Baller's Baby - A Bad Boy Romance (15 page)

Chapter
Thirty-Four

Kiptyn

When
Skila runs past me, my heart drops. I can’t imagine what the hell Camryn could
have said to her to make her run from me, and then his fist hits me, and I can’t
think about it anymore because I’m too busy concentrating on keeping him from pummeling
me to death. Not being able to use my left arm puts me at one hell of a
disadvantage, but I still outweigh him by at least sixty pounds. So once I get him
flipped over, there isn’t much he can do.

A few
minutes later, red and blue lights invade my driveway, and Skila’s reason for
running makes sense. Someone knocks on the door, but I can’t get up to answer
it, so I wait, and sure enough, they manage to let themselves in.

“FREEZE,
ARMS IN THE AIR.” The house suddenly seems so much smaller now with fifteen
armed cops standing over me, all of them with their weapons drawn and aimed
straight at me.

“Officer,
wait,” I hear, and once again, my beautiful midnight goddess is trying to save
me. If I didn’t think I’d get shot for it, I’d kiss her right now.

“Are you
the one who called?” the officer in charge asks, and Skila nods, setting her
phone on the counter. She looks scared half to death.

“Do you
know this man?” he asks her, gesturing to me. She nods again.

“He’s my
boyfriend. We live . . . this is his house. That is his brother, the one I
called about,” she says, looking back at Camryn, who is now curled in a ball on
the floor, sobbing into his hands.

I don’t
know what the hell happened to my brother, but I know for a fact that the man
on the floor in front of me is no longer him. He’s a shell of the man he used
to be. Hell, he isn’t even that—he’s more like a shadow of him. The officer
tells me to lower my hands and asks us what happened while another assists
Camryn to his feet. He slips a pair of handcuffs from his waistband, and as
soon as the first one clicks closed on Camryn’s wrist, he comes alive.

It’s
amazing that someone as malnourished as he is could toss another man around the
way he did. I watch as another officer and then two more join in the tussle.

“CAMRYN,
STOP,” I scream at the top of my lungs, and he stops fighting them. His hands
drop to his sides, one wrist still handcuffed, but no one dares try to cuff the
other behind his back.

“You
can’t take him to jail,” I say, interrupting the officer who is explaining
something to Skila. Sky looks over at me sharply, and I can see the pity and the
sadness in her eyes, but at this moment, I don’t care. There is no way in hell
I'll let my brother spend a night behind bars. Whatever tiny hold on sanity he
still has won't allow it.

If he
can’t handle handcuffs, I know being held behind bars will break him. I just
pray the cops on the scene don’t try to press charges for his resisting arrest.
I don’t care what the hell just happened here. It’s clear he’s fucked up and
needs help. Thank God I’ve got my attorney on speed dial.

“I’m
sorry, sir, but Ms. Parker called, so if she wants to press charges, then we
have to take him in.”

I glance
at Skila, but she isn’t looking at me. She’s looking at Camryn. I wish I could
see her face. I want to see into her eyes and read the look on her face so I can
be better prepared for how she plans to handle this situation. She’s not a mean,
hateful person by any means, but Camryn threatened her and her unborn child.
What other choice does she have? I open my mouth to beg her not to do this to
him. To not do this to me, but I don’t get the chance.

“No. I
don’t want to press charges. Thank you.” I pull her to me then and kiss the
side of her face. She’s still shaking against me. I can feel her body vibrate
against my own. I hate every bit of this. I want to protect her from every
single harmful thing and person in this world, but sometimes that’s just not
possible.

“Thank
you, baby,” I whisper against the side of her face, my lips still buried in her
long, silky hair. I don’t want to ever let this woman go. I don’t know what I
did to deserve someone as pure and genuine as her, but I'll continue to thank
God for her daily.

“I
didn’t do it for you. I did it for him. My God, Kip, what happened over there?”
She asks, turning to me and burying her head in my chest. I cradle her there,
protecting her while I can.

“I don’t
know, baby. I don’t know.”

“I don’t
mean to speak out of turn, but he clearly needs attention. I suggest contacting
the local mental health hospital for an evaluation.”

Skila
pulls back and turns to face the officer that spoke. Her voice is even and
polite, but I can feel the fury underneath. He had no right to put his two
cents into the situation, and judging by the way he shuffles from foot to foot,
he can feel her unleashed wrath as well. If there is one thing I’ve learned
over the last few months, it's that you don’t piss off a woman, especially a
pregnant woman. Their fury knows no bounds.

I pull
her back against me and wrap my arms around her stomach, lacing my fingers together
in front of her navel. She places her hand on my arm, her nails biting into the
skin there.

“Is
there any way you can get him transported there tonight? I mean, I don’t want
to have to worry about him hurting
himself
all night,” Skila says, putting an emphasis on ‘himself’.

She
isn’t worried for herself or me; she’s worried about Camryn. I should have
known she would be. She always cares about everyone else around her, even when
they least deserve it. What the rookie cop said makes sense, though, even if I
hate it. There is something going on with Camryn, something that I can’t see or
fix, but I can get him the help he needs.

“Yes,
ma’am. I can arrange transport, but a family member will need to follow us down
to sign some paperwork,” he says, regaining some confidence when Sky doesn’t
attack. She nods her head against my chest and eases off me.

“I’ll
go. Just let me grab my keys,” I say, running my hands down her arms.

“I’m
coming too. Don’t ask me to stay, Kiptyn. I’m going.”

She
looks so serious, like I would turn her away. Having her by my side gives me
the strength to carry on when I don’t know how I'll take another step. I need
her. Doesn’t she know that?

“Okay,”
I say and run to grab my keys.

