by Carina Adams
“Where—,” my voice broke as my agitation and fear bubbled to the surface, and I swallowed roughly, my throat suddenly dry and sore. I wanted to demand to know who she had been with—which brother had touched my blood. The need to know she was okay was more important though, and I bit out the question I didn’t want to know the answer to. “Was she—”
“Not here,” was all he said before he shifted her weight slightly and elbowed his way past me, not letting me take her from him. He turned, just before he went through the door into the main room, and nodded to two duffels on the floor. One I recognized immediately—it was mine; I’d left it at Katie’s. “Grab those fucking things.” He muttered, “I’m not giving them any reason to come back,” before he strode across the room toward the doors.
There was nothing I could do except pick up the bags and follow, attempting to stay calm. Tank hurried around the outside edge of the room, taking the long but less noticeable way, and didn’t stop until he was outside. A few brothers watched us, muttering behind their beers, but no one would bother the president’s son.
As soon as she saw us, Cris shrieked and ran to Tank, grabbing at my sister’s hand. I wanted to tell her to get the fuck away from Katie, to slam her against the truck and let my anger loose, but getting my sister out of here was more important than anything else.
Tossing the bags in the bed, I jerked open the back door for Tank, and he lifted himself up and in, Kate still in his arms. I got my first good look at her and felt a bit of my tension float away when I didn’t see any fresh bruises or cuts. She was completely out of it, no doubt Cris’s doing, but Katie seemed to be in one piece.
That was more than I could say for me.
6
Cris
It had been a long day. Not at all like what we had planned or imagined it would be. Nothing had gone the way it was supposed to.
Glancing over the seat once more, I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste copper. Katie was in Tank’s arms. She was safe.
We both were.
Relief that the boys had shown up warred with worry for my friend. She was passed out cold. I hoped it was from exhaustion mixed with alcohol, not from something much worse.
I hadn’t seen her take anything, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t. They men in charge at Matty’s motorcycle gang house, or whatever in the fuck it was called, separated us before we’d realized we were in over our heads. The last time I’d seen Katie, she’d been headed out back with a man called Preacher.
I wasn’t sure how many hours had gone by, but with each passing minute, my unease had grown. I’d tried to go check on her, but no matter what I’d done, I couldn’t get away from the jackass who was practically holding me prisoner. My only options had been to play along and wait it out. I knew Matty had to show up at some point.
Kate was as straight laced as they came, practically an angel. I’d never seen her drink, not in all the time I’d known her. It made sense that if she’d had a few drinks, after staying up with me the night before, the combination could’ve kicked her ass and made her dead to the world.
My eyes traveled from her face over her body. There were no signs of struggle or that she’d been hurt. I was extremely thankful that she was still wearing all the clothes she’d had on earlier. None of them looked ruffled, no evidence that she’d gotten dressed—or—undressed – in a hurry.
I glanced up at Tank. He was watching me closely, his eyes narrowed slightly, but I didn’t feel the same silent judgment and hatred coming from him that Rob seemed to ooze whenever I was around. I wanted to demand them to tell me what they knew, wanted to ask if she was okay, but I knew better than to speak.
When I’d seen Tank at the clubhouse, I’d almost cried tears of joy. Until he’d started to scream and refused to listen to what I was saying. So much had happened at once, and my mind had been fuzzy from the alcohol I’d been forced to drink.
Everything had gotten so screwed up in such a short time. I knew from the looks on their faces that they’d never believe a party girl like me was simply doing what she had to so she could protect her best friend.
Beside me, Rob sat straight, completely rigid, and I could feel the stress rolling off him in waves. He was holding on by a thread. A very thin and fraying strand that was going to break at any point. I could only pray that we were with Matty before that happened.
Thinking about my brother both calmed and worried me. There was no one I trusted more in this world, yet there was no one I feared as much either. I knew he was going to be beyond pissed when he found out we were here, but I also knew that he would make everything okay. That’s just what he did.
