Risk (It's Complicated Book 2) (36 page)

A faint smile softened his intensity and made his eyes shine. “I love you, Angela.
That’s
what I know.”

Just like that, he broke her heart, just as she’d always feared he would.

Check and mate to Justus Robinson, the defending champion and ultimate charmer.

“Wow.” She paused to clear some of the croakiness out of her throat, but that was what unshed tears did to you. They made you seem weak and vulnerable, something that Justus surely knew and used to his advantage. “Well played. Your only mistake is thinking that I’m gullible enough to fall for this eleventh-hour confession. Points for trying, though.”

Shock replaced the warmth in his eyes, followed quickly by what looked like anguish. Unmistakable anger turned his face a vivid red and brought up the rear. He backed carefully away from her, like that circus tiger trainer discovering he’d caught the animal at a bad time and just wanted to escape the cage in one piece.

Standing up to his full height, he stared at her with open hatred, the vengeful hostility in his face a million times worse than she’d ever seen when he looked at his father. And she realized immediately, with despair, that their relationship, whatever it had been, was over. Though she didn’t understand what it was, she knew she’d said something irrevocable, and if she apologized every day for the rest of her life, he’d still never forgive her.

His gaze, malevolent and unflinching, zeroed in on her face.

She braced herself.

“That’s the second time today you’ve shown how little you think of me, Angela.” He smiled crookedly. “Don’t worry. I finally get it. I won’t bother you again. There’s too many other fish in the sea.”

Too many other fish in the sea
.

Reeling, she pressed a hand to her belly.

He slid his hands into his pockets. “I used to think Ron was stupid for letting you go. Now I know. You’re a block of ice. It’s a wonder he lasted three years and made it out with his balls intact. I should buy him a drink.”

Angela’s heart, merely broken until now, splintered into a thousand shards.

Time to go.

They’d both done enough damage for one night.

Putting a hand on the banister for desperately needed support, she stood as gracefully as she could, climbed down the steps, and picked up her purse and coat with her head held high. When she walked out the door and into the frigid night air she craved, Justus’s flashing gaze followed her.

The second she swung the door shut again, the shakes overcame her, making it tricky to breathe and nearly impossible to fish her keys out of her bag.

Slow down, girl
, she told herself.
Take your time.

Oh, thank God. There they were. She yanked her keys out just as she heard a roar of rage and loud thud from inside the house. Ignoring the sounds, she made her wobbly way down the walk to her car, climbed in, and dialed her phone.

“Larry Whittington,” said the booming voice on the other end.

Pressing her knees together to stop shaking, she spoke in her brightest and most professional voice so he’d have no idea that tears were streaming, unchecked, down her face. “Larry, it’s Angela. I’ve decided to accept your offer. I can move to D.C. right away.”

* * *

“
C
an
I talk to you alone for a minute before we tell her, Justus?”

After shutting his apartment door behind Angela, Justus turned to look at the woman who had so cavalierly rejected his love last night. She had the nerve to look awful. Worse, even, than he remembered her looking in the days following the accident. Huge, dark circles rimmed her puffy eyes, which seemed all the more dramatic because she’d scraped her hair back in a ponytail so tight it threatened to pull her hair out by the roots. Dressed in jeans and a knit top, it didn’t seem at all possible this one miserable-looking woman, holding her purse and jacket in a death grip, was capable of taking his heart and cruelly smashing it against the rocks.

But she was.

He couldn’t get over the irony. He, a man who’d broken more hearts than he could count, had fallen in love with, and had his heart broken by, a woman desperate to get married, but not desperate enough to marry
him
.

Maybe he should tell Janet about his comeuppance just so she could laugh her ass off.

“Justus?”

He shrugged dispassionately. “If you want.”

She noticed his Ace-bandaged right hand for the first time and gasped as if he’d shown up with an ax buried in his skull. “What happened to you?”

Well, that was Angela for you. Practically laughing in his face when he bared his soul to her on the one hand, practically crying when she saw his little injury on the other.

Queen of the mixed message.

Typical.

He wasn’t about to tell her he’d stupidly punched the wall after she walked out last night.

Flexing his swollen fingers, he felt stabbing jolts of pain shoot over the back of his hand and up his arm. Nasty, but still a refreshing change from the emotional pain Angela had heaped on him. Was his hand broken? He didn’t know and couldn’t care less.

Narrowing his eyes, he glared and wished he could tear her limb from limb for fucking with his emotions when he knew she didn’t give a damn about him.

“You’re kidding, right? Save the act.”

Her reproachful stare didn’t leave so much as a scratch on him. When you’re drowning in the middle of the ocean, you don’t notice when it starts to rain.

The standoff might’ve lasted until the next presidential election, but he raised his brows and adopted his most insolent tone so they could speed up this whole nightmare visit.

“You got something to say to me? While I’m still young?”

Blinking, she turned, laid her things on the hall chair, and moved into the living room.

He followed.

She cleared her throat and said, “Where’s Maya?”

“In my bedroom watching TV.” Luckily, Justus had gotten Maya from Lena this morning while his father was still in the shower. He wasn’t ready yet to face Vincent and tell him he’d failed so miserably in his mission.

She gestured to the sofa. “Can we sit?”

Having not slept a wink last night, he was beyond exhaustion. If he sat down now, there was every possibility he’d be unable to get up again.

Turning his back on her, he went to the window and stared blindly out. “Whatever floats your boat.”

She cleared her throat. “I’m moving to the D.C. office.”

He couldn’t summon one iota of surprise. “Of course you are.”

Well, there it was. The one thing that could make the whole situation worse had happened. Next thing, she’d probably announce that Ron was coming with her and they were engaged. News like that would probably finish Justus off for good. God knew the crushing pain in his chest was taking years off his life.

