Chapter Seventeen
“Warren, wait, where are you going?” I hurried after him.
“Leave it Wave,” he held a hand up as if to stop me coming any closer.
My twin was hurting, and I didn’t care what he said.
Hudson was watching us, his eyes narrowed.
Whatever this was, it needed to be between me and my brother, who was currently jabbing the button for the elevator and cursing loud enough to make a couple beside him nervous.
Understandable, given he was a big biker in a leather vest, looking like he’s about to punch a wall.
He stormed past me heading for the stairs, knocking into me so I stumbled backwards.
Hudson was there in a heartbeat and grabbed his arm. “What the fuck, War. You nearly knocked her down, what the hell is wrong with you?”
Warren looked at me, he didn’t say anything, but his eyes softened and I could see the apology there. Hudson wasn’t happy with that and started to speak again when I touched his hand where it was on Warren’s forearm. He looked back at me in confusion.
“Let me talk to him,” I said.
“I don’t need to talk, I just need to leave.” Warren shrugged his arm loose. “Sorry Wave.”
He walked away pushing through the door to the stairs. Moments after he was gone, the elevator opened.
“Stay here,” I told Hudson.
“Are you out of your damn mind too? I’m not letting you go anywhere alone.”
“Hudson, my brother needs me, just please let me go after him.”
He swore and tipped his head up, then pushed me towards the elevator before the door closed. The two people inside moved away from us.
“Hudson, I said let me-”
“When we find him, I’ll leave you with him, then I’ll back off,” he told me. “Not before. Don’t push me on this.”
Despite the angry demand, I understood, so I folded my arms and watched the numbers lighting up as the elevator descended.
We hurried out on the ground floor and I looked all around, panic rising up in me that I may not find my brother.
Fortunately, Warren stood out like a sore thumb amongst the normal people, and I spotted him heading for the exit.
I rushed after him, Hudson at my side. Warren noticed us and put his hand over his eyes in exasperation.
“Can’t you just leave me be?”
“No,” I said and gave Hudson a look.
He patted the air with both hands letting us know he’d back off but he gave Warren a look, which my brother returned.
They may be pissed at each other right now but they both wanted to protect me.
Warren grabbed my hand, and we left through the automatic doors.
I didn’t look back at Hudson. He would follow us, but he would keep his distance.
Warren didn’t say anything as we walked. I had no idea where we were going until we headed towards a bench that was away from the main footfall of the hospital. He didn’t sit, until I pushed his big ass, and he dropped down.
“That only worked because you caught me off guard,” he said, looking up at me.
“Shut up, idiot,” I sat beside him, leaning forward so I could look at him. “What’s going on?”
“You of all people should know what’s going on.”
“Cut the bullshit. What is going on here, up there?” I waved a hand at the hospital. “You don’t want to see him?”
He looked away into the distance and I got the feeling he needed time to figure out what to say.
It was Warren’s way. Where Hudson lashed out when he was angry, Warren always got silent.
He didn’t talk about his feelings much. Except with me, when I threatened him usually, but this wasn’t the time to go all hard ass on him. Something was seriously wrong.
“No, I won’t go in to see him,” he finally spoke, his voice low. He still didn’t look at me.
“Why?” I asked softly.
“Because…” he cleared his throat and looked down at the floor. “He doesn’t want to see me.”
My mouth dropped open. That was not what I expected him to say. “I don’t understand.”
“What’s not to understand?” Warren looked at me, he laughed depreciatively. “He said he didn’t want to see me. He even told the nurses not to let me in. That’s why I didn’t hang around when you were talking to Rosa.”
“But, I thought… Hudson said you have been in to see him.”
“The first time we came, yeah. He was still unconscious, and I was fucked up, seeing him like that. Again. I just stood there, looking at him, not knowing if he was going to wake up.”
I reached over and put my hand on his knee. He inhaled heavily. “Have you spoken to him at all?”
“When he told me to get the fuck out, yeah,” he looked up at me. His lower eyelids were red, there were dark shadows beneath them. “I came back here the other night, told Hud I was at his apartment, but I came here, to see him. Once I knew he was awake, I wanted to be here.”
“What happened?”
“He was asleep, so I sat with him, stayed there watching him for hours. Then he woke up, saw me and asked why I was there,” he shook his head as if reliving the moment and still not being able to understand it.
