Warmth pooled low in my belly at the savagery of that statement. “I wish I’d seen it.”
His grin was smooth and wicked, and he gave me the kind of look I never knew he had in him—a look that said he understood exactly why I wished I’d been there to see him beat the hell out of Daniel, and it wasn’t only about retribution.
Theo helped me sit up and scooted his chair closer so he could drape his arm around the back of mine. And I let him. I was feeling all kinds of vulnerable and strange, and having Theo near muted all that. I barely paid attention to a thing Davis said, but the hour went by fast anyway.
After class, he walked me back to my dorm and followed me inside without asking if it was okay. When I told him I needed to nap, it felt natural when he had lain with me, even though we’d never just lay in my bed together without it leading somewhere.
We were face to face, barely touching. Our feet were stacked together, and Theo’s fingertips were grazing over my injuries.
“I have the money Daniel stole,” he murmured. “You don’t need to worry about working this week, okay?”
An anvil lifted off my chest. “Okay. That’s good. I was wondering if I could play the sympathy card for tips, but dudes don’t really come to strip clubs to hear our life stories.”
His exhale was heavy. “You’re not working there much longer. Do you hear me?”
I touched his mouth with my fingers. “Shut it. We’re having a nice moment. If you start trying to act like my daddy, I’ll have to be a brat.”
“You just got the shit beat out of you, baby. How can you think I’ll let you go back there?”
“The strip club didn’t do it. Reno did. And guess what? I’ll have to go back to him too. This is me. There’s no escaping it. Not yet anyway.”
He cupped my cheek. “Soon. This will be over soon.”
“Stop it, Theo. Please?”
He kissed my forehead and pulled me close so I was tucked under his chin and cocooned in his arms. “Go to sleep.”
* * *
By Thursday, the pain had eased enough—thanks in part to daily naps snuggled with Theo—that I was pissed. I wasn’t the type of girl who took my hits lying down. If I got knocked on my ass, I came up swinging.
Admittedly, this had been a pretty big hit, but I was done feeling sorry for myself. I wasn’t going to be afraid of my shadow just because a guy, who I already knew was scary, acted like a big scary guy. That wasn’t a surprise, and I should have expected it. The fact that Reno, and by extension, Amir, had any power over my life, made me mad enough to want to break shit.
I needed to deliver a message to Reno, but there was no way I was doing it firsthand. I may have been pissed, but I wasn’t stupid.
Amir lived off campus in a Cape Cod–style house with a big porch running along the front. It was surprisingly...housey for a gun-carrying drug dealer who was quite possibly a little psycho.
Like he knew I was coming, Amir was sitting on the porch, his feet kicked up on the rail. I climbed the steps, somewhat deflated I couldn’t pound on the door and demand he come out and speak to me.
“You look like shit, baby girl.” His face remained impassive, so I couldn’t tell if he actually cared or not.
“No kidding. You should have seen the other guy.” I snapped my fingers. “Oh, that’s right, you’ve seen him. It was your brother who backhanded me, strangled me, then let his bitches loose to kick my ass. I almost forgot.”
His jaw tightened for a beat, then he went back to being impassive. “My brother is not me.”
I shrugged. “You’re his little errand boy. Guilty by association, dude.”
He dropped his feet, braced his elbows on his knees, and steepled his fingers. “I think you misunderstand, Helen, but I’ll explain. I don’t necessarily always agree with Reno’s actions, but I am not your friend. You will not come to my home and disrespect me. Since you’re injured, I’ll let it pass, but I won’t next time. Be sure there isn’t a next time.”
“Got it.” Amir may have been the lesser of two evils, but this was a helpful reminder that he was still evil. “I wish I’d known you were a woman beater when I had a crush on you in high school. I would have gotten over you a lot faster.”
Amir’s nose twitched, and his lip curled into a snarl. “Helen…”
“No, no, I heard you. You’ll beat me bloody if I get too mouthy. My lips are sealed.”
He gave me a long look from beneath a furrowed brow, then kicked the chair beside him. “Sit. Talk. Then leave.”
I sat, only because it was easier not to stare down at him and the walk off campus had worn me out more than I would have ever admitted out loud.
I took a filled envelope out of my backpack. “This is for next week. I want it out of my possession so I don’t have to worry about it anymore. Then I need to rework my loan payments. I don’t think I can keep up the—”
“Keep it.” He pushed the envelope back to me. “No more payments.”
I clutched the envelope hard, suddenly afraid again. Was Reno calling in the entire loan? Holy Christ, was he actually going to kill me and I’d just served myself up on a silver platter?
“What the hell does that mean?” I couldn’t even pretend to keep the shake out of my voice.
Amir pressed his fingertips together, frowning hard at me. “Obviously not what you’re thinking. Chill, girl. I got a visit from your boy on Sunday. He inquired how much you owed. I told him. He was back the next day with the cash. I’m surprised he hasn’t had you down on your knees to thank him.”
My mouth fell open in shock. What the ever-loving fuck? “I owe like thirteen K.”
Loan shark interest was no joke. I could actually kill my mother for thinking it was a great idea to borrow money from Reno. I would have questioned what had been going through her mind, but I knew her well enough to know the answer: not much.
“Owed, baby. Past tense. He got you out from under that bitch.”
“Why?” I breathed out.
Amir canted his head, frown deepening. “Baby…” he cooed, “I know you’re smarter than that. That boy came here with bruised knuckles, ready to throw down if he had to, and he wasn’t doing it for his health. That was for you.”
I still didn’t understand, so maybe I wasn’t so smart. “You’re talking about Theo, right?”
He nodded once. “I thought he was a little pussy bitch. It’s rare someone changes my mind, but I might be swayed by how he showed up for you. It’d have been better if he’d shown up a few weeks ago but can’t change history.”
I rubbed the center of my forehead, worried my brain had been more damaged from my beating than I’d thought. “Theo paid it all?”
“All of it.” Amir unfolded from his chair and stood over me, his hand out to help me up. “I’m about done with this conversation, Hells Belles. Time for you to go.”
I folded my arms around my middle. “Do me a favor.”
“I’m not in the business of favors. I like things reciprocal and aboveboard.”
I shot him a sharp look. “Considering you held my roommate hostage and terrorized her, you definitely owe me.”