Although Gerrick is close to me in age, that’s where the similarities end. Hadley’s brother has been groomed to take over for his father all his life. The file we have on him is not for the faint hearted, and it floored me when I answered the phone to one of the more narcissistic members of the Alexandria Family a couple of nights ago. The only reason I answered the call in the first place was because I had been anticipating a call from Hadley. Her brother Gerrick Alexandria wasn’t someone I ever expected to hear from, which is why my first instinct was to hang up. It was the fear in his voice that stopped me from doing that.
Gerrick was calling looking for help, he needed our assistance to get rid of his father. Initially, I told him he was being ridiculious, that we wouldn’t help him kill a man so he could slot straight into his shoes. When he told me it was the only way to get Hadley out alive, I stopped and listened. He wouldn’t elaborate on that comment, making it clear that it’s my girl’s story to tell. All he would say is that, without our help, he and Hadley were in danger.
That was enough to get me, and subsequently, my father and Hawke, on a chopper back to the mainland.
My father had already arranged transport with the Brooklyn office for upon our arrival, which seemed to upset Gerrick, but eventually, he shrugged it off and told us to follow him. At first, I had no idea where he was leading us, until we hit that familiar stretch of road that led to the one place I swore I would never walk in again. The hospital where Sherlyn died.
With nothing to go on, my mind started wandering. I was thinking the worst, but could you blame me? The last time we entered this place, we lost someone. There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but the only one who could give me the answers I was seeking was driving in the car in front of us. I found it strange to see him with no security detail at all, but when you believe you are as invincible as Gerrick Alexandria does, I suppose you fear nothing.
After arriving at the hospital, we continued following Gerrick through the corridors. His refusal to speak to any of us unnerved me, but that didn’t stop him from walking silently ahead. Flashbacks of a year prior flashed through my memory like a lightning bolt and I freaked as we approached one of the rooms. For the fucking life of me, I couldn’t move. I was stuck in the doorway, unsure of whom he was leading us to. My gut told me it was Hadley, which had me rooted to the floor, every inch of my body frozen. Eventually, the comforting hand on my shoulder and whispered words in my ear by Hawke thawed my frozen demeanor, allowing me to enter the room. Once inside, I realised that all my panic had been for nothing, because sitting upright on that bed was my beautiful girl. Her smile as we entered lit up the room and I crossed the small space, engulfing her in the biggest embrace I could manage. Not wanting to let her go, I finally release her when she whispers in my ear that she is okay.
When I pulled back, Hadley’s eyes found mine, and for just one moment, our sights were firmly fixed on each other. I swear I saw tears well in the corners of her eyes, but it was only momentarily. Reaching up with her hand, she touches my cheek and blinks rapidly a couple of times. Instantly, that vulnerability that I had glimpsed is gone, and replacing it is a hardness I have never seen in her gaze before. Turning toward her brother, she sighs quite loudly and from the corner of my eye, I see the puzzled exchange of looks between my father and Hawke.
“You look like shit,” she scolds Gerrick. “Are you using?”
I fucking knew it!
“Does it matter?” he replies. With his gaze fixed firmly on the door, he refuses to look at his sister. It’s as though he’s waiting for someone to walk through it.
“Of course it fucking matters, Gerrick.” My girl states harshly, her menacing scowl boring into him regardless of whether he’s paying attention to her, or not. “You need to leave. Go home and clean yourself up.”
Finally picking up on her angry tone, he turns his head in her direction. In the whole time he has been seated, his fingers have fidgeted. Nodding, he rises slowly and leaves the room.
“All right, let’s speak,” Hadley directs at my father once her brother has left the room.
“Do you believe it is wise sending him away like that?” my father queries. We all stared in silence when he left without saying a word. It’d been like the three of us didn’t exist.
“He was looking for a reason to leave, I gave him what he wanted,” she sighed.
It’s hard to question her reasoning, considering we know nothing of their relationship.
