I growl in frustration. “You know none of this would have happened if you would have just stayed out of it. Why did you have to request me then choose me for the video after I specifically asked you not to?”
“Because believe it or not I just wanted to help you. You are my friend and this is what I do for them.”
A harsh, sarcastic laugh bubbles out of me. “Good to know. It’s really good to know that you purposefully go against the wishes of your friends.”
“Damn it Kynlee! I messed up but at least I’m trying to fix it! Just come over and meet this guy, Mr. Olden, he’s been in the business for a while and he might can help,” Enzo pauses but when I don’t answer he continues. “Please,” he pleads on the other end of the phone.
I’m exasperated and as much as I tell myself I don’t need Enzo’s help, I could definitely use it; especially if I’m not going to take the job at Red Hott. Sighing I get up from the sand. “Okay, send me the address.” I end the call and stare at the screen for a moment, considering calling Ace just to tell him I’m sorry but then the text from Enzo comes through and I push Ace from my mind. I can deal with that after I get this new agent. I jog toward my Jeep and punch the address into my GPS. As I’m backing out the idea of calling Ace crosses my mind again. I push it to the back of my brain but there’s an uneasy feeling in my stomach.
****
Ace
I stand frozen in the spot where I had stopped pacing before Kynlee left. The slam of the front door is still echoing in my ears, my lungs struggle to pull the air they require and the feeling of needing to scream is overwhelming, but I can’t find my voice. How had things turned so quickly? I shiver as a cold breeze coats my skin. I know the answer to that…me. Things always get messed up because of me. I just want to protect Kynlee but she doesn’t want that.
Music is coming from the table and my first thought is Kynlee. I somehow manage to move my feet toward the table but when I get to my phone my heart drops to my stomach. It’s not Kynlee it’s just Pierce. I turn around and punch the wall as my temper flares. What the hell was I thinking? Why did I think that I could be different with Kynlee? Why do I feel this ridiculous need to protect her?
My heart is screaming the words but my head refuses to acknowledge them. The only thing my head is saying to me is to go after Kynlee. So, I grab my keys, storm out of the apartment and run toward my Hellcat. Maybe if I tell Kynlee I don’t care that she goes to work at Red Hott she won’t want to work there. Some of that reverse psychology shit that Sadie is always talking about. A thought occurs to me and I look for my phone in the car but it’s not here. Then I remember it lying on the dining room table and curse out loud. Why didn’t I get damn the phone? I could have called Kynlee. Damn it!
Pressing on the accelerator I feel the adrenaline kick in, almost like I’m racing. As I pull into the parking lot of Red Hott the back end of my Hell Cat fishtails like crazy. I’m in such a hurry that I don’t even look to see if I spot Kynlee’s Jeep anywhere. I just throw the car in park, jump out and run for the door. The bouncer makes me pay the admission but once I’m inside I feel my stomach roll. This is no place for Kynlee. I don’t care what she thinks, it’s just not. The air is thicker than the smog the coats L.A. in the morning commuting traffic. The smell of cigarette smoke clings to everything.
Quickly, I scan the room but there’s no sign of Kynlee. I make my way to the bartender. “What can I get you?”
I shake my head. “Have you seen Kynlee Adams in here?”
“Who?” I go on to explain Kynlee to him but eventually he shakes his head. “There was a girl in here earlier today looking for a job but haven’t seen her since, didn’t reckon I would though. She stuck out in her like a sore thumb.”
I nod and mumble my thanks. I’m almost to my car when I feel the hit. The searing pain at the back of my head that makes my vision a little blurry. I wobble, but manage to stay on my feet. However, the second hit on the back of my neck sends me to my knees. Ryce walks around into my line of blurred vision with a smirk on his face. “Well, well, well not the brother I wanted but I’ll take it. You know all the James brothers are really the same.”
I go to get up from my spot on the ground but a swift foot to the back knocks me back down. “What the hell do you want?” I gasp out since my air has been knocked out of my lungs.
