Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Tempest
“ M orning,” Channing said slowly as we all stumbled into the kitchen the following morning, Ryder heading straight outside to throw up. He was really sick, no surprise. “What’s up with him?”
“Considering he drank loads of beer, popped molly, and did a bunch of lines last night, I think he’s doing pretty good,” Mason grunted, dropping into a chair and tugging me onto his lap.
“He’ll feel that for days,” Wolfe snorted, leaning against the wall while watching me. “What made him do it? He hasn’t touched drugs for almost eight months.”
“He wanted to have some fun and not be such a buzzkill,” I smiled. “Maybe you should try it sometime.”
“I had plenty of fun last night without you,” he deadpanned, turning to Channing. “At least last night’s fun knew when to leave.”
Channing snickered, eyeing me over his coffee. “You suck at taking a hint.”
“Can you guys not start shit this morning?” Mason scowled, his forehead resting against my back. “I’m hungover as hell. I only got a few hours of sleep.”
“We know,” Channing huffed, glancing up as Ryder wandered back inside. “Morning, Princess. You look like shit.”
“Someone spiked my drink last night and it snowballed from there,” he mumbled, dropping into a chair at the table and resting his cheek on the cool surface.
That made Channing stiffen, the amusement leaving his face immediately. “Someone drugged you?”
“Yeah. Was a party pill of some kind,” he replied without moving. “The lines were my own bad idea though. I was rolling by then and just said fuck it.”
“Someone’s got balls to drug you, let alone at our party,” Channing bit out, glaring at Mason. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“We were a little busy,” Mason replied.
“Getting laid was more important?”
“Absolutely. Ry’s fine, he had a good time,” he shrugged. “Right, Ry?”
“I’m alive, sort of,” Ryder scoffed, sitting back and rubbing his temples.
“Your parents are going to flip the fuck out,” Wolfe said without a teasing tone in his voice.
“Not if they don’t find out.”
“They’ll know. You’ve got it written all over you.”
“I spent a long time lying to them about it. I’m good at hiding it,” he answered with a shake of his head. “Besides, I think I’m just really hungover, they know I still drink.”
“You look like death and I’m pretty sure you’re still rolling a little,” Channing scoffed, standing and moving to stand beside Ryder’s chair to grab his chin to get a look at his eyes. “Yeah, you’re fucked, man.”
Ryder swatted him away, sliding his eyes to me. “Why aren’t you dying too?”
“I can function just fine because I never bitched out and quit like you. A good fuck usually fixes me too though, and I had a lot of those last night,” I shrugged.
“I should’ve been sober by the time I woke up then. I sweat it all out,” he said with a small smirk, wincing as his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket, groaning before answering it. “Hey, Mom. Yeah, I’m leaving soon. No, I’m fine. Just didn’t want to drive home last night since I was drunk.”
I could hear Rory scolding him, a frown tugging at his lips as he glanced over at me.
“What?” I asked defensively, knowing she must have been talking about me.
“Archer’s been trying to get hold of you.”
“So?”
“So fucking call him. You broke your mom’s wrist?” he hissed, returning his attention back to the phone. “Jesus, Mom. I can fucking hear you, stop yelling at me. I was telling her to call him.”
Mason glared at me as he stood, his voice sharp. “Why the hell did you do that?”
“I didn’t do shit,” I argued as I sat back down in the vacated chair.
“She seems nice so why the fuck did you do that?”
“I didn’t! She was in my face so I pushed her away, that’s it!” I snapped. “Whose side are you on?”
“You’re so goddamn lucky to have two parents who give a shit about you. Go make sure your mom’s okay,” he grunted, pulling my keys out of thin air and tossing them at me. They hit my chest harder than necessary, and I ignored the amused smirk from Channing as I stood.
“Fuck you, Mason. You don’t know me.”
Wolfe scoffed, giving me a dirty look. “I’d say he knows you pretty well. Entitled princess with daddy issues and a drug problem. Sums it up easily.”
I intended on beating him over the head with a chair, but Ryder clicked his fingers at me to draw my attention while still listening to his mother on the phone. “Get in the fucking car and go home. Zero tantrums this morning, I mean it.”
“Fuck you too, Ry,” I growled, stalking towards the door and making sure to slam it on the way out.
It was way too early for this shit. I needed caffeine.
I headed to the diner, buying a coffee with an extra shot to try and wake myself up more, then I took my time driving home. Dad would yell at me no matter when I got there, so delaying it was a good option in my mind.
Mom had probably broken her own fucking wrist to try and pin it on me.
