Ocean (Damage Control Book 5) (32 page)

She has a point.

“You look happy,” she says, flipping through a magazine without looking. “Is that a hickey on your neck?”

I clap a hand over my neck, heat spilling over my face. I can’t remember Ocean giving me a hickey but you never know.

“Gotcha.” She grins at me, and I glare back. “So I’m right? Are you guys together now? It was about time. I almost lost my bet.”

“You put a bet on me sleeping with Ocean?”

“Nah,” she replies to my outraged question. “That would have been too easy. Sex wasn’t the issue. But going out… dating. That was the bet.”

“And who bet against?” Funny how in the midst of all the crap piling on us, this has my panties in a twist.

“Seth. Well, in fact he said Ocean would never go out with a girl before he managed to get his brother back.”

“You may not get your money, then,” I say, swallowing. “Because his brother is back. Since last night.”

The magazine falls from her hands to the floor. “You’re shitting me.”

“Nope. Raine Storm is back to stay, apparently. He and Ocean talked and Raine realized what a douche he’d been to his brother. And they hugged.” I consider this. “And then I made them hug again because you can’t imagine everything they went through, and I just can’t tell you, because…”

“It’s too sad?” Ev whispers, her eyes already filling up.

I nod.

“Isn’t this like the heroes of the books you like reading? With dark and tortured pasts?”

“Yeah. Yeah, it is. I never thought it would break my heart to know what happened to him.” God, I wish he were the happy boy I thought he was. I wish he’d been spared this pain. “I don’t think I’ll ever read an ugly-cry romance ever again.”

“I’m glad the brothers got back together.” She gives me a watery smile. God, this girl is as bad as me. Too emotional. “But you also look like you swallowed something sour. What is it?”

I proceed to tell her everything—about the trailer park, Ocean’s parents, his mom’s sickness, the bills, the racing.

When I’m done, she’s actually crying big fat tears.

“You okay, girl?” I check my purse for tissues. “I know this is awful, but stop, or I’ll start bawling, too. You’re not pregnant already, are you?”

“No.” She blows her nose into the tissue I offer her. “I like Ocean. He was always there for me and Micah. We have to stop him from racing again.”

“I talked to Zane and Tyler and Shane. We’ll find a way.”

“Oh thank God.” She pats her face dry. “Jeez. I can’t imagine what I’ll be like when I’m pregnant.”

“Me neither.” God, I shouldn’t be laughing, but now I’ve started I can’t stop. “Poor Micah.”

“Don’t say that. If you knew what he went through…” Now she’s both laughing and crying, and seriously, if she’s not pregnant, then my name’s Edward Cullen and I glitter in the sunlight.

“We’ll fix this,” I tell her, more to convince myself than her. “Together we’ll find a way. We’re a family, aren’t we?”

“Damn right,” she says and high-fives me. “Family.”

***

When I pass by Ocean’s building at two, I do a double-take. His brother is like his clone, only with dark hair instead of blue. Even the way they both lift their hand to wave at me is identical.

Then they climb into my tiny car, and Ocean gapes at me. “Your hair!”

“Like it?” It’s not the same blue as his—mine has lilac and pink in it.

“Yeah! God. It’s so pretty.” He touches it reverently. “You did this for me?”

I smile at him, and he leans closer to kiss me. His scent wraps around me, his taste fills my senses, and I know I’d know him in a crowd of clones.

I fully expect Raine to tell us to get a room or something in that vein—God knows he was obnoxious to Ocean, and to Jason in the brief time I’ve known him—but a glance in the rearview mirror shows me a funny expression on his face. Like a cross between happiness, wistfulness and sadness.

Huh.

I’m not sure what to make of Ocean’s brother yet, and I still haven’t forgiven him for putting Ocean through a world of guilt for something that hadn’t been his fault.

As we drive out of town, Raine falls asleep in the back seat, his gentle snoring mingling with the music I put on.

Ocean turns to look at his brother and laughs softly. “Typical,” he whispers, and he looks more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him, considering we’re heading back to the racing track that had him so stressed yesterday he almost had a panic attack at the end of it.

“If you had a choice,” I ask Ocean, “to avoid the race and still help your mom, would you take it?”

He stares at me like I’ve grown a second head. “Fuck yeah, I would. Why?”

“Nothing. Just asking.”

He narrows his eyes. “What are you thinking about, Kay?”

“How I should make you more blue T-shirts. And then convince you to take them off again.”

