Broken Forever

by Lonnie Doris

  When Rich first asked me to mentor Nik, Drake, Shane, and Jesse, I honestly thought it would be a burden. Turns out, they are great guys, and I enjoy being around them. I didn’t really make friends when I came out here.

  Not to mention, Drake can drink side by side with me—and actually keep up with me. That fucker has some serious demons he’s trying to drown. I can relate to that. Shit, that’s why I drink like I do, drowning those damn demons.

  I meet up with the guys at one of our favorite local bars. I’ve recently hired some security guys who tag along when I go out.

  There’s a local band playing tonight. They’re all right. Demon’s Wings would blow them out of the water, but there aren’t many bands out there better than these guys when they take the stage. I hear rumors about another band called OtherWorld. I think Rich is about to sign them, or maybe he already has.

  It doesn’t take long for the chicks to start pawing over us. I’m tongue-deep in one when I hear a bottle break. I push her away and turn in the direction of the sound, and I see Shane fending off two muscle-bound guys. Not that Shane can’t handle his own, but that’s my little brother now.

  I push through the crowd, which has now grown from two guys fighting Shane to about six. Definitely not a fair fight. Jesse, Nik, and Drake make it to Shane at the same time I do. We start pulling at guys and pounding faces when more guys jump in. I give a whistle to my security team, and now we are all in a brawl.

  At my first opportunity, I grab Jesse. “Get Nik and Drake. I’ll get Shane. Let’s get out of here and let my guys finish these fuckers off.”

  We make our way to my waiting SUV and jump inside.

  “What the fuck was that about?

  “Dude didn’t like his girl hitting on me.” Shane shrugs.

  Eight

  Tommy

  “Jesse, I haven’t seen you in months,” I say into the phone. He is trying to tell me no about coming to the party tonight. Granted, it is last-minute, but I want my buddy here.

  After a few minutes of putting on a good ole guilt trip, Jesse reluctantly agrees to come by. I already know Shane is coming—all I had to say was girls, and he gave me an affirmative. Nik decided to stay home with Emmie, who is about to deliver their little brat.

  Shane gave me some lame excuse about Drake not coming. I zoned out after he said Drake isn’t the drinker he used to be. I can’t imagine what would bring Drake out of his constant drunken state. His demons rule him about as much as mine do me.

  Before I know it, the party is in full swing. People spilling out of my house, women crawling all over the place looking to see which rocker they can tempt into their bed. I haven’t picked my bed partner for the night. There’s plenty of time for that. I walk over to the bar and grab another bottle of bourbon and continue to make my rounds.

  Shane has two beauties wrapped around him. That’s tame for him. Axton Cage has found himself one, which means he and that rock goddess, Gabriella Moreitti, are off again. I can’t keep up with those two. If I’m being honest, she should just kick his ass to the curb. Hell, maybe I should go a few rounds with her myself.

  I turn the corner and catch the eye of Gwen. She’s a good lay. That’s who I am sharing a bed with tonight, I decide. I don’t say a word to her, just pull her into my arms and start kissing her. I’m really not much of a talker. I take what I want and move on to the next. No need for small talk.

  I’m kissing her all the way up the stairs to my bedroom. Once upstairs, I push her against the wall by the bathroom. I’m deep into this kiss, drowning out the world around me, when I hear someone gasp. I pull back from Gwen to see my chocolate eyes glaring back at me. I push Gwen away from me, anger taking over.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” I demand.

  “I’m here with my boyfriend.” She’s still glaring at me, but I don’t care. I’m drunk most hours of the day, so I don’t have to feel the heartbreak of rejecting my daughter.

  “What idiot would be stupid enough to get involved with you? Some sap with more money than brains?” I sneer down at her. I need her out of my house before anyone here finds out she is my daughter and turns her life upside down.

  “Well, it’s nice to see you haven’t changed much over the years. Still the same slimeball, horndog you always were. Tell me, is she legal?” Layla shoots back at me. She is still the spitfire she was when she was sixteen. A little piece of me is proud she can hold her own, but at the same time, I really need her out of my house.