I didn’t have the gas to drive around all day, so I admitted defeat and pulled into the driveway, turned the engine off, and just sat there enjoying the silence for a second before climbing out to head inside.
I’d barely closed the front door when Dad appeared in front of me.
“Where the fuck have you been?”
“Out.”
“Get in the kitchen,” he demanded, waiting for me to do as I was told before following me.
Mom was sitting at the table drinking coffee, her wrist in a cast and her eyes staring at the table.
I sat down, sipping my coffee and staring at her, waiting for her to look up at me. When she didn’t, I snorted. “Not even going to look at me?”
“Tempest, things can’t continue like this,” Dad said firmly, placing his hands on the table as he moved to stand beside Mom, leaning forward to hold my gaze. “We’re not putting up with this shit anymore.”
“What shit? I didn’t do anything. She probably did that to herself. Is it broken, or did you need surgery for all the hand jobs you’ve?—”
“Enough!” Dad barked, cutting me off. “We’re done, Tempest. Punishing you makes you worse, trying to help you makes it worse, and ignoring it obviously doesn’t do jack shit either. You’re going to rehab and that’s final.”
I laughed, leaning back in my chair. “No, I’m not.”
He stared at me silently for a few seconds before shaking his head and standing up straight again. “You either go to rehab, or you get out. You’ve trashed half the house from tantrums, hurt your sister, and now you’ve hurt your mother. You need help.”
“No, I fucking don’t!” I threw back. “I’m just having fun and you’re trying to stop me!”
“You call this fun?” He did something on his phone before turning the screen to face me, finding a video of me being carried out of Channing’s party by Ryder the other night, blood all over both of us and my makeup running down my cheeks. “Not only are you slowly killing yourself, you’re dragging Ryder into that environment after he’s done so well to get sober. He shouldn’t be chasing you around, trying to keep you safe.”
“You’re just kicking me out and wiping your hands clean of me then?” I asked bitterly, making Mom finally look at me.
“No. You can go to rehab and get help.”
“I’m not going to fucking rehab, Mom. I’d rather leave this shithole and do my own thing without you guys trying to ruin it.”
“Fine,” Dad replied sharply, motioning to the hallway. “Go pack your shit.”
“You can’t make me.”
“No?” he huffed, stalking towards my bedroom and giving me no choice but to scramble after him. He grabbed bags out of the closet and started stuffing my clothes into them, emptying my bedside table drawers straight into a bag too.
“Dad! What the fuck?”
“I mean it, Tempest. You either get help or you leave. I won’t have your sister or mother living with you if you’re going to continue hurting people.”
“Luna’s never here, and Mom did that to herself!”
He shook his head, continuing to fill the bags with my belongings. “You need to get clean. I should’ve realized the signs earlier and maybe things would’ve been different.”
“You’re being dramatic.”
That made him pause, his voice lowering. “I love you more than life itself, but you’re out of control. Do you even care that you hurt your mom?”
“Why should I? She doesn’t care about me. Neither of you do.”
“If we didn’t care, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“You’re kicking me out! Where will I even go?” I screamed, beyond caring as I angrily threw the cup in my hand at him, making lukewarm coffee spill everywhere. I grabbed a shoe and threw it next, trying to reach for another one, but he grabbed me to restrain me. “Let me go! Fuck you! Fuck you!”
“Stop it,” he said calmly as I struggled against his hold, his voice becoming strained. “Tempest, stop.”
I could hear Mom crying, a door slamming, and I was pretty sure Luna had arrived since it sounded like her voice talking to Mom. I kept fighting Dad’s hold until he finally released me.
I returned to throwing things at him until he left the room and shut me inside, my fists slamming against the door when I realized he’d locked it.
“Let me the fuck out!”
“When you calm down,” he replied before walking away, ignoring my meltdown.
I had no idea how much time had passed before I stopped throwing things around the room and hitting the door, but by the end of it, I’d torn some of my stitches, trashed the entire room, and added a new scar to my thigh.
Ryder ignored my calls, so I had no idea where he was, and Mason’s phone went straight to voicemail.
I looked around the room at the mess, eyeing the two holes in the wall from my fists by the door.
Where was I going to go? Maybe they’d change their minds once I calmed down.
Dad finally unlocked the door, poking his head in to look at me. “So, rehab?”
“Go fuck yourself,” I bit out, but I didn’t have the energy to keep fighting with him.
He opened the door wider and stepped inside, grabbing the bags he’d packed. “I’ll help you get these in the car then.”
“You said you’d never kick me out,” I said quietly, making him sigh.
