by T M Kelly
“Sunshine,” I heard Brooks say and then my body moved. “Baby, you have to wake up.”
“I hurt.” It was easier to keep my eyes closed. Looking at anything made the pain stronger.
“Fuck, we need to find a hospital.” I could feel Brooks’s hands on my head and soft touches on my face. “You could be bleeding in the brain.”
“I’ll be okay. Just let me sleep.” I reached out my hands. “Lay down with me.”
“Hey, C?”
“Hmmmm.” I made a sound that I was listening.
“We’re sleeping under the stars just like you predicted.”
“I had something better in mind,” I whispered.
“Let’s get you healthy, and you can show me what that was, okay?”
I lifted my hand and gave him a thumbs up.
21
“Charlie,” I heard Brooks whisper beside my ear. “We need to go.”
I struggled to open my eyes. When my lids finally flew open, Brooks was looming above me. “Why are you on top of me?”
“Your brother’s goons are not far away.”
I stretched my arms out above my head and felt a sharp pain shoot through my neck. “Fuck.” Throwing my hands to my head, I quickly lifted my body to a sitting position. “My headache is still hanging on.”
“There’s a house about fifty yards that way.” He stood up and reached for my hand. “We need to see if anyone is there.”
“Have you been exploring?”
“I woke up when I heard twigs breaking.”
“And?” Glancing around, I noticed we were in what looked like a cave. “Um, are you sure we didn’t raid anyone’s home? Like say, a bear.”
“We didn’t have a choice last night; our options were limited.”
I slowly walked around the enclosed space. There were piles of leaves and twigs, but no sign of life. Well, not of the big brown cuddly form. I turned to face Brooks. “Think I can get to this house you’re discussing in my state?” I knew my head was not getting better, which concerned me. We took some time to look at my leg last night and I knew from the way it appeared walking or running was going to be difficult.
“I’ll carry you.” He turned his back toward me. “Your chariot awaits.”
“But your arm?”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.” He patted his back. “Come on.”
I hopped up and wrapped my arms around his neck. “This sucks.” My eyes were closing. “I wanted to have this awesome vacation with you.”
“It started off good.”
“True.”
“Charlie, are you falling asleep again?”
“Just for a few minutes.”
In my dream, it felt like someone kicked me. I tried to see who was there, but there was only darkness.
“Get your fucking hands off of her,” a man screamed from off in the distance.
“You left her alone,” another man said from what felt like right next to my ear.
“You wish,” the first man said. He sounded closer this time.
Why can’t I open my eyes. There is grunting and loud sounds. Are the two men fighting? I try to say please stop but nothing comes out.
“Charlie?” A woman this time and her hands were on my face. “Oh God, C.”
Is that…no, it couldn’t be.
“You promised Dad you would never leave me.” It was Lily.
Are we home? Am I safe now?
“Brooks, she’s not moving.”
She said my boyfriend’s name. He is okay, too.
“Is she still breathing?” I heard Brooks say, his voice sounding more familiar.
“Yeah, but barely.”
“When she sleeps, it’s like that. Just keep watching her. I’ll be back.”
Wait, I tried to yell. Where are you going? Why couldn’t I talk to them? I started to feel scared. I knew they would take care of me, but I wanted to talk to them.
“Charlie, if you can hear me. Hang on.”
I can, Lily. Fuck, I won’t ever give up again. I promise.
“C, Julian and Brooks are waiting for the police.” She kissed my forehead, and I felt water fall on my face.
Is she crying? It’s okay, Lils. I’m here.
“Jeez, you scared the shit out of us,” Lily said. “When we didn’t hear from you for three days, I got concerned.” There was a soft brush down the side of my face. “Your hotel told us you were going to explore Lulworth Cove. Which seemed odd since you were so excited to see Durdle Door. So Julian made a game-time decision and took the exit for Jurassic Coast instead.”
It felt calming to have Lily talking to me.
“I noticed something on the side of the road. C, I found your journal.”
You did? It must have fallen out of the car when the men grabbed us. The pain I had for the last several days was stronger now. I was struggling to hear Lily.
I tried to push away the light shining in my eyes, but I couldn’t lift my arms.
“She’s reacting to the light.”
Of course I am. You’re shining something bright at me.
“What does that mean?” It was Brooks beside me. He was the one holding my hand.
“She’s conscious but unable to wake up.”
That must be the doctor.
“But she will wake up soon, right?”
Calm down, Brooks. I promise I’ll wake up soon.
“She suffered a pretty severe head injury. It may take a few days or longer, but she should wake up.”
I felt someone kiss the top of my head. As the stubble brushed across my skin, I knew it was Brooks.
“I’m not going anywhere, baby.”
Good, because I’m not ready to be alone. I started to feel sleepy. As I drifted off, I felt Brooks lay his head next to mine. Then suddenly my body was falling. When I looked to see where I was going, there was only black all around me. I started to scream, hoping someone would hear me.
