Sweet Agony (Angels Halo MC Next Gen Book 2) Page 6

  “Sit,” Bash instructed, lifting his own mug of coffee to his mouth. “Talked to your dad just now.”

  “And?” I asked, taking a seat across from the two men.

  “Someone broke in to the girl’s dorm room last night. Tore the place up, but there was nothing there to tell them where she might be.” He leaned back in his chair, his long dark hair falling over his shoulders. “He also said he would be talking to you later about his security. Apparently he has discovered two other moles who work for Petrov.”

  “Not surprised,” I said with a shrug.

  “You were right to bring the girl here,” Jet commented, sipping his coffee. “Especially if your father is having difficulties with his men. Your mother and sister should come out here too.”

  “Mom isn’t one to hide,” I told him, feeling the hint of a grin teasing at my lips. “Besides, Anya won’t let anything happen to her or Sofia.”

  Three plates of food were placed on the table, all of them full of bacon, pancakes, and scrambled eggs. Jet kissed his wife when she started to move away, thanking her for breakfast. She winked at him and walked back to the stove, humming softly to herself.

  I picked up my fork and began eating, my stomach growling angrily with hunger. Before I was finished with my meal, Bash left, and Jet went to wake up his kids. Minutes later, Nova walked into the kitchen, her long blond hair braided down her back.

  She looked almost nothing like her mom. Instead, she was the spitting image of her aunt Raven. “Mom, I kept hearing a weird tapping noise coming from Garret’s room all night,” she complained as she took a seat at the table.

  “I’m sure it was nothing,” Felicity murmured, not really paying attention to her daughter as she plated pancakes and bacon. Placing the dish in front of Nova, she walked back to the stove.

  “But Mom, it was really annoying.” From the time she was three, Nova and her brother had spent every summer in New York. I’d gotten to know her more than Garret because she was always following my cousin Ryan around, so I knew that she wasn’t much of a complainer—except when it came to her brother.

  “He’s always doing something to annoy us all, sweetheart. Haven’t you learned by now your brother thrives on irritating you?”

  Nova muttered something under her breath that made me have to fight a grin. Finishing off my coffee, I stood and carried my dirty dishes to the sink.

  “You don’t have to do that, Theo,” Felicity said. “I’ve got this. You go check on Tavia. If she’s hungry, I can make her another tray with broth and maybe some Jell-O today.”

  Upstairs, I passed Garret’s room and heard Jet in there with his son. “You cannot keep that thing in the house, boy. What the hell? If your mom saw this, she would skin us both alive.”

  “Ah, come on, Dad. It’s not that bad. And look, I built a cage for it.”

  “Is that the tapping noise your sister was complaining about?” Jet demanded, sounding exasperated. “Damn it, Garret, you cannot have a fucking raccoon in the house. It’s a wild animal.”

  “It’s only a baby. I’ll take care of it. Mom won’t freak as much as you think. She’ll think it’s cute.”

  Shaking my head as father and son continued to argue, I opened Tavia’s door. She was still in bed, sound asleep. Raven was checking on her oxygen machine and then the IV site that was still in the back of her hand but wasn’t connected, although there was a pole with fluids hanging from it in case she did need it.

  As I entered the room, Raven glanced my way. “She’s been sleeping, but the rest hasn’t been nearly as peaceful as when you were in bed with her.”

  “She had a nightmare yesterday evening. That was why I was in bed with her. She wanted me to hold her.” I crossed to the bed and bent to brush my lips over her brow. As my lips touched her forehead, she sighed softly and buried her head deeper into the pillow.

  “About the shooting?” Raven asked, her eyes narrowed.

  “No,” I muttered as I straightened. “It was about what happened before she was shot. Yerik was a member of my father’s security. He was actually one of my Mom’s personal guards. She had him drive Tavia sometimes.” I gritted my teeth, remembering the bastard’s hands on her. “He tried to rape her.”

  “Fuck.” Seething now, Raven walked to the end of the bed, her hands clenched at her sides. “I need to teach her some self-defense. Once she’s healed, Lexa and I will take care of that.”

