Page 1 of Drifting Hearts
Chapter 1
Clayton
Everything hurt and Iwished I were dying. It would be better than lying in a hospital bed, trying to bring myself to meet Archer’s wounded gaze. He was too good of a person sometimes and I hated what I’d done to him. I never wanted the hospital to call him, but he was my emergency contact when I had my appendix removed a few years ago and I guess I’d never gotten around to changing that.
Truthfully, I forgot. I wished I could forget what I’d done to him or the reasons why. To repay him for years of loyal friendship, I’d taken the liberty of emptying the business accounts and pissing it away trying to improve my fortunes. Spoiler alert, I lost my shirt. I’d ruined the best friendship I ever had on what I was positive was a sure thing.
And the worst part of it was, even though I hated myself for doing it, if I could turn back time, I’d probably make the same exact mistake. I wasn’t sure when my fun little gambling habit had turned into an obsession, then a sickness, but before I realized what was going on, it had taken hold of my life. Every cent I made went to slots or online casinos. Horse races. Fantasy football. If you could bet on it, I wanted in.
“Are you listening to anything I’ve been saying?” Archer asked, his voice sharp and cutting. His expression was equal parts exasperation and agony and I hated myself for doing that to him.
“Yeah, sorry. It’s… Sorry.” The only thing I had to offer was excuses and he didn’t need to hear that my whole body ached. My blood burned like battery acid flowed in my veins. And I was still fucking terrified.
“You’re not okay to go home, are you?” Archer asked me, his voice softening a little, like he forgot to hate me.
“Fourth floor. No elevator. And it’s where…” I trailed off, unwilling or unable to bring myself to finish the sentence. It didn’t matter. Archer got the point. But it was Shane who swore under his breath.
“We’ll get something worked out,” Shane said to me, or maybe to Archer. When I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep, they got the hint and left the room.
Faking sleep turned into the real thing. When I woke later, my room was empty except for the guy on the other side of the curtain and the nurse who zipped around the room checking my vitals.
A tray of shitty hospital food sat to my left and I let out a sad little groan. The only thing worse than fresh hospital food was cold hospital food. For that reason alone I wished Sam’s guys had finished the job. Anything was better than the sad fucking look on Archer’s face every time he saw me and cold turkey with cold mushy peas.
When the nurse left, Shane stepped into the room. Archer was nowhere to be seen.
“Came to his senses and left, did he?” This time I was able to look Shane in the eyes. It felt right that Archer would leave. I deserved it.
“He’s in the waiting room.” Shane pulled the chair closer to the side of the bed and dropped down into it. He didn’t look comfortable or like he planned to stay awhile. Maybe he just got tired of looming over me like Archer’s hired muscle.
He leaned closer to my bedside. I didn’t really know Shane, but I bet he was built like he wouldn’t have to call a friend if he had to hide a body.
“I paid your friends.”
He couldn’t have shocked me more if he’d taken a taser to my nutsack.
“You what? How?”
Horror and relief made my stomach flip-flop, and Shane must have read it on my face because he scooted back a little.
“Why?”
“Because I’m not an asshole, and neither is Archer. And I can. I’ve also found you a place to stay until you heal enough to take care of yourself.”
“Where?” It felt like a dream. A really fucked-up dream. Had the nurse slipped something into the three bites of mushy peas I’d choked down?
“Here’s what’s going to happen. My mom runs a shelter for women escaping abusive situations. And while you’re not a woman, and she usually doesn’t take men, the threat to the girls in the house is minimal from a guy with half a body that’s busted. Your bookie is paid, you’re no longer in any danger, unless you owe more debts I don’t know about. But I couldn’t find anything on your phone.”
“You were in my phone?” I tried to sound indignant and enraged, but I only managed to sound like a slightly perturbed, whiny child.
“How do you think I managed to pay your bookie?” Shane leaned closer again, now that the immediate threat of me vomiting had passed. “You need help.”
It wasn’t anything I hadn’t told myself a thousand times a day, but I could always reason my way out of it. Bending logic to suit my selfish needs was a specialty of mine. But hearing it from Shane, from anyoneelse who wasn’t me, made my heart clench. He was right. I knew he was right. Even if I didn’t want to admit it, being put in the hospital because of your own mistakes had a way of forcing a person to be honest with themselves.
“I know.”
“So here’s what’s going to happen. I’m keeping your phone. You don’t need it. I’ve dumped all the gambling apps anyway. I paid Sam. Tomorrow, Archer and I are going to your place to get any of your important things. The rest is going in storage. My brother Kieran isn’t impressed with me, but when you’re ready to be released, he’s going to pick you up and take you to our mom’s house.” Shane stood and took a business card out of his pocket and handed it to me. “This is your therapist. He specializes in trauma and addictions. As long as you’re under my mother’s roof, you’re going to attend therapy. There’s one casino where you’re going, and they already have your picture and instructions not to let you in there.”
“You work fast.”
