Page 43 of End It All

"Fuck!"

This is why you don't do shit. Not for anyone. I should get the hell out of here.

I thought about it for a split second, but where was I supposed to go? Between my father and Quincy, one made me slightly more uncomfortable, and it wasn't the idiot I had screwed last night. My fingers twitched. I was desperate for a smoke, but I'd already used the gift Quincy had left me this morning. Back then, looking at it, I had thought that maybe we could get along. That we could make the best of a bad situation...

Now I knew that wasn't true.

"Double fuck," I swore.

I went into the kitchen and opened the freezer. There were a few bottles inside, most of them half empty. I selected one with whiskey in it and skipped grabbing one of the shot glasses that I'd washed and put away earlier. Instead, I turned the bottle up. Cold liquid coursed down my throat. The cold took my breath away, but the burn was a welcome chaser. When I came up for air, I gasped and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

Who the fuck does he think he is? What's his problem? I don't give a fuck. Yakuza or not, he doesn't get to treat me like shit and be an asshole.

The more I hyped myself up, the more I wanted to fall back on who I was and kick Quincy's ass. Not that he wasn't alreadyfucked up. The bruises, blood, and cuts said he'd gotten in a serious fight, but he refused to tell me what the hell that was about. Or even speak to me like a normal human being.

"Triple fuck!" I snapped.

I walked into the bedroom, the ice cold bottle still clutched in my hand. When I shoved open the bathroom door, I nearly fell through, surprised that it wasn't locked. The bathroom was steamy as I made my way to the shower, ready to shout at Quincy. I stopped in my tracks as panic raced up my spine.

"Quincy?"

He was on the shower floor, his lips slightly parted as pink water swirled and disappeared down the drain. My anger dissipated just as fast. I dropped the whiskey into the sink. Some part of my brain registered the clinking of breaking glass, but I didn't care. I wrenched the shower door open and quickly grabbed one of the knobs. Hot water stung my skin and I ripped it back, hissing.

"You fucking moron, idiot, asshole!" I shouted. "Why the fuck would you make the water this hot?"

His skin had to be on fire. I panicked, not knowing what to do. Maybe I was wrong, but I flipped on the cold water, hoping that would counteract whatever was happening with him. Quincy groaned as ice cold water hit him, squirming a bit before his eyes fluttered open and closed once more.

"Shit, shit!" I shouted. "If you die, I just know one of your crazy asshole friends is going to kill me!"

My heart raced as I ran into the bedroom and grabbed the phone Quincy had given me. My finger stabbed against the screen entirely too hard as I called Benito. The line rang a few times before there was silence.

"It's me," I said. "Blake."

"Oh, Blake," Benito finally answered. "Thought you were still with our father."

"No, you didn't," I snapped. "I know he's called and told you I disappeared by now. Pretty sure the only reason he hasn't gotten me back is because Quincy hides this place better than I think," I muttered.

"What do?—"

I interrupted him. "Quincy is passed out and bleeding in his shower. I turned the cold water on, but he's barely responding. What the fuck do I do?" I asked, pacing back and forth.

"Quincy's hurt?"

I heard a familiar voice and realized that it was Harlow. There was a moment of chaos before Harlow's voice came in clearly.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Do you think I fucking know? What do I look like, a doctor?"

"Hey, don't get spicy on me motherfucker," Harlow snapped. "Where the hell is he?"

"I told Benito, on the floor!"

The call ended and I stared at the phone as rage rushed to the surface. A shout left my lips as I threw the phone across the room. It crashed into the wall and dropped to the floor. I sucked in a short breath and made my way back to the bathroom. Quincy's eyes were slightly open, but unfocused as he shivered. I quickly shut the water off and crouched beside him.

"Shit, I don't know what to do," I muttered as a lump formed in my throat. "This isn't the kind of thing I'm good at. I mean, I'm not good at most things, but this is way outside of the scope of my normal." I reached out and laid a hand on his chest and then the side of his neck, checking his pulse. "At least you're breathing."

Should I move him? Should I leave him where he was? I had gotten no help from my brother and his husband. I wanted to check the phone, but I also didn't want to leave Quincy. Helooked so... vulnerable. When he shivered again, I made up my mind.