Free Blizzard (The Brotherhood Journals #1) by Addison Jane

stilled, but he continued to stare at the wall ahead of him. I wasn’t even worthy of a simple glance.
    “Yeah, she came back a few days ago. And you know what?” I pushed off the chair and stood tall, forcing my shoulders back. “She’s doing just fine without you.”
    “You little bastard ,” he snapped, grabbing hold of the empty bottle of tequila and tossing it across the room at me. I ducked and it shattered against the wall behind me. “She’d be looking after me now if it wasn’t for you!”
    “Yeah, because living with a miserable, alcoholic husband who beats on his kid is just the type of person all women want, right?” I yelled back at him. I knew by now one of the nurses would have called security to come and deal with the commotion. “She has a new family… a fucking daughter. Did you know that? I don’t blame her for walking out on your sorry ass. I’m just disappointed I didn’t follow her out the door when I had the chance.”
    The words shocked even me. It was the first time I’d ever admitted that what she had done all those years ago was the right thing. I guess I always knew what he was like, everyone did. That was the reason the old ladies took me in, and Op’s parents helped to raise me.
    He pointed at me angrily. “I should’ve let her fucking take you.”
    My eyes shot wide open. “What?”
    I watched as the tension left his body, and just like that he was calm again. He knew he had something on me and he was smug. “Bitch begged to take you, but I wouldn’t fucking let her because that was the one thing she wanted. And if I couldn’t have her, she couldn’t fucking have you.”
    Just as I was about to cross the room and slam my fist into the old man’s face, security and a couple of nurses slammed through the door, crowding the room. My chest was heaving in anger.
    “You motherfucker!” I roared.
    The nurse I passed in the hallway placed her hands on my chest and pushed me toward the door, a security guard right behind her. “You need to go now, we’ll keep you updated.”
    I might have fought more if I wasn’t so stunned by what he’d said. Instead, I let her maneuver me out of the room, giving me a gentle nudge down the hall before she turned and re-entered herself.
    I walked through the maze of hallways in a daze, his words constantly resonating.
    Bitch begged to take you…
    If I couldn’t have her, she couldn’t fucking have you.
    I was done, done with the stupid bastard. This was the end.
    I managed to make it to the carpark, but before straddling my bike, I pulled my cell from my pocket.
    “What’s up?” Op answered casually.
    “Find someone to cover for me at X-Rated tonight. I’m going off the grid for a few hours,” I told him my voice sounded monotonous with no emotion.
    “What happened?” he asked, now on full alert.
    I scrubbed my hand over my hair, it was getting long and I needed to have it cut desperately.
    “I’ll explain later. Just can’t deal with shit right now.”
    Silence greeted me for a minute. “Okay, stay safe.”
    “Yeah.”
    I leaped on my baby and fired her up, the sound and the vibrations instantly calmed me. I didn’t know where I was going. I wanted to be alone, and the best way to do that was to just ride. Ride until I couldn’t hold myself or my bike up any longer.
    It was the only way.
     

 
    After the bar incident, I barely slept a wink. My mind was running and running and there was no sign of a finish line.
    I managed to drag myself to the college and meet with the dean. He’d greeted me like I was family, shaking my hand and grinning widely. But for someone on the DePalma family payroll, I expected nothing less.
    By the time I returned to the hotel, I still hadn’t decided what I was going to do. The lobby was quiet now, there were a handful of people in the bar enjoying a meal, but other than that, it was a complete contrast to the festivities that had been on last night.
    I guess everyone was still sleeping