House of Paine - A Full Length Bad Boy Novel (29 page)

“Hurry!”

Alex had a hundred and one things running through his mind. First and foremost he knew that his father would kill him if he found out that he let Kevin live. Secondly, his brother would never speak to him again if he let him die. If he did save him, what to do about the waiter and the bartender? Too many fucking questions, but for the first time in the past ten years of working for his father, he couldn’t bring himself to go through with the killing. Kevin’s his blood…Fuck! What a fucking mess this all is! He fished in his uncle’s pocket and pulled out his phone. He skimmed through the contacts until he found Roxi’s number and he pressed send.

“Hey Daddy. What’s up?” Roxi answered on the first ring.

“Roxi it’s Alex.”

“What do you want?”

“Your father’s been shot.”

“What? By whom? Where is he?”

“He’s at my father’s restaurant. I need to get him out of here. I don’t know if he’ll make a three hour drive to Rhode Island but…you know I can’t call an ambulance.”

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Alex waited. A few seconds passed and she said, “Take him to 485 Madison Avenue to Whitemore Realty. There’s an alleyway that runs behind the building. Pull up to the front door there.”

“Okay.”

“Alex!”

“Yeah?”

“Do not fucking let him die. I don’t care who shot him. If he dies, I will kill you.”

“Get in line,” Alex said before disconnecting the call. “Get over here and help me,” Alex told the waiter. They stood Kevin up between them and each took an arm. If anyone noticed them on the street, it would look like Kevin was drunk. Alex and the waiter carried Kevin out to his car and put him in the back seat. Alex locked the doors and followed the kid back inside. He called the bartender over and when the two young recruits were standing in front of him Alex said. “If either of you breathe a word of any of this to anyone, I will cut you up into pieces and use you as bait the next time I take my yacht out for a fishing excursion. Got it?” They both nodded, wide eyed. “I’ll need an answer,” he said.

“Yes sir!” they both said. Alex wasn’t trying to scare them; he meant every word he said. He’d have no qualms about doing it. The qualms he had about killing Kevin today…those were not the norm.

“Good. Clean up this mess before anyone else shows up.” He picked up the gun Jackson left on the table. The serial numbers had long since been filed off. He stuck it in his jacket. He’d dismantle and get rid of it later.

Paige and Crystal were just sitting down to lunch when the cell phone rang. She recognized the number as Roxi’s. “Hi Roxi.”

“Paige, a helicopter is going to land out on the north side of the house in fifteen minutes. My father’s been shot in New York. I need you to see what you can do for him.”

When does it ever end? “Okay, do you have a first aid kit here?”

“Yes, in the master bathroom. But whatever else you need, you let me know. I’ll get it there.”

“Do you know if the bullet is still in him?”

“No.”

“I don’t know how magic you are, but I’m assuming at the very least I’ll need a few suture kits and maybe a scalpel.”

“Are you far enough in your education to know how to remove a bullet?”

“What you see on TV and in the movies is purely for dramatic effect Roxi. If the bullet is still in him, more than likely that’s where it’s going to stay. Stopping the bleeding is what’s urgent.”

“Okay, do that. I’ll see what I can do about getting your supplies there.” Roxi hung up. Crystal looked at her daughter and said,

“What now?”

“Kevin’s been shot. I have to go to New York.”

“Paige no! What if it’s a trap?”

“Then I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. I have to go.” Paige went to Roxi’s bathroom and got the first aid kit. On her way back to the living room she stopped at the bar and picked out an unopened bottle of whiskey and took a handful of clean, white bar towels. She could already hear the helicopter approaching. “Mom tell Damien…”

“Tell me what? Why is there a helicopter landing out there?” Damien was standing in the foyer.

“Damien…Kevin was shot…”

“Fuck! By who?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is he alive?”

“As far as I know. Roxi sent the helicopter to take me to New York. Apparently, he’s not in the hospital.”

