“Too late for sealed lips,” Dane grunts. “You know something about my sister, you spill.”
“Fuck. You two can’t mind your own business for shit, can you?”More shock filters through the room at Maddox’s demeanor. This is not his typical behavior. I’m not sure what to make of it. It feels like something else is going on here.
“Cara is my damn business.” It feels like a challenge has been issued from Dane, and Maddox is not backing down.
“No. Not everything, Dane. If she wants you to know, she will tell you herself.What is it about brothers, huh? Can’t just back the fuck off and let a girl live her life.” Maddox steps forward until he and Dane are nearly chest to chest.This went from me being pissed and pissing Mads off to Dane being pissed and pissing Mads off.
Tension and anger fill the air. This escalated quickly. Dane’s hot head and Maddox’swaning patience are about to meet head-to-head.That never results in anything pretty.
And Maddox has been a time bomb for a while now. He pushes everything down. He never deals with his feeling, problems, or lifeingeneral. He bottles it upand shoves it as far back into a corner as he can.Or he drowns himself in sex, drugs, and alcohol.
People think it’s the rock star lifestylethat becomes too much. That the fast pace life is what becomes too much to handle. Maybe for some, that’s the truth. For Maddox,it couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s been trying to bury his demons anyway he can for years. In fact, I think if it weren’t for the music, he would’ve crashed a long time ago.
Unfortunately, it’s catching up with him. We all see it. We’re waiting for the fall. We’ll all be here to pick him up when he does. Just wish he’d let us hold him so he didn’t have to fall.
I move the same time Ryder does. He reaches for Maddox, who, despite the anger that is dripping off him, continues to wear his typical cool, calm façade.I grab Dane, who couldn’t be described as calm or cool if you threw him in the Arctic Ocean.
“The can’s been open. Might as well sharewhat’s in it,” I tell them while keeping a firm hold on Dane.
“You know what the fuck is in it.” Maddox points at me.
“I don’t,” I deny.
“He needs to know, Mads, before he makes her run for the hills. Or the first flightback to New York,” Ryder says only to Maddox, their foreheads pressed together like they do often when they disagree or need to talk to the other down.
“Fine. But when she asks, this was all you.”
“You can’t protect everyone’s secrets, mate.”
“I can when it’s not my place to tell.”
“And that has cost you your own nightmares.” Ryder’s lips pull into a grimace.Dane and I both suck in a breath when Maddox pushes Ryder out of his space then leaves out the door.
“Did you have to say that?” Dane growls.
Ryder casts him a hard look. “It’s not his job to carry everyone’s burdens all the time.He can’t keep going like he’s going for much longer.”
Dane’s face distortsinto frustration and sadness. I’m pretty sure mine looks the same.
“You have room to talk?” Dane accuses. “It’s what we fucking do. All of us. We carry everything.”
“Not like he does. And he’s not listening to me anymore.” He exhales a heavy breath. “You think you know, Dane, but you have no idea.”
“Maybe I would if you’d talk to me instead of getting high all the time.”
“Man, open your bloodyeyes. I don’t get high nearly as much as you think I do. I’m just there to watch out for him.”
Dane jerks back. This is obviously new news to him. It’s new to me too. I always assumed they were enabling and influencing each other. Of course, I haven’tpartied with them much in the last couple of years, but it always looked like whatever one was doing, the other was right there.
“Enough about this for now.” I change the subject becauseit would take weeks to muck our way through the shit of Maddox and Ryder. Cara is what I want to focus on. Maybe that makes me a shit friend,but I don’t care. “Tell us about Cara.”
“Don’t think this conversation is over.” Dane levels him with a glare.Danemakes it his responsibility to take of the people he loves. The list isn’t very long, but anyoneon that list can consider themselves loved, sometimes to the point of suffocation.“Now tell me, what has my sister stressed.”
Rydergives me that pointed look once again. I can’t stop the sigh that escapes me. She told them something. A lot, judging by his face. I wonder just how much.
“I don’t think, mate, I know.Jake has her stressed.”
I rub my chest at the strong ache that forms. I hate that I’m the cause of her stress. It’s not what I’ve tried to do. Even though I know, last nightprobably did just that. And this morning because all I want to do is talk to her.
