“Kara staying at ours?” I ask, glancing at them in the back.
“No, Dad will know something is up if she is there in the morning,” Stace says, her voice alarmed. “Can we drop her off first?”
It means crossing a few main roads, but what the hell. If I get caught I get caught. The girls laugh and whisper as I drive. I purposely tune them out, because no doubt they’re gossiping about boys. If there’s one thing I know about teenage girls it’s once you hear you can’t un hear.
“Whose party was it, anyway?” I ask, interrupting their discussion.
“Just a guy from school. It was kinda cool, but then a heap of college kids came and it was all drugs and booze,” Stace explains.
“Your boyfriend?” I tease. Stace shoots me a glare while Kara giggles. “I don’t need to tell you how bad drugs and alcohol are for you, do I?”
“No, between you and Mom, I’m in no hurry to experiment. Trust me,” Stace fires back.
Ouch.
I swing the car into the left turning lane, glancing around me to make sure there’s no oncoming traffic before I push my foot down on the pedal.
“Sax, Wait—”
The sound of the car being crushed into a post interrupts her screams. My head flies forward, hitting the front window.
Pain surges through me as everything goes black.
Chapter Eleven
My eyes flutter open, the light streaming in through the open window nearly blinding me. My head is killing me. I glance at the crisp, white walls surrounding me trying to figure out where I am—something I seem to be doing a lot of lately.
Hospital. My head aches as I try to recall what happened. Am I hurt? I lift all my limbs. Apart from how hungover I feel, I don’t seem to be injured. I clear my throat and attempt to call out, almost not recognizing the strangled, croaky voice that fills the room. My hand fumbles for the buzzer. I press it and struggle to sit up. I need to know what the hell is going on.
A nurse comes in, rushing over to me when she sees I’m trying to sit up.
“Lie back down, Mr. Waite. You’re heavily sedated and in no condition to get up yet.” Her voice is kind, almost grandmotherly.
I don’t fight her as she tucks me back under the covers. “What happened?” I ask.
“You were involved in a car accident,” she explains.
“Is anyone hurt?” I ask, panic rising inside me. A flashback rips through my thoughts: Stace and Kara laughing in the backseat. I’d just picked them up from a party.
Oh God, no.
“My sister,” I say, struggling to sit up again. “I need to see my sister.”
“Shh, Mr. Waite, your sister is okay. She has some cuts and bruises and a broken leg, but she’s okay.”
Relief washes through me, but it’s short-lived when I remember Kara.
“What about my cousin?” I ask. “Kara?”
The nurse hesitates. “We don’t know the full extent of her injuries yet. They’re not life-threatening,” she assures me.
“What does that mean, not life threatening?” I ask, panic rising in my voice. “Is she okay?”
“I’ll get the doctor to come in and speak to you,” she says, not meeting my eyes.
Oh god, something is seriously wrong, or she’d fucking tell me something. She rushes out of the room. I rest my head back on my pillows and try to think of more clues over what happened. I remember Stace calling me. I’d been drinking, but she needed my help so I went and got them. After that, everything is fuzzy.
I open my eyes after dozing for most of the afternoon just as Mom and Dad walk into the room. I brace myself for what I know is going to be an angry conversation, but first, I’m determined to get answers about Kara.
“How are the girls?” I ask, bypassing the pleasantries.
Dad sits down, his expression sour. “Like you really give a damn about either of them.”
I sigh and close my eyes. “Yell at me all you like, but tell me how they are first. Please.”
“Stace will be fine. She’ll be in hospital for a while, but she’s okay. She ruptured her spleen and had to have surgery to remove it and to fix a broken leg.”
Fuck. I can’t stand the thought of her being in pain because of me.
“And Kara?” I’m nervous, because I’m not sure I can handle hearing anymore bad news. What if it’s really bad? He and Mom exchange glances. I narrow my eyes. “Tell me.”
“She fractured her spine and probably won’t walk again.”
My heart races. I lay my head back, overwhelmed with emotion. I’ve ruined her life. I’ve fucked up everything.
“I’ve ruined everything,” I mutter, closing my eyes.
Neither of them speak for a moment, which just makes my anxiety worse. Finally, Dad clears his throat.
“We can make this all go away.”
