Page 20 of Dark Rules

He looked down at me in the harsh light from his tablet before it blinked off. I saw smugness there and wanted to smack him. “No, just tired.”

I tilted my chin in defiance and closed my eyes. “I need to get up early.”

“No you don’t, you just wanted to get rid of me. We’ll talk about that tomorrow. For now, shut up and kiss me.” His grin relaxed me, and I lifted my face up to his. I wrapped my arms around his neck and breathed a happy sigh through my nose. This was too good to turn down.

“Open for me, kitten.” He meant my legs, and he moved between them once I moved them apart. With a groan he ground himself against me, and was on the point of opening the buttons of my pajama top when an odd buzz filled the room. He froze, and I looked up at him.

A glance at the alarm clock showed me it was almost midnight. Who would call him that late? His mom. He rushed off of me and grabbed at the phone he’d placed on the table. “Hello? Mom? What’s wrong?”

I could hear a female voice, but not the tone or words she’d said. I only heard Dylan’s side of it. “Is he in ICU? Okay. Which hospital? Yeah, I’ll be back as soon as I can arrange it.”

His dad then. I sighed with sadness for him, not that we had to stop, and got up. I went and poured two glasses of apple juice and got my laptop. He might need it to look for flights. I had a private, family jet I could use, if my brothers or fathers didn’t have it, but that would give away who I was. I wasn’t willing to give that away yet.

Dylan was still on the phone when I came back in, so I set the glass on the table and went to the kitchen. If he was going to fly back tonight, he might need to eat. I made a nice sandwich for us both and cut it into two, added some pickles, olives, and extra chunks of cheese, before I went into the bedroom. He was sitting there, stunned.

“He had pneumonia. He’s in ICU, his right lung collapsed.” He spoke the words automatically, and I knew he needed me.

“Good, that’s where he needs to be then. Are you going in the morning or tonight?” I didn’t have to elaborate.

“Tonight, if I can arrange it.”

“Good. Eat this.” I handed him the plate of food and called an agent I knew. There was a charter agency that would probably have a plane available. I had the flight booked and paid for by the time he finished eating. “Alright, get dressed, and wake yourself up, Dylan. Your mom needs you, and you have a long flight to get through. Come on now. Snap out of this.”

He looked at me, blinked, and shook himself. “I wish it was a dream.”

“He’s getting good care; you just have to get there to give him some support. Come on now.” I put my arm around him and hugged him tight. “You can do this, Dylan. I know you can.”

For a moment, he looked like he might protest, say he couldn’t, but then I saw him snap out of it. “Thank you, Stephanie. Keep your phone on, alright? I’ll take my car, that way you won’t be disturbed, and it will be there when I come back.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind taking you?” I watched him, but he looked alert now, ready to deal with this crisis.

“I’m good. I promise. I’ll call you when I get there, alright? Thank you again. I will repay you.”

“Oh, you will, now go.” I bounced up to kiss him and waved him off. “Now go. And call me at a decent hour, sir. I need my beauty sleep.”

I gave him a wink and saw him smile. He’ll be alright then. I knew that as I watched him pull out and drive away. I went back to bed, saw his tablet and picked it up. Just a few short minutes ago, he’d been in my bed, about to rock my world, and now he was flying off to Kansas. Fucking Kansas.

I wanted to cry, but at the same time, I felt relief. Maybe some time apart would do us some good. It might help me get my head on straight and back in the game. I somehow doubted it, but one could hope. I turned the lights off, tried to remember if I’d locked the door, remembered I had, and wondered why I suddenly didn’t feel as safe as I had when Dylan was here.

Dylan

Stephanie really helped me out when she chartered the plane for me. I doubted I’d have found a commercial flight, even if I could afford a few dozen tickets on my own. She knew the area better than I did, so it was a relief when she took over and fixed it all for me.

My emotions were in turmoil too, I thought as the plane landed. I didn’t have clothes with me, although I did at an apartment I still kept near my parents’ home. I’d go there if I needed to change or if I was here long enough to need some sleep.

“Thanks, man, I appreciate it, really.” The pilot came out and shook my hand.

“Take care, and here’s my card if you need a flight back.” The older man, in his mid-fifties with a smile that reminded me of an old Hollywood actor, Kirk Douglas, tugged his ball cap after that and went to find somebody to help him fuel up.

I went to the taxi rank, saw it was empty, and called for a cab. When I got to the hospital, it was late, and I wasn’t allowed to go in to see Dad, but Mom came out to see me. She came out to the dull waiting room and sat down to hug me to her. “Thanks for coming, son.”

“As if I’d have left you to deal with this on your own. How is he?” I pulled her into my arms, and she sighed heavily.

“He’s not well, Dylan, and I doubt he’s ever going to be. The doctor says if he makes it through the night he’ll recover, but he doesn’t hold out much hope.” She had her head buried in my chest, but I could hear the pain in her voice.

She and Dad had been married for more than forty years. They were more than partners, they were mates, and I couldn’t imagine Mom without Dad right beside her. That thought alone nearly broke me, but I maintained composure and just held her. “He’s a fighter, Mom, and he won’t leave you here alone, not without wringing every ounce of life out of himself that he can. Have faith in him.”

“I imagine you’re right, son,” she said with a quiet chuckle. “He needs me as much as I need him. He won’t let that go.”