Fall on Me

by Chloe Walsh

  "She's getting big," Mike crooned as he shook Hope's tiny hand. Hope gave Mike a wide smile and scrunched her little hands out for him to pick her up. I stepped away quickly and rushed for the restaurant. I needed to teach my daughter not to smile at snakes. It would be a good lesson for her to learn. She needed to know that some of the most dangerous people came in beautiful packaging. "Lee," Mike called out as he stepped around me and blocked the restaurant doorway. His brown eyes were sunken in his face. His blonde curls were limp on his head and I would bank money on the fact that the clothes he wore hadn't been ironed. He looked awful and I had to slap away the worry that was seeping into my heart. He was deceitful. He was the same as his father. I needed to remember that. "I know this is probably bad timing, but do you think I could come with you and talk?" He sighed and shook his head. "Please…I could use a friend right now."

  "I have a friend," I said quietly as I held Hope tightly. "His name is Derek Porter, and because of your selfish actions he's living in hell. In hell, Mike. And I don't think he'll ever pull himself out of it. So, no. I'm sorry but we can't be friends. I won't risk my relationship with Kyle and my friendship with Derek for you. I made too many bad choices when it came to you in the past. I won't make another."

  I forced myself to step around him. The look of hurt on his face was something I refused to feel bad for. Mike was a risk, one I wasn't willing to take.

  I swung the door of the restaurant open and came face to chest with the most dangerous person I'd ever come into contact with, wrapped in beautiful packaging. "You need to get your hearing tested, princess." Kyle glared down at me and I could feel the anger emanating off him. It was thick. It was directed at me. "I could have sworn I told you to stay …"

  "Back off," I snapped. "I am hungry, I am tired and I am not in the mood for your caveman antics. I'm not breaking your rules, Kyle. You said stay in the hotel. I am. Now, I am going to eat in here." Meeting his stare with a glare of my own, I mentally patted myself on the back for not whimpering under his hard stare before saying, "If you want to join us, you're more than welcome, but if you want to continue glaring at me like that then maybe you should go take a time out."

  Kyle eyes moved from my face to behind me. The anger I felt coming from him multiplied in waves. "You need something?" he growled. I craned my neck around to see who it was, even though I already knew whose face I would see. Oh yeah, I was having a swell day. Mike stepped closer to us and I groaned loudly. I swear I had enough of today and it wasn't even ten o clock. I didn't need this crap.

  "Just a word with Lee." Mike inclined his head in my direction and Kyle's spine straightened. "It won't take long." Good god almighty, this was uncomfortable.

  "Not happening," Kyle hissed as he took Hope out of my arms.

  "I already told him no," I told Kyle. If I was about to be thrown to the wolves, I wanted my name cleared first.

  "My office. Now." Kyle looked between the both of us when he spoke and for a moment I wasn't sure who he was talking to.

  "Me?" I asked in a squeaky tone. I cleared my throat and straightened my stance. I had nothing to be nervous about. He wasn't my boss anymore.

  Kyle glanced down at me and his expression visibly softened. "No, princess," he said in a softer tone. "Go eat. Just…just stay inside."

  "But what about Hope…" I started to say, but my words fell on deaf ears. I watched in dismay as Kyle stalked off with our daughter in his arms and his brother reluctantly trailing after him. I secretly wondered if I should slip Kyle some of those sleeping pills I'd been prescribed. Maybe they would calm him down a little…

  ****

  Kyle

  "You've got one hell of a nerve to even approach her," I said in a low tone as I sat at my desk and propped Hope on my knee. I hated when she talked to him. I fucking hated it. He'd wanted Lee for as long as I had. I didn't blame him for being attracted to her, I could understand the attraction, but he needed to back the hell off. She was mine. For Christ's sake, even when she was pregnant with my baby he had sniffed after her like a dog.

  Mike had a problem with crossing lines. He screwed Derek over. He wasn't going to get a chance to do that to me. Never again. "You know why I can't fire you," I told him because it was true. It was in writing. A stipulation of my inheritance. "But don't push me, Mike. I'll break all my rules for her. Upset her again and you're out."

