Dark Universe (19 page)

“I threw it against the wall.  Tell me how you know it was his girlfriend.”  She looks like she’s on the verge of tears, and I can tell she’s already put it together. 

“I think you know the answer to that.”

She shakes her head and her face crumples.  Her hand comes up to cover her mouth and tears stream down her face.  “Emory.  Fuck!  You’re mother’s new last name is Emory, isn’t it?”

I drop the picture back into the drawer and close it, nodding.  “Lori, your sister is Lori Emory.  But you said her name was…Oh my God.  Lauren.”

“Yes.  And your brother is Nate Scott.”

“Nathan Scott Chase.”  She drops down onto the bed and sobs.  I want to go to her, but I can’t seem to move.

“What does this mean, Drake?”  She asks, and it’s obvious what she’s asking.

“I don’t know.”

CHAPTER 18

“I'm not afraid to die like a man fighting, but I would not like to be killed like a dog unarmed.”

-
Billy the Kid

I’m such a fucking asshole. 
What the fuck is the matter with me?  I’ve been so worried my whole life that I was going to turn into my father.  Then I find a girl who loves me for everything I’ve always thought was wrong with me, and I walk out on her.  For what; because her brother is an asshole? 
Way to fucking go, Thomas.  Good job.

I just left last night.   After the shit hit the fan, I bailed.  I didn’t know what to do.  I was angry, but now I don’t know why.  So what if I’m dating the sister of the guy who beat the shit out of Lauren?  Who cares?  I need to go to her.  I’ll probably have to beg on my fucking knees to get her back after last night, but I’ll do whatever it takes.  There is no way I’m letting her go.

I throw the shovel down and turn to walk out of the barn, and standing right behind me is her father. 
God damn it.  What is it with her family ambushing me?
 “Good morning, Mr. Chase.”

“Come have a seat, Son.  We need to have a talk.”

“Yes, Sir.”

We walk over to the tack room where his wife and I talked only a few days ago.  His expression is almost a mirror of hers that day.  Worried, afraid, and determined.  “There are some things I need to tell you.  I wanted to tell both you and my daughter, but it doesn’t look like she’s home.”

I almost bolt up from my chair right then. 
Where the hell would she go? 
“What is it you wanted to talk about?” 

“It’s about my son, Nathan.  I know that you already know some, but it’s time you learned the whole truth.”

“Sir…I think you’re about nine hours too late.  I know.”

“You know?”  His eyes widen and he leans back, as if he thinks I’m going to start swinging at any moment.

“Yes, I found out last night.  I saw a picture in Lola’s dresser and recognized him.  Honestly, I can’t believe I didn’t figure it out sooner.  The timing was way too coincidental.  I think maybe I was deluding myself.  Who the hell knows?”

He rubs his hand down his face and takes a deep breath.  “How did you take it?”

“Honestly…I could have handled it better.  I’m not sure if your daughter will ever speak to me again.”

Before I can even flinch, his hand comes up and he smacks me gently on the back of my head.  I’ve never been hit without retaliating since that night with my father.  Its part of the reason why I was so convinced that I was just like him.  Maybe it’s because it was an innocent act, not meant to hurt me, but I don’t just snap like usual.

“You dip shit.  You’re the first man my daughter has looked twice at, never mind the fact that she just professed her love for you in front of thirty people.  Tell me you at least told her you love her too?”

I hang my head and he swears.  “You don’t have to tell me I’m an idiot, Sir.  I already know that.”

“Well what the fuck are you doing here?”  He asks.

“I was just going to get her when you showed up.”

“I think that’s a good idea.  She likes raspberries, hates roses, loves sun flowers, and her favorite thing in the whole world is…”

“Riding.  I know.  Thanks, Mr. Chase.”

“Before you go, I want you to know that I’m so sorry for what my son did to your sister.  I can’t tell you the guilt I’ve carried around all these years.”

“It’s okay, Sir.  You’ve more than made up for it with your daughter.”

“I know.”

I bolt out of the tack room and run as fast as my legs will carry me to Lola’s apartment.  I already know she’s not home, and Nina is on her honey moon, so I have no idea where she could be.  When I get into her apartment, I look for anything that could tell me where she is.  I step into the bedroom and sitting on her perfectly made bed is the picture of her and Nathan from last night.

