The Last Mission of the Living (The Last Bastion #2)(26)

A week of rehabilitation was all it took to get her back in fighting form. The cocktail of drugs they’d pumped into her system had definitely accelerated the healing. The first time she’d run on the treadmill, she had started to cry tears of joy. Now, staring at her leg, she felt tears again.

The door chimed.

With a frown, she scrambled off her bed and walked over to the door. A quick glance at the screen next to the door showed Vaja on the doorstep. She palmed the primary lock and unlocked all the extra locks she’d installed to allow the door to slide open.

“You’ve got five minutes,” she said gruffly, turned on her heel, and strode to her computers. She plopped onto the old chair and turned on the newsfeed. The media was camped outside of the SWD main building, still waiting for Admiral Kirkpatrick to surrender himself to the authorities.

“Lindsey,” Vaja said in a soft, desperate voice. “Please, we can make this work.”

“No we can’t, Vaja. And why do you want it to? You’ve got how many other girlfriends?”

“This is about me leaving you that morning, isn’t it? You’re not forgiving me.”

“You mean when you left me to walk home on a bad leg after I had risked my life to rescue someone and was in a shitload of pain?” Lindsey gave him a wide sarcastic smile. “Why would I possibly be mad about that?”

“Lindsey, please.”

“No, Vaja. No ‘Lindsey, please.’ You left me in more ways than one that morning. I needed you, Vaja, just not to get home, but because of what I’d been through. What the entire f*ckin’ city was going through. Instead you disappeared for two f*ckin’ days and then I find out you’re safe with one of your other girlfriends.”

“Okay, so maybe I should have told you about the others.” Vaja stood in the center of her small flat in his ragged, yet somehow stylish clothes with his amazingly sexy, floppy dark hair and smoldering blue eyes giving her a look that used to make her melt into his arms.

“Yeah, you think?” Lindsey shook her head and hooked one heel onto the edge of the seat of the chair. Resting her elbow on her knee, she watched the news and pointedly ignored Vaja.

“You look beautiful, Lindsey. Seeing you there with your leg looking so perfect. You’re so perfect.”

“I’m sure your other girlfriends are, too.” Lindsey ignored him and pondered making herself some coffee. But knowing Vaja, he’d serve himself and she wasn’t about to share her precious stores with him anymore.

“I always like it when you wear just your panties and tank top. It’s very sexy—”

“Stop!” Lindsey held out one hand in his direction, palm facing him. “No more. I’m done. You’re not staying here. You’re not sleeping in my bed, eating my food, or sharing my space anymore. And you’re certainly not f*cking me again.”

Vaja exhaled with frustration. “Lindsey, how can you doubt my love?”

Exasperated, Lindsey stood up, opened up her clothes locker, jerked out his knapsack from the bottom and started throwing his clothing into it. “If you won’t pack, I will.”

“You really want this to happen?”

“Yes!”

“It’s because of that guy who sends you messages, isn’t it?”

Lindsey gave Vaja a sharp look.

His narrow handsome face was unexpectedly flushed with anger. “I saw you checking your wristlet. I know it’s a man.”

“It’s a fellow soldier who’s going through a rough time. He gives me small updates so I know he’s okay. Why am I telling you this? It’s none of your business!” Fuming, Lindsey shoved Vaja’s second pair of boots into the knapsack then tossed it at him. “Get out.”

“I need my books.”

Lindsey stalked over to a small shelf and plucked several worn journals off and handed them over. She’d been tempted to burn the things, but couldn’t bring herself to destroy Vaja’s writings. Even if she did find his poetry far too insipid now that she knew he was a lying cheater, she wasn’t that petty.

“Lindsey, I wrote many of these for you.”

“Right.”

“I did.”

“Are you sure you’re not confusing me with your other girlfriends?” Lindsey stormed over to the door, glad to be able to stomp on both feet. She palmed the lock and it slid open. A gush of cold air made her shiver, but she wasn’t moving until he was out of her flat and life. “Why don’t you go read it to them?”

“Lindsey, I have so much love to share—”

“I don’t care, Vaja!” She really didn’t. He had abandoned her when she’d needed him most. He hadn’t even gone to the Med Center when she had reconstructive surgery. Jittery over his involvement in the coup d’état revelation, he was constantly scurrying away from Constabulary and SWD security forces. If she’d known how terrified he’d be, she never would have brought him in. What was worse was that Commandant Pierce had trusted her when she’d vouched for Vaja. A part of her sometimes worried that throwing him out would make him turn on her, but he was far too terrified of the authorities to report Lindsey’s hacking. At one point, Lindsey thought she might love him, but now she wondered what she’d been thinking. Maybe her mistake had been looking for love instead of friendship. She missed Maria a whole lot more than she’d miss Vaja.