“Why are you home, dad?” she asks and her voice trembles with every syllable.
“I got a message informing me that you’ve been harboring a criminal in the back of your car.”
“A message from who?”
“It doesn’t matter. Has he been living in your goddamn car, Janey?”
“He isn’t a criminal, dad.”
“So yes, then,” he growls.
“You,” he points at me menacingly and I have to remind myself that he’s Janey’s dad and he’s just being what I’ve never had and doing what I’ll probably fail to do.
“Get off my property. Now!”
“Daddy no!” Janey screams. I let go of her hand, taking a step away from her. I don’t have to be told twice that I’m not wanted somewhere. Hell, I hardly fucking hesitated to make a move when I was being kicked out of my own goddamn home. “Kace, pleaaasse,” she pleads.
I shake my head and step farther away, making it as far as the garage door before I answer. “It’s okay, Janey. I’ll be okay.” I don’t look at her, though. It hurts too fucking much to look at her. To know that I’m the one who put the pain in her eyes. To know that she’s trying to fight for someone who’s not fucking worth fighting for. To know that she still has a fucking family and I’m not going to be the one who rips that to threads.
“No you won’t,” her voice is barely a whisper, but even then, I hear it loud and clear. “No you won’t, Kace.” The desperation in her voice coupled with the desperation in my heart stops me in my tracks.
Janey pushes past her father and before I know it, she’s in my arms and I’m holding her like it’s not just a want to be close to her, but a need.
“I’ll come with you,” she whispers against my chest.
“No. You’ll stay here with your family where you’re safe. You’ve done more for me than you ever should have and for that I’ll always be thankful, Janey. But I can’t be the one who puts you in danger.”
“And I can’t allow you to walk into danger,” she says, not missing a beat. My heart swells and then it breaks. Slowly and then quickly as I pry her tiny arms from around me.
“Janey!” her father calls after her. His voice is stern, but somewhere in the depths of it, there’s sorrow too.
“You’re making a big mistake dad!” The words are venom between her teeth, digging into me just as much as I’m sure they dig into her father.
31
Kace
Tonight has got to be a full moon. There are so many things going wrong around me and I am out of my fucking depth. To make matters worse, I haven’t even a clue where I’m headed. At least not for the long haul. With my entire life possessions strapped to my back, I walk through this bougie neighborhood, with their perfect houses and picket fences. Away from Janey. Away from the only person left who gave a damn about me.
There’s a hotel not far up the road. I haven’t got enough cash to secure a bed, but there’s a 24/7 café that’s accessible to the public. Four bucks for a coffee doesn’t exactly break the bank and so I decide the option is at least a halfway valid one. I’ll stop there, sober up my thoughts, try to cram what’s happened in the last few hours to the back of my mind and plan my next move.
One left turn after the next and I can see the hotel lights flashing bright. I push the walking man on the ample and wait for what feels like forever for ‘green’ to appear. When it does, I take my time, counting my steps as I make it from one side of the road to the other.
There’s a car heading in my direction as I’m about to cross into the hotel entrance. There’s nothing special about it, save for the fact that it stops fucking driving. When the window goes down, I know better than to think it’s some out-of-towner looking for directions.
“Get in,” the driver growls. I stand there, a fixture on the sidewalk, too surprised to move.
“Are you deaf, boy? I said, get the fuck in the car.”
I open the passenger door and do as I’m told. I figure it’s a toss up. I die on the pavement or I die in this car. Both are death. One has the chance of scarring Janey for life. The other, she might not find out about.
Cain eyes the duffle bag in my hands before ripping it from my grasp and tossing it into the back seat. For the first time since I’ve gotten in I look behind me to see one of Cain’s lackeys sitting tight, staring daggers into me.
“So this is where you’ve been, huh?”
“What the fuck do you want, Cain?” I spit the words at him, trying not to show how terrified I am to see him, considering the last time I saw him, he was trying to impale me with a bullet.
“You didn’t tell me your bitch was rich. You know that could have changed things. Made things better for you.”
“What do you want, Cain?” I ask again, this time through gritted teeth.
“You screwed this family. You burned our loyalty and spat on our name.”
“Seriously?” I hiss and his eyes darken.
“I still want to put a bullet in you for Josh. He was a greater asset to us than you were. A greater asset than you could ever be.”
“He was your brother Cain. Not an asset. If you’re going to pretend to be all about family, you could, at the very least, learn the appropriate family terms.”
“Don’t mistake the lack of a bullet in your head for forgiveness, brother.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
A tense silence falls over the car. But something about it isn’t what I expect it to be. The fact that he’s doing more talking and less killing, for starters.
“Where’s Gabriel?” I ask, and Cain scoffs.
“I’ll tell him you said hello.”
Poor Cain. Mistrusting the wrong brother.
I’m almost sure he’s the last target. Gabriel is making cunning power moves and there’s really only one real threat left and that’s Cain.
“I’m giving you an opportunity to prove your value to us. To prove that you can be trusted. To earn your way back in.”
This is unexpected.
