Chapter Eight
Eddie’s POV
It was ten-thirty on a Saturday night. A Saturday night that, mind you, I had off work, and was finally at the bar to try to score a little dick because it had been far too long since I’d had some fun.
I felt my phone buzz, trying to ignore it as I prayed to God no one needed me, especially not the hospital.
It finally stopped and I was thankful. The whole point of coming out tonight was because I needed to either get laid, or hit someone.
One or the other, there was no inbetween.
My phone buzzed again. Looking, I saw it was Fia. My best friend and sister-from-another-mister, Devin Fia. She was at that Christmas party with her husband. I was about to let it go to voicemail, the noise in the bar too loud, when the thought occurred to me.
What was she doing calling me when she was there? What if…what if that twit hurt her somehow?
Chugging the rest of my drink, I hurried outside onto the semi-empty patio. I moved as far away from the door as possible before hitting the green accept button, praying I answered in time.
“Fia?!” I tried to sound upbeat and happy, and not out of breath from pushing past bodies to answer her call. I was hoping that the concern and worry surging through me at the thoughts I’d just had didn’t come through the phone.
Sobbing greeted me on the other end.
“How. Bad?” I gritted out, feeling my blood pressure rise without knowing the full situation.
No one.
Not a single soul on this fucking planet was allowed to fuck with Devin Fia or Emilia. Those two women were my chosen family, my sisters, and I would protect them from anything.
“L-lawyer. K-kick him-m ou-out. Now.” She managed to choke out in between sobs.
“I’m on my way, babe. I’ll call Em. We got you. I’ll call Mom too. Give her a heads up.”
“K-k-k-kay,” her voice kept catching as she tried to speak through her sobs.
Hanging up, I pulled up the driving app and ordered a car, then called Em.
Four times, back to back. The fourth time she answered, sounding like she’d been in the midst of having some fun.
I hated having to ruin said fun, but I had an SOS that needed cashing in.
“Sorry for coitus interruptus,” was all I said when she answered the phone.
Emilia laughed at my comment, likely shaking it off as she normally did.
Because I did not want to think of another reason why she’d be laughing like that.
I heard the deep rumblings of a man’s voice in the background, possibly a second man’s.
Good for her. Time to drop the hammer.
“It’s Fia.” I heard her gasp, some rustling, a thud and then a door close with a groan somewhere on the other side. Then all sound ceased on her side of the phone.
“No!” She said, sounding hurt while still being scandalized. I heard more rustling and an exasperated groan in the background. “What’d he do to her?!”
“Yeah,” I said walking off the bar’s patio onto the sidewalk to meet my Uber in two minutes. I needed to hurry up and get home. I put her on speaker once outside and started two deliveries. One for ice cream and a few other needed things from the store, and the other from takeout.
“How bad? Like on a scale of, ready-to-leave-him to burn-his-world-to-the-ground?” She asked, sounding like she was pinning the phone between her shoulder and cheek.
“Not entirely sure, but the choked sobs demanding a lawyer and getting him out now, tell me close to five-alarm fire,” I said while giving a smile and nod to the driver when he asked my name as I got into his car.
I finished placing the orders, taking her off speaker phone asap. Emilia was dangerous on speaker.
You never put her on speaker phone unless it was an emergency, and even then. She was not appropriate for others about ninety percent of the time. She was the one you just gave a knowing look to others about and made sure you had enough bail money for any shenanigans she pulled you into.
But she had the biggest heart, and was ready to fight for her family, which thankfully included Devin and myself.
“Shit,” I heard her say into the phone. A door opened and then her voice shifted to the other person who she had been in bed with, “I have to go,” more rustling and a few kissing sounds.
“My sister needs me. Call you guys.” I heard her rushing, someone shouting in the background as she sounded out of breath.
Guys?
“Yes. On my way. Her place right?” Her breathing was coming out in rough bursts as she shouted for a taxi.
“I need you to get a few food items that I can’t get delivered.
Wine, booze, mixers, and all the greasy shit for the hangover cure.
Anything else you think is a need. I’ll send you whatever it costs,” she whistled as I promised, basically an unlimited tab.
I watched the buildings passing slower than I wanted as I rushed to my sister.
I hated that she was going through this, alone in a cab, on the way back to her apartment.
“Got it. I’ll stop and grab everything. Are we talking around the world? One specific region?” She asked, after giving the cabbie the store’s address.
“Full tour and then some.” I added ruefully.
I didn’t know what I was walking into, but this was by far going to be her worst breakup.
I knew Devin had to be questioning her choice to try to reconcile, because ‘Once a cheater, always a cheater’, right?
She used to tell that to whoever whenever someone asked her if she could or would ever forgive cheating. That was her motto, over and over.
But it was different with him. Because of him.
