I laughed. “No, I can do it, but thanks for the offer.”
“Don’t forget to use the plastic bags Kean put in there to keep the cast on your arm dry. I can help you rewrap your ribs when you get out if need be. And be careful. Keep your head out of the water so your stitches stay dry. There is no way in hell I want to explain to Kean that something happened to you while you were in there.”
I let out a deep sigh. My life was filled with overprotective men.
“Thanks, Thad,” I called out over my shoulder as I made my way down the hallway to the bedroom.
Kean’s master bathroom had become my haven. It was not only larger than my bedroom at my old apartment but equipped like a spa. Since I had moved in, I had been especially looking forward to enjoying the cascading waterfall showerhead but had been in no condition to do so. Kean insisted on ridiculous sponge baths until my stitches were removed. But, since Kean wasn’t around I was going to take full advantage of my opportunity.
I turned on the water in the shower. Letting it run, I walked over to the huge mirror above the his-and-hers sinks and studied my face. I was pale. It made the deep, purplish circles smudged under my brown eyes stand out. The blotchy bruises that ran down the side of my neck had begun to turn yellow and formed a grotesque looking pattern. I had a couple of butterfly bandages protecting the stitches on my forehead just below my hairline and my bottom lip was a deep crimson on the right side where I had busted it when the airbag exploded.
I was a huge mess but at least I was alive.
A knock came from the other side of the door, startling me from the study of my reflection.
“Ciaran, the doorman called and needs me to pick up a package from the lobby. It should only take a minute. Will you be okay?”
I bit back the sarcastic tone I wanted to use. “Thad, I’ll be fine. I seriously doubt anything is going to happen to me in a few minutes.” Using my good hand, I worked to free myself from the oversized nightshirt and unwrapped my ribs.
“Don’t unlock the front door for anyone until I return, understand? I’ll let myself back in.”
“Yes, sir,” I barked out as I pulled a clear plastic bag over my cast and stepped into the shower.
As soon as the water glided over my back I immediately felt better. I stood still while keeping my forehead out of spray and enjoyed the water pelting along my spine.
I needed to be quick about this luxury. If I was out of Thad’s sight for too long, he would probably panic and come in to look for me. I didn’t want to explain to Kean he needed a new bathroom door and his best friend had seen me naked.
I used my good hand to soap up where I could and rinsed off as best as possible. Turning off the water, I stepped out and wrapped myself in a large fluffy towel. I cracked open the door to the bathroom and listened for Thad. When I didn’t hear him roaming around, I quickly tiptoed straight to the walk-in closet and opened the dresser Kean had installed for my clothes.
Just as I finished pulling on a pair of leggings and one of Kean’s tshirts, a loud thump came from down the hallway.
“Thad?” I shouted, as I carefully dabbed the towel through my hair. When he didn’t respond I shouted a bit louder. “Thad!”
The apartment stayed silent.
Clutching the towel in my hand, I walked down the hallway. As I passed Kean’s office, the empty living room opened up in front of me. Thinking perhaps Thad was in the kitchen, I began to move in that direction when a voice came from behind me.
“You really moved in with him?”
I squealed, dropped the damp towel and spun around, painfully jostling my unwrapped ribs in the process.
“Holy shit. Brenda,” I panted, clutching my side. “You scared me.”
Happy to see my friend, I smiled. “Did Thad let you in?”
We hadn’t spoken since the last day I was in the hospital when she had stopped by to visit and bring flowers. She had gone momentarily silent after I was released. I figured maybe she was busy catching up with work since she had been out from the incident with the poisoned chocolates. Depending on what was going on in our lives, it wasn’t unusual for a couple of days to pass without us talking.
“Ciaran, did you really move in here with him?”
The uncharacteristic ice in Brenda’s tone had me pausing as I looked her over. She was frowning and looked stressed. Her complexion had a sickly pallor to it. Her eyes were sunken and the long floral dress she was wearing was severely wrinkled. With a flat expression on her face, she kept a hand behind her back while the other one was clenched in a fist at her side. Her posture came across unsettling and rigid.
“Brenda, are you okay? You look a little pale.”
“Oh, gee thanks, Ciaran. Not all of us can get into a car wreck and have our rich plastic surgeon boyfriend come to our rescue,” she snapped, rolling her eyes.
“How did you get into the apartment? Did Thad let you in?” I softly pressed.
“Aww, what’s the matter, Ciaran? Did Thad leave you all alone? You scared something might happen to you?”
“Why would I be scared?” I was mid-sentence when she cocked her head to the side and I noticed how dark her eyes were. They reminded me of a shark’s stare, flat and emotionless.
Confused, I looked around as I tried to figure out what I was missing. How the hell had she gotten into the apartment if Thad was nowhere to be found?
“Thad should be here shortly. He ran down to the front desk to grab a package.” My voice cracked, letting my anxiousness show.
I glanced over Brenda’s shoulder towards the front door of the apartment wishing for Thad to walk through the door. Something was off. He was taking too long. The man could be just as overprotective as Kean. There was no way he would leave me alone for more than a couple of minutes.
Brenda laughed. “Your bodyguard’s not going to save you. Now that I’m thinking about it, Kean might need to replace him. Then again it’s not like you’re going to need one where you’re headed.”
Pulling her hand from around her back, she aimed a small black handgun towards my chest. I took a tiny step back in shock, disbelieving what was happening in front of me. Fear, hurt and anger swirled together in a raging storm as I stared at the woman who had been my best friend for years.
“Brenda, what did you do? Where is Thad?” I whispered.
“Now Ciaran, you’re a smart cookie. What does it look like I’m doing?” Waving the gun, Brenda stepped closer. “I’m going to kill you. But before I put a bullet in your head you and I need to have a little chat.”
With her movement she no longer blocked my line of sight to the foyer. My eyes searched the area for Thad. Much to my horror, I spotted his large body lying in a pool of blood a few feet inside the door. I released a loud sob that had physical pain strumming through my rib cage.
Thad didn’t look alive. I wanted to run to check on him but was too afraid to move.
“If I were you I wouldn’t move a muscle unless you want to forgo the chat and skip to the bullet. I plan on taping the event with my phone so I can send it to your boyfriend for his viewing pleasure,” Brenda commented in a sing-song voice.
I thought about all the times she had joked around with me using the same tone. All the times she had been there for me and I for her. Our girls nights, sharing work issues and venting, talking through issues concerning Melany. Was all of it lies?
I sobbed again and wrapped my good arm around my ribs to brace them. “Why are you doing this? You’re my best friend.”
“Oh Ciaran, stop being such a baby. There is nothing you can do for Thad right now anyways so just pretend he is not even there. Now walk. I want you in front of the couch. The lighting is much better in front of the windows and your blood splattered against the cream rug will add drama to the visual effect.”