“I’ll even let you come back home.” He smirks and I already know that whatever it is that he offers as the condition will be a price that’s not worth the hassle of living with him holding Josh’s death over my head until Gabriel finds a way to off me.
“What do you want?”
“Three million dollars.”
“Where the fuck do you expect me to get that kind of money from?” I laugh and he levels his eyes at me.
“Like I said. Having a rich bitch makes things better for you.”
I stop laughing immediately. He wants me to rip off the Bradshaws for three million dollars? Three million fucking dollars? Is he goddamn out of his mind? In exchange for Kensington? I could buy all the goddamn prostitutes and drugs in that godforbidden place and still have three fucking million dollars left over.
“Have you lost your mind?”
Cain laughs. “No, but it does sound like you have.”
“I’m not doing that Cain.”
“So you’re saying that I’m giving you a chance to be with mom and Abby again and your answer is, no, I’ll pass?” He shrugs. “I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to hear that.”
“Why are you doing this Cain?”
“Three million is a lot of money. It’ll be a good start and a great apology from you for being such a consistent fuck up.”
“An apology? What makes you think I’m sorry? What makes you think I even want to come back? You threaten to kill me almost every fucking day. Sometimes you try. Other times you actually come close. What the fuck makes you think I want to live like that?”
Cain’s face goes cold and I can see the murderer in him peeking back at me through the rearview mirror. “That’s the Da’Costa way. It’s the way we show-”
“Show what Cain? Love? Respect? What? Shit. You said it yourself, many times, I’m nothing like you guys and I don’t want to be. You can keep your treacherous breed of snakes and your sleep issues and shove it so far up your ass
you start tasting it.”
He cocks his gun and aims at me. I roll my eyes at him and pull the gun to my chest.
“Don’t fucking miss. I’m so tired of this shit!” I should be terrified. I should be fucking terrified. But instead, I feel anything but. Tired. Exhausted. Done. I’m all of those things. And apparently suicidal. “You don’t even know who your real goddamn enemy is. But you know what, Cain, when you do find out, it’ll be while staring down the barrel of his gun. Won’t look much different from what’s happening here either.”
He moves the gun from my chest and nods before turning around.
“Get the fuck out, Kace,” he grunts and I open the door. I don’t step out immediately, though, because I’m really fucking sure the final blow is yet to come. “Remember tonight,” Cain continues. “When everything starts to fall apart around you, when this safety net starts to unravel, I want you to remember tonight. Remember that I gave you a chance to prove yourself. A chance to choose your family and you chose not to choose family. Remember that, brother.”
“Believe me, I won’t forget.”
His lackey opens the door and tosses my duffle bag onto the pavement. And just like that, they’re gone, leaving me to my own fucked up devices.
32
Janey
“Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?!” I yell, tears cascading down my face as I meet my father eye to eye. He’s pissed. Furious. But I don’t care. “You’re just like the rest of them. You’re no different! I thought you were different but you’re not.”
“Janey Bradshaw don’t you dare raise your voice at me.”
“Why not?” my mother chimes in from the sofa, reclining with a glass of white wine in her hand, enjoying the entertainment. “What is it you always say, Steve? Let the girl express herself in the way that works best for her, or some other nonsense.” She sips her wine and waves him away, dismissing the argument.
“How long has he been living in your car?”
I clench my jaw. “What does that change?”
“Janey. I’m trying to protect you.”
Protect me. I hate that those words. I hate the way he’s looking at me. I’m safe and sheltered. I have a house and a car and a family. A bank account filled with more money than I care to spend. I’m also pretty fucking sure that I’ll be alive tomorrow. And yet, here he is, thinking I’m the one who needs protecting while tossing out the person who really needs it.
“From what?!” I hiss. “What exactly is it you’re trying to protect me from, dad? You didn’t even ask any questions. You just came in and huffed and puffed and blew the house down. Right? Because that’s the Bradshaw way?”
I can feel my temper rising, as though it’s not already at the top.
“I was told that he’s a criminal, Janey. What did you expect me to do?”
“Trust me!” I shout. “Trust me. Believe me. Ask questions and react to the answers. Why didn’t you ask me? Why did you go off of what some random ass stranger told you? I’m you’re daughter, dad. You should trust me!”
“Cj is not a stranger, Janey. And if he tells me you’re in danger – if anyone tells me you’re in danger – I’m not going to stop until I get you out of it.”
I stop pacing and turn to face him and I can see mom leaning forward, tuning in behind him.
“What did you just say?” I gasp. Everything about the look on my face tells me that dad didn’t mean to reveal CJ’s name.
“Janey where are you going?” Dad calls out as I grab my keys.
Mom’s laughing hysterically in the background, drunk off of our fight just as much as she is off of the alcohol.
“You’re in no condition to drive, Janey. Put the keys down.”
I shake my head. All reasoning has left me as I plan the fastest way to find CJ and knock him out. Before I can get to the elevator it dings open and I’m greeted with shocking maroon and gold hair.
“What the fuck is going on?” Cori asks, her eyes wide open. “I could hear you from the garage.” She steps out of the elevator and gives a little wave. “Hi Dad.” Even from all the way over here, I can hear his jaw hit the ground. Me, on the other hand? I’ve never been happier to see my sister.
