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JJ
“Oh, my GOD!” Maddi exclaims, running past me and back out the front door.
Venturing inside of Maddi’s brother’s house behind Smoke, I don’t find anything of alarm until I run into a tall, dark, and hot-as-sin man in the living room. A man who’s stark naked, grinning at me when he watches my eyes leisurely rise from his stiff cock and up his chiseled torso before landing on his handsome face. Once my eyes have reached the summit, he lifts his eyebrows up and down at me with humour, not even attempting to cover himself.
Frozen on the spot, I stare, mouth open. I don’t know whether to laugh or graciously back out of the room. The only thing I know for certain is Maddi’s twin is an Adonis. His body is long and lean, with rippling muscles covered by smooth tanned skin. His jet-black hair is in disarray, red lipstick smeared around his generous lips. He’s regarding me with open interest through the piercing blue eyes all the O’Briens share.
He’s beautiful.
Very, very naked.
And clearly aroused.
No wonder, Maddi ran from the house.
Who wants to see their brother like this?
“Fucking hell, Benji. Put some clothes on.” Smoke laughs, his green eyes twinkling with mirth as he scratches his hands over his close-cropped, dirty-blond hair. “You’re scaring the women, you ugly bastard.”
His laughter dies when a short, pretty, blonde steps around the corner, a throw rug clutched to her to cover her nakedness. She looks familiar to me, although where I know her from eludes me, right now. Glancing quickly at Smoke, her expression dejected, she throws a cushion at Benji. He half-heartedly holds it in front of himself, his eyes still on my face.
“Lacey? What the fuck?” Smoke splutters, disbelief written all over his tanned face.
Pulling his cigarette packet and lighter from his leather cut, Smoke smacks the bottom of it against his palm. Taking one of the cigarettes that fall from the packet, he slips it between his lips, lighting it with one flick of his lighter. I don’t know him, but it appears to me that he’s crushed to have found the blonde woman with Benji. Cigarette smoke billowing from his nostrils, he spins on his heel, and strides out of the room without another word.
“So, ah, I’ll leave you to it,” I offer in a just audible voice. Backing away from the couple we’ve interrupted, I stop when Benji speaks.
“Tell Mads I’ll be five minutes.”
Nodding my head like a cork bobbing in rough water, I feel ridiculous. I’m a doctor, for crying out loud; I see people naked and in far worse situations than this all the time. With that thought, I attain some much-needed composure and meet his eyes. The cerulean blue is bright, almost glasslike, his pupils constricted to pin pricks. The tell-tale red around the edge of his eyes, and his tightly clenched jaw tell me one thing.
Benji O’Brien is high as a kite.
My best guess is crystal methamphetamine, or ice as it’s known on the street. Mad Dog’s comment from last night about Benji overdosing rather than Joel makes sense. Obviously, they know he uses, and they’re not happy about it.
Raking my eyes down his arms, my heart flips when I spy the small track marks on the inside of his left elbow. Dropping my eyes to his companion, I find similar indicators on her face. Glazed red eyes stare back at me accusingly, her bottom lip red and swollen, as she chews on it nonstop. I know her from somewhere. Somewhere not connected with the Shamrocks. I’m positive of it.
“I’ve met you before, haven’t I?” Benji asks as he walks over to the pile of clothes in the middle of his living room. His muscled ass flexes as he pulls a pair of jeans on, his rock-hard abs covered by a T-shirt a moment later.
Now that he’s dressed, I feel more comfortable.
Damn, Lucas’s Club is full of hot men. Lucas still shines the brightest of them all for me, but the additional eye candy isn’t to be sneezed at. I feel like I’ve stumbled into a real-life Magic Mike movie sometimes.
“I was Joel’s surgeon earlier this year. I don’t think we met back then, though.” I shake my head. I don’t remember meeting him, but that’s not surprising since I was blinded by Lucas almost immediately.
“Timber’s baby mamma.” He laughs at his comment, cracking his knuckles and bouncing on his toes. “Well, that puts you on my don’t-fuck-with list. That big motherfucker’ll hand me my ass. You’re hot, but not hot enough to risk a beating.”
The woman Smoke called Lacey gasps at his crass comment. She’s hurt, her eyes filling with tears that she furiously blinks away. Personally, I’m appalled at him. I don’t know if they’re together or not, but it’s poor form to say something like that in front of the woman you were just interrupted having sex with. Not to mention, his assertion that I’m not hot enough to risk a beating is damn rude.
