He nodded, wrapped his arm around her shoulders and lead her out to the waiting SUV holding onto her like a fragile and infinitely precious treasure, the way that I should have.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Shaina
Streetlights flickering across my face I stared numbly out the window as we drove away. Tears welled in my eyes, making my vision blur. The driver seemed to be taking a different route out than we had taken in. If only it could be as simple to reverse the course of what had transpired tonight. Within a couple of moments we were up on the elevated freeway, leaving Southside’s dangers, along with my dreams behind us.
Back at the hotel, Alex refused to let go of my hand which he’d been holding steadfastly. He led me back to the master bath and began drawing a tub of water for me. After lighting a few candles and dimming the overheads, he checked the water temperature as if I were a child. “Get in,” he ordered gently, soft eyes searching.
I lowered my chin. The love I saw in his gaze would break me down completely if I didn’t get a handle on it.
He lifted the receiver of the hotel phone and hit one of the buttons. “Yes, this is Mr. Treyall in room 312.”
I stripped down while he ordered. “I’m not hungry,” I whispered staring at my blouse as though it held answers.
“Nonsense. You haven’t eaten anything all day I’ll bet?”
I shook my head. No use lying.
“I knew it. Well, you’ll eat now if I have to sit on top of you and feed you myself.” He softened the command with a kiss on my cheek sweeping my tumbled hair over my shoulder. “Besides I’m just following prescribed protocol.” He lifted my chin and looked deep into my eyes. “Chai tea, then some sushi, and sauvignon blanc, right? We’ll get ridiculously drunk like we did when Charles broke my heart. You were there for me then. I’m here for you now.” My eyes teared up. I would be lost without him. Truly lost. I ducked my head, but I knew he saw the hopelessness that I couldn’t hide. “Then we’ll dance around to Footloose,” I could hear the strain in his voice as he soldiered on trying to keep the mood light. “See if you can remember the steps I taught you during our last impromptu performance.”
He was quiet a long moment and when I looked up he was chewing on his lip. “Shaye, baby.” His brows lowered over concern filled eyes. “What the hell happened tonight?”
I shook my head. “I can’t. Please.” My lip trembled.
He sighed, his expressive face clearly demonstrating the internal struggle he was waging with his emotions. I wondered which would reign supreme, his fury with War or his empathy for me.
“Ok. Alright.” The cordless phone clattered when he put it down on the counter. He tagged one of my many hairbands from the pile. Then he walked behind me, gathered my hair in his hands and expertly pulled the tresses up into a ponytail, looping the heavy length around and through the decorative elastic band. He knew the drill with my hair, hell he knew practically everything there was to know about me, except those private things that I had shared with only War.
I bit down on my lip, swallowed the regret, and turned to face him. “I love you.” My voice thickened reflecting the weight of my emotions. “You’re always there for me. Always.” I swallowed again. “I don’t know what I would do without you. Thank you for coming to my rescue.”
“Shaye,” he said softly. His eyes blazed with only one emotion now, his love for me. He subtly shook his head. Sometimes he had trouble returning the words though he never hesitated to show me the depth of them by his actions. “You soak.” He gently directed me toward the bath, pulled up the vanity stool beside it, and took a seat “Before the water gets cold I want you to tell me everything.”
In my stubbornness, I held the hurt back until after I was out of the tub, and showing even more than his usual forbearance, Alex let me. But as he ran a soothing brush through my hair, I shared, and I shared it all. How far and how deeply I had fallen for Warren. How he had seemed like one man, understandably hard edged yet with flashes of captivating tenderness, and then had morphed into another one tonight. One that was so calculatingly cruel.
When I finished, Alex took my head and tucked it into his shoulder, kissing the crown. He didn’t say anything for a long time. I was tired and was about to tell him I wanted to go lie down when he suddenly spoke.
“I’m so sorry, Shaye,” he whispered. “I feel like this is all my fault. I thought I was being a good friend, pushing you outside your comfort zone, encouraging you to go after him. I thought he might be the right one to help break you out of this shell you’ve been living in for the past eight years.”
