Page 30 of Addicted to You

“So, you’re the one on babysitting duty?”

Elliott nodded. “Yep, and I don’t want to hear any complaints. You nearly gave me a heart attack, but we can talk about that tomorrow.”

The guys and I had a lot to discuss, but for tonight, I was just grateful they’d been there when I needed them the most.

12

CASH

Britt’s phonedinged with a notification and I grabbed it for her from the side table, but the headline fromStar Nationhad me reading the screen:

Surrender’s drummer, Silas Hale, rushed to the ER after an apparent overdose

“Oh, shit,” I breathed, causing Britt to look over at me.

“What?” she asked. It was her Friday and since I didn’t have a client, we were spending some much-needed time together. The argument from a few nights before had been put on the back burner.

“Your brother.” I handed her the phone and her eyes widened.

“Oh, my god.” She scrambled off the couch. “No, no, no,” she muttered. “I need to call Elliott. He’ll tell me how bad it is.”

Britt put the call on speaker. It took a few beatsbefore Elliott picked up. “Britt.”

“Oh my god, Elliott, what happened?” she rushed out. “Is he okay?”

“He’s stable,” Elliott responded. “He did some coke that was laced with fentanyl after our show tonight and Mal found him passed out on the bathroom floor afterward.”

“Coke? He was doing coke?”

“Yeah,” Elliott whispered.

Britt closed her eyes briefly. “I need to be there.”

“The guys and I have him,” Elliott assured her. “I’m taking him home as soon as he’s discharged, and I’ll stay with him.”

“I can’t just sit here and do nothing. He needs me.”

I put a hand on her arm. “He just said your brother is stable. Right now, the best thing you can do is let them handle it. He doesn’t need a crowd around him because he’s probably already scared enough.”

Her eyes flashed with frustration. “I can’t just act like everything’s fine, Cash.”

“I’m not saying that. As you know, he’s gonna be feeling like shit—physically, emotionally, all of it. If you rush out there, he’s gonna feel cornered. You need to give him space.”

Her shoulders sagged.

Elliott sighed on the other end. “We’ll keep you updated, I promise.”

Britt pressed her fingers to her temple. “Okay.”

When she hung up, she sat and stared at nothing on the floor below her. I sat next to her and rested a hand on her back.

“He’s still here,” I reminded her. “That’s what matters.”

“I didn’t even know he did drugs.”

I hesitated, because I thought about lying. Maybe I should’ve. But the image of Silas in their parents’ kitchen flashed through my mind.

I exhaled sharply. “I knew.”