I fist my hands, reminding myself I can’t kill this kid. Fuck! “Was April there?” He nods and then looks away. “Get the fuck out of here!” I order, pointing at the door.
“I never meant for her to get hurt. Or the shop …”
I grab him by the back of his neck since he’s still shirtless and yank him to me. “I’m going to pay your debt.” His eyes widen at that. “But your ass is gonna pay me back every fucking cent. Do you understand that?”
He nods quickly. I shove him to the door. “Get the fuck out!”
Cross sighs, standing by the door. I never saw him enter. “Grave, man, I’m not sure this is a good idea.”
“I didn’t ask you!” I snap. Then I run a hand down my face. Fuck. I need a drink. Or to get high. Pulling out my cell, I make a call while exiting the room and head toward the thirteenth floor in tower one where our offices are.
_______________
Getting off our private elevator, I walk past the empty reception desk and down the hallway, knowing she’s in my brother’s office. Titan would take her there.
I push open the door to find her sitting in a chair with her back to me. My brother sits behind the desk, as usual, with his eyes on her. Titan leans up against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.
She spins around and jumps out of her seat when her watery eyes meet mine. I walk up to her and place both of my hands on her tear-streaked face. “I’ve taken care of it.”
“Did you do this?” she asks, her ice blue eyes searching mine.
“No.” I sigh. “I had nothing to do with it. But I’m gonna handle it.”
She sniffs.
“How bad is the shop?” I ask.
“Destroyed.”
My chest tightens. “Did they hurt you?”
She bites her bottom lip but stays quiet. There’s a small bruise on her cheek. I remove my hands from her face and begin to run them over her shaking arms, looking for any sign of damage. Her hands have small cuts all over them, the blood now dried. I then run mine through her wild purple hair, and she hisses in a breath. I feel a cut, and my teeth clench. “How many were there?”
“Four,” she whispers.
“When did it happen?” Titan asks, surprising me.
She stays looking at me but answers him. “Tonight. Maybe an hour ago.”
My brother sits back in his seat, releasing a sigh. “Do we know who did it?”
“I don’t know who they were,” she answers him, but I nod.
I know them. Very well. “I’m gonna take you home,” I tell her, and she doesn’t argue.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
GRAVE
WE EXIT THE front of the hotel, and my car is already waiting for us. “Here you go, Grave.”
I help her into the passenger seat and then jump behind the wheel. Putting the car in gear, we take off.
She looks out the window, her head resting on it. “I don’t wanna go home,” she states softly.
“Roses?” I ask.
She just nods.
“Okay.” I yank on the e-brake and turn the wheel, making a U-turn.
My phone begins to ring through the silent car, and I press ignore when I see Lucy light up.
Twenty minutes later, we pull up to the shop, and she doesn’t wait for me to open her door. She enters, and I follow her. There’s glass all over the place. The three glass doors to the left are all busted. Flowers and petals cover the floor along with water. The shelves to the right that held her vases are torn off and pieces of them are on the floor as well.
“I have someone coming,” I tell her.
Her eyes meet mine. “What?”
“I made a call. A friend of mine is coming to stand guard at the door for the night. Then tomorrow morning, I have another friend coming to clean it up for you.”
She looks away from me, tears building in her eyes. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I know.”
She sniffs, and I walk over to her. Placing my fingers on her chin, I lift it so she looks up at me. The first tear runs down her face. “I’m … I’m sorry for what I said before …”
“Don’t worry about it.” The truth is, she wasn’t far off. This is what I do. What the Kings do. I can’t blame the Mason brothers for what they did. Or how they did it. But I can take care of this issue. I’ll pay Ethan’s debt, and it’ll all go away. And I’ll make sure her shop is better than it ever was.
I hear the bell go off, signaling someone entering, and I let go of her to turn and face my friend Lance. “Hey, man.” I pull him in for a half man hug.
He whistles looking around. “Guessing you didn’t do this?” he asks.
“No.” Comes my clipped answer.
He nods, getting the point. “I’ll stay as long as you need me to.”
I turn around but don’t see her. “April?” I call out, walking toward the back. I enter the office and see a door on the left open. I hear water running. Walking into it, I see it’s a small bathroom, and she has her hands under the running faucet, washing them off.
I come up to her and see them shake. “Let me help you.”
She sniffs as I pump some soap onto my hands and cover hers with mine. They begin to shake uncontrollably. “Hey.” I grab them tightly. “You’re okay,” I assure her. “I’m going to take care of it.”
She holds her head down, and I pull her hands from the water. “Look at me,” I order.
She lifts her head, and my chest tightens at the look of defeat in her eyes. Everything this woman has gone through—her mother dying, having to quit college to take over her mom’s shop, dealing with Ethan—is a lot. “I promise you. I’m going to take care of it.”
She yanks her wet and soapy hands from mine and wraps them around my neck, burying her head into my chest. “Thank you,” she sobs.
I let out a long breath, just thankful she’s able to stand here in front of me. It could have been a lot worse. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up and I’ll take you home.”
“I don’t want to go home.”
APRIL
We walk into Alexa’s bar, and I sit at a booth in the corner. It’s darker back here, and the music isn’t as loud since there aren’t speakers in this area. I’m not here to party or make friends. Just want a drink in quiet.
Grave sits down next to me. He remains silent. I hate that he’s helping me after I accused him of sending them to the shop. I’ll owe him big for this. But what am I supposed to do? The debt is too big for me to pay. I don’t have that kind of money or resources, and I’m maxed out. The house Ethan and I live in isn’t paid for. Business has been slow, and I didn’t want to close, so selfishly, I took out a loan to keep it open. I thought I was doing the right thing. Now I realize that I was wrong. Is that why Ethan didn’t come to me? Because he knew I couldn’t afford to help him? He has to know I would have done anything to save him, even if that meant selling the shop. He is the most important person in my life. He’s all I have left.
“April?” Derek comes up to our table with a big smile on his face, but it drops the moment he sees me. “What the hell happened to you?”