When It Rains... He Pours

by Leah Holt

  My eyes were frozen on him as he walked out of view. A buzzing noise filled my ears as the door stayed open, allowing the flurry of sounds from the hall to seep inside.

  I didn't know where he was going. But I knew whatever he was planning, it wasn't going to end good.

  Liam was finally going to see what side his brother was on, and it wasn't the side he would want it to be.

  Reality was about to slap him in the face. His brother was far worse than he thought he was.

  And there was nothing I could do, he had to see it for himself.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Liam

  Tearing off the hospital gown, I grabbed my clothes from the bag under the bed. Pulling them out, the scent of burnt wood and smoke hit my face. Coughing lightly, I ignored the smell and put them on anyway.

  I wasn't about to stay one second longer if Jacob was involved in this. I had questions and I needed answers.

  “Mr. Barnes, what are you doing? We haven't discharged you yet, the doctor wants you to stay for observations, and we still need to address the seriousness of the burns on your hands.”

  “I need to go.” My voice came out short and gruff as I threw my shirt over my head.

  “But Dr. Conner wants to keep an eye on your lung function. You have interior burns to your esophagus and you might need surgery on your hands. Those are third degree burns, this is really serious, you can't leave just yet.”

  “You can't keep me here, I'm leaving.”

  “Mr. Barnes—”

  “I can't stay, have Dr. Conner call me, I'll set up a time to come see him.” Jamming my feet into my shoes, I stuffed my wallet and phone into my back pocket.

  The nurse stood in the doorway, not sure exactly what to do about me. I could see it in her eyes that she felt annoyed I wasn't complying with what the doctor wanted. I just didn't give a shit.

  I was fine. I was alive. The rest of my body would heal with time, I wasn't on the verge of death. But what Glory said and with the seriousness on her face, it was enough for me to question what my brother was truly capable of.

  Damn it! I hope he didn't do this.

  It was a feigned plea in my mind. I wanted to believe that he didn't have this type of evil inside him.

  But if she was right, if my brother was the person who burned down her building, then I wanted to know why. He was going to have to answer to me before anyone else knew what he had done and I lost my chance to hear it from him myself.

  Walking towards the exit, she stayed in the center of the doorway as if she was going to block me from leaving. Stopping, I cocked my head and softened my expression. Holding out my arms, I took another step forward.

  “I'm not trying to be difficult, but if you don't let me by, I'll just move you myself.”

  Folding her arms over her chest, she stepped to the side and let me through. I wasn't even at the elevator yet before I heard the speakers overhead crackle on.

  “Dr. Conner, please dial three four four, Dr. Conner three four four.”

  I need to get the hell out of here.

  Getting off the elevator, I walked through the front entrance and texted my driver. I told him I'd be walking down Dalton Drive and to come grab me.

  Hanging around at the hospital wasn't an option. The nurse wasn't waiting for me to leave before calling doctor, so I wasn't waiting around for him to find me.

  It wasn't long before the black car pulled to my side and stopped. Hopping in the passenger seat, I said, “Thanks, Fred.”

  “No problem, but why are you walking? I would have picked you up out front of the hospital.”

  “I haven't exactly been sent home, but I can't stay there, I need to find Jacob.”

  The car started forward, merging into traffic. “I talked to him this morning, he's down at the site checking the damage.”

  “The site?”

  “Yeah, the one you two bought, he said he was going to see how much money the fire saved him.”

  Taking in a deep breath, my nostrils flared. “Looks like you know where to bring me then.”

  I didn't say another word the entire ride. My head was a fucking mess, the rage was slowly killing me, and every muscle in my body was about to explode.

  Glory was certain that he had done this and I held onto my doubts. But the more I thought about it, the more things seemed to make sense.

  The conversation we had a few weeks back replayed in my mind. He was taking matters into his own hands, he had other ways to get it done. But this. . . Was the break in, the intruder, the fire; was all of that his plan?

  I knew he had a soul that didn't quit fit in with the rest of the world, but to think he'd be so callous and cruel, to go this far for his own personal gain, it was hard to imagine. We had everything in the palm of our hands, one little lot wasn't worth this kind of anger.

  And we were brothers, I didn't want to think that my own brother would set a building on fire with me inside.

  Balling my fists in my lap, I stared out the window at the sky, zoning out to the voice inside my head.

  What if it's true? What if he did do this?

  I'd never be able to look at him again without seeing Glory's pale unconscious face. I wouldn't be able to stomach being near him.

  Looking in Jacob's eyes would remind me of her laying lifeless on the floor. I was already going to have scars I'd have to see every day, I didn't want to see my brother's face alongside them.

  Rolling up to Glory's building, I could still see smoke trickling out from beneath the charred rubble. Some of the beams were still standing that made up the walls, but the roof was caved in and I could see straight through to the back.

  Fuck, there's nothing left at all.

  Climbing out of the car, I told Fred he could go and if I needed him I'd call. Glancing around, I didn't see Jacob. Walking around the building, my jaw hung open as I really took in how lucky we both were to be alive.

  The wood was cracked and black as ink, all of the walls had folded over and smashed into chunks of soot.