“Jesus Christ, Benji. Stop being a prick.” Maddi comes to stand next to me. I jump in surprise because I didn’t hear her reenter the house. Glaring at Lacey until she ducks out of the room, she turns her poisonous gaze to her twin next. He stands there staring at her, half a smile on his face. If I were him, I’d be finding some way to escape, not antagonizing her, because she looks ready to kill him.
“JJ, can you wait in the car please? I have to deal with something before we head to the hospital.” Not taking her eyes from Benji, she pays me no mind as she advances on him. Grabbing him by the front of his shirt, she drags him down to her. His jet-black head next to her blonde hair, they make a stunning sight with their contrasting beauty. You wouldn’t take them for twins from a distance since their colouring is the exact opposite, but once you see their faces next to each other, you can see the connection: the exact same bone structure—one feminine, one masculine—without question, they’re identical.
“Joel tries to kill himself last night, and you think it’s appropriate to get high and fuck my best friend?” When she pushes him away from her, he stumbles backward, catching himself on the arm of the couch. “What the hell is wrong with you? Do you have any idea what happened yesterday? To me? To the Club? Do you know Dad was challenged as President?”
“What the fuck?” He throws himself on the couch. Maddi towers over him, her anger filling the room like a dense cloud. I should leave them to it, but I’m riveted. My family doesn’t handle things like this. We snipe at each other in a passive-aggressive way, never really resolving anything. It’s fascinating to watch. Benji jiggles his knee, fidgeting as he looks up at her with an apology in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I fucked up.”
“That would mean something, if you didn’t keep doing it. How many times is it this month? Three, four? That’s only the times I know about. You need rehab, Benj.”
Jumping to his feet, he picks up a heavy trophy from the side table and throws it against the wall. “I’m not going to fucking rehab,” he yells, panting.
His eyes are feral as he searches for something else to break. Ripping the DVD player from its alcove in the entertainment unit, he throws it at Maddi. She dodges it, screaming when her brother runs for her and tackles her around the waist. Knocking her to the ground, he wrestles her as she struggles to escape. It appears that she’s getting the upper hand, but I’m not sure. I’ve seen her in action, having watched her take down two big men just yesterday, but they have nothing on a drugged-up, raged-out addict.
My heart in my throat, I sprint for the front door.
She needs help, and I’m in no condition to provide it.
“Smoke! Quick.” I barely have the words out when he’s rushing past me into the house. The other Shamrock, Tally, seizes me by the waist and drags me outside. Shutting me in the back of car, he runs back inside as well.
Throwing my head back against the seat I wait, listening to the commotion happening inside the house. There’s never a dull moment when I’m around these people.
Is this something I want to sign myself, and an innocent child, up for?
It’s settled in my mind that I want Lucas, even not knowing the truth about him and Amy, and I want this child. The Black Shamrocks as part of the package, I’m not sold on. And I’m deathly afraid to find out what his choice would be if I asked him to choose between us.
Minutes later, someone raps their knuckles against the car window, jolting me out of my thoughts. Smoke stares at me through the glass, sporting a split lip and grazed knuckles. “Can you come look at him? Don’t wanna take him to the hospital if you can patch him up for us.”
Nodding, I follow him inside. It’s bedlam. The smashing I could hear outside, had nothing on the actual destruction taking place inside. Surveying the room, I find Lacey dabbing what smells like antiseptic on Maddi’s bleeding cheekbone while she’s arguing on the phone. Watching Lacey’s precise, practiced movements as she organises the first aid kit and prepares what she needs, it hits me where I know her from.
She’s a nurse from the hospital.
A nurse who I’m pretty sure uses illegal drugs.
“It’s okay, Mik. Calm down. Sam will help me deal with him. You concentrate on the Club.” She hisses when Lacey presses a butterfly stitch over her cheekbone. “I’m all right, I’ve already told you! I’ll see you tonight. I love you too, Mo Ghrá.”
Jabbing the screen of her phone, she tosses it on the seat next to her.
“Bloody worry wart,” she announces to no one in particular.
Waving Lacey away and pushing to her feet, she limps her way to her twin. I hadn’t even noticed Benji lying unconscious and in the recovery position on the kitchen floor. Blood runs from his open mouth and his nose, his T-shirt ripped, baring his scratched, bruised, and bloody torso.
“JJ, you need to check him for me. He won’t wake up.” Maddi drops heavily to her knees, groaning. Scowling at Smoke when he tries to help her, she bats his proffered hand away. “I think I broke his arm. I didn’t mean to, but I thought he was going to kill me.”
