Stephan (17 page)

I knew that from the last time she’d gotten
drunk, but it didn’t answer my question. “Yep she is. How much did
she have?”

Renee looked into a cooler. “Six…no…er seven
vodka cruisers. She likes the raspberry ones. I like the passion
fruit ones.”

Groaning, I looked at Cassie. “Who the hell
drove here?”

“I did. I’ve only just started drinking since
Scott said he was on his way. Brad was giving him a lift.”

Sighing, I glanced behind me to see Derick
laughing at me. “A curse, brother,” he whispered.

“Shut it and set the towels up for me,
please.”

Derick grinned but did as I asked and I
closed my eyes and prayed for patience.

Tilting Jade’s head back, I gazed at her.
“You haven’t got your cast wet?”

Her brows furrowed and she nibbled on her
bottom lip. “Nope all dry, see.” She shoved her cast arm in my
face.

“Little bit, have you eaten anything
yet?”

“Err, an apple. No,” she took a deep breath
and slowly let it out. “I had a piece of bacon and hash brown too.
It was nume, nume, yummy.”

Derick was cracking up and the girls were
giggling. Carefully kneeling on the sand, I moved her so I could
sit. Reaching the bag I got out a bottle of water and undid the lid
before holding it out to her. “Drink some of this?”

Jade took the water and sipped it.

I looked around at the girls. “What time did
you start drinking?”

“We came here after breakfast. We didn’t
start drinking until ten thirtyish.”

“Oh only ten thirtyish.” I shook my head but
couldn’t help my grin. “You guys are a bad influence on my
girl.”

“Hey,” Stacy protested. “She was the one who
thought to play the drinking game.”

“What drinking game, little bit?”

Her eyes brown eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Have you ever.”

“Who was winning?” I asked.

“Jade was.” The girls all chorused.

“What? How? I thought you said she’d had
seven?”

“She has,” Patricia added.

“Shit, how many have you girls had?”

Five girls looked into the cooler bumping
heads. “Ouch, hey,” they squealed.

“I’ve had eight,” Racheal said with a huge
grin. “I’m coming in second.” She winked at me.

“I’ve had nine,” Cassie said with a burp.

“How the hell, Cassie, you said you just
started?”

“Isa just have, but I had to skull to catch
up.”

“For fuck sake.”

Derick chuckled.

“How many drinks did you bring?”

“Argh, two coolers full. Twelve vodka
cruisers each. And two bottles of wine,” Patricia giggled out.

“Holy shit, what would you have done if we
didn’t come to look after you and drive you home?”

The girls thought it was hilarious, even Jade
was snorting with laughter.

“Wes made a bet,” Renee piped in.

“Yeah, yous a quick response,” Patricia
giggled.

“They think you don’t know how to say no to
me,” Jade whispered. “I don’t care what they think. Thanks for
coming. I’m tired. I couldn’t sleep. I was cold without you.” She
shivered against me and I rubbed her back as she snuggled against
me.

I didn’t care what her friends thought I
cared what Jade felt. Kissing her forehead, I hugged her to me and
gazed over at my brother to see Derick smiling. It wasn’t a
curse.

Jade

The weekend had been great. I’d spent Friday
night at Cassie’s with all the girls and Saturday at the beach.
Stephan had joined us and he’d looked after me. It was becoming
harder and harder not to fall for him. He was amazing and he put me
first every time. We went to bed early Saturday night and I slept
in his bed draped over him.

Sunday we had a lazy day. Well I did, reading
and baking in the kitchen. Stephan had gone to the gym, probably to
beat the crap out of his bodyguards, or for them to do it to him. I
stayed away from the gym and the no go zone of the property.

Now it was Monday and I stood by our meeting
place outside of the school waiting for Stephan. He was late.
Usually he meets me on my way to our spot or was already waiting
for me. I’d just told Cassie to go before her brother left without
her. Bringing my bag around I got my phone out and checked to see
if Stephan had called to tell me he was running late.

Glancing around, I saw Derick coming toward
and me smiling. I moved away from the tree I leaned against and
went to him. “Where is your brothe—” Before I’d finished my
question gunfire rang out around me. “Get down,” Derick yelled.

