Page 29 of Murder & Mayhem
Me:
I’d be happy to beat your face in next time I see you. Keep Jamie’s name outta your mouth.
Gideon came back immediately with a laughing emoji and then a GIF of the Heath Ledger Joker that saysWhy So Salty.
I closed my eyes, counted to five, and reminded myself that he was my brother and I loved him.
I looked back at my phone, preparing a comeback that maybe would finally shut Gid the fuck up, when a bone-chilling scream from the other room had me forgetting all about my asshole brother or anything else.
My knife was in my hand, and I was down the hallway before he finished screaming. I burst into the room ready to kill, but there was no threat. At least, not a physical one. Jamie lay in the middle of the bed, the sheets tangled around his waist and legs, his arms thrown up over his head. His eyes were squeezed shut and his face scrunched in fear and pain, his fluffy hair matted down with sweat. He whimpered and twisted his head away from me but didn’t wake up.
My pulse was racing as I tried to get it together, the immediate drop of adrenaline giving me a damn headache. Jamie had never shut the lamp off by the side of the bed, so it was easy for me to see the space. The only things hurting Jamie were in his mind, but I wouldn’t be able to relax until I could check for myself. I looked under the bed, in the closet, and in the bathroom. When I was sure there was no one or nothing else hidden in the corners, I was finally able to shut off the “fight” portion of my brain and focus on Jamie, who was still thrashing in the blankets, unable to pull away from whatever was tormenting him.
“Please, help me.”
Fuck. I flicked the blade shut and shoved it in my pocket,since it wouldn’t help with these types of demons, before closing the distance till I was standing directly next to the bed, unsure of my next move.
I hated feeling helpless. It was something I hadn’t had to deal with much as an adult and I liked it that way. We worked fucking hard to keep it like that. Right now, though, I had no idea what to do to take away Jamie’s pain and make things better for him.
“I-I’m sorry. I-I won’t do it again. I promise. Please. Please, just don’t—” Jamie broke off, his body curling into himself.
I wasn’t a stranger to nightmares, both my own and my brothers’. Gid in particular still struggled with them and could get violent as fuck if you startled him by trying to wake him. It was why I hesitated. I wasn’t worried about Jamie hurting me, but I didn’t want him to be accidentally injured if he went on the offensive.
“Goddammit.” I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to come up with some kind of plan.
“Please, Dominic. I-I’m sorry. Please help.” He whimpered softly, his arms and legs jerking, like he was fighting against something. “Please don’t hurt me. I-I’ll do anything.”
Okay, fuck this. I didn’t give a crap how bad an idea it was to wake someone from a nightmare. I couldn’t fucking take it any longer.
“Jamie?” I kept my voice as soft and gentle as I could manage. I sat down on the edge of the mattress, trying to leave some space between us. “You need to wake up, sweetheart.”
Jamie’s body jerked, his face scrunched up in pain, but he still didn’t wake.
“Jamie,” I said louder, threading a trace of dominance into my tone. “Wake up for me.”
I lightly touched his shoulder.
He flew up to a sitting position, arms swinging. I narrowly dodged a fist to the face and caught his arms in my hand.
“No! Let me go!” He was still mostly asleep, but I instantly let his arms fall to the side. I’d mostly grabbed them on reflex anyway.
“C’mon, beautiful, come back to me. You’re safe.”
Tears streamed down Jamie’s face as he finally began to come around.
“Dominic?”
I smiled softly and took the chance to brush some of the hair off his face and out of his eyes. He didn’t move away and instead leaned a little further into my touch.
“Yeah, it’s me. You had a nightmare, but you’re safe now.”
Jamie’s eyes got hazy, like he was starting to fall back into that hell. I lightly touched his chin with my thumb, turning his head in my direction. “Stay with me, beautiful. There’s no reason to go back there now. Stay here.”
Jamie picked at his cuticles, and I deserved a medal for not stopping him.Let him come to you, Dominic, for fuck’s sake. Don’t cross any lines. Though, if they were self-imposed lines, did they really count?
“You called me that in my dream. Beautiful.” His tone was monotone, dead.
I blanched. Using context clues I could piece together, that wasn’t a good thing.