“It’s ok, Alex.” Only it wasn’t ok. It hurt. It hurt like hell, but that wasn’t his fault.
I wrapped my arms around his slender waist, inhaling his familiar scent as I buried my face in his neck, holding onto him tight.
I’d run off my dad. War had run over me. Alex was all I had left. I hoped that would be enough.
• • •
War
At dawn, I opened the door to find Alex Treyall standing on my front stoop, his face a mask of barely controlled fury.
Perfect. Bring it.
I waved him in. He looked around, observing the trail of beer bottles littering the floor, a product of my overnight binge. The disorder suited my mood.
Treyall stared at me; gaze hard enough to inflict damage. Excellent. I kept my hands at my sides. I didn’t want to spook him. I wanted…no I needed him to mess me up, for him to break me the way I had broken her.
“You might want to take off your coat,” I offered helpfully.
He gave me a funny look, but complied, unzipping and dropping his ski jacket on the floor in the exact spot Shaina had left her purse the night before.
Burning pain from that memory pierced my chest at the exact same time that a blinding pain exploded inside my skull. Treyall’s fist connected so fast and so hard with my head that it knocked me back a couple of paces.
Dazed, I slowly blinked at him. No, the guy hadn’t gotten any bigger. He was barely taller than Shaina, but holy fuckin shit, he packed a mighty wallop.
Treyall noting my surprise gave me a grim smile. He put a hand on my shoulder and reared back to pound his fist into my stomach, knocking the breath out of me. “That hurts, doesn’t it?” he said without any real sympathy while I was doubled over. “I grew up in a neighborhood just like this one Jinkins. Got my ass kicked on a regular basis because of how I am. That is until my older brother, the Marine, taught me how to fight.”
He kept the blows coming and the individual pain points all started to blend together. He hit me at least a dozen times, but I lost the ability to focus. My whole body was on fire now, each breath a struggle. I could barely keep upright. I was ready to collapse, but even as I staggered to stay on my feet I kept my arms to the sides just as I’d done the entire time, making no effort to defend myself.
Treyall finally stopped, his rage seemingly spent. He was breathing hard now, too.
I wiped my bloodied lip on my sleeve and just that small motion made the room spin. I widened my stance, trying to focus on the three of him as I crooked my fingers. “That all you got?” I slurred.
I think he frowned. “Why the hell’d you do it, asshole?” He shook his multiple heads as if he didn’t understand me. “Growing up in a neighborhood like this one without any hope or beauty I’d think you would’ve recognized what you had with Shaina. You had to know how she felt about you.” He made a disgusted sound. “You must be totally dead inside.”
I had been, mostly, but I’d discovered that even a zombie like me could be brought back to life if given a reason, if given enough light. But I was pretty good at defying reason and wasting light.
“When I left to come here, she wanted to know where I was going,” Treyall continued. “I didn’t tell her, but I think she knew. I’d like to think she approved.” He tagged his jacket and put in on. “I’d like to think she’s ready to move on.”
I tried to straig
hten my spine, but it proved too difficult. Arms folded over my middle, I adjusted my grip, fingers curling tighter around the chain.
Treyall’s gaze swung from my hands to my face. “Did she give you that?”
“Yeah,” I answered instead of nodding which might’ve keeled me over.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” He tilted his head to the side.
That would be me not him that was damned to hell, but I knew it wouldn’t be a wise move to correct the guy with the powerhouse fist and combat skills.
“I’ve tried for years to get her to take the stupid thing off. She fixates on it. That guilt gnaws away at her constantly as if it were somehow her fault what her sister did.” He shook his head ruefully. “I hope this means she’s come to terms with the past, and I hope she’s learned not to take on anymore lost causes.” His eyes narrowed on me. “Because there are some people who just don’t want to be saved.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
War
I’d managed to wash down a handful of ibuprofen and was pulling a packet of frozen peas out of the freezer when the doorbell rang. I pushed off the counter I’d been leaning against and slowly staggered back into the other room figuring it might be Treyall again, ready for round two.
