Atonement

•24•

I get maybe four or five hours of sleep before waking up from the sun shinning in my eyes. I forgot to close the damn curtains.
Sitting up in the bed, my head spins a bit after everything that happened yesterday. The drugs, the beating I took, I should expect to feel crappy.
I put on some clean clothes, and get ready for the day which helps me wake up a little more and feel a little less shitty, although I'm still upset about what I heard last night. The words still replay in my head, making me feel like shit.
Then the other memory lingers in my head, the memory of Haz's lips forcefully on mine, his hands tangled in my hair, the smell of him washing over my senses. Thinking about that moment is enough to drown out all the bad that has happened yesterday.
I walk down the hallway to the kitchen, making myself a cup of tea. I catch my reflection in a glass, seeing all the bruises and wounds. It's kind of cool. I have battle scars.
"Morning, how are you feeling?" Eli asks as he makes his way into the kitchen, still on crutches.
"Better than yesterday" I answer.
"Really? Cause you look worse." He teases with a cocky smirk and I shake my head at him.
"Still look better than you." I joke.
Footsteps sounds from the doorway and I look over to see Tom entering the kitchen. Anger rises in me, making my jaw clench. I turn around to make my tea, and pray he doesn't talk to me because I won't be nice.
"Hey sweetheart, feeling better?" His voice sounds in my ear, his hands resting on my shoulders.
"Don't fucking touch me, Tom." I spit, pushing his hands off me.
"Woah alright.." he says. "Are you okay?"
I simply laugh, turning around to face him. Eli stands at the island awkwardly just watching the interaction.
"Why even pretend to like me?" I ask.
"What?" He asks.
"Oh you know I'm psychotic and stupid so why even pretend to like me?" I say, making his eyes widen slightly.
"Wha- how did you-" he stutters.
"I was out on my balcony you fucking asshole." I raise my voice. "You don't fucking know me, or my life. You have absolutely no idea what shit I went through. So next time keep your mouth shut or get out of my fucking house."
I storm out of the kitchen, not even wanting to give him a chance to try and explain himself or defend himself. How dare he act like he cares, call me pet names, and pretend to be my friend when he thinks I'm a terrible person and talks shit about me behind my back.
I turn the corner, running straight into someone and falling on my ass with a thump. I push my hair out of my face, seeing Haz standing above me, laughing.
"It's not funny." I groan.
"It's a little funny." He says with a smile.
I can't help but laugh a bit with him, shaking my head. He puts his hand out to me, and I take it, him helping me up.
"You okay? What's going on?" He asks, his smug smile now being replaced with concern.
For a moment I think about telling him what I heard Tom say, but then I quickly remember that Tom is his best friend. How could I interfere with a friendship just over a few hurtful words?
"It's nothing." I shake my head.
"It's not nothing." He says. "Aurie you need to start being honest with me, what happened yesterday should be proof enough that lying doesn't work. I can't fix a problem if you don't tell me what's going on."
How does this boy read through me so easily? I really don't want to start any drama, but I don't feel good about lying to him either.
My phone dings, breaking my concentration from the conversation. An unknown number texted me.. I never get texts from unknown numbers.
Unknown: both parents in a month.. how heartbreaking. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to the last one standing.
"Haz.." I breath out, handing him my phone.
He reads over the text quickly, his hands clenching into fists.
"Orion!" He calls loudly, and seconds later Orion is in our sights.
"Yes sir?" He asks.
"Try to track this. I doubt you will be able to but try." Haz says, handing the phone to him.
"Of course." Orion nods, walking off to get to work.
"Darling, you're going to be okay. I'm gonna take care of it." Haz assures me, his hands cradling both sides of my face.
"Do you think it's the people connected to my mother again?" I ask.
"I think the people who used your mother, and the people who killed your father are working together." He states.
"Or they're the same people." Kyler comments as he walks up to us.
"Excuse me?" Haz says, not use to newbies butting in.
"If you think about it, how weird is it that her dad was killed, and her mother came around at the same time." He starts. "She says it's about the payments ending, but according to file number 3805, the payments were automatically deposited into her account. Therefor she didn't show up because the payments didn't go through."
My eyes widen, looking to Haz with confusion. He grabs the file from Kyler's hands and reads it over carefully.
"Good work Kyler." Haz says, shutting the file.
"Thank you, sir." Kyler says.
"Take it to Jordan and Eli, have them look into the accounts the payments are sending to and discontinue the payments." Haz says.
Kyler heads off to find Jordan and Eli.
"I don't think those payments were going to your mum, Aurie. I think they were going to your fathers killer." He says.
"But he's dead." I shake my head. "I watched him die."
"The man that shot him, yes, but who's to say he worked alone, or was the one in charge?" He says.
"So you're saying the man who decided that my dad would be murdered is still out there.. and now he wants me." I say.
"He's not going to get you. I promise. I swore on my life to protect you and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

A/N: alright guys time to check in, how are you liking the book?? I love reading your comments💗