Three's Company

30. Everybody's Watching

He was spiralling out of control.

So much so that his last resort had been a genuine blunder. Heath knew he couldn't rely on the already tense Arab to bail him out of his predicament, she didn't deserve to be put through any of his ordeals.

As a result of his last lifeline, he found himself standing in a sunny stall in the countryside, trying hard not to let his gaze wander over to the place he desperately desired to be in.

He knew he was killing her by being no more than ten feet away, but the constant reminder that he had made his bed weighed heavily on his shoulders.

Fuck, he thought.

What the hell was he doing?

"Daddy is going to be so happy to see you here!" a hand gripped his forearm, jolting him back to reality. I'm so glad you finally saw the light and realised what we have is unique, babe. What we have is straight out of a fairytale."

He looked down at the well-manicured hand, which felt like it was burning into his skin by the second. "Yeah? And what kind of fucked up fairytale is that?" He said bluntly, bringing his other hand up to peel her off him. "The one where you bail me out of jail and then blackmail me into spending the day with you? I'm barely able to stand and probably overdosing on prescription pills as we speak. But that doesn't matter, does it?"

Of course, the morbid remark didn't register with the self-obsessed girl, who burst out laughing.

To be fair, he hadn't even been out of jail for ten hours and was still feeling the effects of his manic episode.

Dove had bailed him out, as he had explained, but only on the condition that he come to the stupid fair with her that day. He tried to tell her there was no chance, but she was his only option at five a.m. in Chicago. He had no choice but to accept his unfortunate fate.

At the very least, she allowed him to shower at his house first, and he was able to force a few pills down his throat. He needed to calm down if he was going to spend the day with her.

"You're so silly, babe. Anyway, he should be here any minute." She turned around and faced him, completely ignoring him. She examined his clothing, including the cowboy hat she had thrown on his head, and reached in to smooth down the front of his t-shirt. "I think we should keep where you stayed last night a secret, kay? You know how much Daddy hates such things."

More like how much her father hated him. The feeling was well and truly mutual, yet the demanding spoiled princess was were they met in the middle.

"I thought I had made it clear that whatever was going on between us was over. I'm here because you helped me, I'm not here to help you."

Her jade green pupils constricted around him. "Don't be such a jerk, Heathy. I can easily tell my father that making you partner was a mistake, you know better than to test me."

Heathy. He was sure his ears were bleeding from hearing that unfortunate nickname over and over again.

Rather than reacting like he knew she wanted him to, he dug his hands into his trouser pockets, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

He placed a cigarette in his mouth, cupping one hand over it as he lit it with the other.

His gaze was fixed on hers, and he watched her slowly scrunch up her face in disgust.

"Daddy is going to smell it on you!"

He pretended to give a shit, inhaling the thick smoke and blowing it out on her face. "Really? That's a fucking shame."