I popped open the locks, swaying unsteadily as I opened the door. Dizzy stood on the front stoop, his eyes growing large as he looked me over.
“Holy shit!” he exclaimed. “What the hell happened to you?”
I pointed to my bloodied lip which was swollen tight like an over inflated like a balloon. “Hurts to talk, man,” I mumbled thinking my appearance made explanations unnecessary. Obviously I’d gotten the crap beat out of me.
He held up a jacket I recognized. “Is Shaina still here?”
I shook my head. A terrible ache in my chest that had nothing to do with my ass whipping and everything to do with losing her throbbed pathetically at just the mere mention of her name.
“Shit, man. You look really bad.” He brushed by me on his way inside. I shut the door behind him. When I turned around he took out his cell from his jeans pocket. “I’m calling Mrs. Jackson.” His gaze let me know it was no use arguing with him. “She was on her way to work when I left their house. I’m gonna get her to swing by and check you out.”
Bryan’s mom was a registered nurse, and even though I didn’t want to involve her, at this point I was hurting too badly to protest. I made my way over to the threadbare couch, the only one we ever owned, and set my ass carefully on it avoiding the spot with the busted spring. Dizzy flopped into the rocking recliner opposite me watching me squirm around trying to find a position that was at least tolerable. He looked at me as if I was some kind of science experiment he couldn’t quite figure out. “This has something to do with Shaina, doesn’t it?” he finally decided after several minutes.
I ignored his perceptive question and leaned my aching head back onto the cushion behind me wincing when I put the frozen peas on my swollen right eye. My groan nearly drowned out the sound of the front door opening and closing.
“Oh my God!” That would be Bryan’s mom.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought when I saw him,” Dizzy offered. “But don’t ask. He doesn’t want to talk about it.”
I lifted my head slowly. The cold bag of peas slid into my lap. I squinted at her with my good eye. Wearing grey scrubs, her hands on her hips, Mrs. Jackson stared at me for a long moment before her gaze swung to Diz.
“You did the right thing,” she told him before she moved in on me. “Let’s have a look at you, Warren.” She flipped on a lamp on the side table beside me. The glare hurt my eyes. “What happened?”
“I pissed someone off.”
She snorted. “Evidently.”
“It’s a gift I have.”
“Yeah.” Her lip twitched. “Where all did he hit you?”
I attempted a casual shrug. It was a bad decision. The pain that rolled through me was so bad that I couldn’t stifle another wussy moan.
“Warren Andrew Jinkins you better come clean with me right now and let me examine you. Don’t think I won’t drag your sorry butt to the emergency room.”
Man she was a pain in my ass. I’d forgotten how persistent she could be. I gave in, pointing out the various locations as she looked me over. She asked me if I could remove my shirt. I tried, but the pain was too fuckin’ intense.
Noting my grimace, she took over. After she had it off, she softly ran her fingers down my ribs on one side. That didn’t hurt too bad, but before I could exhale in relief she pressed the other side. I drew in a sharp breath that just made everything hurt worse. “Fuck.”
Her eyes narrowing, she nodded slightly. “I’d say you’ve got a bruised or broken rib. Either way the treatment’s the same. Wrap ’em and give ’em time to heal.” She turned her head to look at Dizzy. “I need you to make a run to the pharmacy. The Rexall on Second’s the closest. Get some wide ace bandages and a couple of those disposable cold packs.”
“Sure, Mrs. Jackson.” Dizzy rose and strode purposefully toward the door. After it closed, she helped me lay back on the couch. I felt like an invalid, but I was grateful for her.
“This have anything to do with that girl?” she asked after she placed one of the couch cushions under my head to prop me up. “Shaina?”
I nodded. Why bother to deny it? I could never get anything past her.
