This Regret (54 page)

Sitting here, watching her in that tight little red dress as she sets up the bar has me so turned on and happy as shit to know she is mine. It still pisses me off knowing my brother has had his hands on her and I'm afraid I might blow up when I find out just how far they have gone. I plan to have a private little chat with him as soon as I can. It's been a long time coming.

I love Kade and when everything is all said and done, he is still my brother. I'll always have his back; just not when it comes to the woman I love. When it comes to her, he can back the fuck off of. I will hurt anyone over her.

She looks at me from behind the bar, peeking up from wiping down the coolers. "You don't have to hang around being bored while I set up. I probably won't even have any customers for at least another hour." She holds the towel up and laughs. "I'll be working with one of these for most of the morning."

This woman must be crazy if she thinks I'm leaving her alone.
Hell no.
Until I get a handle on things, she's not leaving my side. I can't protect her if I'm not around.

"I'm staying. Watching you is all I need to be happy. I'm not leaving my woman's side until I have to and I don't have any clients since I'm not back at the shop yet officially." I take a seat in a stool and shoot her a playful grin. "How about a beer, beautiful. I'll give you a big tip later."

She raises an eyebrow, grabs a beer and walks over to stand in front of me. "Is this tip going to be the biggest I've ever had?" She holds the beer at a distance, teasing me.

Looking her in the eyes, I grab the beer and bring it to my lips. "Absofuckinlutely." I take a quick swig and smile before licking the taste off my mouth.

Setting my beer down, I lean over the bar and brush my bottom lip over hers, not wanting her to forget for one moment what I do to her. "I could give you that tip right now; bent over that desk in the back."

She smiles against my lips and gets ready to back away, but I stop her by sucking her bottom lip into my mouth, taking her mouth hostage. Her eyes close as a moan escapes her lips, clearly enjo
ying being held captive. "Mmm . . . very tempting. You've always been hard to resist."

The phone rings, breaking our little moment.
Stupid piece of crap.
"Wait," I mumble, as she pulls her lip away.

"I have to get that. It might be Dale." She tries to go get it, but I wrap my fingers in her hair and smash my lips against hers, getting a taste first.

I suck her lip in one last time before freeing her. "Now you can get it."

She walks away blushing as I sip on my beer, watching her make her way over to grab the phone. She's so damn beautiful; she blows my mind.

"Hello," she says with a giggle. She looks confused for a second as she listens to what the person on the phone is saying. "Wait, Nancy. What's wrong? Why do you sound like that? Where are you?"

Sensing her panic, I jump from the stool and rush behind the bar.

"What?” She begins to shake, while taking notice of me standing behind her. "What do you mean? Is he alright?"

I grab the phone from her hand and place it to my ear, nervous as shit as to why Phoenix is freaking out. "Mom! What's going on? Are you okay?"

There's a bunch of heavy breathing in the phone before she finally responds. "Hospital," she whispers in a strained voice. "Kade is in the hospital and your father and I are out of town. One of the nurses called me, but wouldn't give any information of his condition over the phone and asked if a family member could make it to the hospital. The only thing she said was . . . he . . . oh God. He swallowed a bunch of pills." I hear sobbing before she speaks again. "My baby. I need to know that he's okay. Please, go see your brother."

My heart is pounding so loud, I'm surprised I can even hear what my mother is saying.
No! No. No. No. Not this again. This cannot be happening
. "I'm on my way."

Hanging up the phone, I pull Phoenix into my arms and kiss her on the mouth before kissing her on the forehead. "I have to go. There's an emergency with Kade."

"I'll go-"

Before she can finish, two men walk in, taking a seat next to the pool tables. One of them waves and smiles at Phoenix. "Can we get a quick round, Phoenix? We're just in for lunch."

She gives me a frustrated look before squeezing my hand. "Call me as soon as you find out what's going on. Please. I need to know he's okay."

Looking her in the eyes, I get this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I hate to fucking leave her, but I have to.
Kade
!
My little shit brother. Why would he do it? Is it because of Phoenix?
The thought makes me sick, but he's had a thing for her since they were just kids. Love can make people do stupid things. I know that now. She doesn't want him so I've never felt bad. I never want to give her up, but if it means losing my brother's life, I'll have no choice. I've lost one brother, I will not lose two.

I kiss her one last time, my lips desperately taking her in while I can. I have to be prepared for whatever it is I'll find in that hospital bed.

"I'll call soon. I promise." I pull away and look her in the eyes. "I love you. You know that, right?"

Her face scrunches up and she almost looks as if she's about to cry. "Yeah, I love you too, but you're scaring me." She squeezes my arm. "I never want to lose you; ever."

I force a smile. "I know, baby. Neither do I. We'll talk soon."

I walk away, leavin
g her behind.
Shit! Mother fucking fuck!
This is not what I expected. This is beyond fucked up. My little brother better be okay. I can't lose him too. I can't go through this shit again.

On the way to the hospital, I'm so panicked I end up running a couple of red lights, not able to think straight. Luckily, there were no cars when I did. After what happened the last time I was put in this situation, you would think I'd learned my lesson and just run my ass there. Clearly, I'm a dumbass when I'm put under pressure.

Pushing my way through the doors, I run up to the first counter I see, yelling Kade's name. "Kade Haze! Where is he?"

The lady behind the desk smiles at me as if everything is all fine and fucking dandy.
Do I look like everything is fine and dandy?
"Well!"

After a few seconds she finally nods her head and points around the corner, still calm as shit.
This damn woman.
"Room 112."

I take off running, almost knocking a nurse down in the process. My eyes scan the numbers on the doors, until finally, I'm standing right outside his door. My heart is pounding so fast I can barely breathe.