  “I’ll teach her.” I should have already done that. Anya had taught Sofia and my two female cousins how to protect themselves, so I’d never really had to worry about them knowing what to do if some guy got out of hand—not that they were around guys who weren’t family often. But I should have been teaching Tavia self-defense from the first day we’d met.

  “You should have already been teaching her,” Raven snapped, voicing my same thoughts. “You had your chance. Now I’ll do what you haven’t. As soon as she’s cleared for physical activity, Lexa and I will teach her everything she needs to know about protecting herself.”

  Before I could argue, my phone went off. The sound made Tavia shift restlessly, and I quickly silenced it before checking to see who it was. Seeing Pops’s name on my screen, I walked out of the room so I wouldn’t disturb her before answering.

  “Hey, Pops,” I greeted as I walked downstairs.

  “Reid tell you about Tavia’s dorm room?” he asked before I’d even reached the front door.

  “Yeah. Did they take anything?”

  He grunted. “Her laptop is missing, and it looked like a few pictures had been taken from her desk. The one of her and Sofia wasn’t in her room, and I know for a fact that she had that picture because I saw it when I took Sofia to visit her there once.”

  I clenched my fingers around the phone. “They could target Sof next to try to find out where Tavia is.”

  “I know, son. For now, she is still at Anya’s. She’s not going anywhere but school and back there, and even when she is at school, Ciro has two men watching over her since they are already there for Zariah.”

  Relieved that my sister was covered, I leaned one of my forearms on the porch banister and glared off into the distance. “Do you think Tavia is safe here? Is this too close?”

  I hated how unsure I sounded, but I needed to know if I was doing the right thing. Tavia was my top priority. Her safety was all that mattered to me. And even though we were on the other side of the country now, I felt like she was still too close to danger.

  “Honestly? I don’t think there is any place truly safe for Tavia right now. They want her, Theo. And they want her badly. She’s the last of the Bykov bloodline. Adas will do anything to take her out. He wants her more than he wants you, and you killed his brother. It won’t matter to him that he will be starting a war with me and Anya over this. His hatred for the Bykov family is too strong for him to give a fuck about anything else.” He blew out a long breath, sounding just as tired as I felt. “But as things stand, you have her in the safest place I can imagine at the moment. Just keep your eyes open, trust your gut, and know that I have your back no matter what.”

  Chapter 11

  Tavia

  Frustrated, I jerked the oxygen out of my nose and scooted to the edge of the bed.

  I was tired of sleeping all day, tired of feeling helpless and reliant on everyone, tired of my nose being dry and irritated due to the flow of air from the oxygen tubes. I hadn’t had to have the hard pain medication in more than twenty-four hours, and my stomach muscles didn’t hurt nearly as badly as they once had.

  But the women were still telling me to rest, only letting me up when I needed to use the bathroom. Considering all they were feeding me was freaking broth, Jell-O, and protein shakes, my stomach was fucking empty, and all I wanted was a big juicy burger. Yet when I told them I was hungry, the only thing I got was that stupid bone broth shit that might taste good but did nothing to fill the gnawing hunger in my gut.

  When I got cranky or downright bitchy with any o
f them, they grinned like they were happy I’d complained and snapped at them. As if they thought I was fragile when I wasn’t yelling in their direction. And no matter how loud I screamed or shouted, Theo never reacted.

  I didn’t get the grins from him that Raven or Flick or Lexa gave me when I was bitching. I didn’t get the snarky comebacks or the cajoling when I was being stubborn. He held me when I woke up from a nightmare, he told me he loved me when he kissed my brow and then commanded me to sleep.

  But when I woke up, he would be gone.

  Every damn time.

  Not that I wanted to talk to him. Or see him. I hated him—mostly.

  I could feel the tension in him, yet he wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. And I refused to beg him to confess. I was done asking for his attention. Done begging for anything where Theo Volkov was concerned. His words of love were empty anyway.

