Battered Not Broken (31 page)

“No. Haven’t seen him since I was in North Carolina. He hasn’t been up here long.”

“Oh.” Quantico wasn’t that far away. If he hadn’t seen him, it had to be by choice. But why give up contact with a friend and choose to live totally alone in a strange city?

“He’s a good guy, but I’m not sure I want to go back and hang out around base, you know? It seems like it would be weird to go back when I can’t really
go back
.”

She nodded, though she didn’t really understand. “Maybe you could invite him to visit you here sometime.”

He shrugged. “Not sure I want to show off how it’s been since then.”

“What do you mean?”

“Myself, I guess. He’s really been moving up, but I don’t have anything to show for the past year, and I’m not really sure what I’m doing. I don’t even know that much about this city, other than where to get good chicken and waffles.” He exhaled sharply, the noise not quite laughter so much as a sound of exasperation. “And who gives a fuck about that?”

“Well, I think that’s something worth knowing,” Ally said, trying to keep her voice light as she noted the flat tone of his.

He sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. As he sat with his back to her, all she could think about was how lonely the past nine months of his life must have been. The scars on his thigh stood out in sharp relief against the unharmed portion of his skin.

She reached for him, drawing a breath and holding it as she placed a hand on his hip and then slid it below, down onto his thigh, where his scars rippled beneath her fingertips. Slowly, she began to rub them, beginning a massage like the one she’d seen him give himself, only steadier and hopefully gentler.

He was stock-still for a moment, his body rigid beneath her hand. Then he breathed a low sigh and the tension started to leave his muscles, even the ones below the twisting pattern of his scars. As the tightness there eased, so did something in the very center of her chest, a little knot just beside her heart.

Chapter 17

Ally’s nerves were already strung tighter than usual when Inés walked through the salon door. Friday had rapidly become her least favorite day of the week. Doing Inés’ manicure would be icing on top of the bitter cake that was Ryan’s impending fight. Another special match, as Cameron had called it, with another fighter lured in from a nearby city. DC, this time.

“Hey, Alexandra,” Inés called, sauntering toward the manicure table.

“The usual?” Ally asked, trying to keep her tone neutral.

“The usual.” Inés settled down into the chair opposite Ally without asking whether anyone was scheduled to have their nails done then, or waiting their turn.

Nobody was, which left Ally little choice but to pluck Inés’ signature shade from a nearby shelf.

“I’m sending out save-the-date cards tomorrow,” Inés said, spreading her hands on the table. The heavy diamond on her left ring finger glittered beneath the overhead lights. “First Saturday in June.”

“Mmmhmm.” Ally settled for a neutral answer as she prepared to remove last Friday’s polish. Twenty minutes and she wouldn’t have to deal with Inés for another week.

“I brought your card with me today,” Inés continued. “I wanted to make sure you had it as soon as possible so you didn’t plan anything for that day. Since I want you to be one of my bridesmaids.”

Ally fought a small battle with her eyebrows, which seemed to want to zoom up her forehead, probably all the way to her hairline, of their own accord. “You want me to be a bridesmaid. Was that Manny’s idea?” It was no use avoiding his name anymore. She’d be seeing him again whether she liked it or not. And surely Inés knew about his visits.

“Yeah.” Inés nodded, making no effort to cover the fact. “He thinks you should be in the ceremony, since you’re family.”

“And you agree?” She almost hoped Inés would say no, then leave and complain to Manny. Maybe if she threw a fit, Manny would lose his enthusiasm.

Inés shrugged. “I can have as many bridesmaids as I want. Manny promised we wouldn’t cut any corners with the wedding.”

Ally repressed the urge to sigh or roll her eyes.

When she finally finished applying a fresh red lacquer to Inés’ nails, she left her to wait alone for them to dry. There were no other nail clients, so she slipped outside, letting the fresh, cool air obliterate the chemical scents of polish from her lungs.

It was ten after twelve. Ryan took his lunch break at noon. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out his phone. It would be nice to hear his voice – it would ease the tension Inés’ announcement had heaped upon her, though there would still be the underlying stress of anticipating the fight he’d be competing in that night.

The phone rang five times and went to voicemail.

Disappointment snaked its way through Ally’s consciousness as she ended the call, declining to leave a message. He’d promised to pick her up at the house shortly after work and had asked her to go for chicken and waffles with him again after the fight.

Laying such plans had seemed overly-optimistic in light of the results of his previous fights. Still, she’d agreed. If he was feeling up to actually going out after the fight, she’d be ecstatic. And if he wasn’t…

“Hey, mija.” Maria walked out the salon’s front door, bundled in a jacket and scarf. “Want to walk somewhere with me to get lunch? It’s my turn to go out – we can bring back something for Elsa.”