Pushing the door open, I step inside to see Kade clothed in a gown hooked up to some IVs. Dark circles sit around his eyes and his skin looks unusually pale while his hair is a crazy mess.

Upon noticing my sudden appearance, his eyes open wide before closing again. Pushing his head into his pillow, he slams it over and over then he growls under his breath, while trying to keep his eyes open. "Oh fuck! You played right into the fucking trap."

What is he talking about?
He's obviously in better condition than what I first expected. Still, that doesn't tell me why he did it or if he'll try it again.

I rush to his bedside and look down at him, wanting to kick his ass but protect him at the same time. "Shit, Kade. What were you thinking?" I pull the chair behind me closer to the bed and take a seat as close to him as I can. If he had enough strength, he'd maybe punch me, but I don't give a shit. "Don't you ever do that to me again. I thought you were fucking dead."

A tear slides down my cheek as I take in his features; him lying there looking helpless. He still reminds me of that little boy I left behind; just a little bit older. Seeing the old Kade there breaks me apart, making me realize I hurt more than I thought.
Shit, I love my family. How have I lived eight years without them
?

I'm looking at him waiting on an answer, but he still seems pretty weak. My guess, he's been in here since late last night. Just enough time to start getting his strength back. "I'm sorry, bro. I'm sorry for everything I put you through. If there's anything I can do to make up for it and get you to promise to never do this shit again, I will do it; no questions asked." My heart breaks as I speak, because I know there's a possibility I might have to give the love of my life up. I don't know if I can do it and go on living.

"You're so much better than this. Fuck, man. Everyone loves you. There can't be anything bad enough that you can't get through it; you know this. You have mom, dad, Phoenix . . . me. I know I haven't been here and that I've been a shitty brother, but that's going to change."

His eyes open again and he takes a few deep breaths before attempting to speak again. "How the hell did you find out?" He stops to catch his strength. "I told them not to tell anyone I was here. You have to leave. You're not listening to me; it's a trap." He shakes his head, angry at something.

"I'm not going anywhere. Are you shitting me? Look at you. I can't let this happen again. I'm here to stay." I reach for his arm and squeeze it. "You can't make me walk away again."

He snatches his arm away. Well the best he can, and shakes his head again. "Dammit! I didn't put myself here, Kellan. Would you listen to me? It's Phoenix
. . ." He shifts in the bed trying to get comfortable. "You have to fucking go. This was all a damn distraction for them to get you away from Phoenix. I tried to keep this from you so you wouldn't come here. They knew you wouldn't leave her willingly, so they had to come up with another plan to get to her."

My head is spinning so fast¸ I feel like fucking hurling.
What the shit did he just say?
"What!" I stand up and roar, fists clenched at my side. "What does that mean?" I yell angrily and I can feel my nostrils flare.

He looks up, his expression mirroring mine. "I know everything now. I saw Echo. I know their plan. They know you're back and instead of going after you, they are cutting you off at the heart by taking Phoenix. Now get the hell out of here and get back to Phoenix before they get there first. He has people watching her. They forced those pills down my throat knowing you'd come for me. Go!" He begins pulling at his hair in a panic.

"Fuck!" My legs move as fast as they can towards the door. As my hand grips the door Kade calls out my name.

I turn around. “What?”

“I'm sorry about what happened with Adric. I never meant for him to get hurt. I didn't know he was that bad off. It was easy money and I didn't think about the consequences. Will you not tell Phoenix? I'd rather her hear it from me. I don't want her to hate me. I can't live with that.” He seems sincere.

I nod my head. “You have twenty four hours to tell her before I do. Once you’re out of here and better. I won't keep anymore secrets from her, no matter what the consequences are.”

I open the door and take off running, not giving him a chance to hold me back any longer. I have to get to her. As I rush out of the hospital and through the parking lot, my adrenaline is pumping so hard I can feel the blood coursing through my veins. Right now, I could get shot and not fucking feel it.

This is not fucking good; not fucking good at all. I have to get back before those goons realize my mistake.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Phoenix

Alright boys," I say while clearing the table of their empty beer bottles. "I'll see you later."

Travis and Rob both smile and wave as they carry their conversation outside, babbling on about some woman they both seem to have the hots for. The only good thing from their visit is that they somehow managed to keep my mind occupied by their endless banter and horrible pool skills. At least somewhat.

Now that they're gone and I'm alone, I can't stop wondering why I haven't heard anything from Kellan yet. He's been gone for at least a good twenty-five minutes. He has to know something by now. He knows how worried I am and he promised to call, text; anything but leave me in the dark. My nerves are going wild with anticipation.

Pacing up and down the bar from the growing feeling of worry in the pit of my stomach, I'm beginning to get restless. I take a seat on a stool and try to keep my cool as I wait to hear from Kellan. I can't take this anymore. I need to know something and Kellan doesn't have a phone anymore. I could try Kade's. There’s a chance he has it next to his bed. His phone never leaves his side; it’s an attachment. I know because every time I look at him it's glued to his hand.

Just as I'm about to pull out my phone to call, the door opens and a surge of hope runs through me, sending me straight up to my toes. I turn behind me, expecting to see Kellan, but stop dead in my tracks when I see someone I wasn't expecting.
Yeah, definitely wasn’t wanting to deal with this shit so early.
Today isn't the day to have to deal with some sick fuck's bullshit. The feeling irks me.

One look into his snake-like eyes makes my blood run cold and my heart stop mid-beat. A lopsided grin creeps up on blond guy's face, the piercing in his cheek stretching the skin, looking as if the barbell is going to break through the thin layer.

In line behind him, walk his two creepy sidekicks with matching grins. This is even worse than I expected. Now, I’m really nervous. They look determined, like they’re on some kind of mission and I'm hoping I'm not it.