Twenty-Eight
Kyle
I was chewing on a dinner roll. It wasn’t hard or moldy like the rolls I’d eaten in the dream. This one was soft and buttery; it almost melted on my tongue. Then, Anthony walked in. The second my eyes connected with my brother’s, I put the roll back on the tray. It was the first thing I’d eaten in almost nine days, and I suddenly had no appetite.
Since Garin had told me about the accident and I’d had a chance to process it all, I knew I would be seeing Anthony soon. I was just surprised it had taken this long, considering I’d been awake for over a day. What didn’t surprise me was hearing that my mom wouldn’t be making the trip up north. According to Garin, she was staying in Florida to help out at my shop.
My gaze followed Anthony over to the windows.
He stopped and leaned his back against the ledge. “You all right?” he asked.
“I’m okay.”
The dream had brought back so many memories from that night in The Heart. I could feel myself huddled on the pavement outside our apartment. I could see the blood flowing out of Paulie’s body. I felt myself inside Anthony’s car, more scared than I’d ever been. I could hear Anthony give his final orders, dictating the way my life would be.
Twelve years later, the man in front of the windows hadn’t changed at all.
But I had.
And the dream I’d had while I was in the coma had changed me again.
“When are you getting out?”
I blinked, wishing I didn’t have to answer his question, knowing he’d track me down, no matter what. “A few more days.”
I didn’t look in Garin’s direction even though I felt his eyes on me. I wanted to get through Anthony’s visit without getting emotional. And, if I glanced at Garin while the killer was in the room, I didn’t think I’d be able to do that.
“I’ll drive you to Florida when you get out,” Anthony said.
“She’s flying to Florida with me,” Garin said.
Garin’s response came out so fast that I didn’t even have a chance to open my mouth. I just stared at Anthony, waiting for him to react.
It didn’t take him long.
He looked over his shoulder at Garin, sitting in the back of the room near the closet. “Did you say something, motherfucker?”
When Anthony glared back at me, I shivered. I knew how deadly that stare could be, how easily he had aimed that gun at Paulie and pulled the trigger.
“I think you heard me just fine,” Garin said.
“Why don’t you get out, so I can talk to my sister alone?”
“That’s up to your sister. Not you.”
With much pause, I shifted my gaze toward the closet and locked eyes with Garin. He didn’t appear fazed at all by Anthony’s comment; he didn’t look intimidated either. There was no reason for him to. In Garin’s line of work, I was sure he dealt with bigger, scarier, more confrontational assholes than my brother.
“Kyle, tell me what you want,” Garin said before I had a chance to respond.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Just give us a few minutes.”
He nodded. “I’ll be right outside.”
“Why don’t you take a walk?” Anthony said. “I’ll come find you when we’re done.”
Garin stood but didn’t take a step. “Let’s get something straight right now. I don’t take orders from you. I’m only walking out of here because your sister said she’s okay with it.” He looked in my direction. “I’ll be right outside the door. Yell if you need me.”
Anthony stalked over to the foot of the bed as the door shut. “I don’t fucking like that punk. He thinks he’s entitled because he works for the bosses and runs their shitty casino out in Vegas. But you know what? I could take him down in a second. I’m not afraid of that motherfucker or any of the bosses he works for.”
Anything I said would only make him angrier. When it came to my brother, I’d learned it was best to keep my mouth shut.
“Why the fuck is he still here anyway? Why hasn’t he gone back to Vegas?”
Garin hadn’t told me his reasons for staying, and I hadn’t asked. But I liked having him around, and I didn’t want him to leave. Even though I slept most of the time he was in the room, I felt safe, knowing he was there.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he feels guilty about the car accident.”
“He should feel guilty. The asshole almost killed you.” He looked toward the door with disgust. “I don’t like him hanging around here. I want him gone.”
I tried to keep my heart rate down, knowing the monitor would show just how Anthony’s demands affected me. I couldn’t have that. And I couldn’t have him knowing I still had feelings for Garin whether they grew during the dream, during the kiss we’d had at the bar, or in the short time we’d been hanging out in my room.
“It’s been twelve years, Anthony. You don’t have to worry about me saying anything.”
I knew that was the real reason he didn’t want Garin around me.
“Lose him. I’m not going to say it again.”
Now, I was the one with disgust in my eyes.
I hated my brother.
I hated that he still had this power over me.
I hated that I still feared him.
“He’s going to fly me home,” I said. “Then, I’ll make sure he goes straight back to Vegas.”
“He’d better.”
As he moved a little closer to me, I finally smelled him. There was nothing clean about his scent. He reeked of cigarettes and booze and women’s cheap perfume.
“Take this as your warning.”
He was as vile as Breath.
“You don’t have to warn me.”
“I don’t?”
A pang of guilt stabbed the back of my throat. It made it too hard to control my emotions, too hard to keep my heart rate down. Fortunately, Anthony was too angry to notice the monitor.
I kept my voice low, so he wouldn’t yell at me about my tone. “No, you don’t. I know what I’m allowed to say and what I have to lie about.”
“I think you’re wrong about that. You went to a bar with him, knowing it would piss me off. Then, you left the bar with him. Where was he taking you, huh? To your fucking bed?” He didn’t wait for me to answer. “Do you know this is the first time I’ve been able to see you since you’ve been in the hospital? So, yeah, Kyle, I think you need a fucking warning.”
“What are you talking about? I’ve been in the hospital for over eight days now. It’s not my fault that you didn’t come here to visit me.”
He moved to my side and leaned down, so his face was close. Too close…Breath close.
I had to remind myself that the prison wasn’t real.
“I came to the hospital every fucking day,” Anthony said. “Garin’s security wouldn’t let me see you until today.”
Garin’s security?
Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised, given who Garin worked for and that he was back in Atlantic City where the bosses lived and protected one another. But I was. It made me wonder if the accident had really been an accident.
“I’m sure he was just trying to keep me safe,” I said.
“From who, Kyle? From me?”
I wanted to give him an honest answer. To tell him again what kind of monster he was. That even his sister needed protection from him. But a confession like that would ensure I’d never be discharged from the hospital.
I shrugged again. “Why didn’t you just call the police? I’m sure they would have helped you slide through security.”
“The police?” He pointed at his pockets. “Do you know how much shit I carry with me?”
Shit could have been so many things—dirty money, drugs, weapons. Probably all three.
“I didn’t like being told I couldn’t see you. I didn’t like Garin controlling your medical care. And I didn’t like that he gave me a fucking hard time about leaving the room.” He pointed at me. “Once he drops you off, he’s gone. Forever.” Then, he didn’t say another word.
He didn’t have to.
The anger seething from every aspect of him said enough.