  Sighing heavily, Mike moved away from the door and walked over to my desk. As he sat in the chair in front of me I couldn't help but notice he didn't have the usual air of assholeness around him. His shoulders were slumped. His face was full of some emotion I'd couldn't put a name on. He looked…vulnerable. Fuck, now where did that come from?

  Mike slumped in the chair in front of me and sighed. "I'm sorry."

  He was sorry?

  Had I heard that right?

  "You should be," I muttered as I tried to summon my anger. It wasn't coming. He wasn't baiting me and I had no fucking clue how to handle this version of my brother. Was this guy the same brother I despised? He didn't look the same. He definitely didn't sound the same. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I blurted out, confused as fuck. "You're never sorry. I've never heard you apologize for anything in your spoilt, entitled life."

  "She didn't love me," he whispered. "She played me, Kyle. I need to know why she would do that."

  Who? "Rachel?" He should feel glad Rachel didn't love him. She loved me and look how she showed it. The both of us had gotten tangled up with a bad fucking woman and as far as I was concerned Mike had a lucky escape. That girl was bat shit crazy and if Mike was still pining for her after all these years then he was just as crazy as she was.

  Goddammit, if Frank had just left everything to Mike or David we wouldn't even be having this discussion. Mike would be all loved up the crazy one and my girl wouldn't have holes in half her body or that god awful limp when she walked. Cam would still be alive and Derek would still have his sanity.

  I would have met Lee whether I inherited the hotels or not. She was always going to come running to Cam–to Thirteenth Street–and I was always going to be the one to break her fall. I was snared the second I laid eyes on her and if I had been free back then I wouldn't have made half the mistakes I made with her. It would have been easy for us. Like other peoples relationships. Instead, I had to fight every day I woke up just to keep us together. She was mad as hell at me right now and it fucking sucked. It had been a week since the disaster that had been my intervention and I was still silently simmering with rage.

  That asshole Bromwick had gotten off lightly with a three month suspension. And Lee, she'd gotten off lightly too. I knew she wasn't very confident, but Christ, she'd been bleeding. Bleeding. She needed to learn to trust her own instincts. Just because some asswipe doctor told her she was wrong she rolled over like a dog. It fucking made my blood boil. She was smart. I knew she was. She needed to use her brain. Seriously, the girl was hopeless when it came to taking care of her body. Sometimes I wondered if she even cared about herself. She didn't act like it. She didn’t fucking tell me anything…

  Yesterday, she swanned off when I was working without telling me where she was going. I'd nearly lost my mind with worry when I realized she was gone. I hadn't been able to concentrate worth a damn until she came back. Yeah, she had only taken Hope out for a walk, but still… Running off the cemetery was pointless. Cam was dead. She couldn't keep her safe. That was my fucking job and she was making it hard on me. She didn't seem to understand how dangerous it was to be wandering around on her own. She was the sole survivor, and main witness to a murder, and didn't seem to have a clue of the trouble that could be lurking around the damn corner. I didn't want to unnecessarily frighten her, but Jesus Christ, Rachel's letters worried me. Terrified me…

  We hadn't resolved anything about her mom. I knew I messed up by cornering her, but Lee wouldn’t talk about it and I was afraid to broach the subject. We were just covering up our problems and trudging on and the worst damn th
ing was I didn't even know if that was what we were supposed to do or not. This was my first relationship…like real honest to god have-to-make-this-work-or-die-trying relationship and it wasn't like I had a father who I could turn to for advice. All I had was Derek, and the mood he was in lately meant I couldn't exactly drop my problems on him. And Lee…she had about as much worldly experience as a goldfish and was as fragile as a butterfly–as flighty as one, too. I was her first everything. The pressure I felt to keep us afloat was weighing heavily on me. Jesus, it felt like we were fumbling around in the dark. We were both as clueless as each other…

  "Mike," I said with a sigh. "Rachel played everyone. You're not an exception here. Be glad you're not me."

  He shook his head and exhaled a shaky breath. "I'm talking about Cam."