He makes a face and chuckles.

God, I love his chuckle. Deep and dark, it comes only second to his full laughter that’s so loud and open, and I also love his brooding expression, and his aroused one, when his eyes go all shadowy and hooded…

My phone buzzes with a text and I check it quickly. Ocean glances at me, but I mouth “Amber” and he looks away.

Actually it’s Shane, asking for info.

“Hey.” I touch Ocean’s arm. “The doctor seeing your mom. What’s his name?”

“Robert Yates,” he says immediately, and I love that he trusts me and doesn’t even ask why I want to know.

I love everything about this boy.
Gah.
Is it normal? Is it even possible?

I quickly send the name to Shane and focus back on the road. Getting us to the race track in one piece might be a good idea.

My phone chirps with a couple more texts, but I ignore them for now. Hope is buzzing through me. I trust these people to help when it comes to one of their own, and Ocean is their brother.

They’ll come through.

But when we reach the field with its collection of parked muscled cars, I only see Duane, and my heart sinks.

Raine sits up in my back seat, rubs a hand over his eyes and groans. “Son of a bitch. Fucking Duane. This is like a nightmare.”

“Language,” Ocean mutters, and I glance at him, surprised.

Raine flips him off. “I’m fucking eighteen now.”

“Not that it ever stopped you before.”

And they’re both grinning.

I roll my eyes.
Brothers.

Then Raine gets out, and Ocean prepares to do the same.

“No.” I grab his arm. “Wait.”

I lean over and kiss him and put my hands on his face. “Please don’t race,” I whisper against his warm lips. “I have a bad feeling. Please?”

“I can’t, Kay,” he whispers back, but he doesn’t sound angry. Only tired. “I don’t know what you read in your cards—”

“I haven’t checked my cards in days. I don’t care what the cards say.” I press my forehead to his. “I’ll burn my cards if you stay.”

His eyes widen. Then his gaze softens. “I love you, Kay.”

“Love you, too.”

“I wish…” He pulls back and tilts his head to the side, his mouth falling open. “What the hell?”

I turn and sigh in relief. Zane is striding toward us, his tall green Mohawk unmistakable, followed by a group of people.

Ocean shoots me a bewildered look, then climbs out of my car and leans against it, waiting. I get out quickly, zipping up my jacket.

“So this is what you asked the day off for, huh, fucker?” Zane asks the moment he’s close enough to be heard.

“Z-man.” Ocean folds his arms over his chest, brows drawing together. “Yeah, this is it, exactly.”

“You wanna race? That get you off?”

“No, dammit. I need the money.” Ocean glances at me, his expression undecipherable. “I bet Kayla told you what for.”

“Motherfucker.” Zane advances on Ocean, and I clap a hand over my mouth, because I think he’s going to punch him. But he grabs him in a quick man-hug and lets him go. “You talk to me, and I’ll help you. Didn’t I say that?”

“You did.” Ocean’s answer is subdued. “But it’s too much money.”

“I’ll lend you the fucking money. Don’t do something you’ll regret, fucker. Don’t get yourself killed. We’ll figure it out.”

He’s instantly surrounded by the others—Rafe and Tyler are here, and Shane and Seth, Jesse and Micah. The girls have meanwhile arrived in another car, and they’re approaching us, too—Ev and Manon, Amber and Cassie, Megan and Erin.

“We have a problem,” Shane says as I near the group.

Ocean reaches for me and I press myself to him, his arm coming around my waist. “Only one?”

He nods at Duane who’s walking toward us, his face red and his mouth an angry line. “What’s going on here? Blue, the race’s about to start.”

“Well,
Blue
.” Shane turns back to Ocean, unruffled. “The problem is that this Doctor Yates who’s been visiting your mom is not a real doctor. He’s a conman.”

“What?” I gape at him, and Ocean jerks against me.

In the spreading silence, Duane harrumphs. “Blue. The
race
.”

“Fuck the race,” Ocean says, way too calmly, his eyes stormy. “And fuck you, Duane.”

“You’ll regret this,” Duane yells, shaking his fist at Ocean but not coming any closer—probably because Tyler steps in his way, thick arms folded over his chest.

“I’ve already regretted it,” Ocean whispers. “This can’t be, Shane. I called the medical center. I called…”

“There’s no such center,” Shane says.

Ocean’s arm tightens around me. “Fuck.” We exchange a glance. “We need to go. Now. I hope Mom didn’t pass him the money I gave her yesterday.”

