Taking Chances (Blackrock Book 2) (53 page)

“Would
you ladies like me to call a cab?”

I
shake my head. “No thanks. We are only a few blocks away.”
Frowning, he asks again holding on to me. I peel his fingers from my
arm. “Thank you but we are fine.” I smile and push Paige
outside into the night air.

We
laugh all the way home; a walk that should have been ten minutes
turned into thirty.

“Are
you coming up with me to see if those assholes are gone?” I
laugh and she follows.

“Sure.”
We walk into the apartment to find silence and I smile. Maybe they
all left I walk up to the sitting room hearing the TV still on
opening the door we both freeze.

Knox
is sprawled on the sofa with that chick beside him and Max is on the
armchair with another chick in his lap, all asleep pulling out my
phone I take a picture then flip on the lights.

“What
the fuck is this!” I yell. I am breathing so hard I feel like I
could bellow fire as they jump up. Knox rubs his face and looks at
who his arm is around then jumps off the sofa. He pales when he looks
at me.

“Get
the fuck out now,” I hiss at them. The girls walk past Paige
and I mumbling. Looking around, I don’t see their cousin.
“Where is your cousin?” I ask fuming.

Max
rubs his face looking at Knox. “She went home.”

I
physically take a step back feeling like I got a blow to the stomach.
Turning I walk down to the bedroom. Taking off my shoes, I slip on my
flats then a sweater and grab my keys. On my way out I see the two
girls standing by the door.

“Get
the fuck out!” I shout sending them running.

Knox
walks down the hall looking at me. “Darlin’, just
listen.”

Laughing
without humor, I shake my head at him. “No Knox.” I can’t
even argue with him I am so drained from all this mental bullshit.
Taking off my ring I hand to him. “I’ll pick up my stuff
tomorrow.” Swiping at the tears, I walk out of the apartment.
Walking down the stairs, I hear Paige race after me.

“Stay
with me tonight.” She pulls me over to her place and we sit in
her bedroom in the dark both of us angry and numb.

Knox

Tears
fill my eyes as I watch her walk away. Paige rushes past me pushing
me out of her way I take a step to chase Bailey but Max grabs me.

“Let
her go, she’ll be back in the morning.” Balling my hands
into fists I feel the diamond cutting into my palm the pain in my
heart is tearing at me so I punch the wall, over and over until I
leave nothing but a gaping hole staring back at me.

“What
the fuck happened?” I ask Max, watching the blood roll down my
hand.

“I
don’t know bro. How did those chicks get back in here?”
He asks as I slide down the wall.

“I
don’t know but I am going to find out.” Standing I wipe
my eyes on my arm and walk into the kitchen to find my phone. Max
follows me. “Where’s my phone?” I ask tipping over
the junk basket on the counter. Max dials my number.

“It’s
ringing,” he says but we don’t hear it. Max calls Paige
to earning a wrath of fury from her. “Paige can you just ask
her if she knows where the phone is?”

Max
closes his eyes when she starts calling him names. “Fine Paige,
I get it. We don’t know how they got in. They all left together
about ten minutes after you guys left.” Walking into the
bathroom I rinse my hand while Max and Paige shout at each other.

“No
Knox, she doesn’t know.” Shaking his head, he calls our
cousin and gets into it with her too. We leave to find those chicks
and get my shit back. I put Bailey’s ring in my wallet while
Max drives.

“No
way Max, she is not leaving me over this.”

I
can feel anger rising inside me because I did nothing wrong except
for falling asleep on my own fucking sofa. When we arrive at uncle
George’s he is up waiting for us.

“What
the hell is going on?” he barks when we walk inside seeing my
cousin crying on the chair. I see her two friends and my blood boils,

“How
the fuck did you to get into my apartment? And where is my phone.”
They look at me and burst into tears. I grab the house phone from the
table and dial my own cell hearing it ring out in the hallway.

Walking
out it’s ringing from a purse, so I open it and tip out all of
the shit finding my phone and house keys. I open the wallet seeing
that it belongs to Audrey.

“What
the fuck is your problem?” My rage makes me throw the purse at
her and shout all kinds of names at her. “I don’t know
you! Why the fuck would you do that to me? Just because I wouldn’t
fuck you, I am engaged,” I roar at her making her cry harder.
“I’m calling the cops,” I say storming out of the
room with my uncle chasing after me.

