I swallow. “Won’t I be missed? If you steal me in the middle of the night, Grandma won’t be happy.”
My attending physician recommended I go to an in-treatment facility. His determination rubbed Grandma the wrong way. Yesterday, I had a new doctor who catered to me because, as I eventually found out through an ass-kissing nurse, my previous doctor had been relieved of his duties due to insubordination.
More like going against Helen Sanderson’s wishes. People have to learn the hard way, I suppose.
“This is her doing.” His gray eyes are intense. “If you know anything about us, you know fucking well I have no sister. My parents are calling. My brothers are calling me. We’re scrambling for a story to cover Sloane’s ass.”
“Shocking,” I say dryly. “Considering you scarcely spoke to Sloane. Or how about the way you agree with the rest of them about kicking him out of the band he founded.”
I’m angry on Sloane’s behalf. Can’t these people see they’re adding to Sloane’s stress?
“You have him by the balls, forcing him to do shit. All it’s doing is ruining him.”
“Stay out of it. There are things you don’t understand.”
“Maybe. But what I do understand is ride or die. Loyalty to the end. Phoenicians rise or fall together.” I turn my back on him to effectively ignore the torture blooming on his face. “You’ve known him—you all have—since you were twelve or thirteen? How can you just desert him?”
“Do you think it was easy?” he bites out.
“It must’ve been,” I retort. “You did it.”
“And I’m trying to fucking make it up to him.”
“Bullshit. You’re just protecting your bank account.”
He huffs out a breath. “I’m not fucking Kiln and Jaeger. You see it as a desertion of my best friend. I see it as a last ditch fucking effort to save his life. He lived and breathed his music. Nothing…Nothing…but the threat of his expulsion got through to him.”
“You think? He’s distracted. As proven by the fact that he’s so focused on me. You’re ruining him once and for all. The only justice is you all will be ruined too. Without him, the band’s fucking shit.”
“Jesus, but you’re a little bitch.” Judging by the sound of scraping against skin, I know he’s scratching his scruffy jaw. He grunts-growls, some type of man sound that screams pure frustration with the female sex.
“Fuck off.” I twist the knife of irritation deeper and curl up. “I’ve decided I’m not going with Sloane. I refuse to allow him to, whatever, because of me.”
My dad has made no more attempts to talk to me and my mom is just plain MIA. Physically, this time, rather than the emotional absence she’s subjected me to for so long. Grandma knows where she’s at because my grandmother knows everything. She’s the FBI, the CIA, the Supreme Court, and the Executioner.
She loves me and spoils me, but her mind games are intense. I steer clear of her as much as possible, so my change of heart to stay behind with her is monumental for me. My fear sends tears to my eyes and I sniffle. “Sloane’s risked a lot for me. If he won’t protect himself, then I have to do it for him.”
Maitland settles his hand on my hip. “If you want to protect him, then get the fuck up and come with me. He’s downstairs waiting. We’ve cancelled the entire fucking Midwestern leg of the tour. Money lost that can’t be recovered. If you stay behind, that’ll all be for nothing, Georgiana.”
Leave it to me to cause trouble. My heart starts to beat fast at Maitland’s words and confusing behavior. “Why are you helping him now?”
“That’s my fucking business,” he snaps.
“You’re setting him up. Aren’t you?”
“No. I swear I’m not.”
I’m still not convinced. Nothing is adding up. “You’re sure willing to cater to my questions. You’re doing this why? You can just tell me to fuck off.”
Before he answers, my door opens again. Maitland’s body is blocking my view, so I don’t see Kiln until he’s standing at the edge of my bed. “You and your stupid fucking smirk can go the hell away.”
The stupid fucking smirk doesn’t change as he pulls out his cell phone and dials a number. “Hold a moment,” he says a second later and then hands it to me.
Eyeing it with suspicion, I snatch it from him. “Hello?”
“Georgiana, dear. Time for you to go. It’s all been arranged. You work on yourself while I deal with your mother and father.”
My grandmother doesn’t wait for me to respond. She hangs up. For the short amount of time I was on the phone, Kiln has gathered a bag that I’ve never seen, and handed it to Maitland. Smiling coolly, Kiln sweeps me into his arms and, together, we leave the hospital.
Sloane