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“He gets the flowers delivered once a week when the housekeeper is here,” she explained. “The groceries, and everything else? It’s all done by the housekeeper.”
“And you don’t think Azazel can track purchases made automatically from his account?”
“The account isn’t in his name either,” she explained sadly. “I think we should leave it alone.”
I inwardly agreed. Neo was going through his own personal hell, and the last thing he needed was me questioning his decisions. “I’m going to stay with Mikey in case he wakes up and doesn’t know what’s going on. You get some sleep, though.”
She moved to argue, but I cut her off. “At least one of us needs to get some rest, Aria. Take a shower and sleep. I’ll be in as soon as I know Mikey is okay.”
I didn’t have to remind her that convincing him to come with us was still a matter that needed to be dealt with, because she knew. She gulped, then cupped my face to kiss me gently.
I would never grow accustomed to the zing of happiness and the peace that settled through me whenever she kissed or held me, honestly.
“Good luck,” she whispered.
After I found an armchair in the room Mikey was in, I slumped into it.
Something about seeing my little brother unconscious—and all because I’d given up on him—made guilt eat away at the lining of my stomach.
I wouldn’t make that same mistake twice. And I wasn’t leaving this room until he agreed to come with us.
I fell asleep in the chair. When I came to, I was dazed and confused until my eyes fell on my brother.
Mikey was lying awake on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. I froze when his eyelids fluttered and he let out a stuttering breath; he looked a little farther from death now, thank God.
“How are you feeling?”I asked carefully.
Without turning to me, he croaked, “Like shit.”
I reached for the glass of water at the same time he did, and he jerked away, as if he didn’t want me touching him. I ignored the gesture and sat back.
He waited before reaching for the glass again, hoisting himself up into a sitting position with a groan that had me itching to offer him help. I didn’t think he would appreciate it, though. He finished the glass in two gulps, and I bit my tongue to stop myself from asking if he wanted another.
“Do you remember—”
“Everything, Sariel,” he cut in, his head turning so that he could glare at me. “Why am I here?”
“I need your help,” I answered him truthfully. “I wasn’t lying about that, Mikey.”
His expression remained neutral. “Even after what just… even after I brought dad—?”
“I don’t care that you told him. I expected as much.”
“Why kidnap me? How do you know that I won’t return to him as soon as I find the exit?”
My heart rate spiked at the possibility, and I spoke before I could filter my words. “Because you’re not fucking stupid, Michaelson.”
He tensed, his blue eyes flashing angrily. “Aren’t I? Haven’t I done it before? Returned to dad despite his shitty attitude?”
“Back then, I gave you a choice,” I said, leaning forward in my seat. “You don’t have that choice now. You’re not going back there, and I don’t care if I have to tie you to this goddamn bed.”
“And what about mom and Credence? Are you just gonna leave them at his mercy?” he asked, his cerulean gaze darkening as he swung his legs over the side of the bed so that we faced each other. “They escaped, but he’s been too busy with you to look for them. That’s gonna change, now. He doesn’t have apunching baganymore.”
I could feel my pulse racing at my fingertips. It thundered in my throat and the back of my eyes, ringing in my ears like a bell.
He was confirming what Aria had suggested, where I had misunderstood the parameters of my agreement with Azazel. There had never been any ‘agreement’—he’d continued to treat my brother like total shit in my absence.
“Azazel tried to kill me,” I suddenly blurted out.
