Rule Number Four (Rule Breakers Book 4)

by Nicky Shanks

  I snort. “I need to know what room Julie Remington is in, please.”

  She doesn’t move. “Are you family?”

  “I’m her brother,” I lie and cringe at the thought. “She came in not long ago.”

  Hoping that Julie actually is here, I wait for the old woman to type something on her keyboard and take her sweet time giving me the information I fucking want. Before she says anything, a pair of double doors bursts open and several people in scrubs and doctor coats rush through with someone on a gurney. Blood spills over the sides of the bed as they rush past me and scream orders at each other.

  I get a glimpse of the woman on the gurney and freeze.

  Veronica.

  That’s who I shot.

  She jumped in front of Oliver when he challenged me and she took the bullet.

  I killed my own mother.

  “That’s my mother.” I point to the doors they take her through. “I want to follow her.”

  The nurse shakes her head. “Your mother and your sister?” After rolling her eyes, she gives in. “You can’t just follow them, you have to wait in the waiting room for any answers you’re looking for. Go straight through there.” She points her sausage fingers toward a narrow doorway next to the double doors they took Veronica through. “And you’re going to take your first left into the emergency surgery waiting room, okay?”

  Her smile doesn’t warm my insides.

  “Fine. And what room is Julie in?”

  She looks on her computer again and frowns. “311.”

  I tap my fingers on the desk and nod down at her. “Thanks for your help.” After pushing through the door she directed me to, I flag down a doctor in a white coat.

  “I’m here for Veronica.” I pause, realizing that I don’t know her last fucking name. “She’s my mother and she just came in here with a gunshot wound.”

  He places his hand on my shoulder. “We’re doing all we can—she’s in surgery now. I think the police have some questions, if you don’t mind while you wait.” He nods and looks down the hallway, where a pair of cops stands outside the surgery room doors. They finish talking to a nurse before she disappears beyond the doors and the taller one makes eye contact with me.

  “This is Veronica Bennett’s son.” He motions down at them and turns back to me. “I’m sorry, I really must get ready for her post-surgery needs. My name is Dr. Samuels and you can find me when you’re done with your questions.” He leaves me and the two male cops close in on me.

  Don’t run, they’ll chase you and find you out.

  I wanted to see Julie one more time before I turned myself in.

  “Hey…” I nervously wave my hand in the air. “I’m Oliver Jackson; I’m Veronica’s son.”

  The shorter one takes out a notepad and pen, writing something down. “How did her gunshot wound happen, Oliver?”

  I shrug. “I’m not sure. I went to visit her, and her neighbor told me about this so I came down as soon as I found out. I don’t know anything, I’m sorry.” The clueless look I’ve painted on my face better be enough to buy me more time to say goodbye to Julie. I have to apologize to her for everything I’ve done; I have to make her see that this isn’t the fucking person I wanted to be. I didn’t want to let jealousy overrun my body to the point of no return.

  The cop with the notepad looks between me and his notes several times. “So, you just happened to be visiting your mother at this time of night? A little late, isn’t it?”

  I act annoyed. “I wasn’t aware I’m only allowed to visit my own mother between certain times of the day. I happen to work the late shift and was on my way home from that plant down past the highway.”

  The taller one looks me up and down. “You don’t look like a plant worker.”

  “I’m management.”

  “Manager of the entire plant?”

  I scoff. “No, manager of production. Anything else? I’d like to head home and shower before my mother gets out of surgery.”

  They look at each other and shrug. “What’s your phone number so we can reach you?”

  I motion for the pad and pen, scribbling a fake number on it before handing it back. “Can I go?”

  “You can go,” the taller one says. “Don’t leave town.”

  I wave at them before going back through the smaller door, past the older woman at the desk—who is now sleeping and snoring—into the main lobby and quickly press the button to the elevator. I try to hide my face without being too obvious, and when the elevator dings and the people exiting are out of the way, I dart inside and press the third floor button frantically. Before the doors close, two people make their way to the elevators and my heart jumps.

