He chuckled. “I think my ride will be easier for me to get in and out of.”
I shrugged. “Okay. Meet you in the parking lot?”
“Sure. Look for the black SUV with blacked out windows. It’s kind of hard to miss.”
We left the swim complex together. He was moving slow and I bet he hated that.
“Kayleigh,” I yelled, when I got to the dorm.
“Yeah,” she said from her room.
“Can you come to my room, I’m kind of in a hurry.”
A minute later she appeared in the doorway. “What’s up?”
“Anthony was there when I went to leave the pool. Get this, he was carjacked and beat up. Spent the night in the hospital. They stole his car, phone and wallet. Crazy shit, huh? Anyway, I’m going to his place for the weekend.”
“Um, wow, okay. Yeah, that’s crazy. Just be careful Karma.”
“I will. If we go anywhere, I’ll let you know.”
“Okay. Have fun. See you at practice on Monday.”
“You bet. Bye.”
I stopped to grab my toothbrush and I was out the door. When I got to the parking lot, I laughed to myself. He wasn’t kidding when he said the SUV was hard to miss. I didn’t know what it was, but it practically screamed luxury. I was just about to the vehicle when the driver came around to open the back door for me.
“Can I take your bag, miss?”
“Oh sure, thank you,” I said.
He took my bag and I hopped in the back.
“Wow, this is quite the car, well SUV I guess,” I said, sitting next to Anthony.
“Dad had it made. It’s a one-of-a-kind custom,” he told me.
I couldn’t even think about how much it would cost to have something like that done. The driver closed my door, got back in the car and we were on the way to Anthony’s.
When we got there, I expected the driver to pull in beside the main house and we’d go to the guest house, but instead he stopped at the front door.
“My mother insisted I see her when I got back,” Anthony explained.
“Gotcha. No problem.”
“Phil will take your bag to my place,” he said.
Phil, who I guessed was the driver, opened Anthony’s door and helped him out. I opened my own door and met them on the other side of the SUV.
The front door opened before we could get to it and his mother came flying out.
“Oh Anthony,” she said, “you look terrible.”
“Thanks mom,” he said, with half a smile.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked him with concern.
“Just sore. The worst is my shoulder. The doctor told me it would be a few weeks before it’s back to normal.”
“If you need anything you let me know. Or Maria if I’m not here.”
“I will, mom. I need to go rest now,” he told her.
“Of course,” she said. “Nice to see you again, Karma. Make sure he’s not being stubborn and is more hurt than he’s telling us.”
“I will, Mrs. Pagano.”
“Call me Susan,” she said with a smile. “I’ll check on you later, Anthony. I’m having lunch with the girls and I’m already late.”
We watched as she got into another car with a different driver. I just shook my head. Having this much money was so foreign to me.
“Are you ready to go rest?” I asked Anthony.
“Yeah, actually I am.”
We went into the main house and out a back entrance by the pool. He opened the door to the guesthouse and headed straight to the bedroom.
“I need to change out of these clothes,” he said.
“Okay. Let me know if you need help with your shoulder,” I told him.
He nodded and I went to the living room. I was scrolling through Netflix when he came out in a pair of sweats, and nothing else.
“It was too much trouble to try and get a shirt on,” he said, explaining his lack of shirt.
“I’m not going to complain,” I said with a smile. “Since you’re the one who needs to rest, I thought I’d let you pick out what we watch.”
“How kind of you,” he said, with a smirk.
He eased himself onto the couch beside me.
“You look like you’re in pain,” I said. “Did they give you any pain pills?”
“Yeah, but I hate taking them.”
“Now’s not the time to be a stubborn ass. Where are they?”
“Phil probably left them on the kitchen counter,” he said.
I went to the kitchen and found a small pill bottle with Anthony’s name one it. I read the directions and took one out. Filling a glass with water, I went back to the living room and made him take it. I set the timer on my phone for when he was supposed to take the next one.
“Did you pick something to watch?” I asked, rejoining him on the couch.
“You pick. I’m probably going to fall asleep anyway,” he said. “I don’t think I got more than an hour’s sleep last night. Hospitals aren’t restful.” He handed me the remote.
Twenty minutes later, he was sound asleep. I found a blanket for him and moved to the chair. Since he was over six feet tall, I figured he needed all the room he could get to stretch out.
I had no idea how long he was going to be out, so I put on Lucifer and settled in. If I couldn’t play with Anthony’s gorgeous body, I was going to at least watch one on TV.
****
Bodie
I spent the entire day on Saturday trying to distract myself from thinking about Karma and her nightmare. Three times I started to text her and erased them each time. The fourth time I hit send.
Me: Are you doing okay after last night?
I was surprised when she texted me back right away.
Karma: Yes. Thank you for everything. I probably would have done something stupid if it wasn’t for you.
Me: You’re welcome. What are you doing?
Karma: Watching Lucifer at Anthony’s
Me: Anthony’s? I thought you were pissed at him for standing you up.
Karma: I was until I found out what happened. He was car jacked and beat up. Had to spend the night in the hospital.
Me: Oh. I see. Well, have a good weekend.
I didn’t know what to think about Anthony being car jacked. I actually thought it was payback for being a douchebag. I wasn’t expecting Karma to text me back, so I was surprised when my phone dinged.
Karma: What are you doing?
Me: Absolutely fucking nothing
Karma: Why?
Me: Just don’t feel like doing anything I guess
Karma: Liar. You get bored easily, like me. So, tell me the truth, why are you sitting alone doing nothing?
Me: You don’t want to hear the truth
I both wanted to tell her and not tell her why I was at home alone.
Karma: Now I’m doubly intrigued. Tell me.
Me: Fine, but remember, you asked. And you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.
Karma: Okay?????
Me: I’ve been thinking about your nightmare and what you said. Is it a memory or just a dream?
I waited a few minutes and didn’t hear back from her. I decided she didn’t want to tell me which only made me think I was right about it being a memory. I wasn’t going to push it though. Karma would do what she wanted when she wanted, at least I knew that much about her.