Chapter Four #2
“Why are you looking at me like that?” His voice sent goosebumps across my body, leaving an icy trail behind. I cleared my throat, looking back at my car.
“I have to go.”
“Kay, wait—”
“It was lovely to meet you, Collin. I’m sure I’ll see you around,” I said, turning my body away from him. Despite my words, I needed to stay far away from him.
Thirty minutes later, I walked into Sullie’s and was greeted with a bar fight. Fucking lovely.
I watched as two men went at it, fists flying, bones cracking, tables and chairs falling. The crowd began to surround the men, the band on stage stopped playing, and then my brother came through the kitchen door with a baseball bat in his hand.
“Hey!” he bellowed as he jumped over the bar top, his feet landing in the middle of the crowd. “No fucking fighting!”
A hand landed on my shoulder, but I knew who it was. Dom. Without looking at him, I said, “Never a dull moment, huh?”
“Never here,” he sighed. Something in his voice had me twisting my neck to look up at him. His dark eyes were focused on Jer as he lifted his chin to the bar. “Best get yourself somewhere. There is about to be a stampede.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice,” I muttered with a smirk on my face as I hopped over the bar before swinging my legs over.
Dom and Sullie had mastered the art of clearing a room, and I learned at a very young age to steer clear of the madness.
I unzipped my jacket, stuffing it and my purse under the bar before going to the computer.
As Dom yelled at the crowd, and Jer slammed a man into the bar, I clocked in. Looks like my homework would have to wait.
“You got three seconds to get the fuck out of this bar before I break your necks!”
Mentally, I began counting as I started to clear off the beer bottles and glasses from the bar.
One.
Two.
Three.
I heard a gun being loaded and then multiple sets of feet rumbling across the wood floors. They still needed to pay—
I turned around and jumped on the counter. “Hey! They need to close out their tabs, Dom!” I yelled breathlessly. I was out of shape. Jer looked up at me, shaking his head trying to conceal his laughter. The bastard. Wordlessly, he walked to the men held by Dom, and he held out his hand.
“Cash. Now,” he growled. I looked to the band, giving me a short nod, letting them know they could resume. Once the music began again, a swinging jazz number, the crowd returned to their private conversations and dances. I grabbed a white towel and began cleaning the bar top.
A moment later, my brother landed beside me, cash in hand.
“You don’t have to do that,” he noted, “I know you have homework.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t know you had that much trouble holding down the fort in my absence,” I teased, bumping his shoulder. He pushed my head away lightly with the palm of his hand.
“Shut up, Kay. I did have it handled.”
I tipped my head to the baseball bat. “Were you planning on beating them with that?”
He twisted the bat in his hand, twirling it a few times, earning a few giggles from the group of girls opposite the bar. “It isn’t just for hitting baseballs.”
“Uh huh,” I said, looking at the group of girls. “Your fan club is back.”
He turned to them, and I knew he flashed his “good boy” smile. I rolled my eyes when he looked back to me, and he laughed. “Don’t judge me, sis.”
I raised my hands. “Did I say anything?”
“Your face did it for you,” he said, shooting me a look.
I couldn’t control my face, but I was working on controlling my mouth.
I shrugged and got back to work. The bar didn’t close for another few hours, and I needed the money to make rent.
Even though my uncle was a powerful man, a wealthy man, I still held my own.
I wanted to make something of myself; I didn’t want to hide in the shadow of someone else.
I wanted to make my own shadow.
Which was why I worked two jobs while taking a full load of online courses.
Next semester, I would go down to part-time, but right now, I needed to push through.
My brother and I got to work, manning the bar and tables as people began to trickle out.
Jer’s fan club, however, stayed until closing, and he was more than happy to entertain them.
As I was cleaning tables, they all laughed at something he said.
His chuckle echoed throughout the almost empty space.
I was envious of him too, the way he could just move past his trauma and live his life.
I seemed to be stuck in no man’s land, unable to move forward, forced to relive my nightmares over and over.
The only solution?
Staying busy.
Working and studying until my body gave out from exhaustion. When your body was drained of energy, it didn’t have the strength to dream. It had been months since that voice haunted my dreams, forcing me awake, my body drenched in a cold sweat.
When you were busy, your demons couldn’t haunt you.
Around one in the morning, Jer finally got those women to leave. “Thank God,” I grumbled as he locked the door.
“What’s your issue, sis?” my brother chuckled.
I held my hands up in innocence. “Nothing, nothing.” Reaching down, I swiped my cleaning towel off the table before heading back to the bar. I could feel my brother’s eyes on me, but he remained silent.
My brother was protective of me, always had been, ever since the day that Ty was murdered. However, there were some things even family couldn't protect you from.
“Are you okay?”
I turned to face him; he was sitting on the bar top, his eyes fixed on me as I nodded. Concern shadowed his face. “Don’t lie to me, Kay,” he softly said.
“I’m okay, I promise. Just a little stressed out about this exam coming up.”
“I can cover for you this weekend if you need the extra time to study.”
I yanked my hair out of my ponytail, my scalp sighing in relief as my hair fell around me. “Nah, that’s okay. I need to make rent.”
He shot me another “big bro” look. “You know I can help—”
My palm shot up to him, cutting him off. “Nope. I got it handled.”
He took a step closer to me as I got my things out from underneath the bar. “It’s okay to let people help you, Kay. I’m your brother. I don’t mind.”
A smile formed on my lips as my chest warmed. “I love you, bro. I know that. You know that. You also know that I'm stubborn and independent.”
That earned me an eye roll.
“I got this. I’ll see you on Friday,” I said, finishing the conversation as I moved past him.
“See you on Friday,” he murmured.
Twenty minutes later, I slipped the key into the front door of my apartment, mentally and physically exhausted.
As I shut the door and locked all five locks, I reminded myself I was safe here.
My apartment was in the best neighborhood, and this building had security.
Flipping on the lights, the space lit up with a warm golden hue that reminded me of summer sunsets.
The kitchen was to the left, a small L-shaped area with hunter green cabinets and a small island that faced the living room.
The wall between my bedroom and living space was exposed brick.
Dumping my purse on the island, I made my way to the bedroom, shedding my jacket.
My bedroom was small. Cozy. Safe. The whole apartment was around eight hundred square feet—perfect for me.
It was all I needed. My headboard was against the opposite wall, a gold iron bed with a cream duvet and a mountain of pillows.
There was a small bathroom to the left of the door that contained a tiny closet.
I discarded my clothes in the laundry basket and headed to the shower. As I scrubbed my body with my vanilla soap, my mind calmed a little. Our house, Mama’s house, always smelled like vanilla and honey. It made me feel safe.
Mama used to always bake…it was the one thing we shared. She taught me to bake my first cake when I was seven, and by the time I was sixteen, she was out of the picture, Jer was gone, and I was the one making the desserts for “Sunday at Sullie’s.”
After the shower, I dressed in my baby blue silk PJs, did my skin care routine, and headed to the kitchen. The clock on the stove read two in the morning. I turned on my coffee pot. Looked like it would be another early morning for me…
I’d sleep when I was dead.