My Demons (The Angel Trilogy #2) (3 page)

My mom left everything she had to me in an account that sat growing interest until I was twenty-one-years-old. I think on the last count there was over twenty million. I’ve only touched a pinch of that. It just feels wrong, like blood money.

Blood money seems to be the only money I earn these days. But, the ATF pays me well enough. I will, however, be using my inheritance soon.

I only give in to my Dad’s request to keep him happy and until I get my shit straight and can keep Abby safe, I have to continue doing his dirty work and I’m ok with that. Knowing everything I do is for Abby one way or the other, helps me stay focused on what I need to do.

For now…

Chapter Three

Abby

“You’re such a dork.” Amy laughs so hard I’m convinced she’s peed herself.

“You shouldn’t underestimate me.” I also laugh.

“Abby, you do know you can’t just randomly say that to people.”

“Umm… this coming from the expert of random?” I wrinkle my brows.

“Exactly.” She owns it. “Yeah, and besides telling the hot sexy doctor his ass is nice, is just so outside your norm you know?” Ok, Amy’s always pushing me to be something I’m not and now she has an opinion. Hmm, I don’t buy it. Something’s up with her lately.

“I’m just really sick of being here.” I tuck the last of my clothing into my bag. “All right, where are they?” My parents said they’d be back by now.

“Geez freak out much?” She laughs when I begin pacing the small room.

“Ha-ha,” I respond snarkily.

“Oh shit,” Amy huffs. “I just spilled this stupid coffee on my brand new top. Ugh,” she grunts walking to the bathroom.

I’ve been in this room a little bit too long. It’s almost Christmas and I
need
to go home. I wanted to go back to my apartment, but my mom had a fit so that’s not going to happen now.

I want to remember everything that’s been going on for the last year and I’m so angry that I can’t. The doctors have been great. They have tried to reassure me that it takes time for my memory to come back completely, but my patience is running thin.

I receive a text message.

Mom:
On our way

Abby:
K

I toss the phone onto the bed.

I know that my parents mean well wanting to take care of me, but I feel like being on my own is exactly what I need to start healing.

“This is such a waste.”

“What?” I ask from where I’m sitting on the window sill.

“This top, it’s never coming out.”

“Grab something of mine.”

I know I’ve been thinking it for a while, probably because I’ve nothing better to do, but I think Amy’s back to her old ways. When I say old ways, I mean the eating disorder. She struggled with it starting in middle school and then all the way through high school.

She always made an excuse not to eat something or not drink something, and if she did she would make up an excuse to go to the bathroom. While I know this sounds crazy, it nearly killed her in our junior year. She was so weak. Nothing but tiny little bones really, but she got through it. That was about the time she met Dom.

I see her glare at the bag because she knows what I’m gonna say. She has to know what I’m thinking, right?

Amy’s tiny by nature, but I’m smaller than she is. I always have been. When she puts my top on and it falls off of her, it’s going to be so obvious what’s going on.

Do I call her on it though?

“No, I’m cool, I’ll just wear this.”

Oh yeah, she knows what I’ll say. I may not remember the last year of my life, but I remember that, and as her friend I’ll definitely say something to her.

Thing is though, I know that she does this when the stress is too much. She’s worried about me, so now I have guilt for that. I know this is something that I brought her to, whether I want to admit it or not.

“Sure?”

“Stop pushing, Abbs.”

“Hmm,” I whisper slipping off of the window sill.

My phone buzzes from the bed. I grab my bag and phone in unison.

Unknown:
I screwed up the last time I won’t mess up the next time.

My face falls to a dark place because I feel a memory, but it scares me. I don’t know why it just does.

“Hey, who’s that?” Amy asks as she recognizes the fear in my eyes. I don’t know who this is and there isn’t a phone number.

“I don’t know,” I shrug.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” She tilts her head.

“It’s nothing.” If Amy’s hiding her eating disorder this is the last thing she needs to see and then worry about. I can handle it. I can’t handle this because I don’t know who it is, but I can ignore it, right?

Knock. Knock.

The nurse enters the room wanting to assess me one last time.

