Grave (Dark Kingdom, #3) — Chapter no 39

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

GRAVE

I SIT IN an uncomfortable chair in the center of a room with seven other

people. It’s group therapy time.

I hate this shit!

It’s not that I haven’t had a hit in three weeks. It’s not that I haven’t had a sip of alcohol either. I don’t miss the high at all. It’s because I miss April. I thought I knew what addiction was. I didn’t, but I do now.

It’s a fucking hole in my chest. I can’t sleep at night. I can’t function during the day. She consumes me more than any drug ever did, and it feels like a weight on my chest that I can’t remove.

It has nothing to do with sex. And everything to do with her voice, her smell, the way she smiles. I wonder if she’s okay. Is the baby okay?

I’m like a hamster running on a wheel getting nowhere.

“Grave?”

“Hmm?” I look up from my seat to see Jessie sitting in hers with a warm smile on her face. She runs this show. “Would you like to share?’ Fuck no! “What is it we’re sharing?” I ask, trying to not think of April and what she’s doing. I know the Kings are looking out for her, but that’s not enough. They can’t be there twenty-four seven like I could.

“Whatever you feel comfortable with,” the brunette adds. She’s got to be midthirties. If I saw her on the streets, I would say her brown hair and dark eyes are attractive. But since I didn’t know her until I checked myself in here, I think her cheerful smile and bubbly attitude are annoying as shit.

I sit back and run a hand through my hair. “Well … I once partied for a solid two weeks,” I offer.

The guy by the name of Jenson snorts from beside me. This place is not your average rehab center. Harbor Heights is catered to the rich. The only thing I could compare it to is a country club.

“And?” she asks.

“And what?” I shrug.

“What did you take from that experience?” Jessie asks.

“To always make sure your plane has fuel before takeoff.”

The woman to my left laughs and I take a look at her. She’s a replica of a Playboy Playmate. Bleach blond hair that doesn’t stop until it hits her ass, bright blue eyes, long tan legs and big fake breasts. She reminds me of Lucy in a way. Back when she took care of herself.

“Now this I have to hear,” Jenson says.

I sigh, focusing back on the group. “I got in a fight with my father. I decided to go to Vancouver for the weekend to party. Well, what was supposed to be two days ended up being two weeks. Most of it was a blur.

But Cross came after me when I didn’t return and found me in a run-down motel alone. Turns out I had lost over five hundred thousand in a poker tournament and had crashed my private jet because I hadn’t put fuel in it.

Thankfully, I had parachutes and managed to get to one and bail out before it crashed.” Most of it is still blurry but what I was able to put together was that I crashed shortly after take-off on the way home to Nevada. And that’s why I ended up spending more time in Vancouver than I had originally intended. And when I didn’t return on time, my brother had sent Cross to fetch me.

“Oh, my gosh,” Jessie places her hands to her face. “Was anyone hurt?”

“Nope. It’s lying at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.” I know I got lucky.

I believe that someone was looking out for me that day.

Two years ago I sit at the conference table on the thirteenth floor of Kingdom, drinking Pedialyte out of the bottle. I haven’t even been to bed yet. Partied all night with Cross last night, and just when I was headed home to go to bed my brother messaged me to meet him here.

“Where is everyone?” I ask, looking through my sunglasses. My eyes are sensitive from the partying. And the bright fucking sun beaming in from the floor to ceiling windows are making my head pound.

“It’s just us,” he answers, staring down at his cell while sitting at the head of the table.

I lean my head back and pull my hoodie up and over my face for more

eye protection. “Why are we here?”

“Dad wanted to meet us.”

I place my hands on the armrests and push to stand, knocking the hood

off my face. “I’m out.”

He jumps to his feet. “Grave …”

“Save it,” I interrupt him. “I don’t give a fuck what Dad wants.” He knows that. That’s why he didn’t tell me that.

I step in front of the glass double doors to exit the conference room right when they open. My father steps in and I stiffen when my eyes go to what’s standing next to him. It’s a woman. My father always has them coming and going. But he never brings them to Kingdom. And he sure as shit makes sure to never be seen with them in public. Too many eyes and ears always watching to look for the next big story.

“Who the fuck is this?” I ask, ripping off my sunglasses.

My father smiles at me and it makes my skin crawl. He’s called me here just to piss me off. “This … is Francesca.” He lifts her left hand and I see a massive fucking ring on her ring finger. “My new wife.” His smile widens, his blue eyes light up with excitement. “And your new mother.”

I had never wanted to fucking kill him more than I did right then. For some stupid reason, Bones stopped me from ramming my fist in his face until he was no longer breathing. I ran out of the conference room, jumped in my car, drove to our private hangar and took off in my jet. I had my pilots license. Now I wish I would have taken the time to hire someone.

Maybe I wouldn’t have crashed my seven-million-dollar jet trying to get back home.

My father and Francesca’s marriage was annulled by the time I got back from my two week binge in Canada. Turns out, she found him in bed with her sister and his airtight prenup saved him from having to give her a fucking penny.

“I think that’s enough for today,” Jessie says with that fucking smile on her face.

I can’t figure out if I’m moody because of lack of drugs, or because I feel like a caged animal here in this elite daycare.

“Want to share more?”

“Huh?” I look over to the Playboy Playmate. “What did you say?”

Her blue eyes look around the room. “Everyone left, but you just stayed seated. I thought maybe you had more you wanted to share.” Her eyes come back to mine. “If so, I can listen.”

