Something about him bothered me and set my nerves on edge. Maybe Coby was right in his warnings and that I should stay away from the bookstore. Although, he would like it if I just stayed with him instead.
My phone rang, jarring me from my thoughts as I ran across the street. Noticing it was Brox calling me, I halted suddenly when I reached the sidewalk. “Brox.”
“You need to get to the hospital,” he demanded.
“Oh, God.” I clapped a hand to my mouth. “What happened?”
“Benny. He’s been shot.”
My world fell out from beneath me. It was cliché to say but it was true. Benny was my everything. He was the glue that stuck our family together. We had issues, never having it easy in life and he was the one who remained positive. He already lost his leg. God needed to give him a break.
With shaky hands, I dialed Coby’s number.
“Brogan? Where are you?” came his deep reply.
Tears welled in my eyes at the concern in his voice. “I’m standing outside your building. I need you to drive me to the hospital. Please.”
“I’m on my way.” And with that, he hung up.
Pacing back and forth, I didn’t have to wait for Coby long.
His SUV pulled in front of me. “Tell me what happened,” he demanded as I sat in the passenger seat.
“Benny was shot.” I scrubbed a hand down my face. “I don’t know anything else yet.”
“Okay.” He grabbed my hand, squeezing it hard. “I’m here.”
We headed to the hospital. Apparently, the one in town was full from a bad accident that happened on the freeway so Benny was flown to the city. Either way, I didn’t care where he was. I just wanted answers.
When we arrived at the hospital, I jumped out of the vehicle before Coby had a chance to put it into park.
“Yeah, we’re here,” Coby said into his cell. “Okay. Got it. See you later, brother.” He followed me down the hall until we reached the elevators. “Give me your phone.”
I did as he said, not thinking straight and prayed that he could get the answers for me.
Coby linked his fingers in mine, giving me the strength I needed.
I didn’t know what had happened. I didn’t know why or how or what the hell was going on. All I knew was that I would kill whoever hurt my brother.
“You’ll get through this, little one,” Coby said, leading me into the elevator. He pressed a button on the panel before giving my knuckles a gentle kiss.
“I can’t deal with this shit,” I whispered, my heart hammering in my chest.
“You won’t have to deal with it alone.” Coby placed a peck on my forehead when the doors opened. “Your brothers are just down the hall.”
“How do you know that?” I asked, frowning.
“I’ve been texting Brox on your behalf.”
A sigh of relief left me, thankful that Coby was the calm one between us, because if it would have been me, I would have freaked out first before getting the answers I needed.
“Brogie.” Blake came around the corner, followed by Brox and Greyson.
I ran toward Blake, wrapping my arms around his hard waist. “Do we know anything yet?”
“Not yet,” he said, returning the hug.
Brox pulled me from Blake’s arms and enveloped me in a hard embrace. “I’ll fucking kill whoever hurt him,” he growled in my ear.
“I’m thinking the same thing,” I told him.
He grunted, releasing me, and disappeared down the hallway into what I could only assume was the waiting area.
“Can I give you a hug?” Greyson asked, coming up beside me.
My gaze flicked to Coby who stood off to the side.
His jaw clenched but other than that, no other movement or emotion flashed on his face.
“Sure,” I told Grey, turning toward him.
He smirked, pulling me against him and wrapped his arms around my middle. He inhaled. “You smell like sex.”
My stomach dropped. Shoving out of his grip, I stomped down the hall where Brox had gone. It wasn’t the time and place for me to yell and scream at Greyson. I wouldn’t let him win. I loved him. He was my stepbrother but he was also an asshole.
“Do we know anything yet?” I asked Brox, slumping down in the chair beside him.
His hands curled into fists on his lap.
“Brox?” I touched his shoulder. “Talk to me.”
At that point, Blake and Greyson joined us, sitting in their own respective seats. Greyson sat across the room from me, his brow crinkling in the middle. I knew I needed to talk to him. We needed to sort this shit out and move past what happened years ago.
“Someone needs to tell me what happened,” I demanded. “Please.”
A throat cleared from the doorway. Coby nodded toward me. “Can I talk to you?”
Letting out a heavy huff, I followed Coby out into the hallway and leaned against the wall.
“I talked to Blake,” Coby said, standing beside me. “I didn’t get much information out of him but he said that your brother was drunk.”
My stomach somersaulted, bile rising to my throat. “I’m not surpruised,” I muttered.
“Is that a problem?”
“I might as well tell you. Benny is an alcoholic. He started drinking heavily after getting discharged from the military. Losing his leg almost cost him not only his life but his sanity as well and swimming in the bottom of a bottle was the only thing that could stop him from going over that edge.”
“I know how he feels.” Coby shifted beside me, grabbing hold of my hand.
“You do?”
“I let myself go after Leah died. Alcohol and sex was the only way I felt somewhat normal but even then, it didn’t do shit. I fell into my work and got hired on to do things no human being should ever be asked to do.”
“Shit.”
“Yup,” he grunted. “Looks like all of us are all kinds of fucked up.”
