Read Online The Color of a Dream by Julianne MacLean - Free Book Online
Authors: Julianne MacLean
Ads: Link
through my body and I
rushed to her side. “Rick!” I shouted. “Get in here! And call
911!”
Chapter Twenty-one
We learned, after the paramedics arrived,
that Angela had not tried to commit suicide but had most likely
attempted to perform an abortion on herself by using the knitting
needle they found on the floor beside her.
Later, the autopsy would show that she had
indeed been pregnant, so there could be no doubt about whether or
not she had lied to Rick about her condition in order to trap him.
She’d been telling the truth about that—and the fact that I had not
arrived in time to help her would haunt me for the rest of my
days.
In that moment however, after they wheeled
Angela into the ambulance and Rick and I were left alone, there
were other issues to discuss.
“What did you say to her last night?” I
asked, feeling distraught and needing answers as I followed him
back into his apartment.
Rick went straight to the kitchen and pulled
a cold beer out of the fridge. He twisted off the cap, pitched it
into the trash can and tipped the bottle up. Then he leaned back
against the counter and faced me. “Do you want one?”
“No!” I replied, leaning a shoulder against
the doorjamb between the kitchen and living room. “I just want to
know what happened. Tell me what you said to her and why you left
her alone.”
“I wasn’t her babysitter,” he replied. “And
I didn’t say anything.”
“You must have. You said you had a fight.
She couldn’t have been arguing with herself.”
Rick set his beer down on the counter.
“Fine. If you really want to know, she told me she cancelled the
appointment for this morning because she wanted to think about it
some more. She wanted me to think about it, too, but I told her I’d
already made up my mind and I wasn’t going to change it. I told her
I didn’t want to have a kid or get married. Not today. Not ever. I
was honest with her, Jesse.”
I felt my eyebrows pull together in a frown.
“How did she take it?”
“How do you think she took it? You
know how emotional she was. She cried and begged and pleaded.”
Suddenly there was a heavy pounding in my
ears and a heated blood flow to all my extremities. My fingers
began to twitch and before I knew what I was doing, I had stalked
across the kitchen and grabbed hold of Rick’s shirt in my
fists.
“What is wrong with you?” I demanded to
know. “She’s dead! Don’t you care?”
I was no longer the nerdy baby brother who
couldn’t fight back when he was surrounded by linebackers. I was
now as tall as he was and I’d been chucking heavy suitcases for a
year. Tonight it was just the two of us, alone in his small
kitchen.
He tried to slap my hands away but my grip
was rock solid as I dragged him along the length of the counter and
shoved him up against the refrigerator.
“Of course I care,” he replied.
“No, you don’t. You never loved her. Not
like I did. She was nothing to you.”
“She was something,” he said, “but you need
to calm down, Jesse, because she wasn’t that special.
Remember, she cheated on you.”
I dragged him away from the fridge and
shoved him so hard up against the wall, I knocked the breath out of
him. “Don’t you ever say that again.”
Suddenly he head-butted me in the nose and
pain shot through my skull. I saw stars and stumbled back a few
steps. The next thing I knew Rick was hauling me into the living
room by the shirt collar and throwing me onto the sofa.
“Get a grip!” he shouted, standing over me
and pointing a finger. “You’re upset.”
“Damn right, I’m upset.” I wiped at my nose
with the back of my hand and realized I was bleeding. “Jesus.”
He pointed at me again. “Stay down.” I
thought maybe his intention was to fetch me a washcloth or
something to staunch the flow of blood, but he made no move to
administer first aid. He simply stood there, staring at me with a
look of warning.
“If you grab me again,” he said, “I
rushed to her side. “Rick!” I shouted. “Get in here! And call
911!”
Chapter Twenty-one
We learned, after the paramedics arrived,
that Angela had not tried to commit suicide but had most likely
attempted to perform an abortion on herself by using the knitting
needle they found on the floor beside her.
Later, the autopsy would show that she had
indeed been pregnant, so there could be no doubt about whether or
not she had lied to Rick about her condition in order to trap him.
She’d been telling the truth about that—and the fact that I had not
arrived in time to help her would haunt me for the rest of my
days.
In that moment however, after they wheeled
Angela into the ambulance and Rick and I were left alone, there
were other issues to discuss.
“What did you say to her last night?” I
asked, feeling distraught and needing answers as I followed him
back into his apartment.
Rick went straight to the kitchen and pulled
a cold beer out of the fridge. He twisted off the cap, pitched it
into the trash can and tipped the bottle up. Then he leaned back
against the counter and faced me. “Do you want one?”
“No!” I replied, leaning a shoulder against
the doorjamb between the kitchen and living room. “I just want to
know what happened. Tell me what you said to her and why you left
her alone.”
“I wasn’t her babysitter,” he replied. “And
I didn’t say anything.”
“You must have. You said you had a fight.
She couldn’t have been arguing with herself.”
Rick set his beer down on the counter.
“Fine. If you really want to know, she told me she cancelled the
appointment for this morning because she wanted to think about it
some more. She wanted me to think about it, too, but I told her I’d
already made up my mind and I wasn’t going to change it. I told her
I didn’t want to have a kid or get married. Not today. Not ever. I
was honest with her, Jesse.”
I felt my eyebrows pull together in a frown.
“How did she take it?”
“How do you think she took it? You
know how emotional she was. She cried and begged and pleaded.”
Suddenly there was a heavy pounding in my
ears and a heated blood flow to all my extremities. My fingers
began to twitch and before I knew what I was doing, I had stalked
across the kitchen and grabbed hold of Rick’s shirt in my
fists.
“What is wrong with you?” I demanded to
know. “She’s dead! Don’t you care?”
I was no longer the nerdy baby brother who
couldn’t fight back when he was surrounded by linebackers. I was
now as tall as he was and I’d been chucking heavy suitcases for a
year. Tonight it was just the two of us, alone in his small
kitchen.
He tried to slap my hands away but my grip
was rock solid as I dragged him along the length of the counter and
shoved him up against the refrigerator.
“Of course I care,” he replied.
“No, you don’t. You never loved her. Not
like I did. She was nothing to you.”
“She was something,” he said, “but you need
to calm down, Jesse, because she wasn’t that special.
Remember, she cheated on you.”
I dragged him away from the fridge and
shoved him so hard up against the wall, I knocked the breath out of
him. “Don’t you ever say that again.”
Suddenly he head-butted me in the nose and
pain shot through my skull. I saw stars and stumbled back a few
steps. The next thing I knew Rick was hauling me into the living
room by the shirt collar and throwing me onto the sofa.
“Get a grip!” he shouted, standing over me
and pointing a finger. “You’re upset.”
“Damn right, I’m upset.” I wiped at my nose
with the back of my hand and realized I was bleeding. “Jesus.”
He pointed at me again. “Stay down.” I
thought maybe his intention was to fetch me a washcloth or
something to staunch the flow of blood, but he made no move to
administer first aid. He simply stood there, staring at me with a
look of warning.
“If you grab me again,” he said, “I
Similar Books