  “Trust me, I’ve learned my lesson.” I take a step closer to her, but she doesn’t back away from me. I don’t know if that pisses me off or fills me with pride. My daughter is a little badass.

  “What—you check their IDs before you screw them?” she asks, tossing her hair over her shoulder. I might not have raised her, but her balls are as big as mine. It almost brings a smile to my old face. “Or do you make them bring their birth certificates just in case? Does the guy who lives here know he has a nasty old man running around, trying to bed all the little girls?”

  The guy who lives here…?

  She has no clue this is my house. She isn’t stalking me or trying to shake me down. Then understanding comes to her face. She has figured out I own this house.

  Just as her realization hits her, Jesse appears from behind her and touches her arm. “What’s wrong?”

  The fuck? She’s dating Jesse Thornton? The fuck she is! This life is not for her. She is better than this—better than the Demon, or any other motherfucker in our world. She deserves better than a rocker. “Tom?” He looks to me when Layla doesn’t answer him.

  “You?” I stiffen with my growing rage, my voice rising. “You are with her?”

  “What’s going on here, Tom?” Jesse asks with a little more force than I care for coming out his mouth at me. “You and my girl not hitting it off?”

  His girl. My daughter is his girl. She’s going to hate me even more than she already does, but I can’t let this continue. She deserves better than this life. Jesse is a good dude, but I’ve seen his conquests. Layla doesn’t deserve the heartbreak he is about to cause her.

  “How did you get involved with her?” I demand, stepping closer to Jesse.

  “What’s it to you?” His voice is full of steel. He’s never used a tone like that with me.

  “Jesse…” Layla starts to touch his arm, but I grab her and jerk her away from him.

  Layla cries out, but I don’t let go of her arm. She may not understand what I’m about to do, but like me rejecting her when she was sixteen, it is for her own good. Jesse won’t pick her over me.

  “You don’t get to touch him,” I snarl, getting my face close to hers. “He’s too good for the likes of you,” I lie. It’s the other way around—she is too good for him.

  Before I know it, I am being grabbed and pinned against the wall. Jesse’s eyes are filled with hot rage. I can’t believe what I am seeing.

  “You touch her like that again, and I will make you swallow teeth!” Jesse roars in my face.

  I am confused by his reaction. I have never seen Jesse Thornton react this way over any chick. For fuck’s sake, I taught him better than that. Women are nothing but trouble. But he’s even bigger trouble for my daughter.

  “You would turn on me over a girl like her? Over some little whore who…” Before I can finish my sentence, Jesse’s fist connects with my jaw, causing my head to snap back. I can taste the blood pooling in my mouth. Damn, that hurt.

  “You don’t get to talk about her like that either!” he shouts in my face.

  Suddenly the music that has been playing all night stops. All eyes are on us.

  Layla grabs Jesse’s arm, pulling him back from me. “Jess, please. Just take me home.”

  “Not until he tells you he’s sorry.” Jesse grabs my shirt tighter. “Tell her.”

  I turn my head and spit at Layla’s feet. “Fuck off.”

  “I don’t need an apology. Just take me home,” she pleads.

>   “Layla…!”

  “Layla!”

  I turn to see who is calling for her. A young female with Drake Stevenson hot on her heels comes running through my doorway. “Layla, let’s go,” the young girl commands.

  She runs up the stairs and grabs Layla, inspecting her for any injuries. “Are you okay?” she demands, shooting me a vile glare.

  “I’m fine.” I hear Layla whisper. “Can you take me home?”

  “Of course.” She pulls Layla beside her and leads her away, Drake following close behind them like he’s some lost puppy.

  What has happened to these guys? First, Nik falls in love with Emmie. Emmie, whom he practically raised. Jesse falls in love with Layla, and Drake falls in love too? Whatever water they’re drinking, I need to make sure I stay away from.