“He can’t go to the hospital with a bullet wound.”

“Of course he can’t,” she said, sarcastically. She picked up the first aid kid and the bottle and towels. Damien took the kit from her hand. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going with you.”

‘’Damien…Mom just asked what if it’s a trap. If you go, they get us both at once.”

“Doesn’t matter. They get you they get me either way.” The noise of the helicopter was almost deafening now. “Come on, we have to go.”

Paige didn’t argue with him further. They left through the front door and went around the side of the house. A large helicopter with “Stark/Whitemore Realty” painted on the side was waiting for them. Paige felt a tickle of anxiety in the pit of her stomach. She had no idea if it was the idea of getting on the helicopter…or actually working on a human being without a licensed MD present. Either way, she knew that she had no choice.

Once they were settled and in the air Damien said, “Who called Roxi?”

“I don’t know.”

“How bad is it?”

“I’m sorry Damien, I don’t know.”

He nodded. His jaw was set tightly. Paige hated to imagine what would happen if Kevin died. She reached for his hand and he gave it to her. She could feel how tight his muscles were. “How long will it take to get there?” Damien asked the pilot.

“About twelve minutes,” he said.

“If he’s bleeding can he bleed to death in twelve minutes?” Damien asked her.

She didn’t answer him. She didn’t doubt he already knew the answer to that. She squeezed his hand and just held onto him until they got there. Once again, it was all that she could do.

*****

Thirteen minutes later they were getting out of the helicopter on the rooftop of a building on Madison Avenue. The pilot told them someone would be meeting them at the door to the stairwell to open it. When Alex was the one that opened the door, Damien lost it. He grabbed his brother by the collar and pushed him back into the stairwell.

“What the fuck happened? Did you shoot him, Alex?” Damien had his arm pressed into his brother’s windpipe. Alex couldn’t answer if he wanted to.

“Damien! We don’t have time for this right now.” Paige was already on her way down the stairs. Damien let go of Alex, pushing him back into the wall as he did.

“Fuck! I didn’t shoot him! I’m the one who called for help. You better chill little brother before I shoot you.”

“Who shot him?” Alex was already headed down the stairs after Paige. He didn’t answer Damien and he didn’t stop.

“All the way down to the bottom floor,” Alex told her. “I think I got the bleeding stopped, for now.”

Paige could hear Damien following behind them now. She didn’t have time to worry about his temper tonight. This whole family was crazy. When she hit the bottom floor, Alex took the lead and she followed him to a conference room at the end of the hall. Damien followed close behind. Alex opened the door and they saw Kevin lying on the conference table. He was covered up with Alex’s suit jacket and his face was as pale as a sheet.

Paige pulled the suit jacket off of him. The front of Kevin’s shirt was soaked with blood and the towels that Alex had stacked on top of the wound were soaked through as well. Paige opened the first aid kit and found a pair of gloves. She went over to the sink and started washing her hands. “Does he have a wound on his back too?” she asked Alex.

“Yeah, I think I got that one to stop bleeding too.” That was good, that meant the bullet went through and wasn’t lodged inside of him somewhere. Now what they had to hope was that it didn’t pass through any of his vital organs. Where it was located the concerns would be his spleen, stomach or kidneys in the back. It was off to one side so she was hopeful that it took a path along his side. She dried her hands and slipped on the gloves. Handing one of the bar towels to Damien she said,

“Wet this with hot water.” Damien took it from her and went to the sink. Paige began removing the towels from the wound. When she finished that, she took the collar of his button up shirt in her hand and pulled down, ripping it open, buttons and all. Alex had a towel stuffed inside of his shirt as well. She had to peel that one off. It had stuck to the congealed blood around the wound. The bullet wound was small and ragged around the edges. There was blood congealed all around the outside of it. Fresh blood was oozing slowly out and dripping down his abdomen now.

