Chapter 33

Trinity

Mark got back into the city a few hours after he called based on his text message. I wanted to ask where he’d been, but I didn’t get a chance, and based on how he’d left, I doubted he would tell me.

Maybe it had something to do with my case, but I had a feeling that if that were the case, he would have just told me.

I took a taxi back to his house, where he said we’d meet. His patrol car was parked in front, so I headed inside. The scent of alcohol and blood was faint in the air. I closed the door and walked into the living room. I found him lying across the couch with his feet up and an ice pack on his head. He was shirtless in just a pair of pants. I hadn’t ever realized how chiseled he was. It had been years since I’d seen him shirtless. He wasn’t the little boy down the hall anymore but a full-grown man.

The more I thought about it, the more I wondered why I didn’t find him more attractive. It wasn’t that he wasn’t attractive. He was pretty handsome, but I felt no stirring of interest the way I felt for Lucian. Maybe it was because he would always be the little boy down the hall to me in some ways.

He let out a soft groan as he shifted on the couch and my eyes widened as I realized that there was a bottle of painkillers beside him and a half-full glass of what looked like whiskey. His ribs were wrapped in bandages, and there was an icepack on his face.

He looked up, his face was half bruised, and he smiled at me. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”

I set my bag down and came to sit beside him. The bandages were slightly bloody, and there were huge bruises spreading from beneath the bandages.

“What happened to you? You look like you got into a car accident or something.”

He scoffed. “The assignment went a little sideways. I’m fine. Nothing to put me in the hospital over, promise.”

I didn’t believe him. I reached out and took his hand. He squeezed it gently. There were bruises on his arms, and his knuckles were cracked and painted with liquid bandages.

“You’ll end up in the hospital if you keep drinking alcohol with your painkillers…” I picked up the bottle. “These are Vicodin.”

“Well, aspirin wasn’t going to cut it.” He chuckled. “Stop worrying.”

“You’re taking them with alcohol.”

“I’ve done worse.”

I pulled the glass away from him and went to the kitchen to find him some water. “You shouldn’t be doing it at all. Don’t you read instructions?”

He chuckled. “Only when it suits me.”

I scoffed. “What happened to the strait-laced boy from down the hall?”

His lips twitched. “He grew up and learned that the world’s rules aren’t all that they seem.”

I eyed him, not sure what I was supposed to make of that statement, and then I shook myself.

“If it’s that bad, you should go to the hospital. To get an X-Ray or something at least. You probably need a cast. You’re covered in bruises.”

“Already been,” he said, he wiggled his eyebrows. “Some rules are exactly what they say they are.”

I scoffed. “And they let you go?”

“A few cracks, lots of bruises, but no desperate need to keep me. They offered, but I wanted to come home…” He squeezed my hand. “I just wanted to see you. Isn’t that okay, Trin’?”

His eyes were pleading with me and I sighed. To be fair, I wouldn’t want them both in the hospital, likely in two different ones. I nodded.

“Fine… but if you don’t start healing within a few days, then I’m driving you to the hospital.”

“I’ll have to give you a ticket,” he chuckled. “You don’t have a license.”

“I’d expect you to make the ticket disappear since you’re injured.”

He chuckled, “How are you doing?”

My lips twitched. “I could be better.”

He nodded. “No word yet?”

“Dad hasn’t woken up yet, but they say that he’s getting better.” I shook my head. “They don’t say much else.”

He hummed. “Most doctors are like that. I know when you were in the hospital, we barely got anything more than she’s doing better.”

I winced. “I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”

“I’m just glad you’re here and safe,” he said. “What else have you been up to? Didn’t you go on that trip? How was it?’

I considered telling him about Lucian and the research I was participating in, but I held it back. I didn’t want to tip him off that there was a good chance that we’d be moving out sooner than he thought. I didn’t want to fight him about it. He’d probably find out from the precinct about the dean’s death and how they made me a suspect, so there was no reason to talk about that now.

“I’ve been focusing on graduation, work, and my dad. Other than that, … I’ve been pretty okay. The trip was okay.”

He nodded. “That’s good. I’m glad he’s recovering… Have you remembered anything else? You seem different.”

“I’ve decided not to get involved with it anymore,” I said stiffly. “And you should drop it.”

Mark shook his head. “You think that you can just be free of it, but it’s not that easy. If I catch him—if anyone catches him, then you can really start to heal. Don’t you think? They say that time heals all wounds, but it’s not true… Justice, closure, and support heal wounds.”

I blinked at him. “I think if I choose to start healing and moving on, then I should be supported in that.”

I looked into his eyes. “Maybe… you find closure and a chance to heal in justice, and that’s great, but I don’t want to… force myself to relive that chasing after a vague chance for that.”

His lips twitched. “Right. Sorry. Still a touchy subject… I heard the dean of your school was found dead.”

I shrugged. “It has nothing to do with me.”

“Even though the police have been interrogating you frequently?”

I sighed. “I figured you’d find out, but I didn’t realize that you knew already.”

“I was called about your other case,” he said. “They asked me if it was likely that you remembered more than you were saying.”

“They kept asking the same questions, but I had nothing else to tell them.” I shrugged. “The last cop said that they were probably going to stop bothering me.”

“I’ll help you if they do.”

“I don’t need you to,” I said. “They’ll stop, even if it’s not right now.”

Mark bobbed his head, “If you’re sure.”

“I am.” I smiled. “How long are you on bedrest?”

He chuckled. “Not long enough. I’ll be back up and out in the field soon… But, Trin’…about before.”

I shook my head. “I don’t need another apology. Can’t we just go back to the way things were?”

Mark narrowed his eyes, but he relaxed on the couch. “Okay… if that’s what you want.”

I nodded, grateful for it. I didn’t think I was ready to fight with him in the middle of all of this. I didn’t return his feelings. There was no sense in trying to pretend or tiptoe around it.

The doorbell rang. I frowned, wondering who it could be. I checked my phone and looked at the time block that was passing right now, but there was nothing there. I stood and went to the door.

“Were you expecting someone?” Mark asked, sitting up on the couch. His voice was tense.

“No, but it might be a package. Did you order something?” I asked as I reached the door.

He got to his feet and reached for his gun, hobbling after me. He was moving pretty fast for how injured he seemed. He cupped the blood patch in the bandage on his stomach and tried to pull me away from the door.

“Trinity, wait it could be—”

I ignored him and answered the door to find Lucian on the other side. He was dressed in a trim three-piece suit. His hair was neatly combed and styled around his face like always. He looked as handsome and as wealthy as he always did. I smiled and stumbled as Mark stumbled and bumped into me. He grabbed me and tugged me back from the door, trying to close the door.

“Don’t just answer the door without knowing who it is,” Mark hissed.

He looked up, and Lucian’s expression turned hard as they looked at each other.

“Trinity,” Lucian said lightly. “I see you have company…”

“Oh, no, this is Mark,” Trinity said. “This is actually his house.”

“Trinity, who is this?” Mark asked, looking at Lucian suspiciously. “He looks like a mobster.”

My face burned as the two of them stared at each other angrily.