“Jake . . .”
“Don’t worry about what happened right now,” I tell her quietly, reaching out and taking her hand. “Everything is going to be okay.”
Even as I say it, my stomach twists in knots. Things aren't going to be okay. The club being burned hurts on a lot of levels. We’re going to lose a lot of money over it. Sure, we had insurance, but that will cover repairs, maybe. It won’t cover the operating losses, the fact that nobody’s coming through the door, or that I owe the staff something during the time the club’s closed. And there’s no insurance in the world that’s going to cover the damage to Club Jasmine’s reputation. There’s no guarantee that even if we do get it repaired quickly, people are going to come back.
I just hope Nathan won’t lose his shit. He’s really taken personal pride in it, and it’s the first business venture he’s done that bears his real fingerprints and isn’t just transactions being shuffled around on a computer.
Honestly, though, my number one concern right now is Sophie. If something bad has happened to her . . . I feel like hell. I said I was going to start spending more time with her. But outside of breakfast and our school rides, we haven’t had a lot of time. Now she’s in the hospital after an accident of some kind, and if something’s happened to her, I’ll never forgive myself.
We reach the hospital, and before Hannah’s even got the engine shut off, I jump out of her car, storming toward the doors and practically charging through them. The safety glass slides open at what seems like a snail’s pace, and I turn sideways to slide through as narrow a gap as I can, crossing the reception area to the desk. I barely notice that Roxy’s caught up as I plant my hands on the desk so loudly that the guy on duty jumps slightly. “Where’s Sophie Stone?” I pant, knowing I look like a dirty, crazy man. “I’m here to see her.”
“Are you of relation?” asks the staffer. The logical side of my mind tells me that he’s just doing his job, but there’s another side of me, the scared, instinctive brother side, that wants to grab him by the scrubs he’s wearing and jack him against the wall.
Instead, I bite down on my words and reach into my tuxedo jacket, finding my wallet. “I’m her brother,” I say, showing him my driver’s license. “And I’m her legal guardian. Now where is she?”
The guy looks, then nods. “She’s in the ER, one of the exam rooms. I’ll have someone come to escort you.”
“I’m not waiting,” I growl, rushing down the hallway, Roxy hot on my heels. I see a sign for the ER and turn, sliding slightly in my dress shoes on the linoleum. I see the doors up ahead, and as I reach them, a nurse steps out.
“Mr. Stone, come with me,” she says, not fazed at all to see a man in a soot-stained tuxedo come running down the hallway. She leads us through, not saying much until she stops outside an exam room. “She’s in here. We’re waiting on some tests.”
I nod and slide the curtain back, relief sweeping through me as I see Sophie. Thank God she’s awake, leaning back on the exam table as another nurse finishes wrapping up a gauze bandage around her head. She’s got the bandage and a bruise on the side of her face, but other than that, she honestly doesn’t look all that bad.
“Okay, Miss Stone, just lie back and wait for the docs to come back with the results of the tests,” the nurse says. Seeing me, she gives me a professional smile. “Just a precaution. The doctors had your sister do some head X-rays. They should have them back shortly.”
She leaves, and I walk over to the side of Sophie’s exam bed, worried. “What happened?” I ask, wincing inside at the anger in my voice. I don’t want to sound angry. I’m just worried. “Sophie?”
“I got into an accident,” she says, sulking. I reach for her hand but she brushes me away. “I’m fine, they say I just hit my head pretty good. The doctor thinks I might have a mild concussion. They’re letting me go if the X-Rays look okay.”
“Shit, I’m so sorry,” I whisper, wanting to hug her but not wanting to be rejected again. Instead, I’m forced to cross my arms over my chest to keep from reaching out. “I’m just glad you’re okay. How’d it happen?”
Sophie turns her head and stares at me tight-lipped. With each passing second, the dread in my stomach grows. “Please don’t do this. Tell the truth, Sophie. Were you driving? Were you . . . drinking?”
Sophie’s lip curls, her eyes flaring in hurt anger. “No, but Jax was,” she admits. “It was just one beer though!”
Her admission hits me like a punch in the gut. “What?”
“Jax!” Sophie half yells. “We were going out. He took a wrong turn and hit a pole.”
Anger flares in my chest. I can’t believe this. A dark thing twists deep in my heart, an evil thing that I can’t control, and I grab the railing on Sophie’s bed, squeezing the metal so tightly that it starts to creak. “I thought I told you not to see him anymore!”
“Yeah, well, you also told me you were going to spend more time with me, remember that?” she shoots back. “So sorry, Jake. I got bored when you kept going out all the time. You’re never around lately,” she says, not looking at Roxy but making her point. “He was giving me the attention I want. He at least would listen for longer than the ten minutes it takes to make eggs and hash browns!”
I almost see red, and my hands pull harder, the railing on Sophie’s bed whining in protest. I hear Roxy gasp in hurt, and I stare at Sophie, my jaw clenched so hard my teeth ache. I could’ve lost my sister because of this fuck nut. I warned him last time, and then he goes and drinks before taking her out? I want to choke him with my bare hands.
“I don’t give a fuck . . .”
“Hey,” Roxy says softly, trying to place a calming hand on my shoulder, but I shrug her off, my temper on the edge of losing control.
“That guy doesn’t give a shit about you!” I hiss at Sophie. “I could’ve lost you tonight!”
Sophie stares at me coldly, unmoved. She looks at Roxy, then looks away. “You have a woman in your life. You don’t need me anymore.”
Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. And it fucking hurts because lately, it’s true. I’ve been putting everything first but Sophie. “You know that’s not true,” I whisper. “You’re one of the most—” I catch myself. “You are the most important person in my life.”
Sophie snorts. “Don’t lie to yourself, darling big brother. I’m at least number four or five on your list. But it’s okay, I know I’m a burden.”
I open my mouth, about to yell at her, but Roxy tugs on my arm desperately. “Not here, Jake. This isn’t the time or the place for this conversation.”
She’s right. Fuming, I spin on my heel and stalk out of the room. When I get out, I slam my fist against the wall, Sophie’s words echoing around in my head. She can’t understand. All of this has been for her, too!
I turn to storm down the hallway. I need a drink, and I saw a Coke machine on the way here. Roxy is on my ass though, and I can hear her rushing to catch up with me. “Hey, wait up!” She grabs me by the arm, and I stop. “I know you’re mad and upset after everything that happened, but your sister has a point—”
“That I put you before her?” I growl, staring at Roxy. “Yeah, she has a point. That I’ve just risked everything, rolled the fucking dice on my future, her future, Nathan’s future, everyone’s future on some stupid fucking fireworks. And I watched it all go up in smoke. I risked it all because I let my dick overrule my brain. Everything’s all fucked up right now. We’re all fucked up. I’m all fucked up. And to be honest, I don’t want to hear any shit about how terrible of a brother and guardian I am!”