“What happened?”
“I fucked things up as usual.”
Her brows rose slightly.
“Here’s where you’re supposed to disagree with me.” I tried to make my tone light but my lips were too swollen to pull that off.
“Warren.” She took a seat, balancing on the edge of the couch beside me. “I love you like a son.” She softly stroked my hair, and I couldn’t hide the way my heart melted from hearing those words. “But trouble seems to find you. You’re good at making people angry.” She brushed my hair gently from my brow. “I know you had it hard. I know there wasn’t a lot of love in this house. I know deep down you feel that you’re not worthy of love. But you are, Honey. There’s a lot of good in you, Warren. You just don’t see it. But I do. You take my breath away when you do some selfless thing like going to jail for Bryan. Don’t look so surprised. A mother knows these things. I wonder how much more you might be capable of if only you’d believe in yourself. But too much of the time you’re a menace to those who dare to care about you. In all the time I’ve known you, I’ve only known you to be dedicated and protective of two things, the band and your friendship with Bryan. Now you’ve tossed both of those things away, like I suspect you’ve done with this girl.” She shook her head, her expression sad.
Her words were too similar. “You’ve been talking to Bryan,” I guessed.
“Yes we have talked about you, quite extensively in fact. I’ll be honest with you. The last time I talked to Bryan I advised him to scrape you out of his life.”
My eye, my good one, widened at hearing that bit of gut twisting sobering news.
“Not because I don’t love you, but because you can be so toxic to the people around you. I told him his number one priority needs to be protecting what he has with Lace, not fixing someone who doesn’t want to be fixed.”
She was right. About that and about everything.
She pinned me with a pointed look. “I saw the way you were looking at Shaina at the party when you thought no one was watching. And it seems pretty obvious to me how she felt about you.”
“Maybe. But not after last night. Not after what I did.” Remembering was a torture that hurt a whole fuckin’ lot worse than anything Treyall had done to me. “I think I might’ve broken her,” I whispered.
She stared at me for a long while, her eyes disapproving, but after a moment her expression softened. She took my hand. “Broken can sometimes be fixed if the pieces aren’t too small and too widely scattered. But it takes selfless love to mend that kind of damage.” A crease formed between her brows. “I wouldn’t sugges
t you even try, Warren, if you’re not fully committed to seeing it through.” Her gaze slid away. “I’m sure you remember how it was the summer Bryan’s father came back. He was physically there, but he was emotionally and spiritually detached.” Her eyes refocused on me. “It was a bad time. I still worry about how it affected my kids, Miriam especially. It would’ve been better for all of us if he’d never even come back at all.” She squeezed my hand and then let it go. “You’d be doing Shaina a similar disservice if it’s like that with you. Better to let her heal as best she can and get on with her life if that’s the case.”
That was some heavy advice that I was just beginning to sift through when Dizzy returned. She wrapped the bandages around me and covered my bruises with the cold packs.
But none of it could hide the fact that I was a monster.
Swollen.
Bloodied.
Grotesque.
My outside now reflected what festered inside of me.
I’d done nothing but wreak havoc in Shaina’s life.
She should never have taken pity on me and rescued me on that bridge.
She would’ve been better off never knowing me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Shaina
For forty-eight hours straight I ate ice cream in my pajamas and watched BBC comedies. Sometimes I laughed during them, but mostly I cried, even when they weren’t supposed to be sad. Alex indulged me through it all. He didn’t judge, and he didn’t try to talk me out of my funk.
He was just there silent and supportive like a good friend should be.
By the third day though, he let me know that he’d had enough.
“Get dressed, Shaye,” he ordered, hands moving to his designer jean clad hips, his expression grim. “Take a shower. Get dressed. It’s past time to move on. In my opinion the guy wasn’t worth twenty-four hours of this. Certainly not forty-eight.” He sighed. “You know I can’t stay. I’ve got to leave for LA today.”
The Complete Tempest World Box Set Page 93