“Charlie, wake up. If you can hear me, wake up.” Brooks was yelling at me.
I wanted to yell for help, but I knew he wouldn’t hear me.
“You’re okay, C.”
How would you know that? You’re not the one falling into nothing land. Then my mind went blank.
22
“Grab another pillow,” a male voice said and carefully lifted my body up.
My body felt light, like I was lying on a floating cloud.
I slowly lifted my lids and was excited to find my eyes listened this time. “Brooks,” I croaked out.
“Charlie.” He ran to the bed and leaned over me. “Oh, baby, there you are.”
“Where did I go?”
His eyebrows crinkled up. “Let me get the doctor. Hold on, sunshine.” I tried to beg him not to leave, but he was already out the door.
I attempted to move my body, but it felt like I was trying to lift three hundred pounds. As I scanned the room, I noticed on the dry erase board a note: severe head injury. Below the bold letters were bullet points, but the letters were too small to read. Did my father really advise his men to hurt me like this? If it was true that Dad was hoping to harm me in any way, I needed to find out more. A sharp pain ran between my eyes, and I closed them quickly. Trying to keep my thoughts while still in pain, I realized maybe I was missing something. What if my dad had another motive?
“Charlie,” Lily’s voice rang through the room. “Oh, sweetie, I was so damn worried about you.”
I cleared my throat. “You and me both.” She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Lils, I think I heard you. Did you say you found my journal?”
Lily looked over her shoulder and then back at me. “Um, yeah.”
A man with gray hair and matching beard stepped up beside my bed. “Ms. Hill, it’s nice to see you awake.”
“It’s nice to be awake.” My eyes darted to the door, hoping Brooks would be back soon. When he stepped into the space, my body relaxed. “Sir, is it possible to hear you all even when unconscious?”
T
he doctor nodded. “It is, Charlie. Did you hear conversations or just a few words?”
“I can remember Lily talking to me and how she found my journal.” I let out a deep sigh; talking was tiresome. “It was conversations, but I did still fall asleep frequently.”
“And you will for a few more days,” he said and grabbed my arm to place the blood pressure cuff above my elbow. “Charlie, your head injury was more severe than we initially thought. Your recovery will be a little longer.”
“What do you mean?”
He placed his hand on my arm. “I need you to stay here just until I feel you are stable enough to head back home.”
“And then?”
“I will talk to the doctor at your hospital in Las Vegas.” He paused which worried me.
Would I be able to fight again? The thought shook me to my core. Mixed martial arts was all I ever wanted in my life. Did my father rip that away from me? “Sir, sorry to interrupt. Will I be able to fight again?”
“Yes, but you need to wait for six months to a year.”
My breath hitched in my throat. “A year? But—”
“Charlie, it’s okay.” Lily sat down beside me and rested her head on my own. “We need to make you all better. You need to be at the top of your game to win that flyweight championship belt.”
“But a year?”
The doctor placed my chart back in the box on the wall. “It could be less. I know it seems like a long time now, but I promise the time will fly by.”
“So you say.” I threw my arm over my eyes and held in my tears. My fucking father would pay for what he did to me.
The room was silent. Brooks had even shut off the TV. I had nothing to say. Well, except my father was a fucking prick. I was facing the window for the last several hours. I didn’t have the desire to talk to anyone at the moment.
Lily stepped in front of my view. “Okay, you plan to mope for the rest of the day?”
“Maybe.”
“Well, stop it.”
I looked up. “What?”
“Stop sulking and use your fighting skills to make your father pay for what he did.”
“Um, make him pay?”
Lily sat on the bed and reached for my hand. “You think we are going to leave this shit alone?”
“I don’t plan to leave it be.”
“And I’m not either.”
Brooks stepped closer to me. “I plan to fuck him up.”
Lily patted his arm. “Calm down there, Hollywood.”
Julian placed his hands on Lily’s shoulders. “Actually, I’m with Brooks on this one. That fucker needs to pay for what he’s done and did all those years to his family.”
“Julian.” Lily sounded shocked. Personally, I liked his tone and one hundred percent agreed with them.
“They’re right, Lily.” I carefully moved my body a few inches up on the bed. “Dad continues to threaten me. Now he’s almost killed me. What next?” I brushed my hands through my hair. “Speaking of that, I really need to call Jackson.”
“Already done.” Brooks bent and kissed my forehead.
“You did?” I touched the side of his face. “Thank you.”
“He will meet us in Las Vegas and stay at my place until you’re better.”
“Wait.” I knew I had confusion written all over my face. “Stay with us until I’m better means six months to a year.”
“That’s what the doc said.” He smiled and pulled a chair over to sit down.
“He’s staying longer for another reason?”
“Maybe.”
“Brooks.”
“Charlie, he’s pissed and plans to get to the bottom of this mess.”
“With me, right?”
“Well, he did say something about his twin would not let him do anything alone.”
