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“Mr. Devlin?” A gruff voice shouts my name, instantly pulling my thoughts back to the present. I didn’t even hear the door open. “I believe this belongs to you.”
The officer unlocks Kael’s handcuffs and then pushes him forward slightly, making him stumble. The door closes again with a loud clang that echoes around the empty lot.
“Jesus, Kael,” I say, shaking my head when I get my first look at him. I try and come up with different things to say. I need to keep my cool. I need to handle this situation carefully so I don’t spook him and make things worse. I need to keep calm and steady. But what flies out of my mouth in that very moment is anything but calm and steady. “Are you fucked in the head?” I shout, charging toward him.
“Nice to see you, too.”
“Look at your face. You’re a mess, man. You’re falling apart before our very eyes, and you don’t even give a shit!”
Kael shoves my hand away when I try and touch his forehead, assessing the deep gash above his brow and the huge swollen purple eye that’s developing. He probably needs to go to the emergency room, but I doubt he’s in any condition to be sitting in a crowded waiting room for fuck knows how long.
Been there, done that.
He wobbles on his feet and then starts walking away from us. Where the hell does he think he’s going? If he thinks this is the end of our conversation, he’s delusional.
“Kael, stop,” says Nick, chasing after him. “We’re taking you home, man. You need to sleep this off and we’ll deal with the collateral damage when we’re all thinking a little straighter.”
“I just need a beer,” says Kael, voice guttural.
“No.”
“Nick… shit, come on, dude. I’ve got a killer headache and I need something to numb the pain.”
“Quit it. You’re not going anywhere.”
Kael’s jaw tightens and his nostrils flare. His eyes are red and bloodshot, illuminated by the glow of the streetlights and he looks like he’s a man on the verge of losing his mind.
He growls at Nick, taking a step forward.
And I don’t remember ever being angrier at anyone in my entire life. He’s so freaking talented, but whatever demons plague his mind, he’s been letting them win hands down lately.
“You’ve got a headache because someone smashed a bottle over your head!” I shout, charging across the parking lot at him.
I might have my own personal issues with Nick, but he doesn’t deserve to be threatened, especially not by someone whose ass he just saved.
“Why are you so hell-bent on ruining your life?”
“Piss off,” Kael slurs, stumbling backward a couple of steps.
I can smell the booze on his breath and the sharp tang of blood that’s soaked through the front of his jacket. “No. Tell me. Please. I’d love to know why a grown man acts like a rebellious teenager who’s still trying to figure his life out.”
“Nick,” grunts Kael, trying to look around me. “Fine, let’s go.”
I step to the left so I’m blocking his view. “No. Start talking.”
“It’s late,” says Nick, grabbing Kael by the torn shirt and shoving him toward his waiting car parked in the alleyway. “Just drop it, Reed. I’ll take him back to my place and let him sleep it off. We can sort the rest out tomorrow.”
“You keep babying him like this, and he’ll never learn.”
“This isn’t about you tonight, Reed. Come on, Kael, let’s go.”
Did he seriously just say that?
It’s not about me.Me?
When has anything ever been about me?
It’s late. And I’m cold. I’m really pissed off. And I’m hungry, and I’m tired. And I blew off the opportunity to crawl into a warm bed beside a beautiful woman, the only woman on my mind lately. Not to mention, I just spent a shitload of money bailing Kael’s ass out of this place.
