Page 53 of Ice
What were my options? Go home? Go back to my family and declare my life, that they already didn’t approve of, a complete disaster? Wait and see if the clinic would have me back? Try and speak to Ice? Why bother? I was starting to feel that he wasn’t all that interested in hearing from me, because he wasn’t even trying.
I got up and dug my phone out of my bag. That night he’d said he sent a message, when I never received one. I rechecked our message history. Definitely nothing.
I hovered my finger over the button, wanting to try contacting him, but Reacher had warned me off. I sagged in my seat, andmoped for mere seconds, before I realised something. His threat had been to ruin me if I tried to reach Ice, but he’d already done that. There was nothing more he could do to me, so didn’t that leave me free to reach out? Didn’t that mean I could call him? Just to hear his voice? Just to know he was alive and well?
I got as far as hovering my finger over the button to connect the call, before it hit me again. Why wasn’t he trying to contact me?
Twenty-Five
Housearrestsucked.Bigtime. What sucked worse was that my phone had been taken from me at some point over the night, and they hadn’t returned it. I needed it back, because regardless of what Reacher said, I had to speak to Lissa. I had to make sure she was okay. I couldn’t believe I’d managed to lose her the job she loved so much, that I’d deprived other people like me of her support and care.
I needed to speak to her, like I needed to fucking breathe. Reacher should have been able to understand how I felt, but he was too blinded by his anger to see it.
Someone pounded on my door, and I yelled out for them to fuck off. This happened two more times, before I stormed over there to pull the door open, releasing the lock first.
“What the fuck do you want?” I glared at Has-Been, as he glared right back.
“I know you’re a cranky little shit, but you’re gonna want to talk to me. Privately.” He glanced at the two prospects guarding the door as he spoke.
I debated punching him, but honestly, I didn’t have the energy so I shrugged, and walked away from the door, hearing it close behind me.
“You need to tone down the welcome, mate. It’s just me. Stop gushing.” Despite everything, I smirked, but I wiped it from my face before I turned to look at him.
“I’d offer you a coffee, but I don’t really want to.”
He barked a laugh and shook his head slowly.
“I won’t be staying that long, don’t worry your little head. I have news though and you’re gonna want to hear it.”
He wasn’t going to leave until he’d said his piece. That much was obvious.
“Sit down if you must.”
He did, and then he sighed.
“Okay, I guess this is as welcoming as you’re gonna get. Ice, I’ve been to see your doctor lady.”
What the fuck! My fists clenched as I approached him, and he groaned, holding up a hand.
“That wasn’t some invite for you to go neanderthal on me, man. I’m trying to tell you that I took her home last night, after Reacher threw her out. She was a mess. Fucking devastated. And that was before Reacher got her fired. I just saw her again, and she’s broken. She’s lost everything.”
I dropped into the chair opposite him.
“I’ve ruined her fucking life. What a great way to say thanks for trying to help me.”
Has leaned his elbows on his knees, giving me a serious look.
“I’ve got her number. Do you want to talk to her? I know your phone got destroyed last night, but you can use mine.”
“Destroyed?”
“Yeah, Micro remembers spotting it on the floor seconds before that shit shack went up in flames. Nobody could grab it in time. Must have fallen out of your pocket when you passed out.”
Fuck. So nobody confiscated it. It was fucking melted in a fire.
“Wait. You guys burned down Mitch’s place?”
He shot me a withering look.
