Addiction (4 page)

He looks at me confused. “Yes,” he says slowly. “And you had no right to scare her like that.” He throws a look of disgust over to Miller, my security guard. “And if you lay one hand on her, I’ll kill you.” Miller just snorts.

I let out a puff of air and ignore his statement. “Why didn’t you fucking tell me that?” I snap.

“You never asked.” His voice rises defensively.

“Fucking idiot,” I hiss. “Three months we’ve been setting this up and you never once mentioned a girlfriend or a fucking sister.” The girlfriend isn’t that much of an issue. But a sister? She can be big trouble. And not just because I was eye fucking her moments ago when I watched her from the stairs.

He shakes his head. “What does it matter?”

What does it matter? A lot! “Because you can’t protect her.” Not the way I can. And by the looks of how she reacted when she saw the drugs on the table, she’s never been part of this world.
Addiction.
Where people will do anything to get their next fix. She doesn’t partake in such activities. She has no idea what kind of world in which he has stepped in. This is a multimillion-dollar industry. Worldwide. People take their money and merchandise very seriously. I know I sure as hell do.

He actually rolls his eyes as if that’s the most stupid thing he’s ever heard. “Protect her from what?”

How could I hire someone so stupid? “You came to me. You made me an offer. You begged me when I refused. I asked you if you understood what could happen. The consequences you could face,” I shout, getting pissed. “You have a sister! They find out what you’re doing, they will go for her. And they won’t use her for leverage.” I shake my head. “They will fucking take her, and you will never see her again. They will use her as an example.” I feel a pain in my chest at how true that statement is. If only he had the slightest idea …

“They won’t find out what I’m doing. I’m not going to get caught.”

I just stare at him for a few seconds, trying to decide what I need to do. I have learned from experience to always prepare for the worst. And an innocent bystander paying the price for what I have done is the worst. Blane knew what he was taking on when I accepted his offer. His sister did not.

I sit down in my chair and let out a long breath. The sound of the music from the club is starting to give me a headache. When I look up at him, he stares down at me with a frown on his face. “I need to do what is best for her,” I say.

His dark blue eyes harden and his lips thin. “We made a deal. You can’t go back on that,” he says fisting his hands down by his side.

I shake my head. “I’m gonna add to it.”

He straightens his back. “How are you going to do that?”

“I want her,” I say simply.

“No!” he shouts, shaking his head. “I will not allow that.” He starts to make his way around the coffee table toward me, but Miller, my security and good friend, grabs his arm and yanks him back. “You think I would just hand her over to you? Like she’s just some pawn in this game …”

I stand and raise my hand to cut him off and for Miller to let him go. “Things have changed,” I say simply “And this is not up for negotiation.”

“I won’t let this happen. I’ll tell her who you really are ...”

I’m in front of him with my hand around his throat in a matter of seconds. “Don’t you dare come to my house and threaten me,” I yell in his face. “I own you! Or did you forget that?”

His blue eyes look at me with hatred and his nostrils flare. “I know what I signed up for. She owes you nothing,” he rasps, trying to breathe.

I have to give him credit for standing up for her. If I had been this way once, then maybe …
not the time for that
. I mentally shake my head to clear it. “She may owe me nothing, but you owe her everything. Just as you do me. And I’m telling you, she will end up paying if you screw up in the slightest way. Are you that arrogant, that self-absorbed, that you would bet her life on it?” I give him a shove as I release him. He stumbles a few steps back. Reaching up, he rubs his throat and lets out a cough.

“I would never want her life in danger,” he replies after he catches his breath.

I nod my head. “Then it’s settled. Things have changed.”

He looks over at Miller and then back at me. “What do I have to do?” he asks, shoulders slumping and sounding defeated.

“Stick to the plan. And keep your mouth shut.” He nods. “I’ll take care of her,” I say simply, but the truth is that it won’t be that simple. I don’t have a problem when it comes to women, but then again, most women don’t look at me with the hatred she did. I can change that, though, but the question is, how far will I have to go in order to make that happen? And the answer is, as far as I need to.

TAYLOR

I can’t stop staring in the direction of the hallway that leads to the restrooms and private rooms. Where my brother remains.

“Why hasn’t he come out yet?” Savannah yells over the music.

As much as I hated that room, I hate the blaring of the club music even worse. “Why didn’t you tell me what was gonna happen?” I demand, turning to face her.

Her green eyes bug out. “You thought I knew?” She points at herself.

I shrug and lean over to her ear. “You see him more than I do.” How could she not know what he is up to? How could I not know?

She shakes her head, making her blond hair whip back and forth. “He said he just wanted to go out. He didn’t even want to bring us. I had no idea that he was into … drugs.” She mouths the last word, and I sigh heavily.

I’ve never known my brother to do drugs. He has a steady, reliable job. He’s a good guy. It’s crazy how someone so close to you can hide so much.

I start to hit her in the arm when I see him round the corner. His eyes are on us, and they harden as he looks at me. I narrow mine as well. As he approaches us, he grabs both of our arms and starts to push us through the crowd toward the front door.

I breathe a sigh of relief when I feel the fresh air hit my face. Being inside that club rattled my nerves.

I look over at my brother. “What were you thinking, Blane? Drugs?”

“Not now,” he snaps. “At least wait until we get in the car, for Christ’s sake.”

I huff as we round the back of the corner to the parking lot. I yank my arm out of his hold and cross them over my chest like a petulant child. If I could, I would stomp my feet. I could go as far as refusing to get into the car until he tells me everything, but that would cause a scene. And as much dirty shit that goes on in this club, I bet the guard would come out to silence me before I caused a scene and the cops were called.

As soon as my ass hits the backseat, I start in on him. “What in the hell were you thinking?” I demand. “What was that? Were you buying or selling?”