  Slowly, I pushed to my feet and waited. For the burn. For the dizziness. For anything that would tell me I was overdoing it and that maybe Raven was right to tell me I needed to stay in bed a little longer. The pain was only a fraction of what it had been, more discomfort than actual pain at this point, and the dizziness was nonexistent.

  My muscles were stiff and weak when I walked into the bathroom, making the process a little slower without someone to assist me. Once I was in there, I took care of business and then washed up. But my hair felt limp, and my entire body was sticky, even though I’d had a quick shower with Raven’s and Flick’s help only the day before.

  I turned on the water and stripped while it warmed up. Stepping into the tub, I tipped my head back to the spray and let it flood over me. It felt so good, I couldn’t fight the moan that left me.

  By the time I was done washing my hair, I was exhausted, but a feeling of accomplishment filled me. I felt the ghost of a smile teasing at my lips when I finally turned off the water.

  Pushing back the curtain, I reached for the towel, only to find Theo standing there holding it. His eyes darkened when they skimmed over me, hunger ravaging his face. Gasping in surprise, I stepped back, and I felt my foot slide out from under me. With a whimper, I felt myself start to fall, and my muscles tensed, waiting for the impact of pain when I hit the ground.

  Theo’s arms going around me and taking all of my weight saved me. I was pulled out of the tub and swung into his arms, still soaking wet but suddenly breathless from his closeness.

  “Are you okay, krasotka?” he murmured softly, his lips brushing over my brow before he placed me carefully on my feet and wrapped the towel around my damp body. “Does anything hurt?”

  Still stunned, I shook my head, holding the towel to my chest to hide my nakedness from him. Theo was the epitome of male perfection, from his face to those chiseled abs to his muscular thighs. Hell, even his feet were oddly perfect, something I’d only noticed once, when our legs were entangled right after we’d had sex for the first time.

  And I was anything but perfect. My breasts were too small, my hips too wide, my stomach too soft in places. And now there were scars everywhere, not only from being shot, but also from the surgery that saved my life. My abdomen looked like someone had tried to play that children’s game Operation with it and then sewn me up once they were done.

  “You should have waited for me or one of the women to help you shower,” he grumbled. “You aren’t well enough to handle things like this on your own yet, baby.”

  Being scolded by him helped shake off the shock, and I glared up at him. “I’m not a child. I have been taking care of myself all my life, Theo. And I’m fine now. I can do things on my own.” Tucking the towel into place, I grabbed a second one to wrap around my hair and pushed past him to return to the bedroom.

  I’d come to this house with nothing but the clothes Theo’s aunt had supplied for me. Since then, Lexa had donated all my other clothing needs, but hers were all considerably longer on me than I was used to. Still, I was thankful for them as I pulled on a pair of fresh panties and then slid on a pair of yoga pants before reaching for a T-shirt.

  A bra was one thing Lexa couldn’t offer since we weren’t exactly the same size in the chest department, so I’d been without one all week. Having been stuck in bed, I hadn’t really given it much thought. But now that I planned on doing anything other than lying around being lazy, I probably needed to figure out something to contain my breasts. They might not have been anything to take note of, but without a bra, people would definitely notice.

  As I pulled the T-shirt into place, I dropped the towel. I was sore after all the activity of showering and dressing, not to mention nearly falling, so I was moving a little slower as I walked toward the door.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Theo demanded from behind me.

  I didn’t even bother to glance back at him. “To talk to Raven or Flick about getting a bra.”

  A choking sound coming from him had me pausing with my hand on the doorknob, and I looked at him over my shoulder. “What?”

  “You haven’t said anything about needing a bra,” he half growled, his eyes going straight to my chest and the simple pink T-shirt that was the only thing covering my breasts.

  “That’s because I was lying in bed for days and didn’t consider it. Now that I’m able to move around, I need one.” Opening the door, I walked through and hurried to the stairs.

  The house was a lot bigger than I’d imagined. I had been asleep when we arrived, so I hadn’t seen anything but the room I’d been trapped in for a week. Pictures decorated the wall and were angled along the stairs as I descended them to the first floor.