Ally tucked her phone back into her pocket. Maybe Ryan would call her back in a few minutes. “Sure.” She was hungry, and going somewhere to pick up lunch would mean not having to deal with Inés for the rest of the day. She could ignore the whole bridesmaid thing until Manny came around again – which would probably be too soon.

* * * * *

Ally pulled the sleeves of her turquoise sweater down over her palms, letting the woven material absorb the light layer of dampness that had sprung up there. The bright color was more of a projection of the confidence she wished she could claim than a manifestation of the way she really felt. Her palms had been sweating for the past half hour as she’d dressed and applied fresh make-up, preparing for a fight and date night that had had her on edge ever since the previous Friday.

The fact that Ryan hadn’t called her at all yet that day only added to her anxiety. She’d tried his phone a short while ago, around the time she knew he usually got home from work. Just like earlier that day when she’d called him during her lunch break, his phone had rung several times before going to voicemail.

Maybe it was nothing – maybe he’d forgotten his phone at home that day, or maybe he’d simply neglected to charge it and the battery had gone dead. But a part of her wondered what other explanations there might be – explanations that added to her already-present stress.

What if he’d gotten another migraine? He could be alone at home, in too much pain to answer the phone. Or worse, hurt in some accident like the one she’d witnessed during her first time at his apartment. She tried not to dwell on those possibilities. If she let herself think like that all the time, she’d go crazy with worry.

Her phone rang as she was pulling on a pair of low-heeled boots. Dropping the second one, she reached for her phone instead, picking it up from the stand beside her bed.

Ryan. Seeing his name on the screen dulled her worry just a little. “Hey. I was wondering when I’d hear from you.”

“Sorry. I would’ve called you sooner if I’d been able to.”

“Are you all right? Your voice sounds kind of scratchy.”

“I fell off a ladder at work today when I was climbing down from a roof. I’m not going to be able to make it tonight.”

Ally gripped the phone more tightly. “Are you hurt?”

“Wrist’s broken.” His voice was definitely different.

“How bad is it?” It felt like someone was squeezing her heart in their fist as she waited for his answer.

“Just a fracture. Could’ve been a lot worse.” Regardless, he sounded anything but okay.

“Where are you?”

“Johns Hopkins. My foreman brought me into the ER.”

“Do you need someone to come pick you up?” The question was a formality. She was already eyeing the boot she hadn’t put on yet, itching to hurry out the door. “I can take a cab to the hospital and meet you there.”

“No, you don’t have to do that. They want me to stay overnight.”

“Why?” If it was really just a fracture like he’d said, an overnight stay sounded like serious overkill. A sick feeling twisted her stomach. “Did you hit your head when you fell?”

“No, I landed on my arm. My head was killing me already then – that’s why I fell. I’d be out of here already, but between the vertigo and all the pills and shit they’ve given me, I’m not sure I’d make it out of the building.” His voice held a bitter edge.

“I’m coming over. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She reached for the boot she’d left lying on the floor and pulled it on one-handedly.

“Ally—”

“I’m coming. I want to see you.”

“No, you don’t. Visiting hours are probably over, anyway.”

“I’m not visiting. I’m going to stay the night with you.”

“It’s just a fracture. I’m not dying. You can see me tomorrow.”

“I’d rather come than stay home and lie awake all night worrying about you.” A wave of doubt swept over her. Did he really not want her there, or was he just trying to spare her the inconvenience and the cab fare? “I’m serious. Please, let me keep you company.”

A pause resounded from the other end of the connection, the only sound the faint rustling of what she thought was clothing and maybe bedsheets. “Fine. But you don’t have to stay the whole night.”

A weight seemed to lift off her shoulders, though her insides were still knotted with tension. “What room are you in?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay. Don’t worry about it. I’ll find out when I get there. See you soon.” Thinking of the pills and vertigo he’d mentioned, she ended the call before he could second-guess her visiting or exhaust himself trying to figure out what room he was in.

Immediately, she called a cab. After that and explaining to her mother where she was going, there was nothing to do but wait by the door. It seemed to take forever for the cab to arrive. When it did, she climbed quickly into the backseat and asked to be taken to the hospital.

It was already dark. The city slipped by in a blur of shadow and depth as she sat clutching her purse in a too-tight grip. The lights that shone from windows and outside buildings didn’t seem as bright as usual. Their light bled into the darkness, swallowed up by alleys and the shadows of taller structures. Until they reached the hospital. It was huge and seemed like nothing so much as an electric beacon, defying the hungry night. Somewhere, Ryan was inside. She wasn’t sure exactly where, so she requested to be dropped off at the ER entrance.

Once there, she surrendered the last of her cash to the driver and hurried inside, through the doors where Ryan’s foreman must have taken him earlier that day.

Inside, she traced Ryan’s journey through the building, telling the hospital staff she was his fiancée. The lie induced no guilt. She’d tell them whatever was necessary to get them to allow her to see him. Somehow, it didn’t seem like admitting she was his girlfriend of two weeks would have the same effect.