“What I want is for your brother to crawl back under that rock he’s been living under the past five years. What I want is to have my life back in order. What I want is for Londynn to get off her crazy train and back on path,” Ryce drawls on.
With each word he says my head gets a little clearer and my lungs get a little more air. I need to keep him talking for a few more minutes. I’ll be good to go then. It’ll still be four against one but I can take them. “From what I’ve heard you cheated on Londynn with Alivia so what is so important about her now?”
Ryce stops then laughs but it’s a fake laugh like my question was dumb. “Well, you see Londynn is my key to everything. I marry Londynn then her inheritance becomes our inheritance, her successful father becomes successful father-in-law and let’s face it when the local media sees us, my picture will be all over the paper which will also get me more women.”
“What? One isn’t enough for you?”
“Hardly, besides Londynn is a bit of a prude. I actually feel sorry for your brother. Well, to an extent but regardless, this is a message to him.” He steps toward me but I spring back up to my feet faster than I thought I could. I throw my fists in every direction, not caring who or what I hit. My fists connect with random parts of the body. Groans and cries of pain fill the night air and the smell of blood is potent. Then I feel it, the slicing heated pain in my lower back, I feel the sticky liquid as it gushes from the wound. I’ve been stabbed. The first stab is followed by a second.
I fall back to my knees again, the pain too much to bare. One of the four kicks my ribs repeatedly until I collapse on the ground, gasping for air. Ryce straddles my abdomen as he begins to wale on my face. It’s almost as if I can hear my skin busting open. Blood feels my mouth and I can only see out of one eye now.
Ryce grabs me by the collar of my shirt pulling me up when his hands grip the necklace I always wear tucked beneath. It’s a black and white diamond ace playing card dog tag. Kynlee got it for me as “something to remember her by”. We were coming up on six months and I guess I had been pulling away from her. She thought I was going to end things so she had showed up unexpectedly at my door in the late-night hours. I could see her trying to keep her composure, trying to keep her tears from spilling over and then she handed me the small box and told me it’d been fun. She turned away from me and walked back out. I stood for a moment before opening the box and there it was, the dog tag was lying inside and I chased Kynlee down to her Jeep. I had worn the dog tag every day since.
Ryce pulls the chain so he can see what’s at the end and when he sees it he laughs. I’d give anything to let my rage go right now and beat him senseless but I can’t. My body feels heavy, tired and weak. “Just for good measure,” Ryce whispers in my ear before stabbing me two more times in the abdomen. He lets my body fall back onto the pavement but not before ripping the dog tag from my neck. My protest falls dead on my lips.
I hear their footsteps as they run to their cars. The rumble of their engines causing vibrations on the ground below me. The sound of squealing tires is the last thing I hear before my eyes fall shut. I welcome the cold wrapping itself around me right now. I’m so tired but then I remember Kynlee and how I never got to apologize so I fight to open my eyes back up. I can actually see a few stars sparkling in the night sky above. Trying to breathe is a task and I want to give up but I can’t…not yet.
Finally, I hear people talking and laughing then a scream as I am discovered, and, in that moment, I know I can finally let go.
Chapter 25
Kynlee
I pulled up to the pristine looking house that Enzo
had given me the address of. I park along the street and walk up the paved circle drive which was filled with expensive cars. The large water fountain in the middle of the drive is almost unnoticeable with all of these cars. My stomach churns as I think of what Ace would give to be here right now, surrounded by all these cars.
I climb the steps and ring the doorbell but I doubt anyone will hear it. The music from inside the party can clearly be heard from the outside. Finally, I give up and open the door. The grand staircase and large chandelier hanging in the middle of the foyer are the first things I notice. The black and white tiled floor is the next, everything together is absolutely breathtaking.
“You made it!” I hear to the left of me. As I look over I see a shirtless Enzo walking toward me with a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other. The all-knowing smirk on his face makes me wish I hadn’t come. “Oh, come on don’t look so disappointed babe.”
I roll my eyes, “Don’t call me babe, Enzo.”
Enzo holds his hands up in surrender “Okay then, Kynlee doesn’t like the pet name babe, noted.”