  Heather and Brandon.

  Why are they fucking here?

  I push the close door button as fast as I can and take a deep breath when the elevator starts moving. I have to see Julie one more time before I turn myself in…that’s my goal.

  Ding.

  First floor.

  Ding.

  Second floor.

  I gasp for air because I haven’t been breathing.

  Ding.

  Third floor.

  The doors take forever to open; I edge my body out slowly so I can look and see who’s around. I find her room and take a deep breath, but the door starts to open so I slip onto a bench and cross my leg, hoping to look like I’m waiting for someone inside another room.

  “So, she’s just having really bad panic attacks?” I hear a man ask.

  “Yes, her body has adapted to the terror of something traumatic, maybe even without her realizing it. Some could argue that she has PTSD as well, but I’m not a psychiatrist. It might benefit her to see someone to sort all of that out.”

  “Can I take her home?”

  “You can take her home.”

  “And Oliver Jackson?”

  “He’s suffered a light blow to the head from falling. He’ll be fine to leave if he’s feeling up to it as well.”

  “What about Veronica Bennett?”

  The other man laughs. “How many patients do you know in our hospital?”

  “Veronica Bennett?”

  The man clears his throat. “She’s in surgery now. The bullet she took ruptured her lung and she isn’t breathing on her own.”

  Fuck.

  I really did kill her.

  She’s not dead yet, but she will be.

  “Thanks, doctor. I’m going to find my son downstairs and then I’ll be right back up.”

  I hear the two of them shuffle away and the elevator dings. When I’m brave enough to look up almost five minutes later, the hallway is empty and I’m free to slip into Julie’s room to talk to her.

  The doorknob squeaks when I open it and gently push it closed behind me. It’s dark, but I don’t turn on the light to make sure I don’t draw attention. This moment is going to be the worst moment of my life. I know she’s not going to fucking forgive me; it’s going to be a long damn time before I even forgive myself. I wanted her so badly that I was willing to do anything to get her and I don’t even know why.

  I need help.

  When I reach the bed, my fingers find the hospital blankets and I feel around for her, but no one is there. Finally reaching the light, I flip it on and the room is empty. The nurse must’ve told me the wrong room…but why were those men coming out of her room talking about her?

  Confused, I open the door and sneak back into the hallway. I push the elevator button and it opens quicker than before. Someone steps outside and bumps into me, and I realize who it is after taking a step backward.

  “Oliver.” I find my courage deep down inside of me.

  He looks like he’s about to pound me into the floor.

  I never got to see Julie before everything ended.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Oliver

  “I’m gonna fucking kill you!” I scream and pounce on Casey. We fall to the floor and my fists find his face. I keep smashing them into his nose and eyes as h
ard as I can. He pleads with me underneath my rage and weight, but I don’t fucking care. “You tried to fucking take her from me! You! I thought you loved her? Why would do fucking do this?” My voice rises so much that several nurses come running down the hallway to check on the commotion. When they realize they can’t do anything to help, one of them runs off to call security.

  “Call the cops!” I scream at them. “He’s wanted for attempted murder!”

  They squeal and scatter like frightened mice. Casey starts to find the strength to fight back and he pushes me off of him, scrambling onto his feet.

  “You don’t deserve her,” he growls, wiping the blood from his mouth. “She’s too good for you and she’ll see that someday.”

  “So you threaten her and try to take her away?” My chest heaves so badly that it’s hard to stand. “What the actual fuck is wrong with you? All I’ve ever done is be your friend!”

  He laughs loudly and it echoes in the hall. “Friend? You’re fucking kidding me, right? You’ve always been looking out for Oliver Jackson and no one else. The rest of us peasants you could give a fuck less about, yeah? Except Julie—she stole your heart and made you a better man, and you didn’t deserve someone to fix you like that. You deserved to be broken.”