  Oh sweet Jesus. Pushing back my chair, I stood up and bounced around with Hope in my arms. I had enough problems. I had enough people leaning on me. When the hell had I become everybody's agony aunt? I shook my head and looked down at my daughter. I hope you never has these problems, angel…If you do then tell mommy. Daddy needs a break. He's not good with drama…

  "I'm not trying to get in between you and Lee," he continued. "That's not my intention. I know my previous actions make it look that way, but I'm not, Kyle. I swear. I just have to know if Cam told her anything about me. I need answers…"

  "No," I said firmly, not asking what answers he needed because frankly I didn't have enough room left to worry. I didn't have that kind of relationship with my brother. We didn't do deep conversations. Hell, we didn't do conversations, period.

  He'd gotten along well enough as teenagers–hung out whenever he visited Frank's house, but that ship had long sailed. Our grandfather had forced us together in the beginning. Personally, I hadn't given two shits that I had a long lost brother, but Mike had been curious about me. Apparently, he'd been lonely and needed a friend…Must have been hard growing up in his daddy's million dollar mansion. Must have really sucked to have a maid and a driver. Oh, and private school, a warm bed at night and home cooked meals must have been just torture for the poor little guy.

  I'd gone along with the whole 'bond with your brother' idea more out of boredom than anything else. I was only three months older than Mike so we ended up doing a lot of shit together. Guitar lessons, learning to drive and the importance of wrapping it up …all the crap that our dad couldn't be bothered teaching us, Frank had either taught us or hired someone to show us. I'd almost pissed myself laughing throughout the 'sex talk' with our seventy-two year old grandfather.

  "Now, boys," Frank had told us when he sat us down for 'the talk' when we were seventeen. "Women are gonna stick to both of you like flies. You have money and they love shiny things. You're gonna have to watch out for the one's with that glint in their eyes. You're both gonna have to learn how to weave around the jezebels with your dicks securely in your pants." The virgin Mike had lapped up every word, nodding enthusiastically. I'd merely smirked my way throughout the whole thing. Frank's sex talk had come about two years too late for me. I was fairly certain I knew more about a woman's body at seventeen than good old Frankie. God, I was a dick back then...I dropped my eyes to look at my daughter. Jesus, I hoped there wasn't any baby boys being born that were anything like me.

  I'd never be able to let her outside the front door.

  "Please, Kyle," Mike begged, pulling me out of my daydream. "I need to know why she played me like this…"

  I shook my head. Whatever was going on in his head, he needed to keep it away from my fiancée. She didn't need him dragging up the past and cutting open old wounds. "Don't even think about putting any of your problems on her shoulders," I warned him. "She has enough to deal with." 'Like me' I mentally added.

  I waited for his smug grin and snide comment. It didn't come. He merely nodded and fiddled with his thumbs. "You're right," he mumbled in a dejected tone. "And for what it's worth, I am sorry."

  "I'm right?" I shook my head in confusion. "You're sorry? Mike, what the hell is going on here? You hate me…"

  "I don't hate you, Kyle," he said quietly as he stood up. "I've never hated you. I was jealous of you. But I've grown up. I've woken up."

  "What am I supposed to say to that?" I asked.

  "You're a good father, Kyle." Mike shrugged and smiled at Hope. "You should be proud of yourself. God knows, you didn’t learn how from our father." He lifted his chin and stared directly at me. I caught a glimpse of pain in his eyes and an unfamiliar feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.

  Worry.

  I was worried about Mike and it didn't sit well with me.

  I stood with my mouth hanging open as Mike turned around and walked out of my office. "What just happened here?" I whispered.

  Hope grinned and I had a feeling that my six month old daughter was more clued in than I was. I would have been more prepared for Miss Piggy to walk through the door than I was for this…shit bomb.

  ****

  Lee

  When Kyle came back to the restaurant with Hope, he was in a weird mood. I'd been expecting to be told off for leaving the suite. I had my entire speech rehearsed and ready to throw at him. I hadn't expected the contemplative look he wore on his face, or the question he asked me.