For half a second, Justus actually wished he were dead.

Honestly, it would be a relief.

At least then he wouldn’t have to look at Angela again, hear her voice, or smell her sweet skin.

“So...maybe Maya can come visit me for the holidays and for a month over the summer? We can go to the Smithsonian—”

“What the
fuck
?” Dumbfounded, he turned to gape at her, so revolted he wanted to throw her out. “You think that’ll matter to Maya? Hang on. Maybe you’re right. After you break your promise about being a family, just tell her you’ll see her in six months when school’s out and take her to some museum with airplanes and dinosaurs. I’m sure she’ll understand completely.”

Angela’s gaze wavered and fell.

He gestured toward the hall. “Let’s go,” he barked. “Dr. Brenner said we should tell her straight out. I want to get this over with.”

They went down to the bedroom, where Maya sat on the end of his bed, remote in hand, watching
Scooby Doo
.

Angela sat down and pulled her into a hug. “Hi, sweetie!”

Maya’s delighted smile was a stab directly to Justus’s heart as he sat on her other side. When would they see that glorious smile again after tonight?

Angela smoothed Maya’s hair with fidgety hands, obviously stalling for time. “How was Grandpa’s last night?”

“Good. We had hot dogs and French fries for dinner. With strawberry ice cream.”

Angela recoiled as if Maya had said they’d eaten a stray puppy. If Justus hadn’t been so upset, he would have laughed at the absurdity. Angela just couldn’t help herself.

“Any veggies?” she asked.

Maya smiled with obvious pride. “I told Gran’pa I needed some carrot sticks.”

Angela kissed her forehead and hugged her again. “Good girl.”

Over the top of Maya’s head, Angela caught Justus’s gaze and stared beseechingly at him, but he shook his head.

If Angela thought he’d help her break Maya’s heart, she damn well better think again.

“Sweetie,” Angela began tentatively, again smoothing Maya’s braids, “Uncle Justus and I have been talking about what’s best for you and we have something to tell you.”

Maya sat up a little straighter, as if she sensed something important was at hand and wanted to take it as seriously as they did.

“Okay.”

Angela swallowed hard. “Well...you know how I always have to work late at night and go to work early and I hardly ever get to see you? Well, that’s not the best thing for a little kid like you. So we thought maybe it would be best if...” She hesitated for so long Justus began to wonder if she’d changed her mind. “You came here to live with Uncle Justus.”

Everyone froze.

The words hung in the air like a cloud of mustard gas over a battlefield.

“But...” Maya blinked furiously. Justus felt her little mind struggling to understand the inexplicable. He wanted to tell her not to waste her time. “I live with you now.”

Angela nodded, her lips pressed together around a strained smile. “I know. But from now on you’ll stay here with Uncle Justus. He’s going to fix up his extra room for you.”

Maya looked to him, the question written all over her face.

He tried to smile encouragingly, but with his hand, heart, and soul already broken, a smile was out of the question.

Apparently realizing that Justus would be of no assistance, Maya frowned as if she couldn’t quite believe this little farce and looked back at Angela. “What about my purple room?”

“I’m sure Uncle Justus would be happy to paint your new room any color you like.”

“But you said I could live with
you
,” Maya said, a plaintive note finally creeping into her voice.

Tears filled Angela’s eyes, and she didn’t bother hiding them. “I’m not sure I’ve done such a good job taking care of you, sweetie.”

Maya’s eyes widened with sudden comprehension. “Yes, you have! And I won’t eat any more peanut butter. I promise!”

And she smiled, clearly thrilled to have discovered a workable solution to their problem.

“I know you won’t eat any more peanut butter, Maya,” Angela said, her voice thick with emotion. “But you still need to live with Uncle Justus.”

A heavy, pregnant silence fell.

Knowing Maya had finally reached the end of her short rope, Justus braced himself.

Wait for it...wait for it...

Maya’s entire body went rigid as her face twisted into a spiteful three-and-a-half-year-old’s scowl.

“You
said
!” she screeched, her fists balling on either side of her folded legs. “You said we’d be a family now! You
said
!”

Tears spilled openly down Angela’s face. “I’m sorry, Maya.”

And that was it for him. It was bad enough when one or the other of his girls cried.

Watching both of them fall apart at the same time was the rough equivalent of feeding his battered heart through a meat grinder.

Pulling Maya back against him, he kissed the top of her head and stared malevolently at Angela. “You’ve done your damage. You can go now.”

Nodding, Angela got up and looked blindly around, as if she couldn’t remember where the door was and needed someone to guide her.

Maya, realizing Angela actually meant to go and actually meant to leave Maya with Justus, broke away from his arms, leapt off the bed, threw herself at Angela’s legs, and shrieked like she was being hacked to pieces with a machete.

“You said! You said!”

Angela bent at the waist and tried to comfort her. “Shhh, don’t cry, sweetie,” she said, patting the girl’s back and shoulders. “It’s okay.”

Maya howled like a dying animal.

Angela tried to step away, but Maya wouldn’t let go. Angela wobbled precariously.

Cursing, Justus knelt. He ignored the pain in his injured hand, peeled Maya’s strong little arms away from Angela, and wrapped her up against his chest.

Jesus
.

The girl was a wreck of tears, snot, and shuddering sobs that threatened to tear her tiny body apart. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to help her.

He couldn’t even help himself.

“
Maya
.” He rocked her with rising desperation, willing to do whatever he could—to sell whatever body part to whoever was buying—just to settle this precious child down and stop her thrashing. “Come on, now. It’ll be okay.”