  “You slept with Heather and now you tried to take Julie.” I shake my head. “Why are you always taking what I have? Jealous, much?”

  He moves his hands and I flinch but don’t see the gun. “I want what you have because I deserve what you have. I’m your brother—your full-blooded brother—and what’s yours should be mine too.”

  No. He’s fucking lying.

  “My dad was just fucking that—my dad. Not yours. You have a dad and I bet he’s going to love hearing about all of this.”

  He throws his hands into the air. “Why do you even care? You fired him and left him without a job. You don’t give a shit about him.”

  “He stole money from me.”

  “It doesn’t matter!” he screams, and the nurses peek their heads from behind the corner to see what’s going on. Several pairs of feet run down the hallway and come to a halt when they notice what’s happening before them. “You don’t appreciate what you have, Oliver—you never have. Your life should’ve been my life. I would appreciate it a hundred times more than you.”

  “Casey?” Julie’s voice wafts through the crowd. “What are you doing here?”

  He turns to face her, but I step in between them. “Don’t you even dare fucking talk to her. Don’t say one fucking word. You want my life? You almost took it from me. Don’t look at her!” The vibration from my anger pulsates in my chest. “Don’t even look at her. You’re nothing to her…you mean nothing to anyone anymore. Veronica is my mother, not yours. Colin was my father, not yours. You didn’t even know them…you’re a fucking stranger to my parents.”

  Julie clutches the back of my shirt. She’s hiding from Casey, and that’s completely fucking fine because I’m not letting him get anywhere fucking near her, she can count on that. If I have to jump in front of another bullet for her, I won’t even think twice.

  “Hey, guys, arrest him. He’s the one that shot Veronica Bennet,” Randy says, pointing to Casey. The two officers look puzzled and then angry when they figure out what’s going on.

  “I thought you said your name was Oliver Jackson?” One of the cops smirks. “What’s your name, kid? Tell the truth this time.”

  Casey points to me. “He’s Oliver Jackson and I’m Casey Anderson. You can take me away now.” He hangs his head and puts his wrists out. “I shot her, he’s right. I didn’t mean to, but it happened.” When one of the cops reaches out to handcuff him, as he turns Casey around, he looks at Julie and frowns. “I just wanted to show you what you deserve, Julie. I’m sorry that I hurt you—I never meant to hurt you. Please don’t hate me.”

  “I told you not to talk to her!” I reach out, but Randy grabs me and holds my arms at my side. Julie gets pushed closer to Casey, which pisses me off even more. He doesn’t reach out for her because he can’t, which I’m thankful for because if he even grazes her skin—even a little fucking bit—I’m going to go ballistic to the point where I’m not going to be able to stop.

  “I do hate you, Casey,” Julie says from my side. “I can’t even stand to look at you right now.”

  He shakes his head. “Don’t say that.”

  The cop holding him tugs on his handcuffs and starts to pull him away. “Come on, let’s go.”

  “Hold on, please,” Julie calls after them. They stop long enough for her to collect herself and figure out her next move. I’ve never seen darkness in her eyes like right now. She purses her lips and steps out in front of me, crosses her arms over her chest, and looks directly into his eyes.

  The air gets cold and we can all feel it. “You’re never to contact me again. For as long as I live, you’re never to see me. Don’t visit, don’t call, and don’t write. Oliver is right; you’re nothing to me. I let you in and told you things that I hadn’t told anyone else, and you took advantage of my weakness when Oliver was in the hospital. I don’t know what you think I’ve done to lead you to believe I want anything more from you than friendship, but I’m sorry. I really am. You were a good person, Casey, and you were my friend. Now you’re nothing more than a stranger who’s hurt me so badly that we can never go back to anything more than predator and prey.” She nods at the police officers. “You can take him now, thank you.” Even though Casey protests, struggles, and calls out her name…

  She walks straight toward me with her head held high and tears in her eyes.

  She’s letting him go.

