Violet Chain (17 page)

The limo dropped a very drunk David and Callie off and then Chain and I drove away.

“So, your place or mine?” Chain asked, grinning.

“Mine,” I slurred.

He smiled. “Okay, your place it is.” I recited my address to the driver and then sat back. My head was spinning and my eyes began to roll back in my head. I didn’t remember what happened next, but I did remember waking up in the middle of the night, needing to vomit.

I hugged the toilet as I released all the contents in my stomach, wishing I hadn’t eaten Mexican food.

“Let it out,” Chain said as he rubbed my back gently.

After I released all that was in my stomach, I stumbled over to the bathroom sink to throw water on my face.

“Are you feeling better?” Chain asked me.

“Yeah,” I responded, panting. He draped his arm around my shoulders and walked me back to the bed. I barely rested my head on the pillow and I was out.

***

“What the fuck?” My eyes bolted open and I sat straight up in my bed to see my brothers Victor and Vince standing to the side. I glanced over to see a sleepy Chain raising his head.

“Victor, it’s not what you think,” I said frantically.

He clenched his fists. “I’m going to fucking kill you!” He lunged across the bed at Chain.

Even in my hung over state, I managed to fall in front of Chain, blocking Victor. “I got really drunk last night with Callie and he drove me home, that’s all that happened,” I told Victor as I used my feet to kick him off the bed. It was the truth, I was not lying.

“Then why the hell is he in your bed?” Victor countered as he stood up. That was a very good question.

“I must have fallen asleep, she was really sick and I didn’t want to leave her alone,” Chain answered quickly.

Victor shook his head and started to move towards the bed again, when Vince stopped him. “Let it go, Victor,” Vince muttered sternly.

Victor furrowed his eyebrows before saying, “Are you crazy? That’s Chain Alexander, a known ladies’ man and he is in bed with our sister!”

“I know who he is,” Vince said with a half roll of his eyes.

Victor placed his hands on his hips as he tilted his head sideways. “Vince, he’s sleeping with our sister.”

“They just said nothing happened. She’s a big girl, Victor… Come on, let’s go,” Vince said as he grabbed Victor’s arm. Victor pulled away from Vince, trying to push past him, but Vince held his ground. “Now, Victor, let’s go.” Hesitantly Victor turned and they both left.

Chain let out a loud exhale. “Wow, that could have ended badly.”

“I’m sorry, my brother Victor is a beast.”

He looked at me, clueless. “Vince didn’t seem too worried about it.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “My brother Vince just wants me to be happy, that’s all.”

“And are you, Violet? Do I make you happy?” The words he said last night, ‘I love you,’ streamed through my head and I felt tension fill the air immediately. How did I answer that question? If I told him that he did make me happy he might take that as me wanting more and I didn’t.

“Chain, please.”

He held his hands up. “Okay,” was all he said.

He stood up and slid his shirt on. “I’m going to get going, I’m late for work and I have a meeting in an hour.”

“Okay.” He leaned over, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see ya later.” I nodded and he left.

I lay back on my pillow and again I asked myself. What was I doing? This thing between Chain and me was getting out of control. The man said I love you! I didn’t want to love again. I didn’t want to go through the pain, all I wanted was to—shit, I didn’t know what I wanted, I was so confused. I liked Chain, I liked him a lot. Okay, I was big enough to admit that I had strong feelings for Chain, but I didn’t want them.

I knew I couldn’t stop seeing him. I was too selfish to just quit Chain. He was like an addiction to me, like my four cups of coffee in the morning, my piece of chocolate that I hid in my nightstand, but needed every night.

My cell rang and I picked it up from my nightstand. “Violet Townsend.”

“Do you work banker hours! Where the hell are you?” my father shouted through the phone.

“Sorry, Daddy, I slept in.”

“Slept in? You have twenty minutes, little girl, and I mean twenty minutes to get your little behind into this office!”

Even over the phone my father made me cower down. “Okay, Daddy.” A piercing sound screeched through my ear as he slammed the phone receiver down. I jumped out of bed and ran to the shower.

Fifteen minutes later I arrived at work. My hair was soaking wet and my clothes were disheveled. I was still buttoning my shirt when I ran out of the elevator.

“Don’t you dress at home?” Victor asked me as I rushed by him.

“Shut the hell up, Victor!” I retorted. I didn’t need his stupid comment. I rushed into my office and sitting behind my desk was my father. I stopped in my tracks.

He leaned his chin on his steepled hands. “What time do you start work, Violet?”

“8:00.” He glanced at the computer screen.

“You realize it is a quarter after ten?”

“Yes, Daddy, sorry.”

“Sorry?” My comment brought him to his feet. With his hands pressed against the desk he leaned towards me. “How do I feel about late employees?”

“You despise them.”

“And what do I do to late employees?”

“You fire them.” He walked around the desk and stood before me. “And what should I do with you?”

I looked up at him. “Fire me?” I said in a small voice.

He exhaled. “Violet, if you are going to continue working here, I need to know that you are reliable and that means being on time, do you hear me?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“I don’t want you thinking because I am your father, you can take advantage of that. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal.”

