***
“Go to the guest room and lock the door behind you,” I order Kiera, pointing her in the right direction. She scurries away, disappearing into the hallway like she can’t get away fast enough.
Hero follows me into the living room and throws himself down onto the leather couch. I reach into a secret compartment in the end table and pull out a small metal case. Flipping it open, I take out one of the pre-rolled joints and put it between my lips.
Sitting next to Hero, I pull out a lighter from my other pocket and light the end of the joint. I suck in the sweet, calming smoke, filling my lungs as full as I can, just to puff it right back out. It takes about three drags before my body and mind relax, and I hand the joint over to Hero.
“So, you really are in love with that girl.” I can’t believe I’m even asking this question. Must be the weed. I hope Hero is fucked up enough to forget we ever had this touchy-feely conversation.
“So fucking much it hurts. I keep fucking up, but I can’t help it. She pushes all my buttons, good and bad. It’s driving me insane.”
I nod at his explanation. I know all about someone pushing my buttons. She’s sitting in the bedroom down the hall.
Halfway through the joint, Hero passes out, and I have to finish this bad boy myself. Oh well…
As soon as I reach a nice buzz and stop thinking about everything that annoyed me today, my phone vibrates in my pocket.
Of course, I start to chill out and everything goes to shit.
“What?” I answer without checking the screen.
Toni’s voice comes through the line. “Hey, boss, sorry for calling so late, but I figured you might want to know about this right away.” I have a feeling I most definitely do not want to hear anything he is about to tell me.
When I don’t say anything, he continues. “The cleanup crew got back to me. They found some stuff on scene. It looks like Leo was working for Xander before they offed him. The way they killed him definitely proves it was his crew.”
Fuck my life.
“Also, there was a note on the fridge. I’m sending you a picture of it now.”
“Okay. I’ll deal with this in the morning.” I hang up the phone and look at the screen, waiting for the picture to come through. A few seconds later, it does. The words We’ll be back for you are written in familiar handwriting on a sticky note. Suddenly, everything has taken a horrible turn.
Out of all the people in the world, did it have to be my stupid ass brother who was after Keira? Now, I do feel bad for her.
I lean forward and hold my head in my hands. Hero’s soft snores fill my ears. If my brother gets his hands on her…I don’t even want to think about it.
He’d break her. Destroy her. She might be scared of me, but she’s never met Xander, and he’s way fucking worse.
I’ve always hated Xander, even when we were kids. Probably because our father made us hate each other. I might be a dick, but Xander puts me to shame one-hundred percent. He’s a psychopath without a caring bone in his body. Remembering my childhood and my crazy ass brother is not what I need to be doing right now. I can deal with all this shit tomorrow.
Pushing up from the couch, I walk over to the liquor cabinet and rummage through it. Vodka or Whiskey? I contemplate the choice like it’s the only thing I should be concerned with right now.
My fingers wrap around the neck of the whiskey bottle, then I twist the cap off and pour myself a full glass. I can’t even swirl the amber liquid around like I usually do because I’ve filled the fucking thing right to the rim.
Bringing the glass to my nose, I inhale. Smoke and wood fill my nostrils, along with an undertone of vanilla. I bring the glass to my lips and down half of it in one swallow, enjoying how it coats my throat with flames of fire, then settles deep into my stomach, warming my body all over.
I top off the crystal cup and take another large gulp, then another. Wiping at my mouth with the back of my hand, I wonder what kind of shit Leo was doing for my brother. My thoughts once again turn to Keira.
She is probably wondering why her brother would send her to an asshole like me. What she doesn’t know is I’m way less of an asshole than the fucker who’s after her. And her brother—well, he was right to send her my way simply because I’m the only one who can protect her from my brother.