“Your attitude was frustrating but not dangerous. You scared the shit out of your mom yesterday, Tempest. You might not have meant to hurt her, but you did. It wasn’t a bruise, you literally caused her wrist to break. Until you realize how bad this has gotten, I can’t have you living here. You won’t get help, so that means you’ll keep lashing out and getting violent.”
“Are you going to give me money so I don’t starve to death?”
“No. You’ll only waste it on other things. Get a job like everyone else. I’m not coddling you anymore. You can come back when you decide to seek help,” he said softly, leaving the room with my bags in hand.
I grabbed a few more things before leaving the room myself, not running into anyone else on my way out of the house. The pit in my stomach grew at the realization that no one was going to stop Dad from making me leave.
He waited by my car for me, helping me to load the bags before reaching into his pocket and handing me one hundred dollars. “That should last you a while for food if you’re smart with it. That’s all I’m giving you.”
“It barely covers my coffee.”
“Coffee isn’t food,” he said patiently. “Alex and Harley are more than happy to give you a job. I advise that you take it.”
I didn’t reply as I climbed into the driver’s seat and shut myself inside, my heart cracking as Dad walked back into the house without a backwards glance.
They really did hate me.
Ryder
I ignored Tempest’s call for the millionth time, and Jett glanced over at me from the other side of the couch. “She still calling?”
“I’m starting to wonder if it’s an actual emergency or not,” I huffed, forcing myself to pocket the phone.
“It won’t be. She’ll just be crying about Archer yelling at her. She needs to learn to deal with her own shit. Guy’s day, no girls allowed,” he said firmly.
I knew Marco would take one look at me and just know I’d fucked myself up last night on more than alcohol, so I’d decided to spend the day and night at Beckett’s. She was out with Maddox for most of it, leaving me to hang out with Jett.
He’d been more than happy to occupy me for the day as usual.
It had been four hours since I’d left Channing’s, and Tempest had been calling me non-stop for half of that time.
We gamed most of the day, ordering pizza for lunch and bantering like we used to. It was nice, and I found myself relaxing.
That was until Caden showed up, a grim look on his face. “Some shit went down.”
“Is everyone okay?” I asked, obvious panic on Jett’s face.
“Where’s Beck and Maddox?” Jett asked instantly, and Caden winced, my stomach twisting.
“Dad?”
“BG’s been suspended from the Police Department. He’s under investigation for taking bribes and helping us. Cops showed up at a meeting between us and the Kings a few hours ago. Everyone was arrested for drug possession and firearm charges.”
“Who was there?” I demanded. “Mom?”
“Your mom was dealing with some foster kid shit today so luckily she wasn’t there, but they got Maddox, Beckett, Skeet, Ty, and Hunter. Zane and Sniper too. The crews are holding a meeting right now to figure out what to do. We need to keep the heat off us for a while, so everyone has to behave themselves. We’re a little stretched right now for people,” he said with a sigh, motioning to Jett. “Will you be fine on your own?” Jett lived here on his own before Beckett and Maddox moved in, so he nodded, then Caden turned his attention to me. “You’re definitely staying here tonight, right?”
“Yeah, why?” I asked with a frown, and he gave me a wry smile.
“We’re pretty busy and don’t have a spare person to be on call in case you get into trouble. If either of you two get locked up tonight for dumb shit, I’m afraid you’ll be sitting there until morning. It’s going to be a long night.”
“Well, I don’t intend on leaving the house.”
“Do me a favor and message your mom if you do. She’ll feel better knowing where you are,” he said with a small smile, frowning when he stepped closer to me. “You reek like a bar.”
“Yeah, I was drinking with the guys last night. Mom knows.”
“Be careful, you’re doing so well, but you’re drinking heavier lately.”
“I’m fine,” I answered as convincingly as possible. “Let me know if anything changes with the cops?”
“Sure thing.”
“Tell Mom to call me if she needs me,” I offered, and Jett leaned forward from his place on the couch.
“Yeah, she can call me too if she needs help with anything.”
“I’ll be sure to tell her,” Caden replied before leaving, and Jett blew out a breath.
“What do we do now? How long will they be in there for?”
“There’s not much we can do. We’ll have to wait to see if Mom’s lawyers can get them out. If they can’t, hopefully they can get their sentences reduced,” I murmured, his eyes widening.
“They might have to stay in jail?”
“I don’t mean to alarm you, but Beck got released from prison less than a year ago. She has a record, and a history of violence. Chances are high they’ll take that into account.”
“Can’t it be swept under the rug? Between Rory and Rage?—”
“Dude,” I sighed, knowing he was starting to freak out. “BG is under investigation, which means everyone is. No cop, lawyer, or prison guard is going to risk much right now.”