  "How was…Cam?" he asked as he sat in the chair opposite mine, with Hope on his lap. "You know, before the…how was she? Was she acting strangely? Say anything out of the usual?" He looked at me apologetically–like he thought it hurt me to talk about her. He couldn't be more wrong. I wanted to talk about Cam all of the time. Derek was the one who wanted to erase her from his mind. I needed to keep her fresh. It helped. She needed to be remembered.

  "What do you mean?" I asked him as I rested my elbows on the table and leaned closer to him. I watched as he stroked Hope's little fist with his thumb and brushed a kiss to her head. I could tell that he was thinking of how to phrase his next sentence. "Do you mean the night of the shooting?" I offered.

  "No," he said quickly. Pushing a butter knife out of Hope's reach, he scratched his clean-shaven jaw. "Mike said something to me…but it's probably nothing. I don't want you worrying about this shit…"

  "What?" I prayed Mike hadn't been stirring up trouble. "Kyle, what did he say?"

  His eyes locked on mine and I could feel his confusion. "He said she didn't love him," he whispered. He shrugged his shoulders, clearly uncomfortable. "He thinks she played him. Why would he say that, Lee? It makes no sense."

  "Cam?" I asked and Kyle nodded. Mike had told Kyle that Cam didn't love him? That she played him? "I don't know why he would say that," I muttered. I didn't know why she would tell him that either. This was so confusing. Cam had walked away from Derek for Mike. Of course she'd loved Mike. There was no other explanation for her actions. She told me she loved him. They were going on a trip…

  "Forget it," Kyle said breaking through my thoughts. I blinked over at his face. "We don't need to worry about this," he continued. "We have our own troubles."

  "Yeah," I whispered, but I wasn't going to forget it. I needed to know. What was going on with Cam before she died? Why was this coming out now? None of this made any sense to me. I couldn't get my head around it…My breath caught in my throat as my mind clicked. "Oh my god," I yelled as I slammed my palm on the table.

  My outburst startled Kyle because he jerked back from the table. "What?" he asked, eyes wide and unblinking. "You nearly gave me a goddamn heart-attack." He let out a breath. "Jesus Christ, Lee."

  "I need your help," I said with a grin as I pushed my chair back and stood. "It's in the house. Oh my god, I just know it, Kyle. I can feel it in my bones."

  "What house?" he asked as he stood up with Hope in his arms. "What the hell are you talking about, baby?"

  "Cam's journal," I practically sang. "She always kept a journal. If we read it…then maybe we'll know what was going on in her head and find out why she...."

  "Whoa," Kyle said in a stern tone of voice. "We are not doing that. No fuck
ing way, princess. It's none of our business…"

  "Kyle," I snapped. "Don't you want to know what was going on in her head? Why she did what she did?"

  "No." He shook his head and glared at me. "I am perfectly content to never know."

  "Please?" I begged. "Please, Kyle?"

  "No way, Lee," he growled. "No goddamn way."

  ****

  Kyle

  I should have known Lee wouldn't let this drop. My stupid questions were the reason I was parked in the driveway of my house in Thirteenth Street, with my fiancée trembling in the seat next to me and my daughter cooing in the back seat. If I wasn't so worried about her frame of mind right now, I'd be seriously impressed with her progress. This was the closest she'd been to the house since the shooting. "Lee, baby, everything is gone. Her parents took everything." I had a bad feeling about this. It didn't feel right and I usually trusted my gut feeling. It was nearly always right.

  I watched with my heart in my mouth as Lee inhaled a shaky breath and turned her face towards me. "Please, Kyle," she begged, eyes wide with fear and hope. "There has to be something, some…clue that could help? I need to know."

  "It's empty," I told her. "Lee, there is nothing there. All that's left is her bed."

  Her eyes widened as she jerked towards me and grabbed my arm with her small hand. "Did you flip it?" she said with excitement.

  I shook my head and sighed. "Did I flip what?" I was about to flip something alright…I was about to flip out on my stupid fuck of a brother for worrying me, and me in turn for worrying Lee. God, I was so stupid sometimes. She rolled her eyes at me and sighed that way women do when they know something you don't, but think you should. "What?" I asked defensively.