The Insiders

“I’m going to fuck you up, Colello.” That was what he resorted to.

Kash ignored him, ducking down to Matt.

I never would’ve imagined it if I hadn’t watched it with my own eyes, but in two moves he had lifted my brother up as if he weighed nothing. Tucking his shoulders against Matt’s chest, he pushed one arm behind Matt’s back and tucked him in, standing back up. My brother was dangling over Kash’s back like a doll.

“Agh—ugh.”

The pressure to his sternum must’ve been enough. Matt opened his mouth and the vomit was starting to spew. Kash grimaced, but ignored that too. He nodded to his guards, who were approaching Chester and Tony with large buckets of water. In two seconds, both had been thrown at the boys.

They shot to their feet, cursing, sputtering, and glaring.

The dicks were still waving around. Now their jeans slid to the floor. Chester bent to grab his, trying to shake off one arm, but he took a step forward, got tangled, and down he fell. Two guards yelled and rushed to the rug that Chester had fallen on. They had him rolled up, just like they’d done with the pool girl, and he was hoisted over both their shoulders and taken out.

Tony was the last one, and he stood there, glazed over. “Wha—where’d everyone go?”

The guards waited for Kash’s command, but as he carried Matt to a back room, Kash turned. “They went to the next party. Tuck it in and get out, Cottweiler.”

“Huh?” But, shrugging, he grabbed his pants up.

No one had shoes on. No one had a shirt on. And they all left that way. The guards were picking up their clothes when Kash yelled for me.

“Back here.”

I’d been gawking. I couldn’t help it. This whole scene was something I never could’ve imagined, but there it was. Proof my brother’s partying ways weren’t made up in the tabloids.

“Bailey!”

“Coming.” Making sure I didn’t step on glass or—gross, there was a condom there—anything I could get an STD from, I found Kash and Matt in a back bathroom. Matt was kneeling at the toilet, puking. Kash was leaning against the bathroom sink. His hands were resting on the counter’s edge, one foot crossed over the other, and he locked me in with a hooded gaze.

“Hey.” I was hesitant here. I wasn’t sure of my place.

“Hey back.” Motioning to Matt, he added, “I’m going to have to stay and get him sober. Do you want to stay or would you like a ride back to my place?”

“I…” I wasn’t sure what I should do.

A rather nasty gurgle left Matt, his back arching from the force of it.

I sighed, leaning against the door frame. “It doesn’t feel right, leaving.”

“This isn’t your mess. Trust me. I’d suggest finding one of his guest rooms and curling up, but I can’t promise they haven’t already been used tonight.”

I winced at his insinuation.

“Shit, Kash. Twenty minutes.”

That’s all the time they would’ve been here, if even that.

Unless Matt left me at the club …

“The rooms are probably safe. Looks like they used his main room for the partying.”

Matt paused in his puking and looked up. Sweaty, pale, and a green tinge coming to his face, he smiled up at me. “Hey, it’s my sister. Kashy, it’s my sister. Look.” He tried to pat Kash on the leg and point, but Kash shifted out of Matt’s reach. Swinging in the air, Matt didn’t register, and he beamed back up at me. “I’m so happy that you came to party with me tonight. Next time will be better. Promise.”

When I said he beamed at me, I meant he was smiling stupidly at the wastebasket. He reached out, patting it. “You’re a good sister. Smart, too.” Then he moaned, going back to resting his head over the open toilet.

We were still there five minutes later, when a guard came to the door.

“Everything is picked up.”

Kash nodded, running a brisk hand down his face. “Have staff clean everything, bedrooms too.”

“On it.” He indicated Matt. “A guest complained from three floors below about the music. Hotel staff didn’t want to deal with it, called it in to one of our guys right away. That was the call. He barred them from the room so they weren’t sure what was going on in here.”

Kash scowled. “Guards should never be barred from a room. That defeats the purpose of why they’re paid.”

“Agreed.” He flinched. “I’ll talk to my men tomorrow.”

“You’ll suspend those that fucked up. Helms as well. I told him to take off for three days.”

“Sir?”

“There should be no emotional attachments. They’re hired to do their jobs, that’s all.”

The guard was confused, but he dipped his head down. “Yes, sir.” He hesitated again. “Orders for the rest of the night?”

Kash’s gaze had fallen to me, holding there. He asked the guard, “Quinn didn’t want her at the estate?”

The guard stood up tall, reacting to his question. He coughed before answering, “Uh. Yes. Those were her orders.”

A storm was brewing. Something uneasy passed in the air. The guard felt it. I felt it, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. Even Matt paused, confused, as he turned to look at us again. He mistook the tub for us this time, and nodded, his eyes glossing over before he turned back to the toilet.

“Sir?”

Kash snapped out of his thought, shaking his head. “Normal rotations. I’d like an on-call nurse to come up. She’ll relieve us from Matt.”

“Yes, sir.”

The guard left immediately after.

Not a word was spoken over the next hour.

Kash moved to grab some water for Matt, but returned to half standing/half leaning against the counter by the toilet. I slid down to the floor, hugging my knees to my chest, and after thirty minutes, I rested my head on my knees. When Matt took a breather, Kash would hand him the water with instructions to take only a few sips. He’d take the water when Matt was done, hand him a washcloth to wipe his face, and take it back before Matt lurched over the toilet again.

Judging from the almost bored expression on Kash’s face, I had a feeling this was normal. For them.

Once Matt stopped, Kash and a guard carried him to his bed. He was gently laid down, which surprised me. Another guy might’ve just tossed Matt in, but Kash and the guard didn’t. He was propped on his side. The water on the stand. A fresh washcloth next to it and a towel folded up. Kash put the garbage right underneath Matt so he could lean over and vomit if he needed. At the same time, the guard was positioning Matt’s head so a towel was underneath his face, over the pillow and bed. His knees were bent forward.