Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
THEO
Beep.
Beep.
Ding!
I surfaced. Barely. Crawling my way through dull agony for it to only
turn suffocating as I cracked open my eyes.
“Hey.”
A soft jab came at my side. I slowly turned my head, wincing at the piercing overhead lights to find the rock hard surface at the base of my head.
“You need to leave.” The guy at my side muttered. “We’re about to open.”
Open? The hazy room around me sharpened. “Where.” The word was a hiss. I licked my lips and tried again. “The fuck am I?’
“Harley’s on Fifteenth.” The guy said.
The name meant nothing, but then again, not much did…
I lifted my head, twisted my body and slowly pushed, staring at the blue felt pool table underneath me. Jesus fucking Christ. I’d reached an all time low.
My head howled with the slightest movement, and my tongue felt thick and alien inside my mouth as I tried to ease the arid void in my mouth.
“You know I checked on you three times.” He said, setting up the other pool tables and wiping down the gleaming wooden surface. “Thought for sure you were dead. You even looked dead.”
It’s how I felt. Dead.
I can’t keep doing this.
“Yeah well.” I pushed harder, then scooted forward, reaching the edge. “I’m clearly alive.”
“For now. But I doubt that’ll last long.”
I scowled, anger flared fast, burning in me. The moment I lunged off the table something fell from inside my shirt and hit the floor with a splat. I squinted and focused on the small white baggie still half full of coke.
Clean your nose, Theo, your cocaine is showing.
My sister’s fucking voice materialised. The bitch…
the goddamn little bitch. I gripped the edge of the table and bent over, snatching what was left of last night’s party from the floor and shoved it into my pocket.
The guy moved off, flicking on lights before he stopped, turned and jerked his head to the side.
“There’s a rear door in the back that’ll take you out to the parking lot. ”
I glanced at the way he motioned.
“Don’t come back.” He said quietly, so quiet I could’ve mistaken it.
But I didn’t. I knew I didn’t.
Still, I turned and limped before I found my footing and walked out.
The morning sun was blinding, unleashing a sledgehammer blow inside my head the moment I stepped out.
I squinted, then scanned the carpark of the bar finding nothing more than a run down blue Toyota parked at the far corner of the lot.
My car’s not here.
Then where the Hell was it?
I tried to think, but the punishing blows between my eyes grew more savage.
If not here, then where did I leave it? The darkened parking lot filled my mind.
Sander’s club in the city, that’s where.
I started walking and patted my pockets, expecting to find nothing.
But my wallet was there, secured in the back pocket of my trousers, and so was the Rolex attached to my wrist.
That’s…unexpected.
I grabbed my wallet and headed for the road, lifting my hand to catch the attention of a cab driving past. The occupied light flicked on and he pulled over sharply to the curb in front of me.
“Sander’s in the City,” I muttered as I yanked open the door and slumped in.
The bitter stench of vomit hit me the moment I closed the door. I winced, resisting the urge to gag and yanked my belt across as the driver pulled the car back onto the street and accelerated.
Thought for sure you were dead.
Those words lingered as I stared out of the window, stealing me away until the cab turned into the parking lot of the downtown club and I saw my car right where I left it.
I pulled out a fifty dollar note. “Keep the change,” and handed it over before clamouring out and closed the door behind me.
Fresh air plunged deep as I inhaled. The more I breathed, the clearer my head became. Tires crunched as the cab turned around and drove away. But I couldn’t move.
I didn’t want to go home.
And I sure as Hell didn’t want to find the next party that I was sure was in full swing.
In fact the idea of it made me feel sick.
I thought you were dead.
No. Not home…but not anywhere else either. I strode forward, reached into my pockets and pulled out my keys before hitting the button and unlocking the doors.
Dad’s apartment.
I climbed in and started the engine. I’d been there a few times.
Once to crash after an all-nighter. Once more to find dad when I was hurting and in need.
Agony plunged deep, leaving me to close my eyes and lean forward, unleashing a moan.
He helped me, talked to me even though I expected anger and disgust. But there was none of that.
Instead, he stayed up all night, listened while I wept and raged.
He held me, one of the very few times in my life where he’d done that.
I needed that now.
I’d kill for that now.
But I couldn’t, could I?
Because he was taken from me.
By her…
Pain turned to anger, then plunged all the way to rage. My hands clenched around the steering wheel. My jaw ground tight. Lying fucking cunt. I shoved the car into drive. The tires squealing as I peeled out of the parking lot and headed deeper for the city.
By the time I pulled into the underground parking I was shaking.
I parked, climbed out, slamming the door behind me and strode to the automatic doors.
I punched in the code that opened the elevator and stepped in.
The lift gave a shudder then climbed before stopping at the top floor and the door opened.
