Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Kash
“Damn it, Bri!” This is the last fucking thing I need.
The single regret I have in my life just got done smashing the shit out of my SUV with a bat.
She ran off before I went outside. Taking in the remains of my car, I want to scream.
I worked so fucking hard to get this. To get to where I am. For all of it. Damn it!
The windshield is fucked. There are multiple spider splinters where her weapon of choice smashed into the glass and even a hole where it totally went through. I walk around the vehicle and take in the multiple dents, scratches and hits my baby took. I spent months saving for this.
Raking my hands through my hair, I fight the urge to scream.
Atlas is pissed at all of us and still on the warpath.
At least he’s not destructive like Bri. He just gives all of us the silent treatment.
He’s really losing his shit. The crazy bastard is heading over to Cora’s house, yet again, in hopes of talking to her.
Our fuckup means that my progress with Mila is tainted.
He needs to fix this, and if he can’t, well, I’m still going to talk to Mila.
I’m not losing my girl because Atlas lost his.
Although he’s too far gone for Cora to let her get away forever.
After Seth calls the cops, he stands beside me, surveying the damage. “Fuck, man, she’s really pissed at you.”
Glaring at him, I point at what’s left of my car. “You fucking think so?”
“Leave it to you to drive the girl to madness. I had no idea you were so talented.” He smirks.
“This is not my fucking fault. I never wanted a relationship with her, which she knew. The way she responded is not on me; none of this is. People just don’t stalk you at work, your home, and smash your car when you don’t like them,” I shout.
Shit. I kind of do that to Mila, but my methods are different. The way I stalk her is with love, nothing else.
Seth’s phone ringing cuts off my tirade.
Listening to pieces of his conversation with Atlas, I know shit has really hit the fan.
I need my phone so I can start taking pictures before the cops get here, and even though I’m pissed Bri didn’t stick around, we have CCTV, so it won’t be an issue to tell them it was her. Damn it.
As I get closer to the building, I hear glass breaking. Shit. Heading toward the back door, I fling it open and run through the small hallway leading to the front. If I thought my car looked bad, it’s nothing compared to what I’m looking at now.
Bri is destroying everything in sight. Her dark hair wildly flies around her as she takes the bat to my station, sweeping everything off the stands and onto the floor. Our front window looks much like my SUV’s does, and I have to remind myself a dozen times that no matter what, I don’t hit women.
“Bri! Stop!” I shout at her.
Turning her hate-filled eyes toward me, she swings the bat and knocks more things to the ground. She’s already destroyed my station and is moving onto the others. Hell no. Moving forward, she swings the bat at me with an animalistic battle cry.
“This is your fault! You fucking bastard! I gave you everything!” she shouts, swinging wildly at everything.
“Stop! You’re going to hurt someone, Bri. Just stop and we can talk.”
Snorting, she freezes and locks eyes with me.
The girl who worked here, the same one I spent a single night with, doesn’t even look human.
She looks like something has possessed her body and taken over.
“You don’t get to decide to discard me. I know you’ve been following that little baker’s tart around! ”
Fear slithers through my body. She’s been following Mila? Or watching me enough that she knows I’ve been spending time with her?
“Don’t you fucking dare go near her,” I warn. I will end her if she harms a single hair on Mila’s head.
“You don’t control me, Kash!”
Lunging forward, I stretch my arm to grab the bat. She’s mid swing again, and it catches me in the side. Fuck, that hurts. Ignoring the pain, I yank it from her hands. “Enough!” I roar.
Looking behind her, I see the blue and red flashing lights. Finally. “It’s over, Bri. You need help.”
“Fuck you, Kash,” she spits.
“In here!” I shout, tossing the bat to the side. We have cameras in the shop, and I’ll be turning over the footage, but even I know how it’ll look if the cops come in and I’m holding a bat.
Bri seizes that opportunity to lunge at me, and I try to hold her off without hurting her. As pissed as I am, I would never forgive myself if I hurt her.
The police rush into the lobby as she’s screaming and clawing at me. Her scratches are no doubt drawing blood. If it wasn’t for her shouting that she hates me and wants me to die, they’d probably think I was the one attacking her.
When they finally pull her off me and cuff her, I’m relieved to see Cassie is one of the officers. Thank fuck. She knows what I’ve dealt with.
“You good, Kash?” She looks over at me. Her eyes take in the shop briefly before she turns her gaze on me. “I thought you said your shop was nice,” she quips.
Shaking my head, I shoot her a look. “It used to be.” God, this is going to take so much to fix. As I take in the destruction of our shop, an officer reads Bri her rights, ignoring the way she yells.
How am I going to explain this to the guys? We’ll have to close up the shop. I can’t even imagine how much it’s all going to cost to fix. We have insurance, but who knows if it covers pissed-off one-night stands?
Cassie comes closer to assess me and shakes her head. “You know we’re going to need a statement, right?”
Sighing, I nod. “Yeah. You want to come with me while I grab the footage? We have cameras, and well, there’s a show out back you’ll probably want to see too.”
“It’ll be okay, Kash. She’ll be put away for a while.”
Sighing, I feel like the world’s dumbest bastard when I tell her, “She needs help, Cas. If I have a say, can I request counseling or an inpatient place instead of jail? Bri might act mean and tough, but she’s not.”
Heading toward the office, she falls into step next to me. “I can’t make any promises, Kash, but we can talk to the DA.”
Grabbing a hold of my side, I wince. Taking in the destruction around the shop again, I remember Seth was outside with me. Where the hell did he and Rhett go?
As it turns out, I wasn’t the only one getting fucked by the universe. Cora and Atlas were thrown yet another curveball that our entire family unit felt the blow of. Cora may be Atlas’ girl, but she’s like our little sister.
Atlas hasn’t left her side at the hospital, and it’s for the best. He had the genius idea to move into her place, freeing up his.
I offered to take over the lease. Bri was over one time, but now there’s a black cloud hanging over my apartment.
I’m sad to not be neighbors with Cassie anymore, but his place is a bit bigger with a second bedroom, and of course, Bri has no idea where it is.
We’re going to be closed for at least a month or so, and I’ve been in and out of the police station talking with Cassie and the DA.
It took a while, and some arguing with the guys, but I finally convinced them to agree to an inpatient facility for her over jail. The DA thought I was stupid, and yeah, maybe I am, but I think Bri just needs help, and she won’t get it in jail. Not properly anyway.
I just hope we can all get back to normal. I miss my girl.