With Dauntless Abandon

Chapter 20

 "Tobias...your financial information came in this week for the payment plan wetalked about. Why didn't you tell me that you've got a lot of moneysitting in the bank?" By the end of her inquiry, his back is rigidand his dark blue eyes are icy. "I don't have money."

"Youhave plenty. You recently won two very big settlements, and they arebeing deposited into—"

"I'mdone here," he says shortly. He stands up and stalks out the door,slamming it shut behind him.

~~~

"Tobias?Hey, I—what's wrong? I thought you weren't coming home for anhour..."

"Nothing.I don't want to talk about it."

"O-Okay,then," Tris stammers, confused. "Um, dinner?"

"No."

Triswatches him stomp into the bedroom, confused. He'd seemed cautiouslyoptimistic when he left for therapy earlier. She rubs her growingbelly, and her little one thumps against her hand in response. Thatalways makes her feel better.

Shegoes into the bedroom after him, slipping in quietly and closing thedoor. He's sitting on the bed, head in his hands. She carefully grabshis wrists, setting his hands on her waist. She pushes back on hisshoulders until he straightens, and then she sits in his lap. Theyalways sat like this during their visits when he was still in prison.She had thought that his moods and unwillingness to talk about hisproblems would go away now that he wasn't there anymore. Butsomething that has been ingrained in a personality for so longdoesn't just go away overnight, and she wonders if this slightreminder of when things were simpler between them will make him feelmore comfortable.

Regardless,she knows that he won't talk when he's brooding like this. So shewaits. Kisses his cheeks, his neck, his shoulders. And waits. Herhand massages his tricep, and her other hand gently kneads the knotsout of his neck and shoulders. She smiles when he finally buries hisface in her shoulder, indulging himself in her comfort. He inhalesdeeply, and she feels the tension finally drain from him.

Shestill waits; if she asks first, he might angry again.

Afteranother moment, he finally speaks. "The therapist asked me aboutpayment today," he mumbles. "She knows about... about thesettlements. She wants me to use that money to pay."

"Andwhat do you want?"

"Toforget it exists," he snaps. "I don't want Janine Matthews'sblood money. I'm not a Dauntless anymore. I... don't think Iever was."

"Inever saw it like that," Tris says thoughtfully. "But I guess Iunderstand where that could be... upsetting."

"Ihate that I even have it."

"Wellthen why'd you sue for it?"

"Becausethat bitch ruined my life," he snaps. "She killed people and..."

"Andshe owed you," Tris says.

Fourlooks up at her.

"Itisn't... blood money. It's... something she and her blastedcompany owed you for what they did. Don't you think?"

"Thenwhy does it feel like she's somehow paying me off from beyond thegrave?"

"Whydoes it bother you so much that you feel like she is? I mean, she'snot. But if she were, why is that a bad thing?"

"BecauseI don't work for her anymore. I'm through with her, her traitorousasshole son, and Dauntless, and prison, and everything! I wish I'dnever met any of them!"

"Welllook... just cause you have the money doesn't mean you work for her.It's actually quite the opposite. I mean... Janine's company paid youbecause she messed with your life, killed someone you cared about and made you take the fall for it. They paid you because they know whathappened to you was so, so very wrong. That's all it is, okay?"