“I don’t like any pet name from you. Where’s this agent?”
He smirks again. “All business and no play makes Kynlee a sad girl.” Enzo runs a fingertip over my shoulder and down my arm. I grip his hand in mine and squeeze it while glaring at him.
“Touch me again and I’ll rip your damn finger off. Got it? I came because you told me you might be able to fix the problem you created. That is the only reason I came,” I tell him in a dead serious tone.
“Okay, Mr. Olden is out here,” Enzo says, motioning toward the back of the house. He turns and I follow after him. I say a quick prayer that this will work out. Once we step outside I gasp in shock at the beauty that lies behind the house. A large deck takes up a lot of the back but there is also an infinity pool and built in barbeque pit. However, it’s none of those things that make me gasp. It’s the fact that this house sits right on the beach. I can literally see the waves meet the shore from where I’m standing. This is my dream house. “Great, isn’t it?” Enzo asks, looking over his shoulder to gage my reaction.
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper.
“That it is.” Or at least that’s what I think Enzo whispers in return. He clears his throat then motions toward a man in his late forties’, possibly early fifties with gray hair and brown eyes. When he smiles I notice the small lines that form around his eyes and mouth. He’s not much taller than I am and his suit oozes wealth. “Mr. Olden, this is Kynlee Adams, the model I was telling you about,” Enzo says, as he motions toward me. I step forward and shake Mr. Olden’s hand, by the look in his eyes I’d say I might just have a new agent.
****
I don’t know how long I’ve been here but I know it’s been a while when my phone begins to vibrate in my back pocket. I ignore it not wanting to be rude and step away from Mr. Olden while he’s in the middle of a story. By the time he’s finished his story my phone has been vibrating back to back. “Excuse me,” I tell Mr. Olden then meet Enzo’s eyes. “Where’s the restroom?”
“I’ll show you,” Enzo says, as he leads me back into the house and up the grand staircase.
“What? You don’t have a bathroom on the bottom floor?” I ask him sarcastically.
He chuckles. “I do but I figured you wouldn’t want to waste the time waiting in line and this will be quieter so you can call Ace back.” Enzo comes to a stop in front of a door and slips a key inside. I follow him into the room. The moonlight coming from the back wall of floor to ceiling windows is amazing. I’m gawking at the view when I realize that I must be standing in Enzo’s bedroom. A part of me grows angry but the other part is relieved that the noise and commotion from the party downstairs won’t be overheard in the bathroom here. “When you finish just make sure you lock the door before closing it.”
“Okay. Thanks,” I tell him, as I hear the door shut behind me. I find the bathroom and flip on the light. Pulling my phone from my back pocket I see that it isn’t Ace whose been calling incessantly, but Bowie. Why would Bowie be calling me?
I quickly dial his number back and he picks up on the third ring. He’s either outside or in the car because the wind makes it difficult to understand him. “Finally! I’ve been trying to call you for the past thirty minutes.”
“I know I’m sorry. I was…busy.”
I hear the blast of a car horn and hear Bowie let out a string of curses. “Bowie is everything alright?”
“No! It’s far from alright. Kynlee, Ace was jumped and beaten outside of Red Hott.”
I stand there stunned for a moment completely unable to pull air into my lungs. The large bathroom now feels like a four-by-four box to me. I back up against the wall and slide down until I’m sitting on the floor. When I finally manage to speak my voice is thick with emotion. “What was he doing at Red Hott?”
Bowie scoffs, “Hell, if I know. All we know right now is that he was jumped, beaten, and stabbed. We don’t even know how long he was in the parking lot before someone found him. I’m heading to the hospital now.”
“Stabbed? But who? Why?” I cry out as a sob escapes me. My last words to him filling my head and shredding my heart. I fist my hand into my shirt over my heart and begin to rock back and forth as if that will somehow fix all my broken pieces right now.