“I told him I was there because he was hurt and he needed me. He said he didn’t need me.
He said there was nothing I could do for him and I should leave.
I thought he was joking, like he always fucking does,” he lifted his head again and looked at me. “He wasn’t joking.”
“But, that doesn’t seem right, he loves you, why would he do that?”
“You tell me,” he said, his voice rising slightly. “Tell me why the man I love and would do anything for kicked me out of his room and told the people taking care of him not to let me back in, like I was someone he needed to be afraid of. Cos I don’t fucking get it either.”
“You didn’t try to talk to him, find out why?”
“No Wave, I just walked away,” he spat sarcastically. “Of course I did. I asked why and he just got agitated and the nurses made me leave anyway.”
“He’s scared, I mean he didn’t seem himself when I was in there either, making jokes. He was…off somehow.”
“Yeah well, that’s more than I got.” He stood up and my hand dropped down on the bench where he had been sitting. He paced back and forth then stopped with his back to me, his hands on his hips and his shoulders rose and fell.
“He’s suffered another traumatic attack,” I rationalized. “He just needs time.”
“Time?” he whirled on me. “He’s spent the last few days seeing everyone but me. Me,” he slammed a hand against his chest. “I’ve known him a long time, I know when he is serious about something. I don’t think it’s just that he doesn’t want to see me now, I think it’s more than that.”
“I don’t believe that, and you can’t either. Connor would never do that.”
“How do you know that Wave, you weren’t around, you never saw the way we were before his first accident. Accident, what a fucking joke.”
I wasn’t going to lie, that stung and I sucked my lower lip in and looked at my feet for a moment. But this wasn’t about me and my feelings.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean that,” Warren came back and sat down, his shoulders slumped in defeat.
“You left for a reason, and I get that. Hated it, but I get it now. I just mean you weren’t around to see the way he changed after.
On the outside, he portrays a character he thinks people need to see.
He tries to be the guy he was before, but I can see through it.
I know him better than I know myself, Wave.
Something is wrong inside and this, it’s like he’s shut down.
He’s playing that same part to keep everyone happy but with me, he knows I’ll see through it. ”
“Maybe once he’s out of the hospital it will be different.”
“Doubt it.”
“You can’t give up on him.”
“Why?” he shook his head. “He’s giving up on me.”
“Because he doesn’t mean it. I may not have been around, and I have no idea what it was like for him but I see the way he looks at you. I saw…too much but we won’t talk about that.”
That didn’t even get a laugh. “Yeah well, I can’t hang around waiting for him to snap out of it and decide he wants to see me.”
“What does that mean?” I asked in alarm.
“I have a job to do. I’m VP of the Devil’s Chaos and I’m down here like some lovesick asshole, when my club needs me.
We have a guy back there who can help us figure out what is going on, I should be there questioning him.
Omen is in the Shed for me to take care of.
And,” he paused, his brow creasing. “I need to find out who killed our real mom.”
“That isn’t on you,” I shook my head. “Dad said there was no evidence. What do you think you’ll be able to find that he didn’t?”
“I don’t care,” Warren looked at me. “I’ll find out who it was.
Danica may have been the one behind it, but she never pulled the trigger.
I’m going to find the person who did. Not to mention her fucked up daughter, she has it coming to her.
And Reinhart. That slimy fucker is trying to get out of everything we’re throwing at him and I won’t let that happen.
I promised I’d get you what you wanted. Him behind bars.
I’m going back, doing what I should have been doing all along. ”
“Putting the club before Connor?”
“It’s what I need to do,” he got up again. “I’m wasting time here.”
I rose too and stepped in front of him, looking up into his eyes. There was defeat there, resignation and devastation but his expression was fierce. “Wait and come with us tomorrow.”
“I’ve already got the keys to Goldie’s bike, he’ll ride back with the girls later.”
“Warren, you can’t just run away.”
“It’s not running away if I’m going back there to fix this!” he yelled. “To fix all of it. It needs to end, all of it and I’m going to be there alongside my President and the rest of my brothers and make sure that happens.”
Changing his mind was impossible. “Okay, I won’t stop you.”
“Like you ever could,” he commented dryly.
“But for the record you have it wrong. He’s in pain, he almost died. His head is messed up and I don’t just mean from the injuries. He needs to figure things out. He’ll come around.”