or had someone made her cry? Did she miss me as much as I missed her? Then at the end of the day, I saw her smiling face via video call, and all those worries faded.

  “I’m sorry,” my cousin whispered. “Is there something I can do?”

  I shook my head. “It will be okay. Mom promised we would go for Christmas.”

  Ciana gave my arm a squeeze. “Well, if you need to talk, I’m here.”

  “Yeah, I know. Thanks, Ciana.”

  She rested her head on my arm the rest of the way to school, offering me comfort in the only way she knew I would accept, but it did nothing to ease the tightness in my chest and throat. The limo pulled up in front of our school to drop the two of us off first before the driver would move along the path to the back entrance for the kindergartners.

  Our school was some old, Gothic-style building that belonged in a scary movie. It was private, no doubt costing our parents a huge chunk of cash for us to attend, but it was considered not one of the best, but the best private primary school in the country. My fellow classmates were all just as rich as my own family, not a single one of them better than us in any way. But some were politician’s sons and daughters, and they all stuck up their noses at us, as if they thought it was beneath them to share the same air as us.

  It was amusing in a way. They could act like they were better, smarter, more entitled to everything, but the truth was, if my mom so much as looked at their parents the wrong way, they would crap their pants and cower in fear. Each and every one of them. I knew, because I’d seen it happen right in front of me during a parents’ night just the year before.

  It had been a casual type of event, where we’d all been invited to meet our new teachers with our parents. One of the boys in my class was making rude comments about Ciana’s newly developing chest and her dress. Zia Scarlett hadn’t heard him, but Mom had. She’d told him to keep his mouth shut and if she caught him so much as blinking at Ciana, she would pay him a special visit while he slept.

  His parents had heard her not-so-subtle threat and had turned to blast her, only to practically swallow their tongues when they realized it was Anya Vitucci they had come face-to-face with. The retort they had been about to deliver had dried up on their tongues, but Mom had still taken a step in their direction. I’d stood there watching as the boy’s mother had started to tremble, and then the room had filled with a foul smell as the father had released gas so horrible, it was as if he’d actually crapped his pants.

  Ciana still wasn’t convinced he hadn’t. She and Zariah had giggled for days after she’d told her elder sister all about what had happened.

  But the whole incident had embarrassed the boy, and he’d been tormenting Ciana ever since. Not that she cared. She knew I would protect her from the little punk, and I did—every time he opened his mouth to say something mean or degrading to her.

  At lunchtime, I couldn’t stand it anymore and went into the bathroom to call Nova. My lunch break was at eleven, which made it eight o’clock her time, but I knew she would be awake. Her brother and two cousins would be leaving for school soon, and she always woke up early with them. With her birthday being in November, she didn’t get to start school for another year, so she would be home.