“What do you want from us, Hadley? Why are we here?”
My fathers tone is flat, but not harsh like I expected. What worries him is the danger it’s putting me in. He made it clear on the plane that if the choice is me or Hadley, he wouldn’t think twice about walking away. I understood that and it’s comforting to know how much he cares, but I don’t think I could leave her behind if her life was in danger.
“I want out,” she declares.
There’s no indecisiveness in her voice, she is very clear about what she wants.
“Gerrick wants to take over and I want away from this life, and this family.”
Glancing over at Hawke, he turns back to tell Hadley that he and Hawke need to speak. When they leave the room, I sit beside my girl and take her hand.
“I don’t blame them if they choose to walk away, Sean,” my girl quietly states. “I’m a criminal. I understand the predicament I’m placing you in by having you here, and his need to protect you.”
Looking into those beautiful brown eyes of hers, I see her torment. “I just wish my own father felt the same way about me.”
With that, she looks over toward the door as my father returns. Her hand grips mine harder and there’s something I have never witnessed on her face before. Fear.
“We will help you, Hadley, but only because my son loves you,” my father proclaims as he stands beside me near her bed.
“There will be conditions you must agree to first.”
I thought for sure he would walk away, especially after what happened to Sherlyn.
“And those conditions are?” Hadley inquires.
“You must walk away and stay away. If I find out that you’re involving my son, or my family, in this lifestyle, I will place you behind bars myself.”
“Done,” she quickly replies.
“Another thing, we need information on some associates of your fathers. I believe you know them well.”
What associates is he talking about? Am I not privy to something here? I read that file of Hadley’s back to front, a dozen times. What am I missing?
“Is that all?” she replies promptly.
Yeah, I’m definitely missing something here and I’ve no doubt my father knows more than he is letting on.
“Yes.”
“This seems too easy, what’s the catch?” I hear her request.
“No catch. You walk away and whatever investigations against you disappear. It would be wise for you to accept my generosity and ask no more questions.”
The harshness I was expecting earlier from my father has surfaced. He doesn’t like being challenged and Hadley is strong willed enough to push those boundaries.
“Okay,” she agrees in defeat.
She should be happy, she’s getting everything she wants without any repercussions for the crimes she has committed. Yet she doesn’t look happy at all. Is it Gerrick? He would be the only reason Hadley wouldn’t want to leave Brooklyn.
“I’m going to leave you now, but I will be back later. We need to check in with head office.”
Kissing her cheek, I pull away only to find resistance. My girl’s hand is firmly holding onto mine, not allowing me to move.
“I promise you, Hadley, I will return. We have guards at the door, your father cannot get to you.” Nodding, she lets me go, but not before pulling me in for one final kiss.
“Please come back soon,” she calls out as we walk out of her hospital room.
I promise that I’ll be back as soon as I can, and go wait be
side Hawke as my father speaks to the agent keeping guard. We apparently have four of them hidden. The only visible one is Agent Waldock who is stationed outside Hadley’s door.
“Let’s go son, we have work to do,” my father calls out after leaving instructions.
He will also want to speak with Gerrick as well.
Hadley
I wish Sean didn’t have to leave. I hate being in this room alone, it’s got a creepy vibe to it. I know there’s someone guarding the door, but if my padre wanted to get to me, nothing would stop him. We have had doctors and nurses in this hospital on our payroll for years. If my padre wants me dead, it will happen regardless of who is around. I saw the way they looked at me when Gerrick brought me in. At the time, though, I didn’t realize they knew what my padre was doing. Now I’m too scared to sleep in case they sneak in during the night.
“Hadley?” A soft male voice asks near the entrance.
He’s dressed in a white coat, so I’m assuming he’s a doctor. I’ve never seen this one before, I wonder if he’s new?
“Hadley?” he asks again.
“Uh sorry, yeah that’s me.” The fact that he’s new had me distracted for a moment.