“It comes with the territory I guess.” I scrubbed a hand down my face, sliding down the wall until I landed hard on the floor. “I love my brothers but they like to protect me as much as they can. They won’t tell me shit until I scream and beg.”
“What did Greyson say to you?” Coby sat on the floor beside me, not caring in the least that we were in a public setting.
“I don’t think it’s the time to talk about that,” I mumbled.
“Maybe not, but, honestly, right now, I don’t give a fuck. I’m tired and sick of losing control. So, tell me or I’ll beat it out of him until he does.”
Pulling from his grip, my head whipped around. “Just because you can control me in bed, doesn’t mean shit, Coby.”
“Yeah? Listen to me good, little girl.” He pinched my chin, forcing me to look at him. “I’ve fallen to my knees for you. It may be inconsiderate of me to bring this up during a hard time but Greyson is the one who started it. So, tell me. Now.”
“He told me I smelled like sex.” I shoved from his grip. “Happy now?”
“Not one fucking bit.”
***
(Coby)
When the time was right, I would kill him. Or drive my fist through his face at least. The fact that he made Brogan uncomfortable was enough to drive me mad.
I walked her back to the waiting room, leaving her with her brothers and stood off to the side. Watching. Waiting. Ready for the time when she needed me. Until then, I would keep quiet.
“You need to tell me what happened,” Brogan demanded again, staring each of her brothers head on.
“Benny got drunk.” Brox pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling a deep sigh. “He’s been doing good but fell off the wagon.”
“Why?” Brogan asked softly.
“We don’t know.” Blake shoved to his feet. “We don’t know shit, and it’s driving me fucking nuts.”
“There has to be a reason for all of this,” Brogan glanced my way, her eyes pleading with me for help. “I need to know what happened so I know who to kill.”
br />
There she was. I bit back a smile.
“Are you the Tapp family?” a young man dressed in white came into the room, looking down at his clipboard. “Benjamin Tapp?”
“It’s Benny,” Brogan said, rising to her feet. “He goes by Benny. Is he okay?”
The doctor glanced around the room. “You’re all family?”
“Yes, we’re his siblings.” Greyson came up beside Brogan, placing a hand on her shoulder.
I knew it shouldn’t but that small move irritated the fuck out of me. Everything in me told me to charge for him and push him up against the wall. I had to fight the urge to rip off every part that had touched her in the past.
“Please,” Brogan pleaded. “Tell us if he’s okay.”
The doctor smiled. “He’s fine. The surgery was a success. He had his stomach pumped due to the excessive amount of alcohol he drank but the bullet missed vital organs.”
The air had switched in the room, a collective breath of relief leaving Brogan and her brothers.
Brox, Blake, and Greyson gave each other the respective hugs required when someone finds out good news. Even though Greyson was the black sheep of the family, during something this difficult, they all pulled together like nothing had happened.
Expecting Brogan to hug each of them, I was surprised when she came toward me.
“He’s fine,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around my middle.
“He is.” I returned the embrace, reveling in the feel of her warmth enveloping me but something still wasn’t right. There was that familiar darkness in my gut that meant this family wasn’t out of the clear yet. I had learned over time that anything could switch in a matter of a second. Benny needed to heal and get out of the hospital first before I believed that he was truly okay.
“What’s wrong?” Brogan asked, staring up at me.
“Nothing.” I kissed her forehead. “Why?”
“You’re stiff.” She frowned. “Talk to me. Please.”
“I don’t like hospitals.” Which was somewhat the truth.
“Fine.” She turned in my arms. “Can we see Benny now?”
***
(Brogan)
I wasn’t sure what to expect when the doctor gave us permission to go see Benny but seeing my brother lying still in the hospital bed forced me to take a step back. My brothers greeted him, hugging and joking while I stood off to the side and waited. For what, I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t find it in me to celebrate his safety. It didn’t make sense. I knew that. But doing what I did for a living, anything could happen in a split second. I was happy he made it out of surgery but I would be even happier if he could go home.
“How are you feeling?” Brox asked him.
“Like I got shot.” Benny winced as he tried to sit up. “Damn thing hurts like a bitch.”
“The doctor said you lost your leg,” Blake pointed out, nodding toward his leg that no longer had the prosthetic attached.
“Yeah.” Benny scrubbed a shaky hand down his face.
“What happened?” I finally asked. He had been shot. He was missing his leg. And that was all I knew. What all anyone would tell me.
My brothers looked my way, none of them saying anything to me.
At that point, a laugh escaped my lips. “Wow. This is fucking great. Benny gets shot, loses his prosthetic leg in the process, almost dies, and no one will tell me shit. I thought Coby was closed up like a fucking vault.” I shook my head. “If no one will tell me anything, I’ll find out myself. You know I will and you also know how.”
My brothers looked away, one by one, glancing down at Benny.
He met my stare head on, the only one of my siblings who wouldn’t back down from my fight.
“Tell me,” I demanded. “Or I’ll find someone who will.”
“Leave us,” Benny told our brothers.
“Are you sure?” Blake asked.
“Did I stutter?” Benny snapped. “Leave. Or I’ll let Brogan make good on her threat.”