It was just like I remembered. I punched in the code once more, expecting to find the place empty when I walked in. But it wasn’t empty. In fact it was still the same.
The faint scent of my father’s cologne still lingered in the air.
I breathed in deep, that brutal ache moving deeper as I closed the door behind me and stepped inside.
Serenity filled me as I made my way through the apartment.
I walked through, searching empty rooms until I stopped at the main bedroom.
He could almost be here.
Almost.
I turned around and reached for the top button on my shirt, unbuttoning enough to pull it over my head.
My shoes tumbled as I kicked them free, then unbuttoned my pants.
Hot water hissed as I turned the tap and stepped in.
Heat raced along my shoulders, and down the back of my neck.
I dropped my head and groaned, standing there long enough until the ache in my head moved to the back before I washed, hit the taps and stepped out.
Dark eyes found me as I stepped into the mirror. I looked like Hell…no, worse than Hell. I looked like me every single day. I wrapped the towel around my waist and headed for my father’s room, pulling on a pair of boxers before I climbed into bed.
Sleep came fast, dragging me down softly. I dreamed of him. His voice. His eyes. His…love. When I woke it wasn’t so softly.
Theo, get out!
Dad’s bellow was brutal, shattering the darkness and plunging me into the light. I jerked awake and opened my eyes to find the illuminated screen of my cell phone in my face. Five missed calls. Silas, Jude, more from Jude.
“Jesus,” I rolled over and closed my eyes, willing the image away.
Beep.
“No.” I squinted harder. “Go the fuck away.”
But the damn thing haunted me. No matter how hard I tried to get back to that place of oblivion I couldn’t. Instead she pushed in.
My stuck-up.
Lying.
Bitch of a sister.
The bane of my existence.
I hated her the day mom bought her home.
I hated her cutting stare. Hated her pinched fucking nose.
I hated the way mom was with her. Giving her a room under our roof, making her part of the family.
Angelica gave mom something we couldn’t and even though I’d seen what my mother had done I still couldn’t hate her for it.
But I sure hated her.
I fucking hated her.
My sister.
I slowly opened my eyes as my breaths moved deeper. She filled my mind, every sneer she gave me with her turned up goddamn lip. A lip I wanted to bite until she winced. A lip I wanted to own, to make quiver, to part as she breathed hard. Just like I was breathing hard.
I couldn’t stop it. My body reacted to her, just like it had that night Silas forced her to her knees.
She’d been so different that night. So unlike herself.
She was desperate, wasn’t she? Needy, aching.
I bet she was fucking wet too. I bet she was so fucking wet when she opened her mouth and traced the outline of my brother’s hard cock under his jeans.
Was she like that when she fucked?
My cock grew hard. I bet she was. Legs spread, her eyes rolling back as she arched her back and rolled her hips, desperate for one more fucking inch of cock from that loser fucking boyfriend of hers. He was a goddamn loser.
I threw the covers aside, glanced over my shoulder at my cell laying there, then looked at the clock beside the bed. Six pm. Jesus, I must’ve been out of it. I yawned, then rose and made my way out of the bedroom and headed for the kitchen.
The fridge was bare except for bottles of water.
The freezer held a full bottle of Grey Goose.
One look at that and my gut rolled. No, Hell no.
I closed the thing, cracked open the water and drank.
The effects of the drugs still burned in my veins, making me ache and hunger. But it was all in my head. I knew that.
The drugs. The anger. The only thing that wasn’t in my head was the fact my parents were dead and my family was a goddamn mess.
Theo, get out!
My father’s voice still rang in my head. I winced and drank, letting the icy water hit the pit of my stomach. Hoping the shock of it would dull the goddamn nightmare still rolling around in my head. But it didn’t.
Dad still stood in the middle of that goddamn thunderstorm. The sky was black…actually the entire world was black and yet, there he was. His white shirt drenched and stuck to his skin. The look of utter terror on his face.
I’d never seen him so scared. His eyes wide. The whites neon bright against the rolling, ravenous storm behind him. His fear haunted me.
Buzz!
I jerked, then wrenched my gaze to the door before I strode forward. A guy waited on the other side. Dressed in a nice suit James, Reception Manager.
“Yeah?” I muttered.
“Sorry to interrupt, Sir. My name is James, I’d just like to see if you were planning on staying for a while.” He glanced into the apartment behind me. “I take it you’re one of Mr. Ares son’s?”
“You’re correct.”
One nod of his head and he shifted his focus back to me. “So if you require any services, please let me know.”
“Thank you.” I answered coldly. “But I’ll be leaving.”
“Oh?” His brow rose. “Where will you go?”
Where will I go? I took a step backwards, ignoring his question. He was too bold. Too fucking forward. It was none of his goddamn business where I was headed. I closed the door and ground my jaw as I strode toward the bedroom once more. There was only one place to go, wasn’t there?
Home.