A burning pain hit my good arm as I dove for
the ground. Yelling and screaming all around me had me staying down
and not daring to look. Derick’s body came and covered my own.

“Oh shit, fuck, you’re hit.” I heard Derick’s
voice in the distance but my arm hurt and my cast arm felt like it
had been cracked again. I felt like I was far away and filled with
pain. I wanted to close my eyes, they were so heavy. The weight on
me kept reminding me of the pain and I knew I shouldn’t close my
eyes.

More shots sounded and cars and what sounded
like motorbikes screeched away.

“Derick, get off her. We need to see if you
have been hit.” I knew the voice. Who was it?

“Brand, I’m fine. Jade’s been hit. Oh shit,
Brand, that’s a lot of blood.”

Ah, Brand, head security. I heard what
sounded like ripping.

“Check her over, Derick, to see if she’s been
shot anywhere else. David’s called the ambulance and the police. He
and a team are waiting and the gates. Try not to move her too much,
she’s been hit in an artery.”

Brand lifted my arm and tied a piece of cloth
around me tight. I screamed as he tugged. Black surrounded my
vision and then nothing.

*****

Stephan

I’d been talking to my business teacher about
a makeup test for one I’d missed while away looking after Jade. We
agreed I’d come in early tomorrow and he’d give me a do-over. Then
I ran out of the room and down to the tree where I meet Jade. I
could see the tree in the distance and Derick walking to Jade. I’d
asked him to tell her where I was.

Everything happened so fast. A blue Ford car
and three motorbikes drove up to the pickup zone, guns appeared and
they shot at Derick and Jade. I watched with a sickening feeling as
bullets flew by and Jade dropped to the ground. I crouched down and
watched Derick crawl to Jade and cover her.

It was only minutes but felt like hours
passed before Brand, David, Rex, and Royce showed up, shooting back
at the car and motorbikes. They sped off and then the gates closed.
I kept low the whole time and ran, ducking and dodging to get to
Jade and Derick.

Brand made it before me and I arrived in time
to see the once green grass covered in red. Jade screamed and I
looked to see the bottom part of her covered in blood. Derick was
checking her, running his hands gently up and down her now
unconscious body.

Dropping to the ground, I stared at Derick.
“Please. Please tell me she’s okay,” I choked out.

Derick grimaced and held his hands over her
thigh. “Put pressure here. I need to check her other leg.”

I did as I was told in a haze of disbelief.
Blood oozed onto my fingers and I moved so my palm pressed down
slowing the flow of blood. Derick ran his fingers over her other
half.

“What do we have?”

I didn’t look up at the paramedic.

“Seventeen year old female. Shot to arm that
hit artery. I’ve cut the flow with the bandage but she needs care.
Stephan is holding what I think may be a graze or a through and
through shot. The cast has cracked and she passed out a couple of
minutes ago.”

“Son, I need you to move now.”

I pressed down on Jade’s wound too scared to
move.

“You can let go now.”

I couldn’t move. I heard the voice, but was
terrified to move my blood soaked hand.

“Stephan, the paramedic needs to work
now.”

I looked at Derick, he was covered in blood.
It never occurred to me he could be hurt.

“Son, you’re covered in blood. Are you hurt?”
another paramedic asked Derick.

Derick shook his head and gazed down. “It’s
not my blood. It’s my sister’s.”

“The girl is your sister?”

Derick nodded. “She will be,” he said
hoarsely.

Brand removed my hand and dragged me back.
“Stephan, you have to let them work.”

Gazing up at him, my cheeks felt wet. “Where
the fuck where you? How the hell did this happen?” I shook myself
out of his hold and stood. I studied the scene around me, bullet
holes were everywhere: in trees, cars, the school building, and the
ground. It looked like a war zone. “What the fuck happened?”

Brand stood and ran his fingers through his
short hair. “There are two vulnerable times, at drop-off in the
morning and pick-up time. We monitor both, but there are so many
cars and it’s hard to tell if they’re not picking up someone. We
were lucky not many got hurt.”

“What do you mean lucky? Jade is fucking
almost bleeding out.”

“Only six people got hurt. None are
fatal.”