“Okay good,” he smiles. “I’m Doctor Roberts and I was just coming in to tell you I’m releasing you in the morning.”
Huh? “Umm, what happened to Doctor Scott?”
“Off playing golf, he asked me to look after you,” he answers happily.
I don’t know what to make of this one, he’s nothing like the usual doctors I deal with in this place. For one, he’s a lot younger, and a hell of a lot hotter than any of the others. Secondly, he has to be new because I’ve never seen him before.
“Lucky him,” I reply smiling back. “You’re new, right?” I ask.
“What makes you think that?” he asks in return.
“I’ve never seen you around here before and you’re hotter than the regular doctors.” This time, I make him blush.
He’s definitely young, much older than me, but still young.
“Yes, I’m new, I started a week ago and thank you for the compliment. Now let’s get back to me discharging you, or do you want to stay ?” His cheery demeanor is hard to resist and I find myself smiling along with him.
“Do you have someone who can pick you up? I’d rather you not leave alone,” he questions before reaching my door.
“Yes.” I will message my fratello to come get me. He’d better not be fucking high when he gets here either. I will be pissed.
“Oh good,” he tells me, turning back around to leave my room.
Sending a message to Sean, I arrange for him and Gerrick to be here when I’m released in the morning. Although I’d love to have him here beside me now, I know he’s better off by his padre’s side. Allowing my tired eyes to win their battle, I finally close them so sleep can consume me.
*****
“Hads,” a gentle voice murmurs in my ear.
“You need to wake up, baby girl.” This time the voice is louder.
Opening my eyes, Sean is standing by my bed and something’s wrong. His face is pale.
“Sean, what’s wrong?”
Sitting up, he moves closer, taking my hand as he sits beside me.
“Gerrick,” his voice stammers.
“Gerrick what?” I demand.
“Gerrick has had an overdose. He is in the ER, we’ve just brought him in.”
No. Fucking. Way! This can’t be happening....
I don’t know what to say.
“He’s alive, Hadley. We found him in time.”
I know Sean is speaking to me, but I’m in shock. This has to be the work of my padre.
“I’m going to keep talking, baby girl. I know this is a shock to you,” Sean softly tells me.
It’s like he can read me, that one. Sitting, holding onto his hand tightly, I listen as he continues.
“When we arrived at Gerricks apartment, there was no answer. I tried his cell but nothing. I could hear it through the door but no one picked up. I had Thomas kick the door in so that we could get inside.”
That fratello of mine never goes anywhere without his cell, which for me, would have been the first sign that something was wrong. Sean wouldn’t have known that though and I’m grateful he took the initiative.
“We found him slumped on his bed with a needle hanging from his arm. He was barely breathing, Hads. We called for help and got him here as quickly as we could.”
I feel for him, I really do. This beautiful boy in front of me has seen more pain and death in the past couple of years than he ever should have for someone his age. Fuck, Gerrick and I should’ve never seen the amount of death and pain that we have either. Gripping his hand as tightly as I can, I reassure him that it will be okay. Gerrick is strong, he will fight. It’s not his first round in the ring.
My fratello and I are resilient, we’ve overcome so much over the years and we will come out on top. Our padre will not beat us.
*****
“You ready, gorgeous?” my sweet boy’s voice drifts into the small bathroom.
Now that I’m dressed and ready to leave, I’m nervous. My padre will be in Gerrick’s room and I don’t know if I’m ready to face him. Coming up behind me, Sean’s arms circle around to sit on my stomach. I can feel his face buried in my hair and it’s calming. Relaxing into him, I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
“Ready when you are,” I reply.
Gathering my stuff, we leave the room. When we arrived at Gerrick’s room, my padre wouldn’t allow us to enter. His bulky frame blocked our view as he stood in the doorway. Edging my head left, I could only catch a glimpse of the doctors and nurses hovering over him.
