Rushing past the doorman, I take the elevator up to the penthouse, my body anxious to get to Bronson.After Rand and I spotted him drunkenly incoherent at the breakfast bar, Rand had called him, only to have it go straight to voicemail. We couldn't hear Bronson, but we made out a few words like, backstabbing and traitor. Not understanding what must have clearly went down, there was only one thing I could do. Got to him.I told Rand to stay there, while I spoke with Bronson alone. It was clear he had sent Nadia home, and I didn't know if Anabe or Brody and Mick were following me. The last thing we needed was to throw them off by showing me with Rand. He was my ace in the hole and I needed him hidden for now.My foot bounces anxiously as the elevator takes me up and I ponder in my head for the hundredth time, what could have possibly happened. Rand went back into the video and saw that it was Bronson that destroyed the penthouse. It was hard watching as he destroyed everything around
No.... please God no."Did you honestly believe that I wouldn't find out?" He walks past me, and I turn to spot him going into the study. His feet are bare and with the glass surrounding each step in his course, I run over and stop him from moving. My hand is on his chest and my eyes down casted on the floor where I can spot trails of blood."Bronson, please, the glass, you need to put something on your feet."Pushing my hands off him, I get thrown off balance, landing harshly on the glass covered flooring. I scream out when the glass cuts through the palms of my hand. For a moment, Bronson looks worried, he reaches out and lifts me up, expressing concern when his eyes travel my body and pulls my palms out to observe, but something ticks inside him, a bomb goes off in his mind and he quickly pulls away from me again."I want you out of here.""Bronson.""You lied Nikki. You lied to me about everything.""How did–""Anabe came and spoke to me. He told me everything, about you an
I don't notice where I am walking until I look up and spot the Serendin Atlas in front of me. How ironic that Bronson kicked me out and this is the first place I turn, the place that is currently trying to destroy him, destroying me along the way. I didn't know where to go, I could have stayed on the streets or even strapped myself inside a rundown hotel until the morning where I would undoubtedly go over and try speaking with Bronson again.The words he spewed at me come returning to the forefront of my mind and I cringe at his last statement about my parents. The pain registers from back when my aunt came out of her house in tears to explain to me and Brody that our parents were gone and never coming back. Since that moment, I have always wanted to make them proud. I wanted them to know that I was taking care of Brody and keeping us safe, but Bronson was right. I failed them. I haven't kept us safe, neither of us have our high school diplomas, Brody is constantly high and I'm a f*ck
I wake in alert to my new surroundings. It's one I'm familiar with, but one I'm immediately regretting. I sit up, looking around as if the world will suddenly make sense if I take in the scenery around me. My room is the same as it was the day that I left The Serendin for Bronson's home. I can still remember packing up the little items I claimed to own, as Mick and Charles gave the speech about saving my brother.My brother.I never heard him come in last night and I don't know what scares me more, the fact that he isn't here, or the fact that I can no longer tell if I can trust his word. I begged him not to go after Bronson, explained that I wasn't brainwashed and that I was in no immediate danger from him, but if he's not home, where the hell is he?I stand and walk over to the small cracked dresser I bought from a furniture store going out of business years ago. Pulling out a pair of cutoff jeans and a plain white tee, I get dressed and come out of the room, in search for Brody.
Matt stares me down but eventually nods his head and steps back. I know they don't trust me and based on the way Brody looked when I saw him outside of my work, he is a big part of that. Brody has no doubt been running his mouth about the scheme and with the other's stuck inside these walls since Rand's friend is having them all watched, they're on edge. I do not blame them for being upset, but I do need my own questions answered."Now, someone needs to tell me what happened.""Mick and Charles told us how you went the other way. Planned on turning us all in and staying with that tool bag Fortworth." Amy states as she tends to the moaning Alfonso. "I suppose I can say that isn't true since you're here right now looking like a deer caught in headlights?"I shake my head; anger pours through me at the lies and deceit Mick threw around about me. But that only answers one of my questions. "What about my brother? Where is Brody and what the hell would this all have to do with Alfonso?"
Broken. Every single part of me is now is in a broken jumbled pile of mess. I'm in pieces, an unfamiliar feeling of dread and destruction. I've never felt this way before, and as I stare off at the city below me, I never want to again.My home is destroyed and yet all of my pent-up rage is still present. She came here for a reason, she came here with a motive and if it wasn't clear before of why she accepted my offer so effortlessly, it is now.I watch as she leaves, and the elevator doors close with a silent shut. I should feel elated that I told her off, that I broke her heart into a thousand pieces like how she left mine, but I don't. I feel nothing but guilt of the things I said to her. I don't know the truth, and I'm sure deep down somewhere, it's bigger than I am giving it credit for, but I just cannot allow her to stay here, to continue to use me for whatever little scheme her and her thugs are cooking up.My phone chimes and I look around my bedroom for it. I had come upstai
My head pounds as though a mallet steadies a knocking rhythm against my skull. I peer open my eyes only to shut them immediately when I feel the sun pouring in from my bedroom window. Sitting up, I cover my face and scrub my hands down my face, feeling the need to immediately lose my dinner from last night.Dinner. Something I never even had. I stayed up most of the night drowning my insecure thoughts into three different bottles of scotch. I started the moment I left work early after speaking with Anabe and never stopped. Even Landen, when he picked me up from the bar, I had taken a cab to, did not recognize me.Thoughts of yesterday come swarming at me as I look around hopelessly looking for a sign that Nikki never left, that she stayed by my side last night. Why do I want her here? Not when she lied about everything from the beginning.What I fool I was to trust her.Even so, I grab my phone cursing when I see it's dead and place it on the charger. I don't know the whole truth
The cab driver was humming a familiar song as I hopped in and gave him the address. I knew I couldn't run all the way back to the penthouse and with Brody, Mick and Charles already ahead of me, I knew I needed a quick ride there."So, you new to New York?" He asks and I fight the urge to tell him off and roll my eyes."No, I live here. Now please, step on it, it's an emergency." I state then sit back and pull my phone from my back pocket. I need to call Rand and tell him what I know. He answers immediately, sounding out of breath and worry struck me hard. "Rand?""It's Bronson, I was on the phone with him and then suddenly it turned off. I heard what sounded like a scuffle, I'm on my way to him now but I'm in traffic, where are you?"I couldn't answer him fast enough, my mind was reeling on all the information he just threw at me. Bronson was hurt. Does he know that for sure? Was he watching the footage? I shook my head and tried to keep my thoughts about me. I couldn't jeopardize