I wanted to yank my friggin' hair out. “We
live in Australia. Guns are illegal. Why the fuck did we just have
a shootout. This is something I expect Dustan to tell me about in
America.” I was furious, but I’d rather be angry than a blubbering
mess. Brand didn’t say anything, not that I expected him to. He
knew how it went.

The paramedics wheeled Jade away on a
stretcher. I ran after them. There was no way they were leaving
without me.

“Are you family?”

“Yep.”

They eyed me for a moment before one nodded,
I got into the ambulance.

I hovered over Jade. Her eyes were open and
she smiled seeing me but it quickly turned into a grimace.

“Hey,” she rasped out.

“Little bit, what am I going to do with you?”
I stroked her cheek.

“I’ve never been shot before I met you.”

My heart sank at her words and I cleared my
dry throat, was I killing her? Was I the reason she’d been shot at
so much. “Angel, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t,” she whispered. “I don’t like that
look. You didn’t do this.”

I nodded, but didn’t believe her. I needed to
leave her alone. I could make myself live without Jade as long as
she was alive. What I couldn’t live with was her continually
getting hurt because of me. If she died, I don’t think I would ever
forgive myself. I needed to leave.

I couldn’t get the image of her covered in
blood out of mind and I thought I was going to be physically sick.
I needed to stay away from her and then she’d be safe.

*****

Jade

Something didn’t feel right. I awoke and I
was alone. Pain throbbed through me, not the worse I’d had, but I
still hurt. I pressed the nurse call button and a woman in her late
forties came in. “Hi, is anyone outside the room.”

“No, sweetheart. Are you expecting
someone?”

I furrowed my brows and shook my head. “No.”
Where was Stephan? I was sure I saw him in the ambulance.

*****

I didn’t see Stephan even after three days.
Evelin visited and even his father, Lucas. They wouldn’t tell me
about Stephan besides he was fine and thought it best they stop
seeing each other. Derick didn’t come by either. Cassie and my
friends visited me, but no Stephan. The bastard didn’t even tell me
himself he couldn’t be with me anymore.

On the third day in the hospital they let me
out. My arm had been recast and my other was in a sling to help it
heal. I had stitches in my right leg where a bullet had gone
straight through. I felt like shit, but what worried and scared me
the most was I hadn’t seen Stephan or Derick. I learned from
Cassie, they were both all right.

Sitting on the bed I waited for my guardian
to show up and take me home. Cassie and her parents knocked on the
door. My heart sank and I knew even before Cassie spoke, I wasn’t
with Stephan anymore.

“Guess what. I get to have you as my
sister.”

I forced a smile and slowly stood. I should
never have let myself fall under his spell. Biting my cheek to hold
in my sobs I berated myself, stupid, stupid me. I should know by
now not to trust or rely on anyone. Hardening my heart, I stiffened
my spine, grabbed my bag, and walked out of the hospital room.
Never again. Never again would I let my guard down.

*****

The police wanted to talk to me and this time
I didn’t have a lawyer there to tell them to hurry it along or stop
them from badgering me. The week I spent recovering was spent
mostly in the police station. I’d told them everything I could
think of and more. They wanted to know everything about my grandpa
and what I saw and the most important, who I saw. The person they
were most interested in was the man I’d only caught a glimpse of. I
now knew that the police thought I’d been shot at twice now thanks
to my grandpa and his dealings. They wanted me kept quiet about who
I’d seen.

This shattered my heart into a million
pieces, because I’d put people I cared for in danger. I was worried
I was putting Cassie’s family in danger. They assured me the two
police vehicles kept them safe. A bunch of my grandpa’s associates
had been arrested and for the moment I couldn’t do anything.

I was eager to go back to school. Cassie’s
parents were fantastic. I only had two weeks until I was eighteen
and I promised them I’d find a place of my own then. They told me
over and over not to worry, that I was no trouble and welcome to
stay as long as I wanted. I was done though. I was done relying on
anyone but myself.

“Jade, sweetheart. You have a visitor,”
Cassie’s mum yelled to me.

Easing off the bed, I put the book down I
wasn’t really reading and went down the stairs. My heart sped up at
the figure at the door. Stephan stood with flowers and a basket
with goodies in it. He looked like he hadn’t shaved since I’d seen
him over a week ago. He had dark circles under his eyes. I felt
bad, but I couldn’t do anything except apologize.