He was her first real love. The one that festered and burrowed deep inside of her, showing her happiness and a warmth she’d never known from someone else.
She worked so hard in school, but that was basically it.
She had a few friends-with-benefit situations with a couple different men over the years, but nothing serious where emotion was attached.
I knew she’d most likely be on guard, having gone back on her own words.
She was probably going to be a bit embarrassed and think we were going to call her out.
I shook my head, knowing that Devin’s emotions and thoughts were probably going to be all over the place.
She was probably going over everything to see what she missed.
Hopefully she was remembering that Emelia and I would always support her, no matter what her choices.
I hoped she remembered that so it wouldn’t be another thing to weigh on her mind.
I hung up with Em, and started making other phone calls to move things along.
My job was to get the practical things done.
I needed to make sure that she was covered and Caleb couldn’t just turn up whenever the fuck he pleased.
It was her apartment, legally, the deed was only in her name.
I called one of the five-star locksmiths that offered afterhours calls.
He sounded grumpy as hell, probably because of the late hour and how late he’d be working if he took the job, but I didn’t care.
“Look. I don’t care about the price or the time.
I know it’s almost eleven on a Saturday night, but it’s my sister we’re talking about here.
I need it done. The sooner the better.” I waited in silence before hearing a sigh and the man told me someone would be dispatched and completed the job within the next four hours.
I ended that call and moved on to a security company.
Her flat had a doorman, but I wanted her place to have cameras. I wanted it to have an updated alarm system. I wanted her to be safe because there’s no telling what could happen with either Caleb or his cheap knock off.
It was usually the cheap ones that unravel and fall apart first. I wanted to make sure she was safe if that unraveling caused a psychotic break.
I sighed in relief as the car pulled up to her flat and I stepped out.
Caleb could easily come home before it was finished.
The security company couldn’t even come until morning.
But they were bringing everything. Inside cameras, the updated system, a doorbell camera, as well as an additional one for the hallway.
Shit.
Looks like we’d be asking the doorman to stop him, take his keys, and hand him his stuff. That was the best that could be done for now.
Fine by me. Caleb wanted to fuck around?
He was going to find out! Walking into the lobby, I saw the night doorman who looked concerned when he saw me.
He let me know she’d come home a short while ago and did not look well.
We chatted about what happened with Devin and he assured me he’d do whatever he could to keep Caleb out.
Even promising to kick his shit out the front door to him if I brought it down.
I gave the man a solid handshake, before pressing the button on the elevator.
He was a good doorman who cared about the people living in this building.
The next call was going to suck. It rang and rang and rang.
Finally, Mom picked up. Her ma, the woman who opened her arms, heart, and home to me when my family turned me away.
The woman who became my mother in every sense of the word, except biologically, and the one whose heart I did not want to break.
“Eddie! How are ya, darlin’?” I smiled as I stepped into the elevator.
I both loved and hated how carefree and happy she sounded.
She should sound like this, all of the time.
I hated that I was the one to deliver the news that her daughter’s heart had been ripped to shreds almost twenty-nine minutes ago.
Rationally, I knew she didn’t know. But weren’t mothers supposed to have some sort of telepathy? Like knowing when shit hit the fan in their kid’s lives?
“Mam,” I said seriously, so she’d know this wasn’t going to be a fun conversation. I pressed the button for Devin’s floor.
“What? Why’s your voice soundin’ like that?” Mam was sweet, too kind for this world. I was convinced, and somehow they, Mam & Pa, made Devin just as sweet. It was Fia’s dad who had an Irish background. And when I heard his grumblings, I knew I didn't have long to get it out.
“Fia. She’s…physically alright. But something happened at the office Christmas party tonight.
I don’t know what, and I’m almost to her place, but.
She’s not doing well. All I got from her was ‘lawyer, kick him out’, and she wants it done now.
She can’t even talk right now,” I paused as the elevator doors opened to her floor. I stepped out.
“To be honest with you both, I think she might have caught Caleb with this coworker he’s been flirty with before. I think she might have caught them tonight. I won’t know til I get to her though.”
“No. Oh god. We’ll be on the next flight home. What do we need?” I heard a growl behind the worried voice of her mother. Both parents were equally pissed for their baby. I didn’t blame them. She was my sister.
“I’m not sure yet. I’ll let you know once I see her, okay, Mam?” I offered, my eyes locked on her door as I moved quickly down the hallway.
“Yes, boyo.” His gruff voice came over the phone. I could hear the anger in it. It was the same anger that was there when I overheard him yelling at my parents, demanding to know why they couldn’t love me as I was.
‘You can’t see the great man he has the chance to be?! Then you lose his number! He’s my boyo! I’ve got him! I’ll love him like he’s mine since ya can’t see past your homophobia!”
I blinked back my tears at the memory, but also understood.
He went to war for his kids.