“Oh, no.” I notice we are the only two left in the room. “No, I’m done.” I hate a lot about this place, but most definitely the group sessions. I don’t need to tell these strangers anything about me. Most they have read in headlines.

I stand and walk out of the room and turn to the right, exiting the side door. I stand out on the patio that overlooks the tennis courts and golf

course.

“Want a cigarette?”

I look over to see she’s followed me outside. “No, thanks. I don’t smoke.” Not anymore, anyway.

She gives a soft chuckle. “Yeah, me either.” Lighting the end of the cigarette, she takes in a drag and blows it out. “But when they take everything away, you have to find something to pass the time.”

“How long have you been here?” I ask.

“Five days.” She holds out her right hand to me. “They call me Bex.”

“Grave.” I shake it, wondering if that’s a fake name or not.

She nods quickly. “I would say it’s nice to meet you but not much is nice about this hell hole.”

I laugh. “It could be worse, I guess.” Could be dead.

She snorts. “Speak for yourself.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t check yourself in?”

She shakes her head and tucks her bleach blond hair behind her ear. “My father is getting married to his fifth wife in three months. Walked in on me fucking my soon-to-be stepbrother on his desk. Next thing I knew, he was dragging my ass out of bed the next morning and had a car deliver me here.

This is my home for the next five weeks.”

I nod, dropping my head. “There’s nothing wrong with admitting you need help with addiction. Drugs can take over your life.” I haven’t been this sober in this amount of consecutive days in I don’t know how long. The first five days here I felt like shit. My body trying to learn to live without them. I didn’t do them when I was with April, but the temptation was still there. I just chose not to. Now that I know I can’t, my body craved it. Or maybe that was just my mind wanting to bury my feelings and the heartache. I’ve always known I had a problem, but I never wanted to admit it.

“I wish my problem was drugs.” She brings the cigarette to her lips.

I frown. “You’re in rehab but don’t have an addiction?”

She shrugs. “They say I’m a sex addict.” Turning her head, she winks at me while biting her bottom lip. “I say I just like cock.” Her eyes drop to my

jeans.

I laugh. “Who doesn’t enjoy sex?”

“Right?” She throws her head back and laughs. “See, someone gets it.”

I nod. “Yeah, I do.”

“Grave?”

We both turn around to see Jessie walking toward us. She frowns at Bex smoking a cigarette but doesn’t voice her opinion about it. “You have a phone call,” she tells me.

I begin to walk away from the railing as Bex calls out, “See you around.”

APRIL

I STAND INSIDE the wedding chapel, looking over the flower arrangements that the girls and I put together. It took six weeks of nonstop work, but it looks amazing, if I do say so myself.

The wedding is tomorrow. We’ve been here for the past three hours for the rehearsal, and it couldn’t have gone any better. I should be ecstatic, but a part of me is still so sad. Grave has been gone for over a month now. I haven’t had any kind of interaction with him whatsoever, and that’s been the hardest part. No phone calls, no visits, not even a letter. I get all my updates for him through Titan, but even that, he keeps short. He visits him once a week with multiple phone calls. I know Cross and Bones also have contact with him, but I’m not close with either one of them to ask what they know.

Titan walks up to me, and I give him my fake smile. He doesn’t buy it, but at least he pretends he does. “The flowers look amazing. Thank you.”

“Thank you, but it was a group effort.” Titan was adamant that I do the wedding, but my little flower shop wasn’t equipped to handle such a big order. So the girls spent days and nights at Roses helping me, and when we ran out of space, we moved over to Emilee’s and his house.

“I spoke to Grave yesterday.”

My heart starts racing at the mention of his name. “Is he okay?” I ask.

That’s my greatest fear, that he’s in pain. I’ve seen documentaries that show someone going through withdrawals and how excruciating it can be.

He nods. “He gets to be here tomorrow for the wedding.”

My eyes widen. “What? He’s getting out?” I thought he was doing a six- week program.

“No. He gets a day pass. He didn’t want to miss the wedding. And we want him here.” He smiles at me. “He asked me if I’d come pick him up. I

lied to him and said I would.”

I frown. “Why would you do that?”

“Because you’re going to be the one there.”

I shake my head quickly. “I …”

“Titan, your bride-to-be is looking for you,” Jasmine tells him, coming

up to us.

He nods. “Duty calls.”

I nod, but hate to be left hanging. I want to know more. Is he going to be excited to see me? Like I will him? I turn and notice Bones standing there.

His hands shoved into his dress pants. “You should be the one to pick him up,” I say.

“I’m the last person Grave wants to see right now,” he answers.

My brows knit together. “You don’t forgive him?” Grave hurt me, but I haven’t known him all my life. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for his brother and best friends to see him hurt himself over and over.

“You do?”

I sigh. “Grave is …”

“An addict.”

“I was going to say trying to get better. We need to support that decision.” I rub my growing stomach. It’s not much, but even if others can’t tell, I can.

“Are you still going to forgive him when he relapses?”

I take in a long breath. “He won’t.”

“He will.” He nods. “I know my brother.” He says it with such conviction. Bones truly believes his brother won’t be able to stay sober.

My hands fist. “People can change.”

“No, people replace one addiction for another.”

“What does that mean?”

He looks away and his jaw sharpens. “I love my brother.” His eyes come back to mine. “But you and my niece or nephew are my main priority.”

Tears prick my eyes as my hands go to my stomach once again.

“If you need anything, call me. Day or night. Do you understand?”

I nod and mumble, “Thank you.”