I let out a laugh. Does he think that’s what I want? And there’s no way the media isn’t going to get ahold of this. I’m angry with myself and I’m angry with them. They’re trying to do the good parenting thing and visit their son in hospital, but I can see it on their faces: they don’t want to be here. All my disappointments together don’t come close to topping this one. I’ve proved what my parents have thought all along.
I’m fucking useless.
“How?” I say, anger pulsing through me. I’m so damn angry with myself. I could have killed them. I promised Stace I’d always be there to look after her, and then I pull a stupid move like this.
“You agree to go to rehab and get yourself fixed, and this whole mess will go away.”
“People deserve to know—”
“Why?” he interrupts, his eyes darkening. He has no sympathy for me at all. Not that I blame him. I deserve everything I get. “What’s that going to achieve? You want to help Kara? Stop this from happening again.”
“And how do Stace and Kara feel about this? And Uncle Dan?” I ask. “She won’t walk again because of me.”
“They all want what’s best for you,” Dad says quietly. “Think about it, Saxon. If you won’t do this for yourself, do it for your sister.”
I scowl at him. How dare he drag her into this. Of course I’m going to do whatever Stace wants me to, but I don’t need to hear it through him. I need to see her. Throwing the covers back, I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and stand up. I’m unsteady, but after a few seconds I feel confident enough to walk.
“Where is she?” I ask. “What room is Stace in?”
Dad opens his mouth, as if he’s going to argue, but then reconsiders.
“Five doors down on your left. Kara is in intensive care and can’t have visitors.”
I stand at the entrance of room twelve, unable to move.
Seeing Stace lying there like that, her face all cut up kills me. I walk over and sit down, ignoring the pain radiating through my chest. She wakes, her eyes widening when she sees me. She smiles and grabs for my hand.
“Sax,” she whispers, her eyes sparkling with tears. “I was worried about you. And Kara…” She chokes up as her voice trails off.
“I’m so sorry,” I mumble. I reach out and stroke her hair. “I’m a mess and now I’ve dragged you and Kara down with me. Dad wants me to go to rehab. He wants to keep this whole thing quiet, but people deserve to know what a fuck up I am. I don’t deserve for all this to just ‘go away.’”
“If you won’t fix yourself for you, do it for me. Please,” she whispers, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I don’t want to lose my brother.”
I study each bruise on her face, guilt stabbing through me. It’s the least I can do after what I’ve done.
“Rehab where?” I ask, my voice thick with emotion, aware my parents are now standing behind me.
“There’s a clinic a buddy I know has an interest in. He owes me a big favor. The clinic is very secluded, and privacy is what they pride themselves on. Leave it to me, okay?” I turn around and watch as Dad walks out of the room, Mom right behind him.
I laugh
in disbelief. No “goodbye” or “feel better” or anything to their daughter.
Stace leans over and gives me a kiss, her face wincing in pain. “Thanks for this, Sax. I know submitting to the monster is a hard thing to do, but you need help. I’m so scared for you.” Her blue eyes fill with tears, which she quickly wipes away.
“I’m the one who’s sorry,” I whisper, my voice hoarse. “I should never have gotten in that car. I knew I wasn’t okay to drive but I did it anyway. I could’ve killed you, and Kara…” My voice trails off. God, I can’t even finish the sentence. I’ve ruined her life. I might as well have killed her.
“She’ll forgive you,” Stace whispers.
“But I’ll never forgive myself.”
THE END
Buy Book ONE in the Wicked Innocence series now, or read for free in KU
http://amzn.com/B00MDLKQ62
Book TWO, Wicked Temptation will release later this year
Wicked Innocence
Synopsis
Don’t let my petite and innocent appearance fool you, because I’m one person you don’t want to cross. I’m Micah, the youngest member of Resurrection…If only they knew how young.
My fake ID says I’m twenty-one. And I will be…in four years.
What can I say? I blossomed early. Home sucked, so I left, determined to do something with my life.
Landing the gig as lead vocalist in the band was a dream come true. I’ve worked hard to make something of myself and nothing is going to ruin that for me.
Then He showed up. Saxon Waite, ex bad boy of rock.
He’s hot as hell and so into me.
But he’s also twenty-five.
I don’t want to lie to him, but if the truth comes out I’ll lose everything. Including him.
Wicked Indulgence: A Wicked Innocence Novella Page 6