Rags to Riches

Chapter 19: Hypocrites

Theo pulls into a parking garage of a hotel. Of course, what other hotel did it have to be if not Bartholomew Hotels.

I hug the strange man's jacket around my shoulders and step out of the car. Without waiting for Theo, I run toward the entrance and into the hotel's hallway. We were far from the lobby, and I was quite thankful.

Theo followed me in, not too soon afterward. He wouldn't speak. Granted that I wasn't talking, but Theo never once said, "I'm glad you're alright." And why would he? It's not like he actually cared about me. I thought he cared about me before tonight, but he's just the same man I ran into.

"Our room is this way," He says and I follow him.

"And he speaks." I mutter and Theo stops short. He whips around and glares at me. "What do you want me to say, Teagan?" he snaps.

Oh no. He wasn't allowed to be mad at me. This may be my fault, but it was also his. We were both to blame.

"Oh I don't know, maybe, 'I'm glad you're okay, Teagan,' or 'sorry about everything, Teagan.' You know, along the lines of those would be nice."

Theo clenches his fists. "Teagan, what you did was stupid! You left the club, not only did you go out a backdoor you walked into an alley. A dark alley in New York City!"

"I'm sorry!" I yell at him, then immediately lowering my voice. There were other people in this hotel. "I just wanted to get out of that stupid club and you obviously weren't going to help me do it. If I'm being honest right now, I probably wouldn't have let you help me anyway. I didn't want to be anywhere near you."

Theo doesn't say anything at first and after a couple moments he finally responds. "Teagan, it didn't take long for me to realize what I said was wrong. I looked for you. Everywhere. You were no where to be found! Then I get a fucking call that someone had you and was actually threatening to kill you, Teagan. Can you imagine how scary that was for me? I can't process right now what went on tonight, I don't have the ability to. So I apologize if I haven't spoken yet." He scowls.

I just stare at him in shock. "I go missing. I'm the one who was tied up to a chair and had to fight my way out. And you were the one who was scared. You are the one who doesn't have the ability to process what happened tonight? You are so goddamn selfish!" I scream at him, tears pooling in my eyes.

"I'm not trying to be!" He argues back then runs a hand through his disheveled blond hair. "I know I shouldn't be the one whining. The reason this entire thing even happened to you is all my fault, and I'm sorry." He says to me. "I'm so, so damn sorry." his voice cracks and I shake my head, not wanting to look him in the eyes. Because if I do, I know I'll break down too, and he didn't need to see that. I didn't want him to.

"Teagan," Theo continues, "the last thing I thought about was something horrible had happened to you, because I can't stand the thought of something actually happening to you. If I keep dwelling on the fact that you were kidnapped or could have possibly been killed. . . I wouldn't know what to do with myself. In fact, the only reason I happened to look out that backdoor you left through was because I knew I screwed up and I had to find you. I saw your shoe on the ground and I knew something had to have happened.

I hug myself, pulling the large coat I was wearing tighter around me.

"Teagan, you have to believe me." He pleads. "I'm sorry I didn't try and find you with extreme measures right away. You know I couldn't call the cops."

I shake my head again. "Do you just not care?"

He gives me a strange look. "Of course I care-"

"No." I continue and look up at him this time. "I mean, do you care because I'm an important part of your operation, or do you care because-"