Damien was back with the towel. Paige took it and dabbed around the edges of the wound. “Help me turn him over,” Paige told them. Damien stood on her side and Alex on the other. They pulled him up so his back was facing Paige. The wound on the back was still bleeding. The towels there were sopping wet with blood. Paige took those off and looked at the wound as she wiped at the blood. This one looked clean as well, but they needed to stop the bleeding. “I need more towels,” she told Damien. Damien picked up the bar towels and held them out to her. She took one and folded it in fourths and then she pressed it to the wound. “Damien, you’re stronger than me. Push against this as hard as you can.” Damien looked sick. Paige was sure it wasn’t about the blood. Her guess would be that he’s seen plenty of that in his lifetime. He just found out Kevin is his father and now he’s holding pressure on a gunshot wound. Paige went around to the other side and had Alex do the same over there. If the situation wasn’t so grave, it would be comical to watch the two brothers glare at each other.

“Can we call that Chris guy?”

“No!” Damien narrowed his eyes at his brother.

“Why? Did Jackson shoot him?” Alex still didn’t answer him. “He thinks he’s dead, doesn’t he?”

“We can’t call him,” Alex repeated. “Can’t you do this?”

“I need supplies,” she said.

“What do you need?”

“Never mind let me try something.” She wasn’t sure if she remembered the number, but she pressed in what she thought was Jules’ number. Several rings and she heard,

“Jules.”

“Jules, it’s Paige Acosta.”

“Paige! Thank God, I’ve been wondering how you got through your night last week…”

“Jules I need some medical supplies. Can you get them to me?”

“What do you need?” Paige gave him a list and then said,

“And pain killers if you can get them.” Jules snorted.

“Piece of cake. Where am I taking these supplies?” Paige gave him the address and he said, “Is thirty minutes too long?”

Smiling, she said. “That’ll be fine. Thank you.” When she hung up Alex said,

“Who is that? You can’t just have people coming in here.”

“Shut up, Alex! If it wasn’t for her he’d probably be dead in a few minutes.”

“What if that person calls the police, what then?”

“Then we tell them that Jackson Paine did this and turn over the gun that I know you have. He told you to finish him off and get rid of the gun, am I right?”

“You already think you know every fucking thing so there’s no point in hashing this out right now.” Damien dropped it for the moment and continued his stare down.

“Jules can be trusted. Don’t worry. He won’t be calling the cops.” Alex’s phone was ringing in his pocket.

“Can you get that?” he asked Paige. She pulled it out and looked at the number. It was Roxi. Paige put it to her ear and said,

“Hi Roxi, it’s Paige.”

“How is he?”

“He’s unconscious, but that’s probably because he’s lost so much blood. I have some IV fluids and medical supplies on the way.”

“Is he going to be okay? Is the bullet still in him?”

“The bullet passed clean through and as far as the first question Roxi…I’ll do my best, but he needs to be in a hospital.”

“He wouldn’t forgive me if I did that.”

“Will you forgive yourself if he dies?” Paige asked.

“Don’t let him die. I’ll be there soon.” Roxi disconnected the call. Paige rolled her eyes and once again thought,

“Crazy! They’re all flipping nuts.”

Two and a half hours later Paige had both wounds sutured up and an IV drip running in Kevin’s arm. She also had a bigger audience. Jules had come and gone and then Roxi and Jake showed up. Damien was pacing the room and Roxi had taken over glaring at Alex.

“I’ve done what I can for him…he probably needs a blood transfusion and I can’t promise those wounds won’t get infected. He needs to be in a hospital.”

“No,” the three Paine’s said in unison. Paige met Jake’s eyes, the only other normal one in the room.

“You know…” Jake started.

“Yes, we know that you’re an attorney and just by virtue of being here you could get disbarred,” Roxi said. Paige was sure she was quoting it verbatim. “I’m sorry, Jake…but this is my father. No one is going to know that you were here. Once we move him home we’ll have this place so clean no one will ever know it was used as an operating room.”