Chapter Eighty-Eight

Later that morning, Angel woke up alone in bed.

This was different. She was usually the first one up. She frowned. She didn’t like this. Now she understood what it must feel like for him. That disconcerting feeling of abandonment.

Except Pudge stood and licked her face.

“Good morning.” She pushed his doggy breath away, guessing hers probably wasn’t much better.

She moved to get up, forgetting her ankle, and went down to her knees in pain.

“Ow! Damn you, gravity. Damn you to hell.”

“You really want to piss off gravity? You know it keeps you from floating off into space, right?” Colton was already by her side, helping her back onto the bed.

“I thought you were a math teacher. I don’t need a science lesson.”

“I’m full service.” He smiled as he bent to take a look at her ankle. The smile was replaced by a grimace. Then he looked up at her head and winced.

She knew she had about six seconds before the fussing started. She opened her mouth to tell him she was fine, but he picked her up and proceeded to carry her out to the sofa.

“I can walk,” she protested.

“Yes. I saw how that went. The cursing and falling over. Very efficient. What the hell happened to you out there?”

From her spot on the sofa she noticed an odd-looking contraption on the coffee table. He picked it up and held it to her foot.

“Is that a cast?”

“It’s for sprains. It says so on the box. I wasn’t sure what size to get.”

It was obvious he was dealing with his own issues. He looked like the poster child for hangovers, but he’d gotten up early and gone to the store to get her medical supplies. Her ankle hurt, and her head was throbbing, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her chest from holding back a flood of silly tears.

The first air cast was too big, and so was the second one.

“Angel?” he said her name while frowning at her foot.

“Yeah?

“You’re so tiny. I never realized how small you are.”

“Whoa. I don’t need your pity. I can handle it. I am handling things.” The assertion may have been more convincing if her voice hadn’t cracked.

If Colton noticed, he didn’t say anything. He simply leaned into her and put his head on her shoulder.

“That’s good, because I’m not handling it,” he confessed.

She didn’t know how to respond to his tenderness. Her team looked out for one another. They cared and checked in on each other. But this was different.

“Do you want me to leave?” she asked.

She could tell her pain was hurting Colton. This wasn’t just friendship, or two people looking out for each other. This was more. More than she’d ever experienced, and she didn’t know what to do.

For a moment she thought about running, but she quickly pushed the idea away. Not only could she not move, but she didn’t think she could make herself leave him even if she were physically able. How many times had she tried recently? How many times had she ended up right back here?

Not good. Because at some point she really would need to leave. This situation wasn’t forever. But not today. They could have a little while longer.

“I’m just worried you’re going to try to go on this mission alone,” he said. “What if you get hurt and I’m not there to help you?”

This was the conversation she’d been avoiding. She’d known they would have to have it eventually, but she wasn’t ready to piss him off and hurt his feelings.

“You can’t come with me,” she told him, making sure her voice was strong.

“Yes, I can. You need help.”

“I’ll be fine.”

He sat back on his heels and gave her a level look. “If you’re even thinking of setting something up all by yourself, you’re not as smart as I thought. Everyone needs backup. If you insist on shutting me out, then tell me who is going with you in my place.”

“This is my problem. I’ll handle it.” She couldn’t risk her team. If they got caught helping her, they could all lose their jobs. Or worse.

“It’s not just your problem. It’s a problem for everyone who cares about you. You’re tough as hell, but you’re still a human being. Even if this Jim person sets something up with Noah, you don’t know how many others are coming with them as their backup.”

“I came to you for refuge, not to get you involved in my shit.”

He let out a breath, but didn’t sound the least bit defeated. “I get it if you don’t think you can trust me to have your back. We’ve never worked together that way, and you might not feel safe relying on me. But promise you’ll take someone from your team. Someone you can trust.”

Ah, hell. Was he serious? He was the person she trusted most in the world. The one she knew for certain she could rely on.

Which was exactly why she needed to keep him safe.

No matter what.