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Chapter
Twenty-One
Oliver
The silencein the house was deafening. The four of us secluded ourselves to our own rooms, barely interacting since Brooklyn left. I laid in my bed with my noise cancelling headphones on, trying to listen to anything that wouldn’t make me think about her. Closing my eyes, I let“Missile”by Dorothyblast into my ears. But even the music couldn’t stop me from replaying memories of our girl in my mind.
Even receiving her goodnight text, the night before hadn’t quelled the anger in me. I had tried over the week she had been gone, to not be angry, to just understand where she was coming from. It wasn’t that I didn’t get it. Our relationship was a lot for her. And we acted ridiculously about her safety.
What I couldn’t wrap my mind around was, she knew how hard it had been on me when she had pushed us away the first time. I tried to remember the exact words I used when we talked, and I was sure I had been clear. But I didn’t say the things I needed to really say. She didn’t know I thought loved her. I had allowed myself to be vulnerable with her, and she ripped my heart out again.
I rolled and sat on the edge of the bed, yanking off my headphones. I scrubbed my hand through my hair. It had gotten longer than I usually wore it, mainly because Brooklyn loved to grab it and run her hands through it. Now, I thought I should make an appointment with my stylist and get it trimmed, something to give me a feeling of control.
When Gideon came home from seeing Brooklyn, he was torn between hopeful and miserable. I couldn’t help but feel jealous of the time he got to have with her, then I was wracked with guilt for allowing myself to not be in control of my emotions. I knew it was Gideon who was called, because Frank was his contact. It didn’t make me feel any better not being able to go to Brooklyn when she needed me.
Missy’s harassment of Brooklyn was unacceptable, and we were going to have to work harder to get rid of her. Gideon relayed everything Missy had said, and her desire to create havoc in our relationship was clear. However, she had her own life, her own money, she didn’t need our success. I wasn’t idioticenough to believe she had some long-lasting love for any of us, leaving her true motives a mystery.
Aiden hadn’t been a help in any of it. He was barely keeping shit together at 4K, to the point where Jaxon was trying to pick up the slack so things didn’t collapse. He wouldn’t talk about Brooklyn at all. And when we tried to talk about Missy, Aiden dismissed the concerns as if we were just making a bigger deal of things than necessary. I didn’t think he could really say that now that Missy had shown up at Brooklyn’s office.
Deciding a shower was the best idea to help me relax, I went into my en suite and turned on the hot water. Steam billowed as I stepped under the spray. Pressing my palms against the wall, I bent my head to let the water flow over my body. I tried to force each of my muscles to relax and release the tension I was feeling.
In my head, I imagined the scene of Gideon and Brooklyn in the meadow. My brother hadn’t given us details, but the way he looked when he mentioned it, I knew it had to be good. I remembered the last time I had Brooklyn in the shower and the way Gideon had fucked her against the wall. Looking down, I saw that despite my anger, my body wanted her.
As I fisted my cock, I tried to picture Brooklyn spread out in front of me, just for me to feast on. I stroked, imagining her soft hand wrapped around me. Closing my eyes, I tried to hear her sounds, her moans, her begging for it harder and faster just the way she liked. I leaned my head against the wall as I came, a release that didn’t bring any real relief to what was roiling inside me.
I was methodical with the rest of my shower, all the enjoyment missing. When I looked in the mirror and reassessed my curly hair again, I knew I wasn’t going to cut it. Not until Brooklyn’s hands were in it again, not until she told me it was getting too shaggy. I slipped on my glasses, noting that my blue eyes looked haunted and tired.
Just as I was slipping on briefs, my bedroom door burst open and Jaxon stood in the opening. I froze, looking at the crazy way he looked.
“What is it?”I asked.
His eyes flew around my room for a moment, then he shook his head.
“I knew she wasn’t here,”he mumbled.
“Who? Brooklyn? Of course not. It’s not like I would sneak her in,”I said.
“No, I know. We need to go to the hospital,”Jaxon suddenly said.
I had been walking to my closet, but spun at his words.
“What the fuck do you mean?”
“There’s been a shooting. At Brooklyn’s building,”Jaxon said in a rush, as if the words pained him.
I stood, rooted to my spot, my brain not firing correctly.
“But you were looking for her, in here? So it’s not her?”I asked.
Jaxon just shook his head.
“Who is it then?”I bellowed at him.
“Frank.”
Jaxon left the room, and I threw on the first clothes I found to run after him down the stairs. Gideon was on the phone in the kitchen and Aiden was standing near him, trying to hear every word. Now that we were all there, Gideon turned and walked toward the front door, with all of us following.
Outside, a town car was already waiting for us, a member of Gideon’s security team behind the wheel. We all piled in and the moment the doors were shut, we were speeding down the driveway. Gideon’s call ended abruptly, and he began to punch the dashboard.