Jackson had that right. There was no way I would miss out on taking down my father and his business. That thought took me by surprise. His enterprise was deep and probably involved some shady fucked-up people. Was it even possible to make my father pay? Or was he too protected?
23
One month later…
“Charlie, wait.” Jackson grabbed my arm.
“Why?” I pulled away. “I’m fine.”
When we’d arrived home from the U.K., I was immediately admitted into the local hospital. Thankfully the doctors had only kept me there for two more days, but I was put on strict bedrest for two weeks. I was so tired of watching reruns of Criminal Minds, and I had exhausted all the AFC specials.
Jackson made me promise to wait and see Dad when the time was right. I’m not sure what he meant by that, but I waited for a few more weeks anyway.
Before Jackson could argue some more, my phone rang. I looked down at the screen and gave a side glance in my brother’s direction before hitting accept. “Hi, Mom.” She had not heard from me in a few weeks, so I wasn’t surprised she was calling me.
“Hi, sweetie. I missed your voice.”
“Sorry I haven’t called in a while. I’ve been busy since arriving back home.” She knew about my trip to the U.K. I was hesitant to share about my head injury because I didn’t want to worry her.
“Are you already training for another fight? You need to rest, honey.”
“You know me, I’ll rest when I’m dead.” The words fell from my lips, and I wanted to take them back immediately.
“Charlie, your dad mentioned you were not feeling well. Everything okay?”
Dad was telling her I was ill. That fucker. “Yeah, I think I may have had some bad food the last night we were in Europe. It took a few days to kick it out of my system, but I’m fine now.”
“Oh goodness, food poisoning. Sweetie, do you need me to come over?”
“No, I’m good. Thank you, though. That’s really kind of you to offer.” Mom probably was looking for an excuse to get out of the house. “I’m helping with a few self-defense classes. When the classes are complete, maybe we can plan a trip.”
“I would love that.”
“I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, baby.”
My mind was struggling to focus as I hit end. I turned to my brother. “Dad told her I was sick. He knew I was in the hospital.”
“Which means he knows you’re out of the hospital.”
“How? Did you tell him?”
He rolled his eyes at the accusation. “Really?”
“Well, how then?”
“You know how. Dad has sent people to do his dirty work for everything. I bet one of them reported back to him.”
I let my body fall onto the couch. “Okay, fine. I’ll wait. Tell me something, though.”
“Anything,” he said and sat down beside me.
“Has anyone heard from Mason?”
I planned to take down my older brother, but first, my father needed to be taught a lesson or two. During the thirty days I was home, I had enough time to devise a plan. It felt weird thinking this way. Almost as if I was some criminal. Which definitely proved I had watched one too many episodes of Criminal Minds for sure.
“Ethan sent me a text when I arrived in Las Vegas asking if you were okay.”
“But—”
“Silence regarding Mason.”
I felt worried for some reason. Maybe because I was too damn nice. How was it possible I felt worried about the safety of my brother, the man who did my father’s bidding and tried to have me killed?
“What’s your plan of attack?”
Jackson reached forward and grabbed a small journal on the coffee table. “Are you sure Dad made the orders to have you killed?”
“Mason basically told me he does what Dad tells him to do.”
“Could Mason have worked alone?”
The thought took me by surprise. “I guess it’s possible.” Leaning forward, I grabbed a piece of paper. “Mason has never worked alone before, though.” On the paper was a list of companies Mason helped my dad takeover. Several of the companies were liquidated. Well, all except on
e specific business: a bar. I pointed to the address on the paper. “Why protect this place?”
“What are you thinking, C?”
“What if it’s used as a drop-off location for buyers and sellers—”
“You seriously think Dad has a place where possible money laundering and criminal activities occur?”
“It sounds out there I know, but so does capturing your daughter and holding her in a cell for several days.”
“What if Mason is in charge of the bar?”
“Which is why we need to find out.”
“Fair enough.”
“So we’re going?”
“Go where?” Brooks stepped into the room. “By the looks on your faces, I may not love this answer.”
I proceeded to fill him in on all the details.
“Charlie.”
“You don’t believe me just like Jackson.”
“Who said I didn’t believe you?” my brother said and stood up from the couch.
There was that damn soft hum in my head. They were causing my headache to resurface. “Jackson, it’s written all over your face.”
“Hold up for a moment, C.” Brooks knelt down in front of me and grabbed my hands. “We need to approach this logically. We’re not cops and we sure as shit don’t have the gun power to protect ourselves.”
“We don’t need ammo.” I meant that, too. Our skills in the octagon could outplay any weapon if approached properly. We needed to be quick, prepared, and most importantly, we had to make sure we worked as a team.
“Hey hey,” Lily said from the other room as she let herself into the house.
“We can discuss this more after you tell your bestie everything,” Brooks whispered and stood up. He was right. Lily was not going to be left in the dark anymore. I’m not sure why I didn’t tell her immediately, but it was time to fix that.