* * *
TARYN STUDIED THE graphics for the preliminary presentation for Cole and the LL@R team. She wasn’t sure they’d captured the spirit of the company yet. But as she studied the pictures and lettering, she had the thought that maybe she and Angel could brainstorm some kind of art project using computer graphics. The Acorns would love it. There had to be an FWM bead for being creative. There seemed to be a bead for everything else.
But not art for the sake of it, she thought. There would have to be a practical use. Posters for a festival, maybe. Or an awareness campaign. It seemed that every month celebrated something. They could pick a cause and design posters. The girls would love that.
She went online and started searching for lists of what was celebrated when. There was national ice cream month—something she could seriously support. Maybe a day was better, she thought. Something about community service might be nice. National something...
She continued to search online. Her phone rang and she picked it up. “This is Taryn.”
There was a pause before the caller spoke. “It’s Justice.”
Taryn stopped typing. There was a problem. She could hear it in his voice. “What is it?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Angel had a meeting this morning with Raoul Moreno. He’s a local former football player.”
“I know who he is,” she told Justice. Raoul was the one who had invited the boys to Fool’s Gold in the first place. They’d played in his Pro-Am golf tournament and subsequently changed her life forever. Although she was less annoyed about that than she had been.
“He got back and went into the workout room. He’s on a punching bag.”
“Okay,” she said slowly, not sure what to do with the information.
“You should get here as soon as you can,” Justice told her.
The statement wasn’t a request.
“Give me five minutes,” she said, and hung up.
Which was about how long it took her to grab her bag, head to her car and drive the few blocks to CDS. When she arrived, she parked, then hurried inside. Justice was waiting by the door.
“Sorry to bother you,” he said with a shrug. “He won’t talk to me or Ford. I can’t find Consuelo, so...”
“I’m glad you called.”
They were walking down the hallway. She was aware of a thunking noise that got louder with each step. They walked into the big workout room and she saw Angel hitting the punching bags over and over. Even from across the large space, she could see he’d taped his hands and yet blood seeped through the tape and dripped onto the floor.
But what really scared her was the look on his face and the expression in his eyes. It was as if he’d seen a monster. No, she thought. Not a monster. Something much bigger and more frightening. He’d seen into the pit of hell, and whatever was there was coming after him.
She took a step toward him. Her high heels made her sway on the mat. She bent down and took them off, then walked barefoot to where he continued to punish the bag. Or maybe just himself.
She stopped next to him. “Angel.”
He looked at her. She could tell he wasn’t seeing her. Not at first, then his eyes cleared.
“Taryn? What are you doing here?”
“I came to get you. Come on. We’re going to my place.”
“What? Why?”
He was pale. Sweat drenched his T-shirt. When she touched his upper arm, his skin was clammy. She pulled gently.
“Come on. Let’s go.”
She’d thought he might fight. Instead he nodded and moved toward her. She led him across the mats. After stepping into her shoes, she headed for the front of the building. Justice met them in the hall. He handed Taryn a small black duffel bag.
“A change of clothes,” he said.
She took them. “I’ll call you later.”
She and Angel walked out of the building and toward her car. When she’d unlocked the passenger door, he got in without being asked.
She watched him fumble with the seat belt. But his hands were taped and swollen and he couldn’t move his fingers. She bent down and fastened it for him, then kissed his cheek.
He turned toward her. For a second, she would have sworn she saw tears in his eyes. Then he blinked and it was as if they’d never been there at all.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ANGEL DIDN’T SPEAK on the short drive to Taryn’s house. She kept glancing at him, trying to see if he was okay, but she couldn’t tell much from his profile. When they got to her place, she guided him inside. She checked the duffel and saw that Justice had given her a full set of clothing, so she led Angel to the bathroom off the master and started the shower.