Angel (Book 4)

Chapter 6. Free To Leave

When I woke up the next morning, Angel was gone. Last night after he snapped at me, I came upstairs, and he was already asleep. No doubt, he was still angry with me. I wasn't sure how long I could keep this up. I should just leave.

A couple of the maids stared at me as I walked into the kitchen. When I looked up at them, they quickly dropped their gaze. They rushed out of the kitchen, whispering.

I slammed the cupboard shut and set the coffee cup on the counter harder than necessary. Could they make it anymore obvious that they were talking about me?

School was done for the summer. I had managed to get all my assignments in online. I was lucky they didn't fail me. I sat down at the island and scrolled through my social media as I sipped my coffee.

A little red alert flashed at the top of the screen, showing that I had a message. I opened my messages. My lips parted in surprise. It was Zayden.

A part of me wanted to write him back. But what do I say? Obviously, I don't tell him that I went back to my ex-boyfriend. Am I supposed to just say I had to move in with him for a while? That's ridiculous, of course.

One of the maids came back into the kitchen, interrupting my thought process. She looked at me shyly and quickly walked toward the sink.

"I'm sorry, do you have something that you'd like to say to me?" I asked in irritation.

"I'm sorry, miss. We weren't trying to be rude, and I don't want to pry. I'm sure that would upset the boss," she murmured. She turned back to doing the dishes. She was obviously worried that I would get her fired.

It's not as if I have that type of influence over Angel, even if I wanted to get her fired.

"No, please, I'd love to hear it," I said.

She sighed and turned to face me as she dried her hands. "We just didn't expect you to be here. Mister Garcia called a truce with the Mexican Mafia early this morning then left for San Francisco. That was who you were running from?" She asked.

"Oh," I breathed. "Yes, of course. I wasn't aware that Angel did that. He had me... pardoned?"

"Yes, miss. I'm sorry. Of course, it's completely yours and mister Garcia's business."

"Thank you for letting me know," I said softly.

"You're welcome," she said. She bowed her head respectfully and excused herself.

I no longer needed to be here? Am I free to leave? My stomach turned at the thought. What if I don't want to leave? I finished my coffee and poured another cup. I took the cup with me as I walked into the foyer. I looked around at all the different pictures of the Garcia family.

I headed down the hallway. My fingers trailed along the wall. I stopped at a picture of Angel.

A weak smile spread across my face as I took in his beautiful face. I sauntered down the hallway, looking around, trying to memorize it. I stepped down into the study. I ran my fingers along the back bookshelf. I circled around the room as if I was trying to capture every bit of it.

When I reached his desk, I sat down. My fingers brushed along the wood. When I looked down, I noticed a paper with my parents' names on it. I held it up to read it.

It was a payment arrangement for their funeral. Did he pay for my parents' funeral? The date of their funeral was set for tomorrow. When was he going to tell me this? I looked through the papers. He spent far more than the average person would have for burial. He set it to have the funeral done in Los Angeles.