As I began to rehearse my speech in my mind for the five-hundredth time, Rob slowed the truck and pulled into the driveway of a duplex, cutting the engine. He shoved open his door and yanked open the back, gently lifting Katie from Tank’s arms and turning straight for the house, shooting me a hate-filled glare as he did.
Neither Tank nor I moved. I let my eyes wander over the peeling and faded paint, crooked shutters, and broken stairs of the house. Half the building had blankets hanging over the windows as makeshift curtains. The other half, the one that Rob had just entered, had no shades, allowing anyone to see in at any time.
I fought the shiver as my arms pebbled in goose bumps. It was the type of place you’d see in a horror movie. Or on an episode of COPS.
I didn’t know where we were or why we were there, but I knew I didn’t want to go in. I prayed that Katie made it out in one piece.
“Sitting here, avoidin’ it, ain’t gonna make it easier, kid.”
I took a deep breath at Tank’s words. “Where are we?” I asked, not taking my eyes off the hovel.
Tank chuckled, leaning forward slightly. “That? That’s home sweet home, little girl.”
I snapped my head toward him, meeting his dark hazel eyes as dread filled me. “Matty lives here?” I could hear the disbelief and shock in my voice, hoping I’d misunderstood.
Tank lifted an eyebrow, confused by my reaction. “Yeah. Well, Matt, Rob, Me, and Jeremy.” He slid out the door and tipped his head to me. “Come on.”
I couldn’t move. Katie and I were living in suburbia, on our brothers’ dime, but they were living in the damned poverty-stricken ghetto. This rat hole was a complete opposite from our apartment. Guilt rocked me to my core.
I jumped in surprise as Tank opened my door, holding our bags in one hand, and patiently waited for me. I felt sick to my stomach as I slid out. I knew what was coming, that reality waited for me in that horrid place. Tank was right; avoiding it wasn’t going to make it any easier.
Taking a deep breath, I followed him up the rickety stairs, ignoring the overpowering smell of urine, blocking out the shouted and hateful words coming from next door, and into the apartment.
We walked into a kitchen that looked like it belonged in a camper instead of an apartment. It was neat but minuscule and practically bare. I was half worried that if I opened the refrigerator door, I’d find it empty.
We didn’t stop, stepping into a small hallway. On the right, there was a set of steps that went up, and another that went down. Tank paused for a split second, hesitating as if trying to make up his mind. He swore under his breath and then took the stairs up, two at a time.
I hurried after him, too afraid to be left alone for even a minute. The hallway at the top of the stairs was just as small, yet there was a door at each end. Both were closed.
Tank stopped, glancing back and forth the between the two doors, as if he wasn’t sure which way to go. I didn’t know what he was waiting for. I wondered which was Matty’s and hoped he didn’t have a girl with him.
I took a step toward the room on my left, jerking back in surprise when an angry Rob stormed out. His fingers locked around my bicep before I could react, and he dragged me behind him as he stomped toward the other end of the hall, yanking my bag out of Tank’s fingers as he did.
He lifted a foot and kicked
open the door, barely slowing as he pulled me through and flipped on a light, and slammed it behind me, my bag flew across the small bedroom, and my back was against the wall before I’d even had a moment to breathe. Rob’s angry face was so close to mine that I could see the flecks of gold in his eyes. His palms slapped the wood next to my head.
“What in the fuck did she take?”
I shook my head, attempting to swallow the lump in my throat. I wasn’t scared of Rob, no matter what he’d done in his past or how much he tried to intimidate me. As long as he didn’t touch me again, I’d be fine. “I don’t know.”
“Katie doesn’t do drugs.” His nostrils flared, hatred clear in his eyes. “At least she never did.”
Before you. He didn’t have to say the words for them to hit their mark. Pain erupted in my chest at his accusation.
“What did you give her?” He ground out each word, barely keeping his anger under control.