His shoulders relaxed and he smiled. I let out a quiet exhale. He kissed me on the forehead. “Love you, little girl.”

“Love you too, Daddy.” Then he left the office. I rushed over to my desk and sat down.

I couldn’t remember the last time my father yelled at me. I had never been late one day in my life, I knew it was my father’s worst pet peeve. I needed to make sure that never happened again. I had to concentrate more on my career and less on my outside activities—including Chain. This incident with my father only solidified my reasoning for not wanting a relationship with Chain, not wanting to be tied down and definitely not wanting to be in love again.

I didn’t understand it, even after two months of seeing each other, Violet and I were no closer to being a couple than when we started. If anything we had grown farther apart. I thought if I told her that I loved her it would bring us closer together, but it didn’t.

She was so withdrawn when we were together and when we made love, she would leave immediately after. She was more adamant about keeping our relationship a secret after the incident with her brothers, which made me feel even worse. I didn’t want to be the dirty secret she hid away. I had two options: to stay with her or end it. But unfortunately, neither option fixed anything. With or without her I was miserable.

David and I were in the conference room discussing the plans for the Minneapolis mall.

“Are you two ever going to talk to me again?” I looked up and saw Phillip leaning against the doorway.

“How did you get in here?” I asked him. I had given security special instructions not to let that bastard in.

He walked closer to my desk. “Chain, you know me, I am as slippery as they come. I used the back entrance.” David stood up and walked over to Phillip. He poked his finger into his chest.

“Well use it to find your way the fuck out, no one wants you here, Phillip.”

He clutched his heart. “I’m so hurt.”

David shoved him so hard, Phillip fell backwards against the wall. “I’m fucking serious, Phillip, get the hell out.”

I rushed over to David, grabbing his arm. “Not here, David.”

Phillip regained his composure and straightened his tie, before saying, “We’ve been friends for over five years, how could you just turn your back on me?”

“You tried to rape my girlfriend’s best friend, what did you expect, asshole,” David growled.

“The bitch wanted it,” he murmured. His words rang through my ears like a curse. The world began to spin before my eyes as my temper went from zero to eighty in two seconds flat. I lunged at Phillip with my fist clenched, punching him in the jaw. He fell to the ground and I reached down, lifting him up by his collar. “Don’t you ever fucking talk about her like that again.” I slammed him against the wall hard and raised my fist to hit him again when I felt myself being ripped away. I turned to see my security guards surrounding Phillip and me. Two of them held on to me as the other two grabbed Phillip.

“I saw you two, you know, you and Violet together,” Phillip shouted out as he tried to pull his hands free from the security guards.

I sneered as I tried to loosen the restraint of the security guard’s hands that were holding me, but it was useless.

“What the hell are you talking about, Phillip, stop making shit up,” I retorted.

“I came by your apartment, hoping I could talk to you, and I saw you two fucking on the balcony.”

He came to my apartment? He saw us—together? His words stilled me and I looked down. “Get him out of here,” I said in a hushed whisper.

The security guards dragged him out. After he was out of my view, the two guards released me and exited the office.

David approached me. “Is it true?”

“Is what true?”

“What he said about Violet, are you sleeping with her?” David asked.

I was completely busted. I couldn’t lie my way out of this to David, I didn’t want to lie my way out of it. I was tired of keeping the secret, tired of lying to David.

I leaned against my desk. “Yeah.”

“How long?”

“Almost two months.”

“She’s Vicky, isn’t she?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“She didn’t want anyone to know.”

“Fuck, Chain, I asked you to stay away from her.”

“I tried.”

“Not very hard.”

“You don’t understand, David, with her it’s different.”

“Different? I thought you were my best friend, you could have any woman, any woman, why her?”

I looked up at him and answered with the only answer I had. “I love her.”

It felt like someone had knocked the wind out of me, my emotions getting the best of me. I placed my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath.

“Chain, are you okay?”

“No, David, I’m not, I’m fucked up, she’s fucked me up.” I suddenly felt weak at the knees. David placed his arms around my shoulders and walked me over to the couch, sitting me down. He walked to the small bar in the corner and grabbed a glass of water, then knelt down, handing it to me.

“Talk to me, Chain,” David said quietly.

I closed my eyes and exhaled. “She only wants sex from me.”

I heard a chuckle release from his lips. “You’re kidding.” I gave him a blazing look. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh at you, but the player being played?”

Yes she did, played me like a fiddle. I knew it, she knew it. But it still didn’t stop me from falling for her and it still didn’t ease the ache in my heart I felt when she wasn’t with me.

I tilted my head up. “When I’m with her, everything seems so right, but when I’m not I feel empty inside.”

“Have you told her how you feel?”

“Yes I told her, but it didn’t change anything. Fuck, David, I don’t know what to do, my head is all messed up. My body aches all the time, like I have the flu or something, except when I’m with her. I thought about breaking things off with her, but the idea of not having her in my life terrifies me.”

David sat down beside me. “Well you are definitely in love.”

I buried my face in my hands. “I know and it really sucks, loving someone who doesn’t love you back.”