She wouldn’t. 
Who am I kidding?  Of course she would.  I don’t have to look very long to figure out where she went.  I pull my phone out of my pocket to call her and it starts ringing in my hand. 

“Lola, baby…”

“STOP!  Please stop!”  My little sister’s voice screams on the other line.

“Drake, hurry, he’s hurting her and I can’t get him to stop!”

I’m already running out the door the second I hear her screaming.  I jump into my pickup and pull my pistol from the glove compartment.  This bastard is fucking dead.  There’s no way I’m letting him walk away from this one. 

The only thoughts running through my head are of Lola.  If anything happens to her, I don’t know how I’ll survive.  That woman is my fucking air.  She’s my gravity.  Who the fuck am I without her?  I need her to look at me like I’m her hero.  If I don’t have that, I’m nothing.  I realize now my mistake when I told my sister that real love makes you feel like everything.  It does, but without that person, life feels like nothing.  Just empty space full of meaningless minutes.

I run every stop light in town and don’t give a shit what kind of chaos I’m leaving behind me.  An idea pops into my head, and I pull out my phone and dial a number I haven’t called in years. 

“Drasin.  How are you, Son?”

“Been better.  I need you at Nathan Scott’s new residence stat.”

“Fuck.”

“Yup.”

“In route now.  Where are you?”

“See you soon.”

I hang up the phone and pull up to the curb in front of the small house.  I grab my pistol from the front seat, put one in the chamber, and run to the door.  I boot down the door and the scene that I walk into, throws me into a murderous rage. 

My sister is cowering in a corner with her hands over her head, and Nathan has Lola by the throat up against the wall.  Lola is kicking and clawing with all her strength, and just as I start to rush them, she calks back her fist and slams it into his nose, sending blood flying everywhere. 

Nathan releases her, and clutches his face with both hands.  I aim my pistol at his face, and pause.  I fucking hesitate.  I’ve never paused once in my entire life.  I act.  But this time seems different.  I don’t want to kill an unarmed man, no matter what he’s done.  I just can’t make myself pull the trigger.  I begin to lower the gun and my sister screams, “NNNNOOOOO!” from the other side of the room and launches herself at me.

The gun goes flying and discharges as it hits the ground.   Piercing pain slices through my side and my knees buckle.  Lola screams and my sister starts sobbing.  I drop to my knees, and that’s when Nathan stops fussing over his nose and realizes what’s going on.  It can’t be more than two minutes since I first walked in the door.

Nathan rushes me and tackles me to the ground.  My side screams in pain as he hits me.  I grit my teeth and slam my fist into the side of his face, dazing him for only a moment.  I try to dislodge him from my stomach, but the pain is just too much.

“I won’t go back to prison!  I can’t!”  Nathan spits in my face as he wraps his hands around my neck.

Lola runs across the room and tries to pull him off of me, but he’s too heavy
,
and jacked up on adrenaline.  He reaches back with one hand and throws her off of him, slamming her face first into kitchen table. 

His face is fuzzy, and it feels like I’m being ripped in half, but I see Lola’s face from the corner of my eye. The sight of her blood and bruised skin gives me the anger I needed.  I raise my head off the ground and slam my forehead into his as hard as I can.  My whole world spins and black spots fill my vision, but he falls to the side.  I try to stand, but he stumbles up faster than I do.  When he rises fully, in his hand is my pistol. 

I throw myself in front of Lola and wait for the shot.  The spots in my vision are getting bigger, but I fight to stay alert.  “Don’t do it, Nathan.  You’ll regret it!”

“I can’t go back!  I didn’t mean to hit her!  She just made me so angry.”  He screams and tears are rolling down his face.  The pistol is shaking in his hand, and my sister stands and tries to walk towards him slowly.

“Baby, put the gun down.”

“NO!  Stay back, Lori!”

“You can’t shoot my brother, or your sister, Nate.  It’s okay.  Just put the gun down.”

“I can’t!  I’m sorry!  I’m sorry.”

Everything is almost totally black now, but through the darkness I see his finger press back just enough.  I shout for my sister to move just as the sound of gunfire rings out, and my whole world goes black.