  “Hey there, little brother, what do you think?” Jacob came up behind me, his voice slick and playful. “This makes it a little easier, huh? The demolition is basically done, we lucked out for sure.”

  Clenching my jaw, I turned around to face him. The smile on his face made me want to hit him instantly, but I held back. There was still a glimmer of doubt I held onto, a small morsel of hope that Glory was wrong and he had nothing to do with any of this.

  That maybe this was some weird twist of coincidence that all of this went down and we just happened to get mixed in the chaos.

  Deep down in my gut, as much as I didn't want to acknowledge it, I knew she was right. It was hard to accept, hard to allow that idea to settle on my brain and become real.

  But I could feel it. I could sense it on my skin as the hairs bristled when he talked. I could feel it against my ear drums when his voice left his lips as he spoke. Jacob had done something horrible and now I had to know his reasons.

  “Why, Jacob?”

  Titling his head, his lids thinned. “Why? What kind of question is that?” His eyes bounced between me and the building. “Because we don't have to pay now to have it torn down, we can just have it cleaned up. That's why this is easier.”

  “No, I'm not talking about that.” My back went stiff as I perked my chest and squared my shoulders. “Why did you do it?”

  Chuckling, Jacob hung his head. “Do what, Liam?” Running his thumb across his jaw, he lifted his eyes to mine. “What is it you're asking me?”

  “Why like this? Why so ruthless and careless?” My arms went pin straight at my sides as I curled my fingertips into my palms. “Why couldn't you just let her be?”

  The tips of my fingers bore into the gauze, but I didn't feel any pain. Right at that moment there were no burns on my hands, there was only anger for Jacob.

  Sucking in a slither of air, Jacob smirked. “Because we take what we want, we're Barnes's, that's what we do.” />
  Frowning, my hands dug in tighter. “That's not what we do, that's not who we are.” Throwing out a finger, I pointed in his face. “That's who you are, you've always thought of yourself as superior, but you're not.”

  “Liam, you and I both know that dad would've done the same thing. He wouldn't have left this place without getting what he came for. We came for these lots, we came for all these lots, and that's what we have now.”

  “She still owns the lot, nothing changed because of the fire.”

  “Does she?” His smile thickened as he reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a stack of folded papers. “Because these say it's ours now.”

  “Where did you get that?”

  “I stopped by your room yesterday and you weren't there. But these,” he said, waving the bundle in the air. “These were. You know if you want to really destroy something you need to burn it.” Baring his teeth, he bit his bottom lip and glanced at the fried building. “A little tape, a few photo copies and they're like new.”

  “You motherfucker.”

  “No, brother, you're the motherfucker who ruined this whole thing.” Smacking the papers against his palm, he took a step into me. “You did this, it's all your fault. If you had just done what you needed to in the beginning, none of this shit would have happened.” Taking another step closer, his mouth folded into a scowl. “But you had to go and fall dick first into that girl. You lost your focus, you let her get into your fucking head.” Poking the sharp edge of the papers into his temple, his eyes sparked in a devilish glow.

  Grounding down my teeth, I choked out my words, gritty and firm. “Step back.”

  “Or what? Are you going to try and fuck me too?” Tipping his head toward the sky, he furrowed his brows. “Oh wait, you did that already the second you traded family for pussy.”

  Thud!

  My fist flew up, connecting with his nose. Followed by a second and a third. I couldn't stop myself, brother or not, he had done the unthinkable.

  Jacob had ruined Glory's life, he had burned her world to the ground and he didn't give two shits about it. All he cared about was himself. He didn't care how hurt she was, he didn't care that everything she worked so hard for was now a pile of ashes.

  He had one goal and he really was willing to do whatever it took to make it happen.

  She was right.

  Covering his face, Jacob took a few quick steps back. Jerking his head, he wiped the blood off his nose and smiled. “Now there's the Barnes spark. If only you used that instead of your dick, maybe you'd get somewhere in life.”

  Charging forward, I tackled him to the ground. Our bodies tangled as arms and hands flew. Jacob was striking me with the same ferocity that I was hitting him. But our anger was different.

  He was fighting me because I wasn't on his side.

  And I was fighting him for the woman I loved.

  Alternating powers battled for control, good versus evil, a war of two beliefs. Jacob felt only for himself, for what he thought was his. That was a special power all on its own. It was driving him mad, making him take risks that weren't necessary.

  I felt for her, I felt her pain, I felt her anger and hatred, I felt her loss. And that wasn't something I would tolerate. I had lost any control I had over myself. Jacob needed to get shoved off his spot on the mountain top, and taught that he wasn't all mighty.

  Rolling on the ground, I cracked my elbow against the side of his head. I felt the quick jab of his fist against my ribs, followed by a knee to my thigh. But that was all I felt, just the weight of him around me.

  Red was the only color I could see and feel.

  Curling my fingertips into his jacket, I threw him to the side and jumped on top of him. Pinning him down with my knees, I punched him in the face. Punch after punch rained down on my brother, each one a new level of anger that seeped into my muscles.

  “This is your fault!” I yelled, putting all my weight into each punch. “You did this!” My knuckles connected with his cheek, cracking the brittle bones beneath his skin.