“You’re a miracle, Abby.” She smiles. “I hope you find everything that you’re looking for in there.” She gestures to my head.

“Thank you, Jess. You’ve been great.” I smile.

She’s been very nice to me while I’ve been here and for that I’m grateful. Mostly because she’s just a nice girl and I’ve never sensed a
‘secret’
agenda. Some of the other doctors and nurses seem fake when they talk to me probably because of who my father is.

He’s one of, if not the best, surgeon in his field and he’s a star to those that aspire to be like him. So, I didn’t feel their sincerity. Instead, I felt their coveting stares of my father.

“There she is.” Doctor sexy enters the room. “Are you excited to go home?” he asks.

“Oh yeah, anything has to be better than this place, right?”

“Oh, it wasn’t that bad, was it?” His hands run through his hair and I can tell he has something to say.

“Yeah, it sure was, but thank you for everything that you’ve done for me, I really appreciate it.” I offer a kind smile.

“Amy, do you think I can get a minute with Abby?”

“Oh God. I’ll be right out here, doll.” She huffs and then walks out of the room. She senses something’s up too.

“What’s up Hollister?” He had recently asked that I not call him Doctor and call him by his first name. I didn’t think anything of it.

His walk in my direction is so intense, his eyes are piercing into mine and a chill runs through my body.

As he takes the last of his steps, his hand find mine. I feel frozen in my shoes. The look I’m holding has to be telling him I’m freaking out.

“Abby, I’ve gotten to know you while you’ve been in here and I’d love to take you out sometime.”

Ok, so Dr. Sexy is hot I’m not going to deny that, but he’s not my type. Yeah again, he’s hot and yea I mess with him all the time, but only because I love freaking Amy out, and probably mostly because I’ve been so freaking bored here.

I’ve used some of this time recently to write and it’s helped a lot. One thing I haven’t figured out though. Amy brought me one of my journals, but it was an old one. She said she wasn’t able to find anything else when she went back to look for the one I was writing when the accident happened. Since I can’t remember being in that apartment, I have no idea where I could’ve put it.

“Abby?”

“Huh?” I ask as I’m spun from my thoughts.

“What do you think?”

“Umm, I really like you, but not like that. I’m sorry.”

“Oh, so Evan’s the reason?” I can’t tell if he’s trying to be condescending or not.

“No, actually I really like being friends with you. There isn’t any reason to mess that up, right?”

Please agree with me. Please agree with me.

“Definitely, I love being your friend, Abby,”

“Time to roll, doll,” Amy’s voice erupts breaking the silence that’s been left by the rejection I sense Hollister’s feeling.

He seems like a great guy. But I have so many emotions lost in translation that flow through the already crazed and lost mind I carry around all day long. I can’t add to that with that.

I dream of having love one day. I imagine the love that already fills my heart, growing. I know what everyone tells me about Marco and I know what I’ve been told about Evan.

Marco is someone that I
can
remember and the feelings that I have for him, but Evan is something different, I feel alive around him. Electric really.

Feelings that can’t be described in words come over me when he’s around. My feet can’t feel the ground and the blood flows through my body in a heated wave.

I’ve always guessed that when you loved someone you feel the earth wrap around the intense emotions you’d feel for that one special soul.

The place my heart wants to go isn’t pretty. This place is unknown and I don’t see anything I understand. I need to be reminded of my life, and I think the things that I
will
one day remember, will be darker than anyone thinks, especially after Evan’s revelation.

Hmm, what
do I do
with that information anyway?

“Abby? Are you there?”

“Wha-?” I’m once again broken from my thoughts.

That’s been happening a lot lately. I’m stuck in my own head, lost really. I know there are roads leading to the answers I want, but I can’t find them.

“Time to go.” Amy nods to my parents. “Ready?”

“Yeah, let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Thanks,” I say to Hollister and I see that his eyes are holding an empty stare and it kind of leaves a sour feeling in my stomach. I didn’t mean to do that. But, I didn’t ask for his interest either.

“You’re welcome Abby, I’ll see you soon.” His left hand reaches out brushing the small of my back.

