Hearts the Last Beat (Angel Fire #6) - Ellie Masters Page 0,84
lips purse together. “Come. Sit. Let me do my thing.” While she gets to work on my face, Forest strolls in. He opens the fridge and stares inside.
“You and Bash good?”
“We will be.” One way or another.
“Good. You have a tour kicking off in less than a month. Better fix your shit with him before then.”
“I think I’m out.”
“Out?”
“Yeah, out of the band.”
“Hmm.” Forest peers inside the fridge. “We’ll see about that.”
Forest used to live with the rest of us at Insanity proper, but he built his own place when Sara and Paul moved in with him. The three of them tend to remain separate from the rest of us, rarely intruding on our lives. Nevertheless, Forest seems to hang around a lot.
He closes the door without taking anything out. “You look like shit.”
“No thanks to you.”
“You deserved every bit of that beat down.” He taps the countertop like he wants to say something but can’t figure out how to get around to whatever it is he wants to say. I need him to hurry up and leave before Angel gets back.
“You need something?” I wince as Skye stitches up the cut over my cheek.
“I sent you an email.”
“An email? Something you can’t share now?”
“Not really.”
“What’s in it?”
“Management stuff. You’ll see when you read it.” With those cryptic words, he leaves Skye and me alone.
“Your brother is weird.”
“Don’t I know it.” She laughs. “There you go. All stitched up.” Skye pops off her gloves and packs her bag. “The swelling is going to take a few days to go down. Use a cold pack to manage it. Tylenol for the pain. If your eye continues to swell or closes completely, you need to be seen by a doctor.”
“Why can’t I call you?”
“Really?” She gives me a look like I’m an idiot.
“Yes, really.”
“Forest is weird, but he’s intuitive. I have a feeling you’re not going to be around Insanity for at least the next few days. A word of advice…”
“Sure?”
“Take the time. After you’re done, take Angel on a romantic getaway. If I know Forest, he probably already got it arranged. But take the time now, just the two of you. Once the tour starts, there will be challenges.”
“Did you miss the part where they kicked me out of the band?”
“Did you miss what Forest said?”
“He didn’t say anything.”
“Forest is a problem solver. By the time you get back, he’ll have talked with the guys and smoothed things over. They love you like a brother, and Angel is a part of our family. Nobody wants to see either of you go.”
“How did you know about us?”
“From the way you looked at each other when you thought no one was looking, and nobody needs that many driving lessons.”
“Guess we didn’t do such a great job at being discreet.”
“Mitzy and I figured it out pretty quick. I guess Forest knew for a while.”
“What do you think about it?”
“Any man willing to take that kind of a beating over a woman is a man who wants only one thing. It’s not hard to read your intentions. Be safe and take care of her. If not, it won’t be just the men coming after you. You’ll have to deal with the chick brigade.”
I can’t help but grin, even though it hurts like hell and tugs at the stitches she just placed. Of course, Skye would know what me and the guys call the women in our lives, and I totally get the protective vibe radiating off Skye’s slight frame. She’s not kidding. There will be hell to pay from the women if I ever step sideways with Angel again.
“Duly noted.”
“Good.” She cocks her head. “Now, I hear Angel. You’ll want to be quick if you plan on escaping before anyone knows what you plan.”
“I have a feeling it’s not much of a secret.”
“It’s totally not.” She puts a cold pack in my hand and presses both to my face. “Keep that on your face.”
“Got it.”
Thirty-Three
Angel
After checking into the penthouse suite, Spike takes me to get married.
First, we stop at a jewelry store. My eyes are on diamonds, but Spike picks out a black band for himself and a delicate ring for me.
“I plan on putting a rock on your finger later. Not through a place like this.” His comment earns him a dirty stare from the salesperson helping us. That stare turns into wide eyes when Spike picks out a set of diamond earrings and matching necklace.