Grimly, I nod, and we climb back into our car. I should be glad. I should be frigging ecstatic that Ocean didn’t race, that he’s okay—and I am.

But the bad feeling is back, and it’s not going away.

Ocean

My head is spinning. I raced against death, I almost drove Kayla away, and I’ve given all my money to a conman?

Fuck.

Does that mean Mom isn’t sick? Or at least that the diagnosis is wrong? What does that mean for her? We’ll need to get another doctor, a real one this time, to have a look at her.

Which means more costs, goddammit. I drop my head in my hands and struggle not to howl in frustration.

A hand lands on my shoulder, startling the fuck out of me. “Breathe,” Raine says. “We’ll get to the bottom of this. I told you I don’t fucking trust them.”

“That’s because you’re a bitter motherfucker,” I tell him. Hey, I’m pissed as all hell right now, pissed and anxious, and he’s not helping.

“And you’re too damn trusting.”

I press my thumbs into my eyes. “This isn’t Mom’s fault.”

He says nothing. His hand disappears from my shoulder, and I stare outside, at the gray day. The trailer park isn’t far. Kayla parks at the usual spot, and I spill out of the car, striding into the park and heading for my folks’ trailer, vaguely aware of Kayla and Raine following me.

My heartbeat is so loud it’s drowning out every other sound.

Something’s off. It takes me longer than normal to realize. As I turn toward my folks’ trailer, I notice it’s dark and closed, the windows shuttered.

What the fuck?

“Blue. Hey. Over here.”

I turn to find Floyd seated on his porch, like always. The contrast between the familiarity of him on his porch and the dark, shuttered trailer of my folks throws the world into a spin, and I have to keep my knees from buckling.

“Floyd.”

“Your folks left,” he says, and his words make no fucking sense.

I repeat them inside my head—
your folks left, your folks left
—and I shake my head, hoping that will help.

“What do you mean? When?”

“A couple of hours ago. They had a huge-ass suitcase on rollers. A cab came and picked them up.”

“I don’t… This…”
I don’t understand.

This can’t be.

“Come here.” When I don’t move, he gets up, climbs down the steps and limps over to me. He grabs my arm and hauls me to his porch, pushes me down on the steps. “You okay?”

“No.” I suck in an unsteady breath. Behind Floyd I see people gathering—not the people of the park, but Kayla, Raine, Ev, Shane, everyone else.

“Boy, did you give that doctor fellow any money?” Floyd asks, leaning over me. “Or your parents?”

Breathing is failing. “Yeah, I did.”

“Shit. Was it a lot?” When I don’t reply, he curses. “Listen, boy. This ain’t an easy thing to say, but here goes.” His brow wrinkles. “Your mother looked just fine when she walked out. And in the cab that drove up here to pick them up was that doctor fellow who came here a few times. I think… yeah, I think your folks set this up. To take your money.”

I bend over, trying to breathe. The truth is like a kick to the chest. “No.”

Someone sits beside me, and Kayla’s fruity scent hits me just as her arms wrap around me. “Hey.”

“Told you I didn’t trust our folks,” Raine says, kicking at a stone. “People don’t change.”

“They just took off?” Ev asks. “Do you know where?”

“We’ll find them,” Tyler says.

“No.” I look up, not really seeing anything. “No.”

“You don’t want to find them?” Raine huffs. “Get your money back?”

“I don’t,” I start and have to stop and start again, my lungs not getting enough air. “I don’t want to see them again.”

“Ocean…” Kayla strokes me hair. “Blue. Breathe.”

“Fuck them,” I say. “Fuck them for this. And for everything. For hurting Raine. For making me give him away. I’ll never forgive them. I’ll…”

“Shh.” Kayla wipes at my cheeks with her hands, and dammit, I don’t know what’s going on and why everyone is staring at me.

“Dammit, Shun,” Raine finally mutters and leans down, wraps an arm around me and lifts me to my feet. “Come on. We’re going home.”

Kayla slips her arm around my hips and smiles up at me, a small, watery smile. “Ready?” she asks.

“If you’re coming with,” I whisper, my voice raspy.

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” she tells me, and despite the fact the world’s still tilting, off axis, that’s all I want.

To go home with my brother and the girl I love.

***

The medical center doesn’t exist. The doctor is a fake, as was his receptionist. My mom wasn’t really sick. I have no fucking clue what suddenly clicked in her mind, and she decided I could be used as a damn ATM.