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Chapter Twenty-Four

AURORA

T heo manages to keep me distracted throughout our small lunch break, asking me random questions to the point where I don’t get to call and check on Dad. It’s not until we’re leaving to head back to the hotel, preferably in our own rooms tonight, that I remember to call. I’m not sure how much longer I can be around Theo without giving in to what he wants. What I want.

I can’t admit that I want it. I can’t give in. Once I do, what happens? Theo gets what he wants. I’m a notch in his belt. I’m left as another girl who’s been used and discarded by the great Theodore Abrams. I deserve more than that. I know that.

But fuck, he’s tempting.

Before we get in his car, I pull my phone from my pocket again. “I’m gonna check on my dad,” I say.

“Roo,” Theo starts, shoving his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “Why don’t—”

“I promise it won’t take long, all right?” I say. I step away from him, sitting on the opening of the parking garage, looking out at the city below us as the phone rings. Every ring makes my head pound quicker. I never take this long to call and check on Dad. What if something happened because I was too busy to make a phone call?

“Hello? Mission Health Rehabilitation. This is Jade. How can I help you?”

Weird. Janet always answers the phone in his room. Or Catherine. I don’t know a Jade. Whatever. It’s probably just a new girl. Not everything is weird and suspicious, Aurora. “Hi. This is Aurora Bennet. I was calling to check on my father, Tobias Bennet.”

“Hi! We’ve actually been waiting for you to call, Miss Bennet. We want to confirm your father’s transfer to Mountain View in the morning. They have a room all ready to go.”

A wave of confusion washes over me. Transfer? Mountain View is the top stroke rehabilitation center in Vermont. They’re expensive—like yearly salary for any basic job, expensive. I swallow. “I…I didn’t request a transfer to Mountain View. I can’t afford that.”

“Oh.” Jade sounds confused. “Your husband called this morning and said he set everything up, and we’ve confirmed with Mountain View. Are you sure this isn’t a communication error?”

If she thought that would clear up any confusion, it didn’t. I’m only more confused. “I’m not—” I have a hunch, and maybe I’m assuming things, but there’s only one person I know who would make up such an asinine lie and meddle in my life. “Thank you for your help, Jade.”

“Do you want to go ahead with the transfer, Miss Bennet?”

“Give me a few minutes and I’ll get back to you.” I hang up on Jade and try to calm myself down before I confront the devil who’s wiggled his way into my life.

I should’ve known that things were going too well. Theo was up before me this morning, but I thought he was some weird early riser. I’m far from calm as I stomp back over to the smug asshole.

He’s leaning against the side of the car, hands still in his pockets. “Aurora,” he says before I can even speak.

“Did you call to get my dad transferred to Mountain View? ”

“Baby doll—”

“Yes or no, Theodore.”

He sighs. “Yeah, I did. Couldn’t sleep last night, so I did some research. They’re the best in Vermont. New York has better options, but I didn’t think you’d want him out of state. If you do, we can have him moved, and you can stay with me.”

He sounds so aloof , he’s talking about this as if it’s nothing, as if it’s completely fucking normal for him to do something like this. It’s not. It’s definitely fucking not. “How—did you go through my phone?”

“Your passcode is really easy to guess. It’s the date you got your first GRW gig.”

I rub at my temple, trying to take a deep breath. I would get fired if I pushed him off of a parking garage. I don’t want to get fired. “That’s such a violation of privacy. It’s fucking creepy. You don’t do shit like this without asking, Theodore.”

Frustration is painted on his face, and a hand leaves his pocket, running through his dark curls. “I thought this would be a good thing! Your father needs the best treatment available. I was making sure that happened. I don’t understand why your panties are all in a bunch,” he scoffs.

I can’t help but wonder if he’s this fucking dense or if he can just never admit to a mistake. I’m so angry that I’m shaking, glaring up at him. He won’t even look at me, looking down at the concrete beneath us as I snap.

“First, this was a huge breach of privacy, Theo. I told you something last night in confidence. I wasn’t asking you to step up and save me from my problems. Second, I can’t fucking afford Mountain View! Don’t you think if I could, my dad would already be—”

He cuts me off. “I’m paying for it. I already paid Mountain View for the next two months. If your father needs longer, I’ll handle that too. You don’t have to pay for it, Roo. Maybe I overstepped here, but I…I wanted to help you.” His tone softens at the end, a glimpse of vulnerability shining through.

“I didn’t fucking ask for your help.” The words come out a lot harsher than I meant for them to. I don’t know how to deal with these feelings. There’s a part of me that’s grateful. It’s the sort of kind act that I didn’t think Theo had in him. Another part of me is beyond pissed that he’d overstep and take it upon himself to fix my problems when I didn’t ask.

“You didn’t.” His voice is clipped. I can tell that my snipping at him has crossed a line. I can see it on his face, too. It’s stone. All his walls are up. A line has been drawn between us again. “I chose to. I didn’t think you’d be so fucking ungrateful that someone tried to help you for once. I guess you’re happy playing the sad little girl who gets sympathy points for her sick daddy.”

“Theodore,” I don’t even know what to say. “It’s not…I…” The words aren’t coming to me. Did I take it too far? Did he? I know Theo was trying to be nice in his own weird way and now I’ve offended him by rejecting that kindness.

“Whatever.” His tone sends a shiver down my spine as if I jumped into a pool of ice water. He’s shutting down. The Theo that held me last night who laughed and opened up a bit is gone. The one who showed up the minute I said I needed someone has vanished. In his place is the version that everyone hates. The one that I hated until he started to show that maybe he wasn’t the devil in disguise. “If you want me to apologize for overstepping, I’m not going to. I did what I thought was right. I wanted to help you out. Won’t do it again. They already have my money, so let them take care of your damn father, Aurora.”

He turns and unlocks the car, walking over to the driver’s side. “Get in the car. Let’s go.”

The last thing I want is to spend twenty minutes in a car with him. I feel like a victim. I also feel like the world’s biggest asshole. I never thought I’d have an interaction with Theo where I ended up feeling like the bad guy.

“No.”

“Excuse me?” He rests his forearms on the top of the car, looking across it at me. “Get in the damn car, Aurora. Let’s go .” His tone is more aggressive than I’ve ever heard it, except for when he’s spitting venom at his opponents in the ring.

“No,” I say again. I pull my phone out, holding it up. “Gotta make a phone call to confirm the transfer. I’ll get an Uber.”

Theo’s rubbing at his temples now. “You are fucking impossible . Get in the goddamn car. Let’s go. You’re not taking an Uber.”

“You’re not the boss of me, Theo. You’re not going to control every fucking detail of my life.” All right, so maybe I’m being a little difficult on purpose now, but I don’t want to get in the car with him. I don’t think I can handle the idea of being so close to him right now. We’re five feet apart, and the tension is thick enough that I can’t breathe.

His eyes narrow and he glares at me before he throws his hands in the air. “Whatever,” he hisses. He gets into the car, slams the door, and speeds out of the parking garage, tires squealing.

I suck in a breath, push everything I’m feeling away, and call Mission Health back. Jade answers the phone again with the same bubbliness as before.

“This is Aurora Bennet. Go ahead and transfer my father to Mountain View. Thank you.”

Once she confirms, I hang up.

How the fuck am I going to fix what just broke?