Before he can answer, Savannah chimes in. “Are you really doing drugs?” My voice had been full of rage; hers, however, is full of sadness. “Please tell me the truth.” She sniffs. “We can help you. We can figure it out.” She is full out crying now. She places her head in her hands as she bends over and sobs in the passenger seat.

He turns in the driver’s seat and grabs her upper arm. He pulls her over the center console and hugs her tightly as he runs a hand up her back. “It’s gonna be okay,” he tells her as he hugs her. I go to open my mouth, but he throws me a look that has me shutting it the next instant. I don’t feel the same way Savannah does. That’s obvious. I’m concerned about him, yes, but I’m not gonna cry and beg him to seek help. I’m going to make him get help, even if I have to drive him there myself.

The ride home is longer than it should have been. Savannah cried softly the entire time, and I sat in the back gazing at their entwined hands on the center console. No one spoke, and my mind ran with questions. The need to know what he is up to filled me to the point I felt like I wanted to explode.

We walk into the house still not speaking to one another. He leads Savannah to their room with a hand on her lower back. I’m waiting for him out in the hallway when he comes out alone a few seconds later.

“When did you start selling drugs?” I demand.

“I’m not discussing this with you,” he growls.

“What?” I snap. “I deserve to know what the hell you have gotten yourself into, Blane.”

“It’s none of your business!”

I reach out and grab his upper arm. He looks down at my hand wrapped around his arm and then back up at me. I can see the amusement in his eyes. “This is no joke, Blane.” Annoyance washes over his face as he clenches his jaw. “Why even take us to that damn club if you knew you had a meeting?”

“Because I thought I could get away from you,” is his clipped answer.

My mouth falls open. “What did you think was gonna happen? You take us to the club that your drug dealer owns. And on top of that, you just happen to have the drugs in your pocket? What if we would have been pulled over? We could have all been arrested.”

He just stares at me. “Blane,” I say softening my voice. “You can get into big trouble for this. You tell that guy you don’t want any more.” I’m still not sure what I saw in that room, but I do know that the guy is the reason it’s happening. If my brother’s doing drugs, it’s because that guy is supplying them to him.

He yanks his arm out of my hold. “I can’t do that. I owe him.”

I place my hand on my chest as my heart starts to pound. “What did you do, Blane? Why do you
owe
him?” I’m starting to feel like Savannah sounded in the car. Hysterical to the point of a breakdown.

He takes in a deep breath as he runs a hand through his dark hair. “That’s none of your concern.”

“No,” I say angrily as tears start to fill my eyes. “Please don’t do this to yourself. To us,” I beg desperately. “You saw what it did to Dad.”

He runs a hand over his forehead as he releases a long breath. “He’s putting me to work. That’s all I can say. I owe him,” he repeats with irritation.

I feel the air leave my lungs as if just hit in the chest. “Blane …” I breathe, tears silently fall down my cheek. “How much?” My voice shakes.

“There’s no set price. I work for him until he doesn’t need me.” He sounds so unaffected. As if this is no big deal. Just a walk in the park.

I swallow nervously. “Then what? He kills you?”

“No,” he growls as if that was a stupid question.

I place my shaking hands over my face and take a deep breath. “I can’t believe this,” is all I can say. “After everything we’ve gone through with Dad. Don’t you want a better life than that?” I reach up and wipe the tears away from my face with shaky hands.

“It’s okay,” he assures me in the same soft tone he used with Savannah in the car. He knows I’m losing my shit. “Nothing is going to happen to me, sis.” He wraps his arms around me, and I tighten mine around him.

“I can’t lose you too,” I whisper.

“I promise.” He leans down and kisses my hair. “Don’t worry about it. He needs me too much to do anything to me.”

I don’t say what I’m thinking. That he will eventually no longer need you. Or what if you end up getting arrested? You won’t be useful to him if you’re in jail.

“Please, don’t worry. I promise it will be okay,” he says again as if he can read my mind.

I pull away from him and head to my room without another word. I shut my door and lie down on my bed for the second time today. But this time, I close my eyes as the tears continue to silently fall.

BLANE

I stand in the hallway as I listen to my sister cry inside of her room. I want to go tell her everything. I want to tell her Case is going to take care of me and now her, but I can’t. It would only cause many problems I know I won’t be able to control, let alone explain. And Case was right—I can’t protect her in this world. Even if I have enough confidence in myself not to fuck it up, I won’t risk her life.

With a heavy sigh, I turn around and walk down the hallway as I enter my bedroom that I share with Savannah. She lies under our brown silk sheets as she quietly cries. I’ve hurt the two women who mean the most to me.

It breaks my heart. I hate to hurt either of them. I quickly remove my shoes, jeans, and then my shirt before making my way over to my side of the bed.

“Baby,” I say softly as I lift the cool covers and crawl in next to her. I wrap my arms around her and pull her back to my front. I bury my face in her hair as I inhale her scent. “I promise it’s going to be okay,” I whisper.

She turns in my arms, fresh tears running down her gorgeous face. I’ve been in love with her for as long as I can remember. She’s been friends with Taylor since grade school. When she told Taylor that she would follow her to Chicago after high school graduation, I was on cloud nine. I was already committed to going with Taylor because I wasn’t gonna let her move without me. Taylor may be an adult, but she doesn’t understand how the world works. I do! She needs a man to protect her, so I tagged along. Then came Savannah.

We’ve been in Chicago for three years now, and it was hard as fuck not to tell her how I felt. Living with her across the hall was torture. Seeing her bring men home was devastating. But somehow, she came to me. She gave me a chance, and I took it. We’ve been together for six months now. I never stopped to think that this could push her away from me.