  Randy lets my arms free and I catch her before she starts to sob into my chest. The cops take Casey away and Randy pats me on the shoulder as he starts to follow them. The nurses have dispersed to tend to the patients we’ve woken up in the process of this, and as Randy passes Brandon and Heather, he pats Brandon on the shoulder too and secures a ride home for us.

  I wrap my arms around her so tightly that it’s nothing to pick her up and carry her into the elevator with Brandon and Heather in tow. Brandon helps me get her gently into the backseat of his car and she lays her head in my lap as I climb in next to her. I stroke her hair as Brandon drives us back to our apartment; now that Casey isn’t running around anymore, we can go home.

  When he pulls up outside, Julie climbs out and gives Heather a hug. I thank Brandon for the ride and promise Heather that we will get together before they move out of state. But I don’t even think twice about them after we wave goodbye and go back into the building. The hallway in front of our door is daunting and there’s a blood stain on the floor where Veronica lay after she saved me. Julie rushes me inside so we don’t have to look at it, and once the door closes behind the two of us, we both take deep breaths and let go of everything that’s happened.

  “We have a lot of shit to talk about.” I lower my head. “Starting with Lucy, right?”

  “Right, I’ll get the beer.” She nods and motions toward the living room. “You have a seat and we can get through all of it tonight.”

  I do what she asks and she brings four bottles of beer into the living room, handing me one and putting two of them on the coffee table for later. Once the air between us settles, I find a few seconds to really look at her.

  She’s so small compared to me.

  Her radiating goodness hasn’t dulled from all the pain we’ve put her through.

  When her lips touch the beer bottle, my insides explode.

  I clear my throat and decide that I’ll start. “I met Lucy at The Tavern. I thought we’d broken up and you’d said goodbye to me. I thought I lost you, Julie, so I met Harley there and we drank and I obviously got drunk. I called Lucy over here tonight before I came to find you, and she can tell you herself that nothing happened—that’s why she was here. I wanted her to tell her side. Anyway, she kissed me, but I didn’t touch her and then Mac and Veronica showed up and scared her, so she didn’t want to
leave until daylight. She slept in the bedroom and I slept on the sofa.”

  Julie frowns. “But I was trying to get ahold of you about the baby situation and you were here with someone else.”

  I nod. “I know that. Fuck, I know that. Julie, I never want anyone but you. It was just my tactic to drown you out since I’d thought you’d left.”

  “I didn’t leave,” she tells me. “You just didn’t understand that I needed space.”

  “And my life will never be the same because of it. I’ll never forgive myself for what I’ve done to you, and I’ll spend my fucking life trying to make it up to you.”

  She giggles and sips the beer in her hands. “You’re a mess.”

  “A huge mess.” I laugh and relax into the sofa. “I’m going to be better, I promise.”

  She turns to face me, her blue eyes burning into mine. “You have to let all that negativity go, Oliver. There’s nothing wrong with you—you’re normal just like the rest of us…Well, most of us, anyway. In your own overbearing way, I know you always try to do the right thing.”

  “So, you’re not pissed about Lucy?”

  She shakes her head. “You said nothing happened and I believe you. I just wish I would’ve known before I became friends with her. Did Casey know about that when they were dating?”

  I shrug. “It happened before Casey met her. When he asked us to come to the bar to meet his new girlfriend, me and Lucy were shocked. We sort of silently made a vow not to say anything…that’s when I knew she was embarrassed and wasn’t trying to tell anyone.”

  “I’m sure he knew afterward though, right?”

  “He tried to threaten me into telling you. He thought that maybe it would win you over to his side or something, I don’t know.”

  “I hate him.” Her voice is small. “I don’t want to see him ever again.”

  I lean forward and put the beer bottle on the coffee table so I can pull her into my lap. “I know, baby.” I stroke her hair while she snuggles and breathes me in deeply. “I promise you that no one is ever going to fucking hurt you again.”