Chapter 34
KYLIE
Idrew my legs up and hugged myself. I wasn’t trying to get away from Patrick. His words hung heavy in the space between us, his question left unanswered in the near silence. The air conditioner ran. Laughter from the hallway seeped into the room as a couple passed by.
Patrick's gaze grew darker as he waited for me to answer him or speak to what he had told me. I wasn’t sure what to say.
While I understood him more and shared his needs.
He had a hole in his heart I could fill; I needed someone to fill that hole in my heart left by my sister.
I’ve never felt able to grieve properly because I didn’t know what actually happened to her.
I grieved the emptiness she caused in my life, but not her death.
Somewhere deep down, I held onto a sliver of hope that she would return, like Tinley did.
The phone on the nightstand interrupted my thoughts.
The phone in Patrick’s hand rang simultaneously.
I crawled to the other side of the bed and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Stands?”
“Yes?”
“This is Marcus from the front desk of Quad II.” His voice sounded equal parts confused and annoyed. A woman’s voice was squawking in the background. It sounded vaguely familiar.
“A woman is here asking to speak with you.”
“Who is it?”
“Charlotte Peterson.”
I watched Patrick pacing and then stopped as the color drained from his face. “What the fuck is she doing here?” Apparently, the answer on the other end didn’t satisfy his curiosity. “Where’s Tinley?”
The answer made him angrier.
“Put her in the VIP lounge and lock it down until I get there.”
He stormed towards the door.
I shut off the phone and jumped off the bed to stop him.
“Kylie, stay here. Do not move from this room.” He picked me up and set me down on the bed. “I need to take care of this.”
“Wait. I —” I didn’t have time to finish my sentence. I peeled off my onesie and ran to the dresser. No time for a shower, although I smelled like Patrick and sex. I’d deal with it later.
I dressed in record time, grabbed my shoes, and left the room.
The elevator arrived as I slipped on my shoes.
Thankfully, it was empty. I must look like a crazy person.
I pressed the lobby button and stepped back.
My reflection in the elevator door confirmed it.
Wrinkles creased my clothes, and my hair was a mess.
When I stepped out of the elevator, it didn’t take long to find Patrick in the middle of the chaos.
The lobby was eerily quiet. Gone was the familiar noise of conversation and shoes tapping against the marble floor.
The space cleared and cordoned off on both sides.
Guards blocked the rest of the hotel and casino.
Patrick had a phone in one ear while speaking to Charlotte in hushed tones.
She wasn’t listening and kept pulling at her tie-dyed maxi dress.
She kept stepping on the hem as the two security team members flanking her tried to guide her into the VIP lounge to the right of the reception desk.
Worse, Tinley must have stumbled into the confrontation and was crying, ducking her aunt's embrace. Rayna stepped between them and reared back, but the security guard grabbed Charlotte around the waist and physically carried her away.
I could hear Charlotte screaming from behind the closed door.
I went immediately to Tinley and Rayna.
“Are you hurt?” I grabbed Rayna’s arm but didn’t dare touch Tinley. Her eyes were wide as saucers, and the poor girl was shaking. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. A crowd was forming. I had to get her out of here.
“Tinley. Listen to me.” She blinked a few times before her focus shifted. “You and Rayna, come with me, okay.”
I took a quick survey of the area; there were offices behind the reception desk. I locked eyes with Marcus, standing in front of the one at the far-left side of the desk; he nodded, opened the door and waved me over.
“Tinley, can I touch you?”
She nodded. It was slight, but confirmation enough. I slid my hand into hers and laced our fingers together. Rayna put her arm around herself. “Let’s go.”
I guided them around the end of the reception desk and into the first office. Marcus closed the door behind us.
Rayna sat Tinley down in the chair. I grabbed two bottles of water sitting on the desk and handed one to Rayna.
I squatted down in front of them.
“Are you two okay?”
“Yeah,” Rayna said, but looked concerned for her friend.
Tinley blinked and finally returned to us. “Yeah, I’m okay.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “What is she doing here?”
“I don’t know.” Rayna shrugged. “When’s the last time you talked to her?”
“I call her once a week.” She reached for the water bottle. “Daddy said I don’t owe her anything, but I check in to make sure she’s okay. She is my aunt after all.”
“What does she want?” Rayna asked.
“I might know,” I said.
Both girls turned to me.
My phone beeped an alert stating Kyler and Josh were on their way down and calling for a quick assessment where all the relevant parties were.
“Okay.” I laid my hand on their legs. “Your daddies are on the way.”
Tinley relaxed a little.
“We heard her yelling at the front desk from across the lobby.” Rayna said. “She went from calm to crazy in two seconds flat.”
“We give her money. What more does she want from me?”
“You send her money?” That surprised me.
Tinley nodded. “My mom’s estate left me some money.
I don’t need it, but I didn’t think it was good for Charlotte to get it all at once, so we set up a trust for her, and it gives her money every month.
” Tinley sighed. “She doesn’t agree with my lifestyle, and I don’t want her in my life.
I made that perfectly clear.” I realized this was the first time I’d seen Tinley as an adult.
The transition from her little self was so abrupt it was jarring—the weight of the world crashing back onto her shoulders.
“I need to go talk to her.” Tinley stood up.
I sat her back down. “Let’s wait until she calms down and until Josh and Kyler get here.”
“You said you knew why she’s here.” Rayna asked.
“Why?” Tinley turned to me.
“I...”
The door opened. I expected to see Kyler and Josh, but Patrick stood in the door frame.
He narrowed his eyes, and pressed his lips together so firmly that they disappeared.
Not only had his face turned pink, but his ears were also beet red.
He clenched his hands into fists at his sides before shaking his head.
“Kylie.” He looked to the ground. “Come with me.”
I stood up and took two steps toward him, forgetting I had Tinley’s hand in mine. I looked down at it. She gave me a reassuring squeeze.
Kyler and Josh barreled in, pushing Patrick farther into the room with us. It had become a familiar setup. The six of us in a room together.
My found family. After I told them how all of this started, I hoped they still wanted me to stay.