Chapter 25 Kashton
TWENTY-FIVE
KASHTON
“Eve? Angel, talk to me. What hurts?” I frantically roam my hands over her body. One is on her neck, checking her pulse, and it’s thready. The other is yanking her shirt up to see if she’s been stabbed or shot.
She’s covered in blood, but I can’t tell if it’s hers or not.
I run my hands over her thighs and ass, looking to see if her jeans have any holes or cuts.
“Eve—” Her heavy eyes roll into the back of her head as her knees give out. “Fuck.” I catch her before she falls and pick her up, cradling her in my arms.
I carry her down the hall and kick open her bedroom door, placing her on her bed as I pull out my cell phone. I immediately call Gavin and rattle off her address, letting him know I need him now.
Then I grab her phone from her back pocket and dial Adam’s number. He’ll answer her call before he’ll take mine.
“Hey, how’d it go?” he asks in greeting.
“Adam,” I growl, ripping her shirt off her chest and using it to try and clean her neck and arms free of the blood.
“Why the fuck are you calling me from Eve’s phone, Kash?” he demands, immediately on the defensive.
“Because she just passed out in my arms.” I look over her chest and stomach, searching for some kind of entrance wound. When I don’t see anything, my hands go to her hair, feeling around for bumps or lacerations.
“What?” he demands. “What the fuck is wrong with her?”
“I don’t know, but I’ve got Gavin on his way to look at her.” As the words leave my mouth, she opens her heavy eyes, blinking and looking around aimlessly.
“Wh-at?”
“Where are you?” he questions, interrupting her.
“Her house,” I answer, gently pushing her to lie down when she tries to sit up.
“Keep her there. I’m on my way.” He hangs up, and I decide now is not the time to dwell on the fact that he didn’t ask for her address. Of course he fucking knows where she lives.
He made it sound like I’m letting her go somewhere.
“Kash?” She licks her lips and blinks. She glances up at me, and I can tell she actually sees me this time, unlike in the living room.
Her eyes are heavy but focused. I let out a deep breath and run my hand down the side of her bruised face.
“What happened, Eve?” I ask her. She did a job tonight.
That’s the only explanation for the blood and Adam asking How’d it go?
“Did he hit you?” Her cheek has a light-colored bruise she didn’t have when I left her yesterday at the cathedral.
“I’m fine.” She puts her hand on the bed and pushes herself to sit. Groaning, her head hangs forward, and I stand.
“Stay in bed. I’ll get you a water.” I make my way to her kitchen, grab one out of the fridge, and rush back to her. My teeth grind when I see the bed empty. “Goddammit, Eve. You need to be in bed,” I growl when I see her standing in her bathroom.
“I need a shower.” She looks herself over in the mirror. “You ripped my top.” Turning to face me, her eyes harden.
“I was trying to see what was wrong with you,” I snap angrily.
She huffs. “Funny, coming from you.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” I haven’t physically hurt her.
She opens her mouth to no doubt tell me to leave, but the doorbell rings. “I’ll get it.”
I set the bottle of water on the counter and then make my way to the door, letting Gavin in. “She’s awake,” I inform him, and he follows me down the hallway, through her primary suite, and then into her bathroom.
“Kash—” She turns around to yell at me but stops when she sees Gavin is with me. Her eyes widen for a brief second before they narrow on me. “What is he doing here?”
“This is Gavin.” The way she can’t meet his eyes tells me that she already knows who he is. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. “He’s going to look at you. Give you an exam to see what happened and why you fainted.”
“I keep telling you I’m fine. I’m just tired.” She runs a hand through her tangled, bloody hair.
“Let me decide that,” Gavin says, stepping forward.
She looks between me and him. Trying to decide whether the fight is worth it. It’s not.
“I’m—”
“If you say fine one more time, I will tie you to your bed so Gavin can examine you,” I interrupt her. “And you can fight me all you want, but we both know you’re not strong enough to beat me.” Not even on her best day, but definitely not tonight. She’s exhausted and weak.
She huffs, looking away.
I would smile if I wasn’t so worried about her. “I’ll give you guys a minute.” I exit, letting them have their time together.
As I’m returning to the living room, her front door bursts open, and Adam enters. “Where the fuck is she?” he demands.
EVERETT
“Have you ever passed out before?” Gavin asks me.
I want to laugh but instead say, “Yes.”
“How long ago?” He places the stethoscope on my chest to listen to my heart.
“I don’t know. It’s been a while.” Last time I actually passed out, I was choked out by Kashton. Is that the same? I’m not sure, but I’m not in the mood to get into it with him.
“Everything sounds good.” He places his hands on my neck, and I arch it so he can feel around for whatever it is he’s looking for. “Any drugs?”
“Just alcohol,” I answer as he pulls away.
“Today?” he wonders.
“Every day.”
He sighs heavily. “Eve—”
“Don’t,” I cut him off. “I don’t even know why you’re here.”