  I heard voices and followed them. The living room was large and homey. A picture of Lexa in her wedding dress standing with her parents was on the mantel. I hadn’t met her father yet, but I wasn’t surprised to find she looked so much like him.

  Pushing open the door to the kitchen, I found Raven standing at the island. A smaller woman with gray eyes stood beside her, both of them chopping vegetables. The new woman’s hair was just as short as Raven’s and Flick’s, making me wonder if the pixie style was something everyone favored in this part of the country.

  Both women looked at me as I entered the room.

  “I was wondering when you were going to chance getting up,” Raven said with a grin as she carried her cutting board to the stove and tossed the peppers she’d just chopped into a pot.

  “You told me not to,” I reminded her, unable to completely hide the pout in my tone.

  “Of course I did. But I’ve also learned how stubborn you are. I knew once you were actually ready to get up, you would, whether I said you could or not.” She returned to the island and started on an onion. “How about some mashed potatoes for dinner?”

  My stomach growled hungrily. “With gravy?” I asked hopefully, disliking how young and unsure I sounded.

  Raven smiled. “If that’s what you want.”

  I nodded, my gaze going back to the other woman, who was watching me even as she chopped her own pile of peppers.

  “Tavia, this is Lexa’s aunt, Willa Masterson,” Raven introduced.

  “It’s good to finally meet you, Tavia.” Willa wiped her hands on a dish towel and walked over to me, her hand extended. I shook it, noting how strong her grip was. “We’ve all been worried about you, but Raven refused to let anyone except Flick or Lexa up so you weren’t overwhelmed.”

  “We’re making cheesesteak soup,” Raven informed me as she sliced the onions. “Unfortunately, you can’t have any quite yet, but I’ll freeze some for you. So when you finally can eat it, it will be ready.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” I murmured, even though my stomach was begging me for a bowl then and there. I’d never had cheesesteak soup, but it sounded amazing. “I don’t want to be a bother.”

  “No bother. Willa and I are making enough to feed everyone. Saving you a little is nothing.” Her brows pulled together when she looked behind me, and I didn’t have to turn to know Theo had come into the kitchen.

/>   I’d felt him as soon as the door opened. There had always been something about him, some aura or magnetism that alerted me to his nearness.

  Fighting not to shiver, I walked to the fridge and extracted a bottle of water, anything to avoid looking at him. “Actually, there was something I needed to ask you,” I spoke to Raven. “I seem to be in need of a bra.”

  “What size are you?” Willa was the one to ask, her eyes on my chest. “You look like a B cup.”

  “Thirty-eight B,” I told her and she nodded.

  “Perfect. That’s what my girls wear. I’ll call over to the house and have one of them bring a few.” She picked up her phone that was lying on the island beside her chopping board and dialed. “Monroe, I need you to grab a few of your bras and bring them over to Aunt Raven’s. Thanks, sweetheart.” With a smile, she went back to chopping. “She just got home from school. She’ll be over in a few.”

  “I will send Lexa to the mall and get you whatever you need,” Theo said as he pulled a beer from the fridge. “Clothes, underwear, bras, and anything else you want.”

  It was that easy. All he had to do was throw money at whatever problem got in his way. That was exactly what I expected him to do, but I didn’t want a single cent of his money spent on me.

  “No, I don’t need, nor do I want, new things.” It wasn’t like I was used to new things anyway. Growing up, all my clothes had come from boxes of clothing donated to the home I lived in. Then once I was out on my own, I saved all the money I could by getting the items I did happen to need from secondhand stores.

  “Tavia—” Theo started to argue, but I didn’t want to hear what he was about to say. No doubt it would only piss me off or hurt me. Either way, I wasn’t willing to hear what was about to come out of his mouth.

  I shook my head at him, disturbing the towel wrapped around my damp hair. Blowing out a heavy sigh, I pulled off the towel and rewrapped it around my thick hair. It would take hours for it to air-dry, but I didn’t have the energy to blow-dry the heavy locks.