  While I’m trying to clear my thoughts, Jesse pushes past me and follows them out of the house.

  Fuck that shit. He thinks he’s good enough for my daughter, I’ll fix his ass.

  “Go back to what y’all were doing. Drama is over,” I growl.

  Heading down the stairs, I call the guesthouse for Dean and the rest of my security team to come over and teach that little fucker a lesson.

  “Meet me at the front door,” I bark into my phone.

  Dean and Josh approach me at the front steps.

  “See that fucker over there?” I nod toward where Jesse is standing, watching the car with my daughter in it leave him in the dust. Good job, doll baby. “Fuck his world up. I don’t give a shit if you take each breath out of his body one by one.”

  They turn and make their way toward where Jesse is now walking to get to his Escalade.

  “Nice punch there, Jesse.” I rub my hand over my already swollen jaw. “That girl must be good on her knees because I have never known you to—” I break off when he takes a menacing step toward me. I’m not too worried; my guys will make easy work of him.

  “You don’t talk about her like that. Ever!” He snarls back at me. “I’m going to marry that girl.”

  “Why would you do that? She’s just after what she can get from you. All that rocker money, just like her mother. As soon as she gets what she wants, you will be history, my friend.” I can’t control Layla, but maybe I can put some doubt in Jesse’s head to save her from the certain heartbreak she will get from him.

  “You know nothing about her. How could you? You haven’t had anything to do with Layla her whole life, so don’t tell me what you think you know about your daughter, old man.”

  My daughter. No, kid. You’re the one who doesn’t know anything.

  “She’s no daughter of mine. I don’t care what those blood tests said. She’s not mine.” I turn away from him before he can see the darkness in my eyes. Darkness and regret. “It was good knowing you, Jesse,” I call over my shoulder, laughing with such a sickeningly humorous tone that even I’m scared for what is about to happen.

  My plan to get Layla away from Jesse inside backfired. Dean beating his ass to within an inch of his life? Well, why not? No chick, not even my daughter, is worth the ass-kicking he is about to receive.

  I close the front door behind me, happy to see the party has resumed where it left off before the confrontation broke out.

  I make my way back to the bar area and grab another bottle of bourbon and head upstairs to my room. I find Gwen waiting for me in my bed. I’ll fuck her until I can’t see straight. Tomorrow, all of this will be just another fuckup.

  Nine

  Tommy

  It’s been a few years since the incident at my house with Layla and Jesse. I guess I was wrong about him. He did feel Layla was worth the beating he received at the hands of my bodyguards.

  Jesse married Layla shortly after that. I keep tabs on them from a safe distance. I’m no good for Layla. She deserved a better dad than I ever could have been. In my own sick way, I was just trying to help her.

  The driver of my SUV suddenly brakes the vehicle without warning, causing my coffee to spill down the front of me.

  “What the fuck?”

  “Sorry, sir. It appears a woman has just been struck by another vehicle in front of us.”

  Something pulls at me to jump out of the vehicle. I run toward the crowd of people, busting my way through them. Then I see her.

  Holy shit!

  I kneel next to the woman, who is unconscious. She looks familiar to me. But it is impossible. I grasp her wrist to see if there is a pulse. I feel a wave of déjà vu hit me like a ton of bricks. Her pulse is faint. I look her over quickly, to find an enormous amount of blood coming from her stomach area. I pull off my shirt and begin applying pressure.

  I’m drawn to helping her like she is my lifeline to breathe. Her auburn-colored hair and olive skin remind me of Maddie. I can’t see her eye color, but it is uncanny how much she looks like an older Maddie lying in the middle of the street.

  Onlookers are watching my every move, some even shooting videos with their cell phones.

  I feel this sudden urge to scoop her up in my arms, but I resist, not wanting to move her until the paramedics arrive.

  Minutes later, two paramedics kneel next to me and take over her care. A third paramedic starts asking me questions I can’t answer. My head is spinning at her resemblance to the love of my life, whom I lost so long ago.