“But—”
“Jesus fucking Christ, Jett. You knew who they were before you started dicking my sister, so don’t act surprised when they get locked up regularly,” I snapped, needing to get up and pace to calm myself.
“Are you okay?” he asked slowly, eyeing me warily.
“I can’t fix your problems, man. Beckett’s going to be in and out of prison for the rest of her life, and Maddox will too. It’s unavoidable,” I huffed, raking a hand through my hair and reaching into my pocket for a cigarette with the other.
“Ry.”
“What?”
“Don’t bite my head off, but are you using again? You’re twitchy in a comedown kind of way,” he said slowly, putting his hands up in front of him when I shot him a glare. “Just asking.”
“I haven’t slept much. It was a big night, and I’m hungover as fuck,” I grunted, lighting the cigarette and blowing out a breath. I had to get my shit together.
“Up all night fucking?” he chuckled, and I couldn’t help but grin, my mood simmering.
“I think I fucked more than I breathed. I don’t know how Temp is even walking this morning, Mase and I railed her on and off all night.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t gotten bored of her.”
“She’s complicated, but that girl will do anything I want.”
“Do you like her? You’ve been going back to her a lot,” he asked curiously, and I shrugged.
“I guess.”
“Why don’t you date her then?”
I snorted, giving him the side-eye as I sat back down to finish smoking now that I was calmer. “She’s no good for me and I’m no good for her. She’s high more than she is sober, and I’m too sober to put up with her all the time. Besides, I like fucking different girls.”
“With multiple personalities like hers, you have lots to choose from,” he joked, cackling as I swatted at him. “Tell me I’m wrong!”
“I can’t or I’d be lying,” I smirked, glancing down at my phone as she tried calling again. “She just doesn’t give up.”
“See what she wants and tell her to fuck off,” he suggested, and I sighed before pressing answer and holding it to my ear.
“After I ignored the first million calls, you’d think you’d take the hint.”
“It’s important! I need to stay at yours tonight,” she snapped, making me roll my eyes.
“I’m not home tonight.”
“Where are you?”
“None of your business. I’m hanging up, stop calling me.”
I went to end the call, but I paused when she replied. “I don’t have anywhere to go. Dad kicked me out.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Please, can I come to you?” she begged, and there was no point in humoring her question. Even if I wanted her here, Beckett would fucking kill me.
“No. You’re not welcome here and since it’s not my house, I don’t make the rules. Have you tried Mase?”
“Yes. His phone’s off,” she sighed, her voice going quiet. “I don’t want to sleep in my car.”
“I’ll try to get hold of Mase for you. I’ll call you back, okay?” I said, not giving her time to answer before hanging up, meeting Jett’s curious gaze. “Arch kicked Tempest out. She’s trying to find somewhere to stay.”
“What did she do?”
“Breaking Lexi’s wrist might have something to do with it,” I stated dryly, finding Mason’s number. As expected, it was switched off, so I called Channing.
“What?” he grumbled the second he answered, obviously not happy to hear from me.
“Put Mase on.”
“Why?”
“I need a favor.”
“What kind of favor? If it’s something to do with your girlfriend?—”
“Please, man. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important,” I bit out, and he was silent for a second before huffing out a breath.
“Tell me what you need and I’ll tell you if we’ll help.”
“I just need you to let Temp crash at yours tonight. I’m not home so she can’t stay with me. Archer kicked her out.”
He talked to someone in a hushed tone, obviously discussing it with the guys. I waited patiently, trying not to piss him off by getting irritated with him for taking so long, then he finally answered me.
“Just tonight? I really can’t handle another one of her outbursts, dude. She’s really starting to piss me off.”
“She can crash with me tomorrow, I just don’t want her sleeping in her car on the side of the road tonight.”
“Fine. Tell her to come here, but the bitch can fucking blow me or something to say thank you,” he muttered. I didn’t give a fuck what she did to them.
“I’ll tell her. Thanks, I owe you.”
“You really do,” he said flatly before hanging up, and I quickly called Tempest to tell her to go there before hanging up on her again. I didn’t want to be stuck on the phone with her for the next damn hour.
“That was nice of you,” Jett said with amusement once I put my phone away again.
“She’s got enough problems. She’s not as tough as she seems,” I said vaguely, earning a flat look.
“Everyone knows she’s hurting herself. The amount of sex tapes that go around, it’s not exactly a secret what she tries hiding under her clothes.”
I didn’t reply, turning my attention back to our game, thankful when I didn’t hear from Tempest for the rest of the night.