Page 51 of Double Dare

Oh my god. “Kade? Kade, look at me!”

He looks, but there’s nothing but pain and anger in his eyes. “I’m fine,” he repeats.

“Let me up!” I shout at the cop. “Let me help him. Someone needs to put pressure on that!”

All my brothers start shouting at the cops to help him. One man kneels down to press his gloved hands to the wound, and that’s when a familiar vehicle pulls into the valley.

“Dad! Kade got fucking stabbed!” Kolt shouts. “Help him.”

Dad pushes the cop out of the way, kneeling and taking his sweater off to press on Kade's stomach. The cop offers up some towels, and Dad presses them there, too. “You’re going to be fine,” Dad tells him. “You’re going to be fucking fine, you hear?” Kade nods weakly, trying with everything he has to maintain his anger. “Someone get these fucking cuffs off him!” Dad shouts.

No. No. No. I can’t lose Kade. Can’t. Won’t. Fucking refuse to. “Look at me, you prick,” I snarl at him, waiting for his head to turn toward me, his hair stuck to the muddy ground. “Don’t you fucking pass out. I’ll kill you if you pass out.”

Kade coughs, blood spurting from his lips. “I’m fine.”

He’s not fucking fine, and neither am I.

When the ambulance pulls in, Dad goes with Kade, riding in the back while Uncle Randy stays here to make sure we all make out okay. I watch the taillights disappear, praying to whatever demon exists, willing to make a bargain for my brother’s life.

“They made it home,” Uncle Randy assures us. “They’re with your mom.”

Thank fuck.

An hour later, I’m freaking out when the cops finally let us all off with warnings. My brothers are shouting their accusations at the cops, wanting someone to pay for Kade getting stabbed, but it’s half-hearted because we all just want to get to the hospital.

It’s a mad dash to the hospital after that, all of us cramming into too few vehicles. Then it’s a fight with the hospital staff, who tell us we’re not all allowed to stay. We do stay, and no one can make us leave because our youngest brother is in there, going through surgery, fighting for his life. And mine. Because without Kade, I’m nothing.

Four squeezes my shoulder. “He won’t leave you, man. Not when he’s finally getting the love of his life. Not when you two are this tight.”

The back of my throat pricks with tears of anger, worry, and pure terror. I need to call Laken, but I don’t want her to feel guilty about this on top of everything else.

I walk down the hall a bit, my phone pressed to my ear, my hand pressed to my heart. I’ve never been more afraid in my life.

“Jed?” Laken picks up. “You okay?” Her voice sounds as shaky as I feel.

“I’m fine, love. Are you?”

She says a bunch of things that aren’t yes and aren’t no. “What’s wrong? Something is wrong. Why aren’t you home? Your mom is acting weird.”

“Fuck, Lake. It’s…Kade. He’s in surgery. He got…fuck, he got stabbed.” Those tears finally fall, and they keep coming when Laken starts crying through the phone.

“Oh my god. Is he okay?”

“He’s in surgery, but…yeah, I think so. We don’t really know anything yet.”

“This is my fault. Fuck, Kade.”

“It’s not your fault. Just get here, Laken. When he wakes up…just get here, okay? Get Mom to bring you.”

“I’m coming. We’re coming. Is everyone else okay?” she asks, crying.

“We’re fine, love. I’ll see you soon, okay? I love you.”

“I love you,” she sobs, hanging up.

We all get stitched up and patched up, waiting on news about Kade. He’s a tough son of a bitch, and I just have to hope he’ll refuse to die at the hands of some rapist supporter. That wouldn’t be how he’d want to go, so by sheer willpower and refusal to die, he better come out the other side of this.

Because I can’t live without my brother. My best friend. Kade.

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