Page 14

fourteen

Twilight Zone

Dario

Driving to the hospital is yet again quiet. I’ve got so many things flooding my mind and they just keep fucking coming. When do we get a fucking break? It’s been non fucking stop for months. Spade really believes Jade is gone, but I don’t. Until I see her dead body, I won’t believe anything anyone says.

While we were at the meeting with Caspian, the devil kept sending me nudes of herself. When will she get the clue that I do not want her? That she legit has to drug me in order to get my dick in her. I can’t believe she did that shit, and I’m fucking livid about it. I keep saying I need time to figure this shit out, but there is no more time. No matter what plan I come up with, I’m dead either way.

Looking over at my brother, I can’t help but be mad at myself for missing everything he’s been going through. Spade’s never been alone. He’s always had us, even Amelia when she was alive, and when she died, Jade flew in and helped him in ways I don’t think he even knows.

We’ve all fucked up in so many ways, but I’m seeing now for the first time that she truly is the glue; our heart that keeps us beating, and without her, he’s dying slowly and that breaks my heart for him. Jameson’s in a coma having no notion of what’s going on, and then there’s Jade. Fuck. This is a mess. We all need our heart back, or one by one, we will all wither away into nothing and everything we’ve been working so hard for, will be for nothing.

I need to call Gio and have him put someone on Slim. My gut is telling me something isn’t adding up and I need proof that my gut is right. We’re going to need to have a meeting with him anyway about the gun deal. We all know Flynn doesn’t deal with anyone but Jade, and now that she is MIA, we need to see if he will deal with one of us.

“You think Slim will have a meeting with us about Flynn?” I ask as we enter the hospital parking lot.

“Fuck Slim, I’ll be calling Flynn directly.” He responds as I park.

“Clearly I missed something if you have a direct line to Flynn.” I say, shocked because the last time I spoke with Flynn was when I was having Jade followed and he ripped me a new one, ordering me to stay the fuck away from her. So this is news to me.

“Doesn’t matter at this point how I got the connect. What matters is that I have it, and will be placing the call tonight,” he chides, getting out of the car and slamming the door. Great, it’s like dealing with a child when he has a stick up his ass.

Getting out, I round the car, getting annoyed with his behavior, “Can you lose the fucking attitude for like two seconds? All I’m trying to do is help and get this shit figured out so we don’t have to deal with our fathers, but you and your bullshit make it fucking impossible.” I point out as we walk, but he ignores me as he steps through the front doors, bypassing security and going right for the bank of elevators.

“So you’re just going to act like I’m not here, but yet bitch at me that I missed so much. Make up your fucking mind. Either you need me or you don’t.” I say, but he still says nothing as we step into the elevator, hitting the button for the twelfth floor. Fine, he wants to act like a toddler, that's his problem.

Taking out my phone, I send a text to Gio to have someone watch Slim and report back to me with his whereabouts, asap. We wait as the elevator stops to let people on and off.

Finally getting to the floor we need, we step out and pass the nurses' station to Jameson’s room. I take a deep breath because I know this is going to be a fucking shit show.

Spade enters the room first and sits down near the window, grabbing Jameson’s hand. I quietly shut the door behind me and sit to Jameson’s right. He has regained color in his face, but his eyes seem sunken in. There’s no medical equipment coming from his body other than an IV. Which is odd to me if he was in a coma. Interesting. His chest is all bandaged up and his vitals are all steady. I really hope we are out of the woods. I need the dickhead to wake up sooner rather than later.

“Hey, Jay. We’re here. It's me and Ri. We came to see how you’re doing. I uh, need you to wake up soon, okay? I’m not okay with you being in here alone.” Spade says, squeezing his hand. He looks up at me and I smile.

“Do you think he can hear us?” he asks, and I nod.

“I’d like to think so. I truly believe us arguing when he was in the ICU is what brought him back, and I can probably bet my life on it that when he wakes up, we’re going to hear all about it.” I say and he smiles.

“I hope he wakes up soon. I-we need him.” He says, looking down at a sleeping Jameson. He cups his face and I almost feel like I’m intruding on a moment I’m not supposed to see.

“Please Jay, open your eyes. We’ve got mother fuckers to kill and I don’t want to do it without your psycho ass. Please, I need you, bro.” He pleads, the monitor spikes a bit and his eyes widen at the sound.

“See, he hears you. We just need to figure out what we can do to get him to wake up.” I say, and Spade smirks. Oh god, I don’t think I’m going to like whatever it is that’s cooking in his head.