  Once they have her on the gurney, I follow them to the ambulance, climbing in behind them. I’m not leaving her until I find out who she is.

  I sit in the waiting room for what feels like hours before a doctor comes out to talk to me.

  “Mr. Kirkman, Robyn is going to be okay. Your quick thinking saved her life. We’ve patched up her wounds.”

  “When can I see her?”

  “You can go in now. Room 1316. She is a little loopy from the pain medication, but she is asking for the guy who saved her life.”

  I push past him without a second thought. I have to get to her. I don’t understand this draw to her, but with the faster I get to her, I hope to be able to figure it out. I have so many questions.

  I take a deep breath before walking into her room. She looks so fragile, lying in that hospital bed. She opens her eyes and looks deep into mine. I stumble.

  “How?” I whisper, mostly to myself. How does she look like Maddie, even her eye color?

  “Hi, Mr. Kirkman. Thank you for saving my life.” Her voice is quivering.

  “Hi, doll—”

  “Please don’t call me that.” When I open my mouth to speak, she continues. “That’s what you call your groupies. I’m not a groupie.” Her voice becomes more aggravated.

  “I’m sorry.” I don’t know what else to say to her. She has caught me off guard in more ways than the words coming out of her mouth.

  “I can tell you have a lot of questions rambling around in your head.”

  “I do. And you seem to know why I have those questions.”

  “This is not how I anticipated meeting you.”

  I move closer to her and sit in the chair next to her bed. She adjusts herself so she is looking at me.

  “I came here to find you. I didn’t plan on it happening this way. I was still mustering up the courage to meet you.”

  “I’m confused, to say the least. Do I know you?”

  “Not exactly. You knew my family once,” she says, turning her face away from me.

  I’m sitting there staring at her, more questions swirling through my head. Maddie was an only child, but Robyn looks just like an older version of her.

  She turns back to face me, taking a deep breath like she is preparing herself to tell me the story of all stories.

  “My name is Robyn West—” She puts her hand up when I open my mouth to speak. “Let me finish. I know I look like her. Our parents couldn’t bear the loss of their only child, but Momma couldn’t carry another child. Daddy found a surrogate to carry me.”

  “Holy shit.” Those are the only words I can manage to say.

  “I’ve known about you my whole life. Wh
en Momma and Daddy died, I decided I had to come find you.” She shrugs. “I was on my way to do just that when I was mugged and shoved in front of traffic.”

  “I don’t know what to say.” I stand up and walk over to the window, replaying everything she’s just told me.

  I’m a dick. I mean, that is really no secret. But I have this sudden urge to take care of her. Part of me believes in the universe stepping in to right the wrongs of your life. I’ve had my share of wrongs.

  “I want you to come home with me when you’re discharged,” I blurt out, still staring out the window.

  “Mr. Kirkman—”

  Turning around, this time, I cut her off. “Tommy,” I correct her.

  “Tommy, I don’t want anything from you. I just wanted to meet you.”

  “Robyn, it would mean a lot to me if you came home with me. I owe that much to your parents and even Maddie.”

  I can’t explain the overwhelming feeling I have that I need to take care of her until she recovers fully. She got hurt on her way to find me. Something in the universe made sure I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

  I shake my head, trying to cut off the thoughts. They are confusing me. Any other time, I would walk out the door and head to a bar. I really want a bourbon right now, but I don’t want to move from this spot.

  “Tommy…” I make eye contact with her. “I know this is a lot.”

  I move to sit down on the hospital bed next to her. “It is a lot to take in. But you rest, and we will talk more later.” I pat her hand gently. “Can I get anything for you?

  “I’m good.”

  I’m still there when the nurse comes in to give Robyn her nighttime medication, which includes a sleeping pill, taking that as my cue to leave until morning.

  If I’m being honest, I don’t really want to leave. But I need to put some distance between us until tomorrow, at least. I turned my back on everyone in that small town. I feel a sudden wave of guilt rush over me.