CHAPTER 19

“Love is not a product of reasonings and statistics. It just comes--none knows whence--and cannot explain itself.”
- Eve's Diary

I try to open my eyes, but it takes a few times before I’m able to peel back my lids.  I notice two things immediately.  The first is that Lola is holding my hand.  I know this without seeing her because I can feel her in the room.  The second is that I’m in the hospital.  I can’t sit up, so I squeeze the hand enclosed in mine, and she practically jumps to her feet.

“Drake! Baby
,
can you hear me!?”  She leans over and kisses my forehead.  I blink a couple of times, then try to move, and wince when my side protests.  “Don’t move, honey.  You don’t want to pull your stitches out.” 

When the fog recedes from my eyes and I get my first real look at her, only one thing comes to mind.  “I love you,” I say.  “I love you so much.  I’m a total jackass, and I’m sorry I didn’t say it before.  I should have just…”

She presses her finger to my lips and hushes me.  A tear rolls down her cheek and she smiles.  “Of course you love me.  I could never be this in love with you if you didn’t.”   I pull her hand up to my lips and press a kiss to her skin. 

“Drasin!  You’re awake!”  My mom comes running into the room and instantly I remember everything, and it sends me into a panic.

“FUCK!  Lauren!  Mom! He shot Lauren! Is she okay?” 

“Shhhh, baby, it’s okay.  He didn’t shoot Lauren.  Your sister is okay.”  Lola croons, stroking my hair back from my face.

“I heard the gunshot though?”  I say.  I guess I could have been hallucinating from the gunshot wound, but it was pretty clear.

Lola and my mom exchange glances, and Lola turns her head away from me.  “Son, that wasn’t Nathan.  Edward showed up right as he started to pull the trigger and he shot him.  Nathan’s gone.”

I close my eyes as the relief hits me.  I don’t know if I can fake being upset that Nathan was killed.  I don’t relish taking life, but it was either him or us.  I’d choose us any fucking day of the week.  How does Lola feel about this?  He was a bastard, but he was still her brother. 

“Lola.  Sunshine.  Look at me.”

Lola turns her head and smiles weakly.  I can see the tears in her eyes, and it feels like someone shot me a second time.  I promise right then and there to do my damn best to never make her cry ever again. 

“I’m so sorry.  I should have never brought the gun.  I wasn’t going to shoot him.  I mean, I was going to, but I couldn’t do it.  I’m sorry.”

“That wasn’t my brother.  I don’t know what happened to him to make him like that, but I don’t even know who that person was.  I’ll miss my brother forever, but I’ve been missing him for four years now.  I don’t know how else to say it.  I should be sadder than I am, but I can’t force it.  What kind of a person does that make me, Drake?  How can I not be sad that my brother is dead?”

I remember thinking those exact same thoughts a lifetime ago.  It’s right then that I realize that I’ve never been a bad person.  I’m nothing like my father, and I never have been.  I’m just human. 

“It makes you a person, sunshine.  You’re just human like the rest of us.” 

“I thought that exact same thing when Drasin’s father died.  The thing is, sweetie, life is just a bunch of people trying to survive.  My husband and your brother were sick, and they were living the only way they knew how.  Everything that’s happened; it’s just life.  Everyone has something happen in their life at one point or another that makes them question everything they know.  All you can do is just keep on living.”

Lola closes her eyes and nods.  “You’re right.  I’ll just remember Nathan the way he was.”

“How’s Lauren doing?”

My mother’s shoulders sag and I can tell she’s fighting to stay on her feet.  “She’s in shock.  The doctor recommended we get her into some counseling.  He says her behavior is typical for an abused woman.  He thinks that with some time, and a lot of help, she’ll be doing just fine.”

I nod and let the relief wash over me again.  Perhaps we may be able to rebuild our family again; once everyone has healed physically and emotionally.  I look over at Lola and drink her in for the first time since I’ve opened my eyes.

Her eyes are swollen and black, her nose has a cut across the bridge, and there are red fingerprints with newly forming bruises tracing them around her throat.  She’s absolutely beautiful.  My mom must notice the gleam in my eye, because she quietly exits the room.

“I’m so sorry for everything I put you through, Lola.  I didn’t think I could possibly deserve a woman like you.  I still don’t, but I’m too fucking selfish to give a shit.  I love you.”