Chapter 4
Chris
The jolt of the plane woke me up, and my first thought was that it was time to become invisible. I didn’t get that much attention when I was out and about, but it still happened regularly and you never knewwhenit would happen. I was a celebrity in a small sense with a certain fan group. Now that I was back in the city, I had to be careful, though. The last thing I wanted was to get held up by the press. I knew they would get pictures of me if they recognized me, and the only thing I wanted to focus on was my brother and the resort, not write-ups in the gossip mags.
The press. Fucking hyenas was what they were. Or, well, they could be good for certain things, but like my brother they didn't know when to stop. I preferred Instagram. Then I oversaw what was posted.
A ding sounded above me, and the seatbelt sign went off at the same time the engine hummed to a stop. Unclipping the seatbelt, I rose from the oversized red leather seat and grabbed my backpack. I didn’t plan to stay long, so this was the only thing I brought.
As I stepped out of the airplane, I noticed that the air wasn’t as cold as it was in Colorado, but snow still surrounded me since it was winter. Shoving the strap of my backpack up my shoulder, I felt dread fill my stomach when my foot hit the pavement beneath me. There were three different outcomes of this trip: I’d be burying my brother, putting him into rehab, or he’d tell me to fuck off.
My goal was to move him to a rehab facility while he was unconscious so that he couldn’t deny me. Was it wrong of me? No. I didn’t think so. If he wanted to be like this, then he had to deal with me trying to help. Of course, I couldn't move him while unconscious, though mainly because no facility would accept him in that state. It's not like the hospital would let him leave while unconscious. Besides, the moment he woke up, no one could keep him against his will. But I had to figure out a way of making him understand that he needed rehab like a fish needs water. And that might be easier while he was still semi-unconscious.
That was family. Family didn’t leave when things got hard. No matter how bad I wanted to give up on him, I wouldn’t, even if it did make him hate me more.
I turned my baseball cap around so the bill hid my face to try and block the winter wind, took my aviators from my shirt, and shoved them on my face to keep my eyes from watering and loosened to the scarf to hide the bottom of my face in the material. I should have dressed warmer.
A black SUV with tinted windows waited for me, and the driver stood next to the back door, holding it open by its handle. Beyond him was the New York City skyline. The tall buildings reached for the clouds with their thin walls and glass bodies. The City had everything a person could want. Dreams, riches, parties, and a social life that wouldn’t quit. If someone weren’t careful, it would consume them.
Another aspect that added to the long list of why I left this place.
“Mr. Bates,” the driver, Marvin, greeted. I always had the same driver and pilot. I knew who I trusted, and they would be the only ones that worked for me until they retired or quit.
“Marvin. It’s good to see you again. I wish it were under better circumstances.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
I had to keep in mind that the issues with my brother were under lock and key. No one knew besides my sister and Ben, and they knew damn well not to say anything. I wanted to tell someone what was going on in my life just to get a new perspective but trusting someone with that wasn’t worth it. It was loaded information. They could sell it to the press, and before I’d know it, my family matters would be plastered on the front page. It was kind of like Melinda Bailey, the hot sassy blonde from high school who never liked me.
Speaking of Melinda, I brought my phone out of my pocket and google her name again to see what’s going on with her. Her father ran a huge hotel empire, and she always said she wanted nothing to do with it, but I was curious if she was invested in it now. My brows pinch together when I see the article labeled“A Daughter’s Scandal.”
I knew Melinda to be a lot of things, but a person who got in trouble with the law? No way. She was pain in the ass, but not a criminal pain. I clicked on it and began reading.
“A daughter of a wealthy hotel mogul is in the middle of a criminal investigation. Who would have thought that the Bailey Empire could possible fall over love? Ms. Melinda Bailey is currently being questioned by police of her involvement in the fake art being sold by her boyfriend Trent Colloway. So far, Melinda denies any involvement, remaining clueless of the entire fiasco. But how can that really be true?”
“Holy shit,” I let out a breath. Ilwas sure that right about now, she was hiding under a rock because that was what happened when the press got a hold of you. She and I never got along, well not after she unceremoniously refused speaking with me after that one night in the theatre, which proved she thought herself too good for me, but I wouldn't wish that kind of attention on anyone. At the end of the day, Melinda may be an annoyingly little Miss Perfect who looked down on others, but she was a good girl in that I'd never seen her get involved in the high school antics most girls did. She didn't bully people; if anything, she's always been kind to the kids the popular girls looked down on. She was smart. And last time I checked, she did a shitload of charity. Maybe she thought herself too good for me, but she wasn’t an ass. And she didn’t deserve for her name to be dragged in the dirt because of some asshole.
“Where to, Mr. Bates?” Marvin put the SUV in drive and pulled out onto the interstate.
“New York City General Hospital.” I leaned my elbow against the doorframe and glanced in the rearview at the same time Marvin did. His brows pinched, but he didn’t say a word. He knew that if I wanted him to know, I would tell him.
Simple as that.
“Of course, Mr. Bates.”
Because it was New York, getting anywhere took forever, even if you were only a mile away. Bumper to bumper traffic, staring at taillights and listening to the chorus of cars honking in different tunes filled my surroundings for the next hour. The further into the city we got, the denser the traffic became. Every other car was a yellow taxi, painting the road with what looked like bananas. I watched as drivers tossed their hands out the windows in a "what the fuck" gesture and yelled some obscenity at someone over and over again.
It was amusing, but hell, I didn’t miss this shit. I couldn’t wait to get out of here. I’d get my brother situated and leave. The idea crossed my mind to bring him back to Colorado with me, but I wasn’t a damn babysitter. He was a grown man, and it was time he started to act like one. I couldn’t have him bring me down with him just like Melinda’s boyfriend had done to her. And in time, it would happen.
I had to make sure I was smarter than that.
Finally, the large white building with hundreds of windows came into view, and Marvin grabbed the first parking spot he could find in the garage.
“I’m not sure how long I’ll be, Marvin. I’ll call you. Go to dinner or something. Charge it on the company card, okay?”
“Thank you, Mr. Bates. I hope all is well with what is going on. I’ll make sure to stay close.”
He opened the door and proceeded to swing the back door open to allow me out “Thanks, Marvin. I appreciate it.” The cold of the New York air hit me, giving me that slight burn in my lungs that I loved so much.