  Holding up his hands to block his face, he turned his head away from my relentless fists. There was nothing he could do. I unleashed years of pent up frustration and anger on him.

  He was never a good person, despite how many chances he was given to change. Even when we were children he had this darkness inside him.

  “Break it up! Break it up!” A man's voice shot into my ear as firm hands grabbed me around the shoulders and tore me away.

  The man wasn't enough to break the trance I was in. Lunging forward, I jumped back on my brother and hit him again.

  “Enough!” The man clutched me around the neck, dragging me backwards. “Calm down, take a breath.” Holding me in place, he restrained me by the throat, squeezing tighter as I wriggled to get free.

  “Let me go!” Snarling, I jerked my shoulders and flailed my arms. “Fuck you, Jacob! You're dead to me! Fuck you!”

  My brother pushed back across the ground, sitting himself up. Rocking his jaw back and forth, his eyes turned to razors. “You're going to pay for this, I'm going to make you wish you never laid a finger on me.”

  “Go ahead! Take your best shot!” Biting the inside of my cheek, my brows snapped down. “You can't fucking touch me, you're nothing without me.”

  Jacob could threaten me all he wanted to. But I knew the truth, I knew what he was. There wasn't a thing he could do, he wasn't getting away with his. His free ride was over, it was time for him to own up for his mistakes and the things he had done.

  Attempting to throw myself forward, the man pulled me back. “Enough!” Cold metal wrapped one of my wrists as the man tugged it behind my back. Cuffing the other arm, he turned me on my heels and started forcefully pushing me forward.

  Slowly the realization set in that it wasn't just a man who had broken up our fight, it was a cop.

  “Wait, what are you doing? I didn't do anything wrong! You're arresting the wrong person! Arrest him, arrest Jacob!”

  “I suggest you shut your mouth for now.” Resting his hand on my head, he pushed me down into the cruiser and closed the door.

  “No! Let me out!” Wiggling and bending my arms, I tried to work them free. It was useless.

  The cop looked down on me through the glass, his lids half shut. “Just hang out here for a minute, I'm going to go talk to him and find out what's going on exactly.” Turning away from me, the man started walking.

  “No, talk to me, I'll tell you the truth!” He ignored me, walking with ease back to my brother. “He's a liar! Don't believe anything he says! He did this, he did all of this! He burned the building down, it was him!”

  Nothing. It didn't matter what I said, the cop refused to listen.

  I watched as my brother made pained faces, his body language slow and sour as the cop asked him questions and he gave bullshit answers. Jacob looked beyond the officer, his eyes twinkling with delight as the cop ate up his story.

  Motherfucker! You motherfucker!

  Shaking my head, all I could do was sit stagnant in the back of the car, unable to defend myself on how this fight came to be. I wanted to break through the glass and strangle him as his eyes teared with fake emotion and his lips folded up like he was the one who had been the victim there.

  The real victim was laying in the hospital, her life almost lost to his actions, to his selfishness. Glory was the one who had been wronged and hurt, not my brother.

  The officer nodded, rolling his shoulders forward and helping Jacob up off the ground. Jacob shook his head no as the cop spoke. I had no clue what he was saying, but whatever it was the man was eating out of the palm of his hand.

  The policeman stalked back to the car, opening his door and climbing in the front. “Well, get comfortable, it looks like you're about to have a long night.”

  “Whatever he told you, he's lying. Not one word out of his mouth is true.”

  “Mr. Barnes, I suggest you save it for the interview room.”

  “Are
you arresting me?” I asked, my voice demanding and confused.

  How can you do this to me? I didn't do anything wrong!

  The cop glanced back at me through his rear view mirror. “Right now we're just going to the station to talk a little more.”

  “If you're not arresting me, then let me out.”

  “I can't do that, we need to clear up some things first. And the best place to do that isn't here, it's at the station.”

  “Do I need my lawyer?”

  “Well, that's up to you. But assault is a serious charge, and like I said, you're not under arrest—yet.”

  Shutting my mouth, I didn't utter another word. The anger I felt before only grew, this entire thing had been flipped around and it appeared that I somehow had found my place at the bottom of the pile.

  I didn't give a shit what the cops might think, I didn't care what Jacob had told him.

  The truth would come out and when it did, I wouldn't be the one peering out from behind the looking glass.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Glory

  “Take a deep breath in for me.” I shivered as the icy cold stethoscope moved across my back. “And let it out.” Listening intently, he dragged the metal bell over to the other side. “Again, big deep breath.” Dr. Conner's eyes peered off beyond my head as he focused on using just his ears. “Good, that's good. How do you feel?”

  “Better, it still hurts a little when I'm breathing, but much better.”

  “That's to be expected. But you're improving and that's what we want.” Wrapping the tool around his neck, he tapped some notes into his computer. “We're sending you for another x-ray today, see how your lungs are healing. I'm hoping we'll be able to send you home in a day or so.”

  “Good morning,” my mother said, popping her head into the room. “How is she today?”

  “She's healing well, just like we want her to.” Smiling, the doctor scanned his badge for the computer and logged out. “I was just telling Glory that she should be able to go home in a couple days or so.”