The Breakup Read Online Free PDF Page B

by his grin, but then she smiled back. He figured it wasn’t often she saw smiles at work, especially ones as delighted as his must have been.
     
    After a few more minutes of thumps and bangs, the door cracked open. The same man gave Bob a thumbs-up and then the three of them disappeared down the hall.
     
    It was quiet in the room and for the first time Bob was worried. He hated Stephen, but he didn’t want him permanently damaged. After all, with the amount of scrapes he got into, Bob didn’t need to work for anyone else - he’d been semi-retired for ten years.
     
    “Stephen?” he whispered. “Are you okay?”
     
    There was a muffled whimper from the bed and Bob’s heart leapt in relief. Good, they hadn’t killed the bastard after all. He ignored the small disappointed feeling.
     
    He moved to the bed and examined his client. He figured he could be disbarred for allowing three thugs to beat up his client in his own hospital room. For guarding the door so they wouldn’t be interrupted, even. But, they’d have to prove he wasn’t just afraid for his own life.
     
    “Stephen, man, are you alive?” Bob injected just the right amount of fear into his voice. “I’m so sorry I left, I tried to find help, but there were only nurses and I was afraid to leave you alone too long.” That was a good explanation, wasn’t it? Bob was satisfied with it. Not that Stephen would care. Even if it were the truth, he would still blame his lawyer.
     
    There was another whimper from the still form. Stephen’s eyes were beginning to puff a little and Bob could see bruises forming on his neck. In fact they were very similar to the ones on the young woman Stephen had attacked.  
     
    Stephen let out a gasp and opened his eyes, looking around wildly. “Are they gone?” he whispered.
     
    “Yes, do you need the doctor?”
     
    Stephen swallowed and it looked painful. “Yes.”
     
    Bob hurried to find the doctor and explained to him that three men had come in and beaten up his patient. “The shortest one had straight, blonde hair…”
     

Chapter 7

    Stephen threw his glass across his bedroom and felt a small thrill of satisfaction as it smashed against the wall. The nurse his mother had hired poked her head into the room, took in the glass littering the floor and Stephen’s sour face, and left. He didn’t protest. He wanted to be left alone. He was in constant pain and it was making him angrier by the minute. He spent most of his time picturing Aja lying on the floor, while he choked the life out of her. Who would have thought such a mousy little woman could have done what she had done. I’m going to destroy her , he vowed to himself.
     
    Stephen grabbed the phone beside his bed and dialed a number, waited for it to be answered, then barked. “Where are you? Downstairs? Good. Get up here. We need to talk.” He hung up and dropped the phone onto the bed beside him.
     
    The television grabbed his attention. On the news they were discussing what Aja had done to him. Then, to his surprise, Aja herself appeared. Stephen hauled himself upright and leaned forward to listen. What is that little bitch saying about me?  
     
    The nurse came running into the room when she heard Stephen shouting in what sounded like agony. When she flew through the door, however, she saw him ranting and raving and swearing a blue streak.
     
    “What’s wrong? Are you in pain?” She gasped.
     
    “No!” he bellowed. “I’m furious.” He threw the remote at the television.
     
    The nurse turned to the table and prepared a syringe. She approached Stephen as if he were a dangerous animal.
     
    “Get that thing away from me. I don’t need any medication.”
     
    “You’re upset. This will help prevent you from tearing your stitches,” the nurse said in a calm voice.
     
    “I’m fine, dammit.”
     
    The nurse kept edging closer. The door opened and Stephen turned his head. The nurse lunged, stabbed the needle into his thigh, and