“If you leave for like ten minutes, I might be able to do it,” he says with a grin.

“Are you seriously suggesting what I think you are? Jesus.” I reply and he laughs. The monitor spikes again and I grab Jameson’s other hand.

“Come on, Jameson. It’s time for you to wake the fuck up. We got work to do.” I encourage as the monitor is the only thing letting us know he’s with us.

“Do we tell him about Jade?” Spade asks, and I shake my head.

“There’s nothing to fucking tell.” I grit as the monitors go crazy.

“Oh, he hears us alright. Is it Jade?” He asks, and the monitor does its thing again.

“Fuck, she’s the only one who’s going to be able to bring him back.” I say as Spade lays his head on Jameson’s chest.

“I’m sorry, brother, I’m so sorry.” He pleads and I snap.

“Stop fucking apologizing and man the fuck up. She’s not fucking dead! Goddamn it, Reid, don’t you fucking get it?.” I yell and Jameson squeezes my hand.

“Did he just… did he squeeze your hand, too?” I ask, my gaze shooting up at Spade and he nods.

“He did. What do we do now?” He asks, and I have no clue other than to keep arguing.

“You’ve just taken the word of Irish scum that our girl is dead, and you just believe it? Without proof.” I growl and Spade lifts his head up off Jameson’s chest as my hand is squeezed again. Spade looks down at his hand and I raise a brow. Hopefully he is picking up what I'm putting down.

“He provided a box of her ashes. What the fuck was I supposed to do? Again, dickhead, I'm only one person!” Spade yells.

“What you are, is a fucking idiot.” I accuse and he growls, only this time my hand is squeezed so strongly I almost want to wince. I look down and Jameson’s eyes are wide the fuck open, just glaring at the two of us.

“Holy shit, Jay. You there, brother?” He asks.

“Should I call a nurse?” I question,not sure what to do as Jameson blinks and takes a deep breath.

“Where is she?” He quietly rasps through gritted teeth. Spade just shakes his head as tears pour from his eyes. Oh, for fuck's sake.

“Not here, not right now.” I answer and he looks at the both of us with narrowed eyes.

“If the two of you don’t get it the fuck together, I’ll gut you both when I get out of this fucking bed.” He threatens.

“Welp, he’s back with all the attitude and threats.” Spade laughs, and I shake my head when suddenly I hear his heart monitor start beeping erratically.

“Jameson, chill the fuck out. You’re going to send yourself back to sleep. Calm down.” I say, but he shakes his head. I don't know if it's a voice shake, or he’s telling me no. Hard to decipher at this point.

“Bring her to me, now. Get her on the fucking phone. I don’t care what you have to do, but I need to hear her voice,” he begs, and Spade sobs. Fuck my fucking life.

“I can’t, not right now.” I say. He lets go of my hand, but the next thing I know, he’s reaching up to my throat, wrapping his big hands around it and pulling me down towards him.

“Dario, so help me, god. Where the fuck is my girl?” He growls, tightening his hold as I try to loosen his grip, his eyes look straight murderous.

“Tell him where she is, Ri. Since you think I’m an idiot. Go ahead. Tell him.” Spade taunts me and I side eye him.

“Someone better start talking.” Jameson growls, squeezing me harder, but the door opening behind me stops another word coming from my mouth.

“Boys, you are dismissed! Leave now or I’ll have security remove you and ban you both from stepping foot in here again.” Dalton orders, the threat dripping from his lips. This fucking guy. I can’t wait to fucking kill him.

Looking down at Jameson, he nods. He knows there’s no use in fighting him. But before he lets me go, he pulls me to his face and whispers, “Get her up here,” and releases me.I nod, taking a step back.

“Go with Dario and stop fighting.” Jameson commands at Spade, and he follows me from the room, but not before Dalton chimes in yet again.

“Such good little puppets.” He laughs and I slam the door behind me.

“I can’t wait to put a bullet in his fucking head.” I say, walking to the elevators.

“Agreed, it will be a day of celebration when The Aces are finally dead. But Dalton’s demise might happen sooner considering he’s been playing our fathers.” Spade says as we climb into the elevator.

“Wait, what?” I say. When the fuck did this information come about.

“After finding out Jade was dead, I went back to find you, and The Aces were there. I punched Dalton in the face and found out that our dads, excluding Dalton, did not send us to the Academy to kill Jade. That was all Dalton.

