Paint It Black by Michelle Perry Page A

about him,” I said with a wink. “His bark is worse than his bite.”
    Or so I thought, until Angel’s door burst open an hour later. A glassy-eyed Grady barreled inside, with a nurse clutching at the back of his jacket. Tori screamed and scampered toward the corner. Angel jumped, but stared sightlessly ahead.
    “Sir, sir!” the nurse shouted. “Visiting hours are over. If you don’t leave, I’ll have to call security.”
    “I’ll leave, but first I want to know the truth” he slurred. Pointing at Angel’s bed, he said, “Necie, were you sleepin’ with this guy? Is that why you spend so much time here?”
    “Grady!” I gasped, mortified.
    I pushed past Tori and seized Grady from the nurse’s grasp. “I’ll handle this,” I told her.
    “He has to—”
    “I’ll handle it,” I snapped, and pushed Grady out into the hall.
    He stank of sour sweat and Scotch.
    “Where’s Abby?” I demanded. “You’d better not have left her alone.”
    “What kind of father do you think I am?” he said, his green eyes hurt. “I took her to Mom’s.”
    “You took her to your mother’s? On a school night? Were you drunk then? So help me, Grady, if I ever catch you driving with her—”
    “I’m not drunk now.”
    “Oh, really?”
    He gave a defensive shrug. “Well, you weren’t there. Mom doesn’t mind taking her.”
    “I mind, Grady. She’s our kid. We’re responsible for her, not your mother.”
    “Then act like it.” He seized my throat in his hand and held my head against the wall. “I asked you a question. Are you sleeping with this guy?”
    I kicked him hard on the shin and he let go of me. “Don’t be stupid! Angel is a friend. That’s all.”
    “Something’s wrong with our marriage,” he said, and I laughed, my fury kindled like a forest fire.
    Not even caring that the nurse was watching, I grabbed the front of his shirt and pushed him backward. He stumbled and nearly fell. “This is what’s wrong with our marriage. Your drinking.”
    “I drink because my wife is never home.”
    “That’s not true.”
    “Your work gets most of your time, then Abby. Then some vegetable in a hospital bed who doesn’t even know you’re there. When’s my time, Denise?”
    “I’m calling security,” the nurse said, and stalked off.
    “Go home, Grady. We’ll talk about this later. Youdon’t want to go to jail. Are you driving?”
    “No. I got a cab.”
    “Is he waiting?”
    “I think so.”
    I rode the elevator with him to the lobby, nearly sick with anger and frustration, but helpless to do anything about it. Grady’s drinking was getting steadily worse. I didn’t know if it carried over to his work or not, but I didn’t see how he was going to try a case in the courtroom tomorrow. I loaded him into a cab and paid the driver to take him back home.
    “I love you, Necie,” Grady said. “But I hate the way you make me feel.”
    He slammed the door and left me staring after him when the cab pulled away.
    I tried so hard not to cry while I took the elevator back up, but I couldn’t stop the tear that slipped out when Tori rushed over to hug me.
    “Necie, are you okay?” she asked. “Was that your husband?”
    “I’m okay,” I said. “Look, Tori, please … don’t tell the others about this. I’ll keep him away from here.”
    She stared at me with big, solemn eyes, then nodded. “Would you like a Coke or something?”
    I forced a smile. “That would be great.”
    She scampered away, and I dragged my chair close to Angel’s bed. Those sad, vacant eyes seemed to reflectthe despair I felt inside. I dropped my head into my hands and sobbed.
    When I felt a hand in my hair, I thought it was Tori, but it wasn’t.
    It was Angel.

CHAPTER
5
    A ngel?” I said, and he blinked.
    My tears forgotten, I gripped his cool hand. “Angel, can you hear me?”
    He blinked again, and his fingers twitched in mine. I sensed movement in the doorway and glanced up to see Tori shove the door open with