For that brief moment, I saw him the way others did, as a crazed man who had come unhinged. He was almost unrecognizable from the boy he’d once been. He towered over me, his muscles were thick and toned, and he had menacing inked flames running down one arm. I should have been terrified of this stranger.
I wasn’t.
“Don’t fucking lie to me again, brat!” he snarled as I opened my mouth to tell him once again that I didn’t know what, if anything, Katie had consumed.
As his words sunk in, my teeth ground. Fuck him. He’d called me a liar once before, hadn’t believed me when I was telling the truth. I’d let it go, hadn’t fought as much as I should have. And Hannah—my sweet, funny, loving Hannah—had paid the price.
Finding a strength I didn’t know I possessed, I smacked my hands into his chest and shoved him away from me.
“I don’t know! Your friends” —I spit the words at him—“separated us.”
His fists clenched at his sides, but he didn’t attempt to come toward me. “What in the fuck were you doing at the clubhouse? College life too boring for you? Felt like you needed to party with the adults?”
“I told you!” I practically screamed. “We were looking for Matty. Looking for you!”
My frustrations from the day started to seep out; my last bit of patience snapped. Realization of what could’ve happened, what had almost happened, hit me. I lashed out. Stepping toward the mammoth in front of me, I stabbed a finger into his chest.
“Why in the fuck would you give Katie that address? We only went there because that’s where she thought you’d be.”
I heard my voice crack as I remembered the way the men at the gate had leered at us, but we’d been so sure that once we told them who our big brothers were, they’d leave us alone. They’d ushered us inside the building, taken our bags, and then offered us drinks. When we’d refused, they’d insisted.
“They wouldn’t let us leave!” I cried, as my nails bit into my palms. It hadn’t taken us long to realize that Matt and Rob weren’t there. It had been too late, though.
Rob’s eyes narrowed, as if he didn’t believe a word I’d said.
Anger and hatred ripped through me. I grabbed his shirt, my hands fisting in the cotton, and stood up on my toes. “All we could do was play their stupid games and pray to God you’d be there soon. You have no idea what that was like! Katie was in over her head, so I had to play hard enough for both of us.”
“Says the girl who left her friend passed out in a back room while she partied. The girl who didn’t act happy to see me and fucking fought when I tried to get her out. Yeah, you looked real scared. If you needed money so fucking bad, you could’ve called me. Wait until your brother hears you’re working on your knees now.”
I didn’t even try to stop the hand from flying through the air and slapping his already bruised cheek as hard as I could. “I fucking hate you!” I screamed.
“Good.” His words were almost calm. He didn’t tell me he hated me, too. He didn’t have to. It was clear in the way he looked at me. “If she’s hurt, I’m going to give you a reason to.”
I lunged. An angry growl, a sound unlike anything I’d made before, escaped my lips. I was going to claw his eyes out. Before I could reach him, strong arms closed around my waist and pulled me backward.
For a brief moment I panicked, ready to fight that man, too. Then those arms held me tight, comforting me.
“Hey.” My brother’s voice was hard, yet warm. “It’s okay, Cris. It’s me. I got you.”
I sagged in relief. “Matty?”
As soon as his arms released me, I spun. It was almost too good to be true. My brother had lost weight and looked exhausted, purple smudges under his eyes, but it was him. Instantly, I felt safe. I threw my arms over his shoulders, pulling him close.
His arms tightened once again, a hand covering the back of my head as I burrowed my face in his neck. “I’ve got you, sweet pea. I’m right here. You’re safe,” he whispered again.
I couldn’t fight the tears anymore.
The worry about Dale, the stress from everything we’d gone through, the fear that I’d never get Katie out of that clubhouse—it all came out. Tears soaked Matt’s shirt as uncontrollable sobs wracked my body.
I felt his voice rumble in his chest, but I had no idea what he’d said. It sounded pissed and part of me hoped he wasn’t angry with Rob—he’d rescued us after all. The other part hoped he would kick his friend’s ass.