The
officer said transport would be there in about ten minutes, and I need to
change clothes. Skila is still standing there in her pajamas, but she wouldn’t
come into the bedroom with me. She’s waiting with Camryn, keeping him calm
while I change, and then we’ll rotate so she can get dressed. It's one of the
hundred million things I love about her, the way she always thinks about others’
needs and how she can help make them more comfortable. My brother practically
held her hostage an hour ago, and now she’s standing in our front room waiting
with him so he isn’t lonely or uncomfortable. She’s amazing.

When the
white van pulls up the long drive, it doesn’t take long to realize that making
Camryn ride in there alone is going to take an act of God. Thankfully, Skila is
able to convince them to let us take him to the hospital on our own. We have to
sign a release saying that we’re responsible for him until he arrives at the
hospital, but I don’t mind. Skila coaxes him into the car with ease and grace,
and within ten minutes, my driveway is cleared of all emergency personnel and
we are on our way downtown.

The ride
is quiet, and Camryn is lost in his own world, staring out the window with
glassy eyes. I want to say something to him, but I don’t know what, and I don’t
want to risk upsetting him again. Sky reaches over and takes my hand, anxiously
running her thumb back and forth across my palm. Everyone in the car is on edge
and restless, unsure of what the future holds. I feel sick to my stomach. I
hate the idea of taking my big brother and dropping him off at some mental
institution, but right now, I don’t know what else to do. He’s a risk to
himself and to others.

The
closer we get to the hospital, the deeper Sky’s nails press into my flesh.
"Sky, it’s going to be okay. We all know this is what's best. If there's
any chance of him being in the baby’s life, he has to get help."

"I
know. It’s just almost surreal. Growing up, I never expected my life to be like
this. I'm not complaining, but it doesn't fit into what I had imagined."

"Baby,
I'll do everything in my power to make that happen. It might not be today or
tomorrow, but from now on, know that my intentions are pure." She smiles,
giving my hand a tight squeeze, and looks back over her shoulder at Camryn.

"I
hope you're right about him. I know, regardless of our past or future, he
deserves a chance to know the baby,” she says on a sigh before turning back to
the front of the car.

Camryn’s
entire demeanor changes the closer we get to the hospital. His antsy, erratic
behavior is making Sky uncomfortable. She looks back at him again, and this
time worry is evident in her gaze.

"Cam,
you need to relax," she says, barely above a whisper. Camryn looks at her,
his eyes locked in blank, glassy stare.

"Sky,
it's not him in there. It's almost like he's been brainwashed." His eyes
shift to me, and I can see the hatred in his eyes, and I can feel the tension
building with each passing mile.

"This
is going to be bad," she whispers, so low that I almost don’t hear her.

"What
was that?" I ask.

"Oh,
nothing, just a random thought.”

I nod,
accepting her answer, even though I know she isn’t telling me the truth. Now
isn’t the time to push it. The glossy look of her eyes tells me she’s not far
from breaking.

"Baby
. . . Sky,” I say, and she looks at me but avoids eye contact.

"Please
look at me. This is what he needs. Do you really want him showing up and acting
out again? We have no idea what he's capable of when he's this strung out. He
has to get help."

"I
know. I just . . . I feel sorry for him, and the most confusing thing is that I
don't know why."

"If
it's too much for you—"

"No,
it’s not. I'll be fine," she says, her voice raising an octave. She looks
out the window and just stares as we make the turn into the hospital. Camryn
begins to hiss in a primitive way, and I notice that Sky begins to shake. She's
beginning to succumb to the stress of the situation, and I have no clue what to
do to make it better. She’s my rock, and now when she begins to crumble, I
don’t know what to do in order to hold her together. If I don’t do something
quick, she will be sand sifting between my fingers.

"Sky,
stop. You need to relax. Think of the baby." She closes her eyes and draws
in a deep breath.

"I
don't know if I can do this." She sighs.

"If
you're not comfortable, stay put. You know he's going to fight me when I
attempt to coax him from the car. Don’t watch. You’ve been through enough, and you
don't need any extra stress." She looks at me in protest.

"I
mean it, Sky. After the last scare, I don't know if my heart can handle seeing
you in pain." Sky bites down on her bottom lip and draws in an uneven
breath.

"Let's
do this. He needs this,” she says and slides out from her seat, cautiously
opening the back door.

"Camryn,
look at me." Camryn turns his head toward her, and the tension begins to
diminish. "Come on. Keep your eyes on me. Do you know where we are?"
He blinks a couple of times and shakes his head no.

"You're
here to get help. You need this. Now, Kip is going to help you out of the car,
and don't you fight him. Do you understand?" He nods, and I take her
place.

"Come
on, bro. They're going to take really good care of you. Ok?" He lowers his
head and slowly emerges from the car. Sky walks in ahead of us to begin the
registration process, and everything seems fine. As we enter the front doors,
he snaps.

I'm
holding him down to the floor when two orderlies come around the corner. Camryn
continues to fight me, slamming his head against the cold tile floor. A
splatter of red blinds me for a moment, and I realize he's busted the side of
his head open. Sky covers her face in horror as she turns to heave over the
trash can.

"Camryn,
stop," she pleads. “Let them help you.”

“You’re
bleeding, for fuck’s sake,” I scream at him. He looks at me strangely as the
pain begins to take over. The orderlies lay a towel under his head and call for
help. The red pool beginning to spread under his head is alarming. His eyes
begin to flutter, and he passes out. I stand out of the way to let them get him
stabilized and look over to Sky, who is now on her knees in the middle of the
floor.

"I
knew something was going to happen. I just knew." She sobs, an
uncontrollable mess now. It breaks my heart to see her in so much pain, to see what
this is doing to her. I want to shield her from every harmful person, object
and thing in the universe and protect her for the rest of our lives. I never
want to see her shed another tear.