The guys left, shutting me in with our oldest brother.
“Come here,” Benny demanded once we were alone. He pushed himself higher up the bed and patted the spot beside him.
As much as I was mad that no one would tell me anything, my feet moved of their own accord, and next thing I knew, I was sitting beside him.
“He’s making you feistier,” Benny said a moment later, breaking the silence.
I scoffed. “No one is making me do anything.”
“That’s my sister,” Benny sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’re probably disappointed in me.”
“I haven’t been told shit so I don’t know if I’m disappointed or not because I don’t know anything.”
“I got a tip that Charles had shown up at a bar in the next town over.”
“Wait.” I spun on him. “Are you sitting here telling me that you know of Charles Brian?”
“Just because I’m no longer in the military, doesn’t mean I don’t know things.”
“I respect all of you and what you’ve done for our country but I fucking hate all the secrets,” I mumbled, slumping back beside him.
Benny wrapped a strong arm around my shoulders, holding me tight against him. “I know. Trust me, if I could tell you everything, I would but you know that it’s classified.”
“You’re no longer in the military. Why does it even matter?”
“I can still get in trouble.” He let out another sigh. “I was special forces. My team was supposed to bring down the terrorist part of the organization that your boyfriend is dealing with.”
“He’s not my …” I waved a hand in front of me. “Never mind … go on.”
“When I arrived at the bar that Charles was supposedly at, I had a moment of weakness and let myself go.”
I swallowed hard, knowing he had been struggling with alcoholism for years.
“Anyway, that’s not an excuse. I saw Charles. He started spewing shit. He didn’t know who I was but before I could get anywhere, I wound up here. I don’t remember much else. I’m just thankful Greyson was with me.”
“He was?” I sat up, turning toward Benny.
“We had gone to the bar together. He tried convincing me not to drink but it was the anniversary of my accident.” A dark shadow passed in front of his face.
God, I completely forgot. “I’m so sorry. I forgot.”
“It’s fine.” He shook his head. “It’s not something I like reminding people about.”
“I know.” I pointed to his leg. “So, what happened there?”
“I got so drunk, I took it off and threw it at Charles.” He shrugged. “Not my finest moment.”
“Under normal circumstances, I’m sure it would have been funny.” Ringing my hands in my lap, I let out a heavy sigh. “I’m just glad you’re okay. Things could have gone very differently.” I made a mental note to thank Greyson for saving our brother’s life.
“Well, once I get my new leg, things will be back to normal. I’ll head home and live life to its fullest.” Benny rolled his eyes.
I laughed, rubbing the back of my neck. “Right. And I’ll do the same.”
Benny smiled softly. “You’re in love with him.”
My mouth fell open. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you don’t.”
“Either way, no matter how I feel, Coby will be the first one to know. No one else.” I wasn’t ready to admit my true feelings for Coby when I had no idea what would come out of our relationship. We were fucking. That’s how it started and that would be how it ended. But even I didn’t believe those thoughts. I wanted him. For as long as I could have him, but he was so broken and torn over the loss of Leah and their baby, I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to get inside his heart.
“Good.” Benny nodded once. “I like him. He’s quiet and can’t stand Greyson.”
“Greyson’s a good guy.”
“When he gets his own way,” Benny reminded me.
>
“Maybe.” I glanced at the door.
“Hey.” Benny grabbed my hands, holding them tight in his large palm. “Whatever happens, I’m here. I will always be here.”
My heart sped up. “Why do you say that like you’re going away?”
“Because life is fucking hard and we have no idea what tomorrow will bring.”
“But you can’t think like that,” I told him. “Life is hard but you’ll drive yourself crazy worrying about tomorrow. Live in the now. Who taught me that?”
“Thank you for throwing my words back at me,” Benny mumbled.
“Listen.” I grabbed his hand. “I love you. I love all of you but I don’t appreciate you guys keeping things from me.”
“I told you what happened, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, after I yelled at you,” I huffed. “You can’t protect me forever.”
“No, but I can sure fucking try.” Benny shifted. “Brogan, you and your brothers are all I have. Forgive me for trying to keep you safe.”
“What about Greyson? He was with you last night. What makes him so damn special?”
Benny didn’t say anything.
“It’s because he’s a man, isn’t it?” I laughed, shaking my head and rose from the bed. “Because he’s the president of Hell’s Harlem. Oooo … so fucking scary.” The time had finally come. I lost my damn mind.
“Brogan, you know that’s not fucking true.”
“No?” I cried, spinning on my brother. “Then tell me, Benny. Tell me what really happened last night.”
“I was weak, all right?” he yelled. “I lost my shit. Every anniversary of my accident, I lose myself a little more. Excuse me for being fucking human. I’m a gimp. I’m single. No woman wants a broken man.”
A bubble of laughter escaped me.
“What?” he scowled. “What is so damn funny?”
“You said no woman wants a broken man.”
“I know what I said.”
I glanced at the door leading out into the hallway. “You clearly don’t know Coby,” I whispered. “I love you, Benny, but I should go and let you get some rest.”
Benny rubbed the back of his neck. “Come here.”