I’m not sure if my parents catch this, but the eye roll coming from Amy tells me she does. She’s definitely team Evan. I want to laugh at her. She can be so territorial and I love it. Mostly because, this I remember about her. I’ll take just about anything right now. If I can remember then it feels like mine and hope circulates through my heart.

“Yes definitely.” I blink.

My dad grabs my bag making a grunting noise. He’s just teasing me.

“It’s not that heavy, old man,” I laugh.

“You’re going to think old when I out-run you one day.”

He’s been working out and running the track at the gym lately, my mom has assured him she isn’t letting him have a heart attack any time soon.

I smile.

Everyone insists that I ride out of the hospital in style, and by style I mean a wheelchair which, of course, I could do without.

My dad’s car is waiting for us at the front door.

“Oh, thank God, I couldn’t take another day in that place,” Amy says popping her lips then tossing her gloss back into her bag.

“Oh, this is going to be great, baby girl. I’m going to cook your favorite for dinner.”

Amy and I immediately break our necks looking at each other.

“Mom, you’re cooking?” If I remember anything I remember my mom doesn’t cook. She dabbles, but that’s what Frank the chef does and has done for the last fifteen years. Alison Hayes can stick to things she’s good at.

Amy and I both laugh before my mom can answer.

“Hey, I can cook,” she pouts and just as I see the sad face, I see a wink from her beautiful green eye.

“Are you ready to go home?” she asks behind her Coco Chanel sunglasses.

I think about that question for a moment. My eyes wander out of the window to the bright sunny day. “Absolutely.”

A smile fills my cheeks and I take a deep relieving breath knowing I’m going to be better soon. I will be a whole person again.

I’m broken from my euphoric state when my dad blares his horn. I swing my head to the left and see a dark sedan inches away from the driver’s side, the side Amy and my dad are on. I grip the leather seat in front of me because I know an accident is moments away.

“Don’t they see us?” Amy yells.

The car quickly slows down and by the time I’ve turned my head to the back window they’ve already turned.

“Must be teenagers,” my dad hisses.

I take a deep breath because that was really close.

“Assholes,” Amy whispers.

I feel my phone vibrate in my hands.

Evan:
How are you?

I quickly think about the answer I’ll give him. Should I tell him that I can’t stop thinking about him, or how my dreams make me want him every second?

My pounding heart’s slowing down, but images of the last dream I had of the sexy love king are going to put the pounding back into overdrive.

I shiver.

Abby:
I’m good how are you?

Evan:
Where are you?

Abby:
Almost home, yay.

Evan:
Oh, my house then?

Abby:
No my parents.

Evan:
Can I see you?

Abby
: I don’t know when my parents will let me out of their sight.

Evan
: Can I come there?

I look up to see Amy gawking at my phone with a cheesy grin on her face. Oh, I’m sure she’s thrilled.

“Tell him, yes,” she hisses quietly not wanting to bring attention to herself.

“Should I?”

“Yes, and you should have a long time ago, doll.”

We both squeal in the back seat and it’s like we’re teenagers again.

My phone’s knocked out of my hands when my father slams on the brakes. “What’s going on?”

I fumble for my phone that’s fallen to the floorboard. I slip my fingers around it and sit back up seeing the same dark car out of my rear passenger window this time.

“What the-?”

“What?” Amy asks.

“Do you think that’s the same car?” My eyes don’t leave the dark windows hiding the driver.

“No. Hey, which do you like better?” Amy attempts to pass me her phone, but I don’t take it or pay attention to the screen.

I know that’s the same car.

My phone buzzes again.

Evan:
Where did you go?

Abby:
Sorry traffic is horrible.

Evan:
Can I see you Abby? I really need to see you.

“Yes doll.” Oh, now she’s paying attention.

Abby:
Yes.

Evan:
Now?

Abby:
I’m still on the road.

Evan:
Ok.

“Uh huh, you need that man Abby, he loves you so much.”

I catch myself biting my bottom lip and a smile curves onto my cheeks. I don’t know that she’s right, but there’s something special about him and my heart knows it.