“Janey. Hey, honey. What’s wrong?” Cori smooths her hand down the small of my back. Her eyes aren’t on me, though. She’s looking from mom to dad, dad to mom, waiting for someone to explain.
My mother, in true instigator fashion, decides to take the lead. “Your father kicked out some homeless guy that was living in Janey’s car and she’s pissed.” It’s a terrible summary and nothing less than what I’d expect from my mother.
“Kace?” Cori asks and I nod.
“You knew about this?” Dad hisses, ready to chew Cori’s ear off too.
“Doesn’t it say a lot that you didn’t?” she shoots right back.
“He’s not safe out there, Cori. And, in true Bradshaw fashion, nobody in this house gives a damn about anyone but themselves.”
My father cringes. I’m happy the comment hit him somewhere where it burns. It still doesn’t feel like much of a win, though. Nothing will be a win until I know Kace is safe.
“Okay, we’ll go find him. I’ll drive. You’re too worked up right now.”
“Nobody is going anywhere until I get some explanations,” Dad barges in.
“I’m with your father on this one,” mom adds. She’s standing up now, wine glass swaying in her hand as she examines Cori from head to neck. “What the hell did you do to your hair?”
“Why are you here?” Dad asks again.
Cori doesn’t answer either of them. Instead, she rolls her eyes before turning her attention to me. “Do you have any idea where to find him?”
I shake my head and I can feel my anger turning to dread.
“It’s okay. We’ll find him.” When she pulls me into her arms, I lose all control. Fresh tears cascade down my cheeks and my breaths come in short. “We’ll find him,” Cori promises, this time more firmly. I hang onto her words. I try to believe them. I need to believe them.
I have no idea what Cori’s doing home, but I can’t say the timing isn’t perfect. As I look at my sister, taking in her maroon hair and the determination in her eyes, I can’t help but believe that maybe everything is going to be okay. I might not have my mom. And I might not have the support of my dad right now. But I’m not alone.
The elevator opens and Cori rushes toward her car, as though this mission is just as important to her as it is to me. I love that about her. The way she loves. The way she cares. The way she does what needs to be done and asks questions later. The way she’s nothing like our mother.
I slip into the passenger seat of her car and strap on my seatbelt while she revs the car out of the driveway. She doesn’t know where we’re headed, but she’s determined to put enough distance between the house and us – because she knows that that is exactly what I need right now. She also knows that dad will sit and he’ll stew and he’ll be out in a minute trying to save us. Trying to protect his family. I’m mad at him. So mad at him. But a part of me knows that he’s doing it because he loves me.
I pull my phone from my pocket and punch in Kace’s number, crossing my fingers that the inevitable voicemail doesn’t answer in his place. My hopes fall flat and then flatter as I call a second and third time. Shit.
I stick the phone into the cup holder and bang a hand on the dashboard so hard that Cori flinches. She doesn’t say anything, though. But when the phone vibrates I can see relief wash over her just the same way it washes over me. The phone’s in my hand in a second and my mind pounds a mile a minute as I put it to my ear.
“Kace?”
The line goes dead and any relief I felt moments ago evaporates. I try to call back, but instead of ringing through to voicemail, there’s no ringing at all. He’s either turned his phone off or his battery has given up its last ounce of energy. Or something worse. I try not to think about what that something worse could be.
; Where the hell are you, Kace?
In my heart, I know that he couldn’t have gotten too far. He’s on foot, though I’m sure he has enough money to catch an Uber. Technically, that means he could be anywhere.
We circle Rittenhouse Square twice before going wider into Filter Row. Just as we’ve hit the light on the corner, a thought pops into my head. If I were out here without a plan or a home, I know where I’d turn to, even if it was only temporary.
“Turn around, Cori,” I say, before asking her to head to the little boutique hotel not too far up the road.
“Are you sure?” she asks. I shake my head but, I figure it’s the best option. We’ve been driving around for half an hour aimlessly, what’s ten minutes wasted scouring the hotel in the hopes of finding him?
When she pulls into the driveway I’m out of the car before she even stops, running up the pavement.
“Kace!” I call out, frantically scanning the room for his brown hair or green eyes. “Kace?” I call out again, circling the lobby, but there’s no sign of him.
I spot Cori at the entrance and I’m in frustrated tears again, leaning against the closest wall to stop myself from collapsing. I feel my knees going weak as the adrenaline leaves me and I bend over at the waist, hoping for stability when two boots stop right in front of me.
“What are you doing here?”
The waterworks intensify before I even hold my head up. I’m up on him, wrapped around his body like a vine.
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m okay. Janey stop crying.”
“She can’t,” I hear Cori chime in and she’s right.
“She’s going to be like this for a while. Just know that she’s happy to see you and frankly so am I. We’ve been driving around this place forever looking for you and I am e-x-hausted.”
“Uh...sorry, who are you?”
“Oh, my bad, I’m Cori.”
“The sister?”
“That’s the one. Good to know she talks about me.”
Rebel: Enemies to Lovers Bully Romance Page 23