“Kyn I don’t know everything right now. Meet us at the hospital,” Bowie tells me before the line goes dead. I continue to sit on the floor sobbing. My last words to him haunting my head. I hadn’t meant those words. I had just been mad but what if I didn’t get to take them back? Another sob wracks my body at the thought that he might never know how sorry I am, how I didn’t mean those words or how much I love him. If I had just called him when it had crossed my mind but I hadn’t because I had been busy with Enzo, busy trying to make a career for myself, too busy to call Ace and tell him.
I had asked why he was at Red Hott, but I already knew. He had gone there for me. This was all my fault. Blindly, I make my way back to my car. I don’t speak to anyone as I exit. I don’t even remember the walk to my car. I’m on autopilot. Once I’m in the car, I pull away from the sidewalk and turn my car towards the hospital. Tears continually leak from my eyes; my breathing is labored and my heart is shredded into pieces that I’m certain can never be mended.
I love Ace with everything I have and I know he loves me even if he can’t say the words. I feel it coming off of him just like the waves of the ocean. I know it’s there yet I’ve been running around making a mess of things all because I’ve doubted it. I’ve been foolish, selfish and look what it caused. Once my Jeep is parked in a space in front of the hospital I let the sobs escape me, wreak havoc on my body and soul. I have to cry it all out now because once I’m inside I need to be strong for his brothers.
When I enter the waiting room I take in a sharp breath as I see the stress, worry and distraught etched on each of Ace’s brothers’ faces. I grind my teeth together to keep from letting more tears fall. These strong, badass boys will be lost if… No! I can’t think like that. I scan the room but don’t see Jagger anywhere. I know that Jagger and Ace have a unique bond. Ace has spoken about it in the past. Where Axell and Bowie had to grow up and help raise Ace and Jovi, Jagger stayed in limbo, brother, friend and parent figure. Ace always felt like Jagger was the only one to try and understand the loss of their mother on his level.
If the situation with Ace is this bad for Axell, Bowie, and Jovi, I dread to see the look on Jagger’s face once he arrives. Sadie notices me and quickly wraps me up in her arms, always the mother to this lost group of boys and Axell’s strongest support system. Her emotion ridden blue eyes stare into mine and I swear Sadie can see through to your soul. “I’m here if you need me, “She whispers. I make the round hugging each of them.
Finally, I take a seat and wait. The guilt begins to cover my body like a blanket. Every time I catch a glimpse of one of their faces, the blanket tightens around me,
suffocating me, trapping me. I caused this. I caused the look on all of their faces. This is my fault. Sadie’s phone rings and she disappears down the hallway. When she returns Jagger is with her. My breath hitches at the pain that is clearly present in Jagger’s eyes.
It’s like someone has punched me in the gut. Tears sting my eyes and burn my throat at the thought of what Jagger must be going through. He’s already had to endure so much pain and loss and to now be faced with losing his brother. It’s too much to bear. Jagger takes a seat beside me after talking with his brothers.
Jagger reaches out and wraps an arm around her shoulder. “It’ll be okay Kynlee.”
“What if it’s not?” I mumble through the tears I’m fighting.
He tries to lighten the mood with a small laugh. “He’s a James, we don’t go down without a fight.”
I look up at him. “I know Ace is difficult and not the nicest guy but who would want to do something like this? I mean how do you just jump someone, stab them then leave them for dead? It’s crazy!”
“It is. I’m sorry, Kynlee.”
“Why are you telling me you’re sorry? You didn’t do this and he’s your brother, I should be telling you I’m sorry. I’m just so mad at myself right now,” I say fiercely.
“Why are you mad?”
I shake my head and I my eyes fill with tears again. I should be all cried out but that never seems to happen. “Because he was only at Red Hott because I wanted to get a job there which caused a fight between us. I stormed out and I think he assumed I went there. None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for me.”
“Kynlee you’re allowed to have a job if you want. Ace needs to chill with his protectiveness. I love him but it’s true. Besides how bad could the job be?”
“It’s a cocktail waitress, but he thinks the uniform is too short and I don’t even get it! I mean he makes it clear all the time that we’re just friends or just sex so why is he so protective of me? It’s not like he really cares.”
Breaking the Limits Page 15