“What
in god’s name is going on Knox?” He grabs me by the
shoulder tears streaming down my face. Max walks in behind us and
tells my uncle what went down he frowns at me and I snap “Don’t
fucking say anything bad against her!” I shout pointing in his
face. “I love her that’s all that matters here and that
bitch! Wrecked it.”

Max
grabs me, pulling me out of the house and into the truck. My chest
aches and my head hurts like hell. “Max take me home. I need to
make this right.” Closing my eyes against the pounding behind
my lids, I press the heels of my hands into my eye sockets to stop
the pain.

“You
okay?” Max asks glancing over to me.

“No,
I need my meds.” He drives faster and when I open my eyes I see
he brought he brought me to my dad’s. “Max,” I moan
shaking my head at him.

“Knox,
shut the fuck up and get out.” Climbing out of the truck, we
enter the house setting off the alarm making my headache worse. Max
quickly turns it off as my dad runs down the stairs with a baseball
bat. Looking between us he drops the bat and grabs both of us to him.

Sitting
at the kitchen table my dad listens as Max explains another fuck up
of mine. My anger simmers as I listen to Max tell my dad about that
chick standing I knock over the chair Max’s phone rings and he
leaves the room.

“Son,
sit down.” My dad grabs my shoulder steering back to the over
turned chair picking it up I sit down covering my eyes.

“I
need my pills,” I whisper, Dad jumps off the chair grabbing a
towel soaking it in cold water and making an eye cover for me.

“Where
are they?” he asks shaking my jacket.

“At
home,” I whisper. He leaves the kitchen while Max talks on the
phone. Drowning him out, I close my eyes placing the cold towel over
my eyes to keep the pain away but also to hide my tears; I can’t
go through another heart break again.

This
wasn’t my fault, I did nothing wrong! Why is this happening to
me? All I wanted to do was watch a fucking movie with my brother and
wait for Bailey to calm the fuck down. This shit is too much. How can
we even be together if we don’t trust each other? Tears fall
from my eyes as much from the worst motherfucking headache as from
the ache in my heart. I never thought she would pull that shit.
Ripping her ring off so fast it killed me.

Bailey

Paige
and I are sitting on her bed. We heard the truck peel away about
thirty minutes ago. My heart hurts but it’s my own fault. Paige
has Max on speaker and he is telling her what happened at George’s
house. She is still pissed at him but begins to soften as she
listens. I can hear Knox in the background shouting then a crash then
silence,

“Is
Knox wrecking your uncle’s house?” Paige asks frowning
hearing the crash too.

“No
I brought him to dad’s. He needs his pills but they are there
in the apartment. I’ll swing by soon to get them; I just need
him to calm down before he ends up in hospital,” Max sighs.
“I’m sorry angel, we really didn’t let them stay,
honest. We found his phone and keys in crazy bitch’s purse.”
I can hear Max’s anger begin to bubble to the surface.

Grabbing
a pen and paper, I tell Paige to say I will bring Knox his medication
and some clothes. She passes it on to Max.

“No
he doesn’t need anymore hassle. He will just fucking break down
again.”

My
own eyes fill again and I stand, “I’m bringing them Max,
I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

He
curses. “No Bailey, just fucking leave him alone okay!”
he shouts at me. Paige turns off the speaker and leaves her room
yelling at Max. I pull my own phone out of my pocket and call Knox.

He
answers after two rings sounding sad. “Hello.”

My
heart crumbles all over again. “Knox, do you want me to bring
your pills?” I ask in a whisper.

His
breathing is rapid and shallow and he answers, “yes” in a
whisper.

“Okay,
ill be there in a few.” Sniffing I hang up the phone as Paige
storms into her room. “I’m bringing him his medication,
are you coming?” Pulling off her party clothes, she grabs jeans
and a sweater.

“Hell
yeah, I have a bone to pick with the other fucking twin.” We
run over to my place stepping into the hallway we see a huge hole in
the wall with blood drops on the floor.