“Kashton called me. He was really worried about you.”
I snort and then flinch. My head is still pounding more than it was before.
“I would like to give you a prescription—”
“No drugs.” I shake my head. “I don’t need them.”
His jaw sharpens. “Can you promise to take it easy?”
“Sure.” I shrug.
“But will you?”
“No.”
“Goddammit, Eve.” He turns and softly shuts my bathroom door, and I raise my brows in question. I like where we pretend that we don’t know each other. “Just because I don’t see any physical signs of a concussion doesn’t mean you don’t have one.”
“I don’t.”
“Let me give you an IV. Fluids can help—”
“No.” I know what he’s wanting to do. He wants to flush my system, and it won’t do any good.
He looks away, and I can tell he’s debating pushing it. Is it worth forcing me and pissing me off? The answer is never. “I’m going to suggest that Kash stay the night with you tonight.”
My teeth grind. “Absolutely not.”
“It’s either that or you come with me back to the clinic and I put you under a twenty-four-hour watch,” he says matter-of-factly. “And as worried as he is, I’m guessing he would follow you there.”
I fist my hands at my options. I’m getting really tired of this shit.
He steps into me and softens his voice. “I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, but I promise Kashton staying here with you is the better option.
Especially after I call your father and inform him of why I had to make a house visit in the middle of the night.
” With that, he gathers his things, opens the door, and exits my room.
I want to scream my head off right now, but it’ll just make my headache worse. Stepping out into the hallway, I hear Gavin speaking. “You need to stay with her tonight.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Kashton says, confirming what I was dreading.
“Her vitals are good, but I’d rather be safe than sorry,” Gavin goes on.
“Of course. Thanks for coming.” Then I hear the front door open and close.
I make my way down the hallway and to the kitchen. Opening the cabinet, I grab a bottle of whiskey and then a glass out of the freezer.
“Not sure that’s a wise decision,” Kashton says from the living room.
I keep my back to him. “Pretty sure I didn’t ask your opinion.”
As I pour the alcohol into the glass, it’s ripped from the counter, making the liquor cover the white marble.
“What the fuck?” I spin around to give Kashton a piece of my mind but laugh when I see a set of green eyes holding the frosted glass.
“Is there anyone you didn’t call?” I look around Adam to where Kashton sits on the couch.
He’s leaning forward, elbows on his dark-wash jeans. He’s in a white hoodie, with that fucking baseball hat on backward. His eyes are on mine, but they give nothing away. It’s that same look he gave me when I kneeled at his feet, begging him to fuck my face.
I glance away and let out a deep breath.
“What the fuck happened?” Adam growls and pours the glass into the sink. “Did he rape you?” He looks over my disheveled hair, bruised face, and blood-covered jeans. My shirt is lying on my bedroom floor because Kashton ripped it off me. They don’t seem to care that I’m in my bra.
“No.” I run a hand through my hair, trying to tame it the best I can. I’ve seen myself in the mirror. I look like shit.
“Are you sure?” Kashton asks.
I slam my eyes on him. “Of course I’m sure.”
“You passed out in my arms. It’s not a stretch to think that you passed out during the job as well.” Kashton sits back into my couch, his legs opening wide while his tatted hands rest on his thighs. His tan skin and black ink up against the white hoodie make him look mouthwateringly good.
Fuck, I’ve got to get myself a chastity belt. I’m never having sex again. Something so innocent shouldn’t turn me on.
“Did Gavin examine you?” Adam digs.
“No,” I growl, knowing what he’s asking. The last thing I was going to do was get undressed and spread my legs. I’ve had to do that before for Gavin, but it was warranted. I know there was no reason to tonight. “There was no need. I didn’t let it get that far. My clothes never came off.”
Adam nods, as if that’s enough information to satisfy him, but one look at Kashton tells me he’s skeptical. He probably just doesn’t like the idea of sharing his toy.
“I’m giving you a week off,” Adam states, turning away.
“Actually,” I say, and he stops, turning back to face me, “I want you to relocate me.”
“Absolutely not.” Kashton jumps to his feet.
I narrow my eyes on him. “This is not your decision to make.” I put my attention back on Adam. “I want to move. Send me somewhere else.” When he just stares at me, I frown. “This is what you told me to do. You told me to run.”
“Are you running?” He arches a brow.
I look away.
“If so, who are you running from?” Adam goes on at my silence.
I can’t say his brother because then he’ll ask what we did that I need to run from. “I—”
Adam’s phone ringing interrupts me. He pulls it out of his pocket and answers.
“Hello…yeah…I’ll be right there.” He hangs up.
“I have to go. We’ll finish this conversation later.
” He starts walking toward the front door.
“Get some rest. And quit fucking drinking. You’re going to give yourself liver damage and kill yourself. ”
Kashton follows him out the door and I turn, picking up the bottle.
Fuck them both.