Tears stream down her face as she peers into Benji’s face, rocking him from side to side to rouse him. “Please. Wake up for me. I’m so sorry. I was only trying to help you.”
Smoke puts his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently in support. “He had her by the throat when I got in here, would’ve snapped her fucking neck if she hadn’t busted his arm first.”
My eyes move to Maddi’s neck. Her neck looks much, much worse than mine did this morning, demonstrating clearly the difference between what Lucas and I did in bed last night versus real violence. Further bruising is setting in over the damage already inflicted during our abduction yesterday. Weariness and sadness are at war within her. She’s close to collapsing.
Clearing his throat, Smoke continues. “He’s outta control. Mad Dog’s gonna kill him when he sees her. Gonna kick my fucking ass for letting it happen.”
Nodding, I agree with his assessment. He’s not going to take this well at all.
Crouching down next to the twins, I gently nudge Maddi out of the way. Sticking my finger in Benji’s mouth to make sure his airways are clear, I open his eyelids. I don’t have my flashlight to check properly, but his pupils react equally, and as quickly as I would expect, to the available light.
“Did he sustain a blow to the head?” I question, looking over my shoulder at the four of them. They all shrug.
“It was crazy. It took all of us to bring him down. None of us would have a clue what we did to him,” Maddi answers, her voice lethargic.
Examining the rest of him, I’m happy that, apart from the broken arm, some superficial damage to his face and torso, and a suspected blow to the head, he’s okay. Motioning Lacey to bring the first aid kit to me, I fashion a makeshift sling for his arm. I pretend that I don’t notice the jittering of her hands when she passes me things. She’s definitely coming down from something.
“He needs to go to the hospital. If it’s not broken, it’s fractured at least. It needs to be set properly very soon.”
“Shit, there goes his pre-season,” Tally mutters. I assume he’s referring to Benji’s football career.
“Fucking least of his problems now, Tally. Need to get him clean before he even thinks about footy again,” Smoke snaps at him, bitterness lacing his tone. “Even Beast can’t deny it’s a problem anymore.”
Maddi’s phone breaks the tension that grips the room at Smoke’s statement. Tally takes one look at Maddi on the floor and grabs it for her, guessing correctly that it’ll take her a while to get her battered body upright. Answering it with a grunt, he passes to her. “It’s Kid.”
Taking a leaf out of Maddi’s book, I roll my eyes. All these ridiculous names do my head in.
As she talks on the phone, I direct the two men to carry Benji to the car. It’s a tight fit, and we need to lay down the seats, but we get him in there. I hop into the back with him to keep an eye on his status while they organise his car for the rest of them to follow us to the hospital. Smoke is driving me; Tally taking the other two women. I’m glad I’m in this car because being near the two friends comes with the risk of extreme frostbite. I’m thinking they’re more along the lines of former friends right now.
*
Maddi has no qualms about using my status at the hospital to get Benji into an emergency bed quicker than normal. Standing by, I watch as she transforms from battered and upset sister into a dynamic force of nature—determined to get her brother the best care pronto. Only once she’s satisfied that he’s being looked after does she wilt, leaning against Smoke as he escorts the pair of us to Joel’s room—our original destination earlier this morning before the mayhem broke out.
Tally’s been left downstairs with Benji. Lacey made herself scarce shortly after we arrived, heading off without a word. I’m unsure how to proceed with my knowledge of her extracurricular activities. There’s an onus on me in regards to patient care. Sitting on knowledge about a nurse with a drug problem is a direct breach of my duty, not to mention my ethics.
Listening to their quiet conversation as we take the lift to the fifth floor, I learn that Smoke is Maddi’s older cousin from her mother’s side, and that Benji has had a drug problem for over six years. It had been a sporadic problem until Joel was injured months ago, the night that I met Lucas to be exact. Since then he’s been spiraling out of control, using more and more since his football commitments were reduced due to a season ending knee injury he sustained earlier in the year. Apparently, Beast hasn’t been supporting their tough love endeavors, either living in denial or believing Benji’s excuses.
“What do you think will happen with Dad?” Maddi asks as she drops into one of the visitor’s chairs in Joel’s room. He’s sleeping, looking pale but peaceful. We were allowed in without any issues, the previous night’s edict that he didn’t want to see his family evidently lifted.