“Go wait in the visitors area down the hall, Hadley. I will summon you once the doctor is finished. You know Gerrick wouldn’t want you to see him like this.”
I’m calling bullshit! And I’d love to yell it at him, but it won’t do me any good. I will not get into Gerrick’s room any quicker and my padre will have me thrown out of the hospital.
I wonder if my madre is also down there waiting?
Looking into my padre’s eyes, they are hard, his face stolic and his body is rigid. He has his arms crossed at his chest making him more of a statue, a hard obstacle that I won’t be able to get past. Glaring at him in return, I turn to leave.
Always the asshole, he grunts, “And leave the trash where it belongs.”
I want to stop and retaliate because I know he is talking about Sean, but a firm grip on my elbow stops me. Looking to my right, Sean just smiles at me and guestures for us to keep walking. Obeying, I follow him, stewing on the the fact that if it wasn’t for Sean, Gerrick would be dead right now. Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that Gerrick dying is what my padre would have wanted. Sean ruined his plans and he will be wanting retribution. The knowledge that his figlia is involved only makes it messier for him. He will be more determined to eliminate us now before it affects his standing within the family.
I was being released today, the doctor giving me the all clear to go home. Physically, I’m healed. Mentally, though, well that’s debatable. My fratello and Sean were supposed to escort me home. On our way toward Gerrick’s room, Sean gave me more details. He said that once the other agent gained access to the apartment, they entered into darkness. It was as if the silence was welcoming them. When they found Gerrick, he initially thought he was passed out on the bed. So thinking he was asleep, they approached him cautiously.
Once they saw the belt tied around his arm and the needle barely hanging from his skin, they called for assistance. When Sean finally saw his face, Gerrick’s lips were blue. His words completely explain Sean being visibly upset when he finally did reach me.
Sitting in the waiting area, it’s no surprise that my madre is not here. I doubt my padre even spoke to her. She will be none the wiser, but nothing about that is unusal. Cuddling into my boy, I relax. We are flanked by more C.B.I agents than I’ve ever seen befo
re, yet I’ve never felt safer. I should be worried that they will bring me in for questioning, except I’m not. Although he doesn’t really know any details, Sean had whispered that all of these men were here as our protection. Apparently, Gerrick had told Sean and his padre that both of us were in danger. Sean’s padre wasn’t taking any chances. I’m still to work out if there is an alterior motive behind Sean’s padre’s actions. In my experience, law enforcement don’t do anything for nothing, and I have encountered more than my fair share.
A noise down the corridor catches my attention and I look up just in time to see Jimmy, my padre’s most trusted Captain, approaching. Rising, I place my palm on Sean’s shoulder to stop him from standing. He can’t come with me. I won’t put my fratello through any more trauma than he’s already suffered. Sitting back down dejectedly, he glances up at me, but only to nod. Sighing in relief, it makes me happy to know that he understands.
“We will be waiting,” Sean’s padre states.
His voice echos behind me as I make my way toward Jimmy and my fratello. When we reach his room, I halt momentarily, preparing myself. Part of me wants to cry hysterically, but my stubborness will never allow that to happen. Especially not in front of my padre. There’s another part of me, a deeper, darker side that wants to escape so that it can rip my padre to pieces, painting these perfectly white walls crimson with his blood.
Ignoring his presence, I move over to Gerrick. He’s sleeping, but his skin is ghostly white. His beautiful face is rested, childlike almost, with no color in it at all. Standing beside him, I pull his hand into mine as I always do, hoping he will wake and show me those eyes of his I love so much. I can’t and won’t lose him. Gerrick is the only true family I have.
“He’s sleeping, Hadley, he’s not dead.”
Regardless of whether I want to or not, my gaze finds it’s way to my padre. He’ll find no loving look or form of gratefullness in return. The monster standing on the otherside of Gerrick’s bed is the reason he is there. I feel nothing but contempt for this man. The man who calls himself our padre.
After the Dust Settles (California Dreaming Book 3) Page 10