My brother shifted away then he lifted me and carried me across the room. Then I was in a soft bed, a plush blanket laid over me, and Matty slid in behind me, throwing his arm around me once more.
“I’m right here. You’re safe,” he muttered the words over and over until I fell asleep.
I hadn’t slept next to anyone in a long time. And I couldn’t remember the last time I’d shared a room with Matt. It was weird that he was still there, snoring softly. Yet there was something comforting about knowing he was close, that he’d stayed with me when I needed him.
I watched him sleep for a few minutes before I shifted my attention to the room. I knew it wasn’t his. It was cluttered in a way that Matty would never allow. And there was no sign of text books, no pictures from home.
After a few minutes, when he didn’t give any inclination he’d be waking soon, I slipped from bed. Desperate to find a bathroom, I tiptoed around the room and opened the door as quietly as I could. When I heard the familiar voice, I forgot everything else and bounded down the stairs.
Katie stopped talking the second she saw me enter the pathetic excuse of a living room. She practically ran in my direction, and before I could offer a smile, she pulled me to her, hugging me tight. I clung to her.
“Good. Now you both can explain what in the fuck you were doing with the Bean Nighe.” Rob’s voice was cold.
Kate stepped back, rolling her eyes slightly. “I don’t know how many different ways I need to tell you.” She sighed. “Would you like me to say it in French?”
My mouth fell open. I’d never heard her speak to anyone that way. Granted, I’d never been around the two of them together, but I knew she’d never talked to her brother like that while they were on the phone.
“That depends, can you lie better in French than you can in English?”
Katie growled in exasperation and threw her hands in the air. “Crissy, could you please enlighten my brute of a brother and tell him why we were in Bean Nighe territory? Clearly, he doesn’t believe me.”
I hesitated. My eyes moved from one to the other slowly. I didn’t like the way Katie had sneered her words; it was so out of character for her. But I really didn’t like how Robby was looking at her like she was someone he didn’t know.
“I needed Matty,” I admitted. “We called, but we couldn’t get anyone. So, we came to see him. And you.”
Rob watched me with dark eyes. “Why did you need Matt so bad that it couldn’t wait?”
“That’s none of your business,” Kate snapped before I could answer, and she reached down to grab my hand
in silent support.
“You pregnant?”
Kate inhaled sharply.
“Nope. I’m smart enough to use protection,” I scoffed. “Unlike some people. How many bastards do you have running around now? Five, six?”
Pain flashed in his eyes. I hadn’t meant to say it. Later, I’d add it to the pile of shit I felt bad about, but right then I was too angry to focus on it.
“How much do you need?” He reached behind him, pulling a wallet that was attached to a chain from his back pocket.
“What?” I demanded.
“If you ain’t knocked up, you must need money. How much you owe your dealer?”
Katie’s hand tightened around my own. I didn’t know if it was in anger or if she was trying to tell me to stay quiet.
“What is your problem?” she hissed, her voice almost a whisper.
Rob clutched his wallet and shook his head at his sister. “Matty has a lot on his plate.” He slid his eyes to me, his disgust clear. “He doesn’t need your pathetic drama. I won’t let you fuck with his shit. So just cut the innocent act. Tell me how much you need and I’ll get it for you. Then you can kiss him good-bye and get your ass back on a bus. And next time, wait for him to call you back.”
“Robert Doyle!” Katie snapped, completely appalled. She waved her free hand in front of his face. “I don’t know what’s going on right now, but I think you’re forgetting who you’re talking to. We’re not those women who hang around the clubhouse. We’re family! You will not talk to either one of us like that. Especially after everything that Cris did for—”
“Kate,” I cut her off, my voice soft. “It’s okay. This is how he always talks to me.”
Beside me, my friend tensed. Then shook her head.
“Uncle Liam would be so disappointed if he heard that. God knows I am.”
Shame was clear on Rob’s features for a slight moment. He took a deep breath, staring at his sister. Then he shook his head.