Squatting in front of her, Smoke inspects her neck and face. She’s refused all my offers to help, too busy treating me as an invalid, more worried about the stress of today taking a toll on the baby than her own injuries. “That’s up to the Club. You know I can’t tell you anything. Wait for Mad Dog to fill you in, if he does.”
It’s a testament to her tiredness that she doesn’t argue like I expected her to. I’m disappointed since I want to know what’s going on as well.
My stomach rumbles, making me giggle when it gets louder and louder. I haven’t yet eaten today, the customary nausea and dizziness that’s greeted me for the last few weeks, giving me an easy time of it so far. Not wanting to rock the apple cart, I’ve held off even thinking about food.
“Can you grab a couple of wraps and a drink for us, Sam?” Maddi pulls some money from her purse, but Smoke waves it away.
“No weird diet shit?” he asks me as he makes his way to the door.
I shake my head. I eat just about anything.
“I don’t like...”
“Mayo, anything with seeds, and don’t get your coffee from the cafeteria. You only drink the expensive shit from the café downstairs.” Mock saluting Maddi as he finishes her sentence, he leaves the room, pulling the door shut behind him.
“What a day,” Maddi groans, poking at her split cheekbone and her bruised neck. “I’m sure after today and yesterday, you’re still wondering what the hell you’ve got yourself into.”
“Something like that.” Pausing, I weigh up whether what I’m about to ask will piss her off or worry her. “You said to Benji that Lacey’s your best friend?”
“Yeah, she is. Was. I don’t know.” Fixing her eyes on Joel, she shrugs. “After what Connor put her through, I should be happy that she’s moving on. It’s just Benji’s unstable, like really unstable, right now. He’s not exactly the settling down type either. She’s going to get hurt. I’ll get caught in the middle. It won’t be pretty.”
“You must know she’s using with him.” My blunt question pops out of my mouth before I can stop it. I mentally admonish myself for my lack of tact.
“WHAT.” Slapping her hand over her mouth when Joel stirs, she slides closer to me, lowering her voice. “Why would you say something like that? She’s a nurse. She wouldn’t do drugs.”
“She was high today. Surely, you noticed?” Shaking her head, she sits back, resting her chin on her hands, and zoning out.
I leave her to it, busying myself with reading Joel’s chart. His suicide attempt was as serious as it gets. One hundred and fifty Valium followed by twenty-eight Tramadol, and an enormous amount of alcohol. He wasn’t planning on surviving—the sheer amount of Valium he ingested isn’t easy to come by. He’s either stockpiled previous prescriptions or purchased it illegally.
“Wow,” I mutter to myself. His urine was the colour of Coca-Cola when he was admitted, and he suffered at least two seizures, respiratory distress, and tachycardia. He’s an exceptionally lucky man to be alive, with only reversible decreased kidney function as an aftereffect.
Hopefully, he’ll thank Benji for finding him.
“He’s shooting up as well, isn’t he?” Maddi finally speaks. Spinning to face her, I drop Joel’s chart back into the tray hanging on the end of the bed.
“I saw track marks today.” Sitting next to her, I pat her arm. She’s shell-shocked. “He doesn’t look malnourished or particularly unhealthy. My best guess would be that he’s only just transitioned to injecting.”
“He promised he’d stop. He said he’d never shoot up. I can’t believe it’s come to this.” Sniffling, her bottom lip quivers as she continues. “And Lacey. What am I going to do about her? She’s been through so much, getting sucked into Benji’s downward spiral is the last thing she needs.”
Wrapping my arm around her shoulder, I pull her head to me, patting her back as she cries. I can honestly say that I’ve never comforted anyone like this before. Overt displays of emotion are discouraged in my family—with emphatic sternness—by my father.
“You mentioned Connor before. What’s the story there?” I ask when Maddi pulls away, wiping her face with the bottom of her shirt.
“She was his Old Lady. He cheated on her constantly with Sherri. Any of the Club whores really. He didn’t even bother to hide it after a while. She’ll never admit it, but I’m pretty sure he used to hit her sometimes too. When he split after he turned rat, he left her with a heap of debt and a broken heart.”
“That’s horrible—”
We don’t have a chance to discuss it further because Smoke comes back with our lunch. Handing out wraps and coffees—informing me that mine is decaf because of the baby and ducking when I pretend to hit him for it—he dominates the conversation with general chitchat. A feeling of belonging settles into the pit of my belly as their inside jokes are explained to me, and they fill me in on some of Lucas’s more wild escapades in his late teens.