“Chain. Violet was fucked over so bad by Harrison, what did you expect? I mean she has some serious trust issues and to be quite honest, she has every right to. The man she loved and was going to marry cheated on her right in front of her face! That would fuck anyone up! ”

I lifted my head. “I know.”

“I really wish I could say something to make you feel better, but the only advice I can give you is to see what happens.”

“Thanks, David.”

“No problem.”

He stood up to walk away, when I called out to him. “Hey, David.”

He stopped and turned to face me. “Yeah.”

“Please don’t tell anybody. Violet would be so angry with me if she knew I told you.”

He did the sign of the cross across his chest. “I won’t, I promise.”

“Not even Callie.”

“The last person I would tell is Callie, trust me.”

We both laughed.

“Thanks, David.”

“Anytime, buddy,” he responded as he walked to the door and left.

I felt better letting it out, telling somebody how I felt. I only wish I had the courage to ask Violet how she felt. But I was afraid of her answer, afraid that she would tell me she didn’t love me like I loved her.

After work, I drove home. I didn’t want to think anymore, I just wanted to sleep. So after taking a couple of sleeping pills, I hugged my pillow and drifted off to sleep.

***

My cell rang twice before I woke. I looked at the time and it was 3:00 a.m.

I lifted my cell up and placed it to my ear. “Hello.”

“Chain,” the voice murmured.

“Callie?” Her voice was shaking and I could tell she was crying. “Callie, are you okay?”

She sniffled before saying, “Chain, it’s David, they just rushed him to the hospital by ambulance.”

My body completely stilled as her words streamed through my mind. David in the hospital?

“What happened?” The words came naturally from my lips.

“He woke up with a migraine and began vomiting. I went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water for him, and when I came back he was passed out on the bathroom floor. I tried to give him CPR, but he wasn’t waking up, so I called an ambulance.” Christ.

“Are you alright, Callie?” I asked with concerned.

“Yes, I’m at the hospital with his parents.”

“Good, I’m on my way right now.”

I shouldn’t have driven, not at all. My hands were shaking so bad I was having a hard time gripping the wheel and my mind began to teem with dreadful scenarios, the one horrifying thought haunting my head. What if he died? I drove into the parking lot of the hospital as flashes of my little sister lying in the hospital bed appeared before my eyes. It took me only minutes to arrive at the hospital.

I let my face fall against the steering wheel, my hands encircling it tightly. I couldn’t go through it again, losing someone so close to me, my heart would never survive.

For one flashing moment, I was tempted to drive my car out of the parking lot and straight off a cliff, rather than go through this all again. But then I thought of David. ‘Stop acting like a little bitch and suck it up,’ he would often say to me when I didn’t want to do something.

I cracked a smile, opened my door and stepped out.

I went straight to the emergency room where I saw David’s father pacing the tile floors. His father was the opposite of David, with dark hair and eyes, huskily built and very hairy. I saw him once at a barbecue with his shirt off and the man had more hair on his back than I had on my entire body. But he was a very nice man.

“Chain,” David’s father said as he walked up to me. I gazed behind him and saw David’s mother holding Callie, rubbing her head as she tried to calm her.

“Have you heard anything, Mr. Keller?” I asked him.

He rubbed his forehead. “They are saying he had a stroke.”

A stroke? David was barely twenty-eight years old.

“From what?” I queried.

He inhaled lightly before exhaling through his nose. “They don’t know, they’re doing tests right now to find out.”

“Can we do anything?”

“All we can do is wait. I’m going to grab the missus. Why don’t you go wait in the waiting room and we will be in there in a few minutes.”

I nodded and then made my way to the waiting room.

It was grueling sitting and waiting. The unknown festered within me, bringing on an uncontrollable paranoia. What if he didn’t make it? What would I do? David was all I had in this world. He was my best friend, my brother, my family.

The paranoia began to swell through my mind and I was at the edge of completely losing all control. After nine hours of waiting, the doctor finally walked into the waiting room.

He huddled us into a small corner. The doctor explained to us that David had had a hemorrhagic stroke caused from a cerebral aneurysm that had burst in his brain, and was in a coma. The prognosis was grim. He was not responding and although they had stopped the bleeding in his brain, they were positive that he would have some permanent brain damage.

“Will he be a vegetable, Doctor?” David’s mother blurted out.

“I can’t truly answer that, ma’am. I have had patients who have fallen off buildings straight on their head and woken up with little to no damage. Whereas I have had patients who simply bumped their head and never opened their eyes again,” the doctor explained.

Callie stepped forward. “Can we see him?”

“Of course, but only a few at a time,” the doctor answered. Callie looked at me. “Chain, do you want to go?”

“No, Callie, you go with his parents, I can wait.” She smiled and then left with David’s parents.

After David’s parents visited for a while, they allowed me to go in. David’s face was so swollen it was almost unrecognizable. Staples ran down the bare skin of his head where they had shaved it and cut him open.

A ventilator was used to help him breathe and I watched as his chest heaved up and down to the sound of the machine. It was overwhelming to see him just lying there so still.

I sat on the bed, grabbing his hand, bent my head and sobbed like a little baby.