“That’s none of your damn business,” Dax says.
Curiosity gets the better of me, so I peek at his neck. There’s a smudge there, but I can’t confirm if it’s a hickey or not. In all the years I’ve known Dax, he’s never introduced me to a woman.
He’s like me in a lot of ways. He doesn’t do drugs, drink excessively, or chase pussy. But I know he likes women. I just assumed he kept his private life private, which is how I prefer it.
Preacher gets closer and rubs his thumb on Dax’s neck. Dax knocks his hand down and shoves him away.
“That’s not a hickey. Who the hell scratched you up like that?”
I inch closer to get a look, but Dax slaps his hand on his neck, covering my view.
“Finch.”
Dax is lying. Finch is a well-trained dog and would only attack someone on Dax’s command. Preacher looks at me and smirks.
“Only a woman would get that close to him. How the fuck you both have women and I’m at home every day holding my dick in my hand?”
“I don’t need that visual, Preach,” Dax responds.
Tonight is Dax’s high-stakes poker game, but he’s been distracted for the past few weeks. I don’t give it much thought, especially since my phone rings, and it’s Eden.
“I need a woman. Out of all of us, King is the last one I would expect to be coupled up. It should be me. I’m the nicest out of us.” Preacher drops himself on the sofa and covers his face. “How the fuck did King get a woman?”
“Women don’t want a nice guy, dumb ass,” Dax says. “And who lied to you and told you that you were nice?”
I leave the room to talk in private, and roll my eyes while I listen to Thorny’s plans about looking for a townhouse in three months. Now, I’m kicking myself for making her not only debt-free, but flush with money. She can buy something outright if she wants, but she’s never leaving my house.
“Woman, please,” I say.
She tells me about a restaurant she wants to go to in Manhattan. I have no issues with that until she offers to buy dinner.
“And guess what?” she says moments later. “Since you insist on paying for everything, that leaves me with plenty of money from my job to buy presents for you. Oh, and I want to go to Coney Island.”
“The second thing you said sounds corny, but fine. The first thing ain’t happening.” I let out a chuckle at that one, and I have no idea how to get her not to follow through on her threat.
“Baby, I have to go. Tell me you love—”
My heart drops when I hear, “Oh my God!” The scream that follows will haunt me for the rest of my life.
Chapter 59
Rip
“Eden!” I burst through the emergency room door with Preacher on my heels. He hopped in the car with me after hearing me yell Eden’s name. Dax stayed behind.
“Where’s Eden Rose?” I yell to no one in particular. When no one answers me, I grab someone in blue scrubs by the collar. “I said, where the fuck is Eden Rose?”
“Put him down, King!” Preacher shoves me hard enough to drop the guy, who scurries off.
The room is a pandemonium of people in hospital scrubs and patients sitting and waiting to be seen. The door opens again, and a group of men pushes a gurney into the room. I know it’s her before they can reach me.
“How the fuck did we beat this group of imbeciles here?” I yell. “Eden!” I jog to them, but they rush past me and out of my sight.
The next moments of my life are a blur. It’s a combination of me yelling at everyone who I think works in the hospital to tell me something and Preacher trying to calm me down.
My phone keeps buzzing, but I don’t answer because the only person I want to talk to is unconscious and lying on a gurney beyond a set of double doors.
“It’s Dax,” I hear Preacher say. He leaves the chaos of the emergency room and yells that he’ll be right back.