Our fathers said killing her would be pointless, which opens a whole other can of worms, because I feel so out of the loop. I thought us killing her was an order straight from The Aces, not fucking Dalton, which in retrospect came from Jay. So once he’s out of here, we need to find out the truth.” He spills. and I feel like I might as well let him in on a little truth.

“I knew we were here to kill her, but there’s something else.” I confess, and his eyes widen as the elevator doors open. We step out and exit the hospital, knowing we can’t speak anymore inside of there, or anywhere, until we get in the car.

Climbing in, I start the car and he lights up a joint.

“Well, fill me the fuck in, why don’t you.” He says, taking a pull off the joint and passing it to me. Taking a deep pull, I pass it back to him and get us on the highway back to Jades.

“We already know that your father wants an heir, same as mine. Well, apparently Dalton’s been running his own game. Again, I don’t know what is so special about Jade, or what power she holds, but you and I were sent to get her pregnant.” I confess and he shakes his head, continuing to smoke the joint.

“What in the actual fuck, man?” he says and I shrug.

“So many questions left unanswered.” I say and he shakes his head.

“Nothing ever makes fucking sense.” He coughs as he blows out the rest of the smoke.

“Indeed, brother. Indeed.”

Hours later, I’m arriving back at hell. I don’t want to be here, let alone lay my head on any fucking pillow in this house.

I climb the stairs to our bedroom and strip for a shower. Standing under the spray, I take a deep breath and think about the green-eyed beauty who will forever haunt my dreams.

My cock stirs as I think about when she and I first had sex in the library. The way her pussy held my cock so tightly. Fuck, what I’d give to have her here right now, on her knees for me, like I’ve fantasized since day one. Except she’s not here and I don’t know where she is. I refuse to believe she’s gone, no matter what Spade has said,or the bullshit taunts Marsela has spewed at me. I need answers and I need them now, but my cock has other plans as it twitches between my legs.

I take a hold of it, squeezing tightly as I slowly stroke myself, feeling my hand glide over my piercings. I shiver as I stroke faster, thinking of Jade on her knees looking up at me with hunger in her eyes. She always knew how to satisfy my beast.

Stroking harder, I groan thinking about the time she sat on my face and squirted down my chin. Remembering the way her pussy rippled above me. How her thighs clamped over the sides of my head. Fuck.

I lean against the wall with my eyes closed, picturing all the moments we had together, all the times I made her cum, and how good she made me feel. Squeezing harder, I jerk my fucking cock fast, needing to cum so fucking hard to the thought of her. But then the door creaks open and the memories vanish. I let go of my aching cock and grab the soap.

“Lover, I didn’t hear you come home. Need any help in there?” She asks. Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard.

“No, I’m just about done. I have some things to do tonight. Are you good by yourself?” I ask, praying my calmness gets me what I want.

“Yes, I’m going out for the night. Is that alright?” She says and my heart kicks up.

“Sure, go out and have a great time. I should be back before the sun rises.” I say excitedly, hoping my new found attitude is believable. I hear her heels clicking as she exits the bathroom and I let out the breath I was holding. Shutting the water off and stepping out, I grab a towel to dry off, wrapping it around my waist as I exit the bathroom.

Stopping in my tracks, I blink once, twice, three fucking times to make sure what I’m seeing is real. Marsela has her back to me and her black hair curled down her back. She’s wearing a red leather jacket and black jeans with boots. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought she was Jade.

I clear my throat and she spins, smiling at me. I do a double take, looking at her face. She’s wearing green fucking contacts and her makeup is simple with black eyeliner, mascara and red lipstick. Is this some kind of sick joke?

“Are you going to say how nice I look?” she asks, and I blink. What the fuck? Where did her Albanian accent go? Am I dreaming?

“Um–.” I can’t even get the words out as she waltzes over to me, just how Jade would, and runs her stiletto nails up my bare chest to my chin.

“Awe, cat got your tongue, Lover?” She giggles and I slap her hand away.

“This isn’t funny. Marsela.” I finally say, because it’s not. It’s sick. This woman needs fucking help.

“Isn't this what you want, baby? I can be her. All you have to do is say it.” She whispers and I shake my head.

“Try harder next time. Have a good night, dear.” I spit, walking to my closet as she huffs, leaving the room. I shake my head because what in the actual fuck am I living in? I get dressed and make a call to Gio for a meetup. I need to speak with someone I can trust and devise a plan to get out of this mess I created without me having to fucking die in the process.