My
shoulders sag as I walk past it. Changing into yoga pants and a
t-shirt grabbing Knox some clean clothes and his medication. We leave
the apartment and I drive like a bat out of hell all the way to
Marion making it there in twenty-five minutes,

“Holy
fuck girl,” Paige moans holding her stomach as we climb out of
the car. Knocking on the door, Max opens it to us. Stepping aside we
walk in but Paige stops by him scowling at him.

Richard
sighs when he sees me and gives me a hug. “Are you okay?”
Nodding and blinking away tears, I try smile but can’t. “You
kids will tear each other apart.” Shaking his head, he leaves
the room. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the medication and put
a pill in Knox’s hand.

“Two
darlin’,” he whispers so I put another one and get him
some water. After he takes the medication he stays quiet.

“Do
you want me to leave?” I ask watching him press the wet towel
to his eyes.

“No,
I need to go to bed and I want to talk to you.” Reaching out
his hand, I take it and lead him up to his room. I turn on the lamp
and help him get undressed shaking my head at his busted hand. He
pulls me into bed with him. “Don’t go darlin’,
please, let me explain.” His shoulder shake as tears pour down
his face from under the towel.

“I’m
sorry Knox.” Wrapping my arms around him I hold him close as my
own tears fall. We stay together until the sun rises and he falls
asleep from exhaustion and a headache. Sliding out of bed, I make my
way to the kitchen finding Richard sitting at the table in his jeans
and t-shirt.

“Good
morning.” Standing he offers a hug, which I accept gratefully.
Sitting down he brings me a coffee. “So tell me everything from
your side and why my son almost ended up in hospital last night?”

Guilt
rips through me as I look at his face. Putting my phone on the table
I show him the picture.

“We
came home to that,” I say watching his face fall.

“What
the hell is wrong with those boys?” he says angrily shaking his
head. “Now I understand why things happened the way they did.”
We sip our coffees in silence for a while. “So are you done
with him?” Richard asks cautiously looking anxious.

“I
love him but this cut too deep.”

Letting out a breath, his whole
body deflates before me. “I’m sorry Bailey, I wish there
was something I could do.”

Shrugging
my shoulders I sigh. “I think Knox and I need to talk seriously
about how we want things to go between us.”

He
nods at me, “I agree, you are both so young. Maybe time away
from each other might help.” My heart lurches in my chest and
bile stings my throat as I shake my head.

“No,
not like that we spent the summer apart and it killed both of us.”

Richard
gives me a look of pity as he pats my shoulder on his way out of the
room. Grabbing Knox’s jacket, I walk out to the beach and begin
walking down along the shoreline. Shrugging on his jacket, I can
smell his cologne and smile pushing my hands into the pockets I walk
without seeing. Reaching a rocky outcrop I climb up onto the top
sitting I watch the ocean ebb and flow smelling the sea salt. My gaze
travels to a group of seagulls squawking and diving off the rocks.

Everything
has gone to shit again. Maybe Paige has the right idea of getting the
hell out of here, away from the Porter brothers, away from Blackrock
and its trappings. But who am I kidding, I would miss my twin to
much; I love him and yes maybe I freaked out, even over reacted but
who wouldn’t seeing that scene in their own home. I watch the
surfers arrive to catch the early waves and make my way back to the
house walking slowly kicking sand in my wake.

“Morning.”
Paige smiles from the patio chair.

“Hey
you.” I sit beside her and prop my feet up on the empty chair.
“So did you and Max get sorted out?”

Rolling
her eyes, she nods. “Yeah a bit, but we are taking it slow
because I am leaving. We agreed to stay together unless one of us
falls head over heals for someone else.” She shrugs her
shoulders watching the waves.

“Sounds
odd,” I sigh closing my eyes feeling the early morning sun on
my face.

We
sit in silence listening to people laugh and scream from the beach;
everyone having fun just like we did yesterday.

“How
did we go from yesterday to today?” I ask cracking an eye open
to her.

“Yeah
good question,” she snorts as Max joins us with a bowl of
cereal.

“Morning,”
he grumbles, rubbing his face then looking at me,

“Say
what you want but think before you speak because we have to spend the
rest of our lives around each other,” I warn watching his face
change from annoyed to something like acceptance.

“I
just wanted to know what you two are doing? It’s been a rough
ride over the last year.” He shoves a spoonful of cereal in his
mouth as he watches me.