Backlash (Winter's Wrath #1)

by Bianca Sommerland

  “That’s good news then, right?” Brave rubbed his cheek irritably. “He’s made it this far—”

  “He’s hanging on. I don’t want to give you false hope, but if I was a betting man?” The doctor smiled and put his hand on Brave’s shoulder. “Your brother isn’t ready to let go. You can see him for a few minutes if you’d like, but I don’t want too many visitors. Maybe one or two.”

  “His girlfriend and…” Brave looked over at Jesse and Danica. “I know it will help him to see her.”

  “And Jesse.” Danica stood and took Jesse’s hand, pulling him to his feet. “He’ll need to know you’re close too.”

  The doctor’s gaze went to Danica’s hand in Jesse’s and he frowned. “I wouldn’t advise anything that might cause him undo stress.”

  “He loves us both, Doctor.” Danica hiked up her chin. “If I know him as well as I think I do, he’ll be worrying about everyone else. He needs to know we’re okay so he can focus on getting better.”

  Inclining his head, the doctor chuckled. “This is true. I almost forgot I was dealing with a rock star that likely leads an unorthodox lifestyle. Come on then. I’ve done all I can for the moment. What he needs now is something to fight for.”

  Brave went in first, and within seconds, Jesse was tempted to go drag him out of the room.

  The last thing Alder needed was to be yelled at.

  Danica held his hand in a firm grip, shaking her head when he let out a low growl and moved toward the door. “If Alder can hear him, he’ll know how much Brave loves him. That’s all he’s ever wanted. He needs this.”

  Jesse arched a brow at Brave’s next words.

  “I’ll seduce Danica. I’ll take Jesse back. And I’ll get Tate stoned every fucking night. Do you hear me?”

  The man is insane.

  “Alder, you fucking keep fighting. You’re the only thing holding this band together. The guys won’t put up with my shit anymore. You’re the fucking star. And I am so proud of you. I’ve never told you that. You’ve done more than me or Valor ever could.” Brave sobbed and Jesse swallowed hard. “I don’t know how someone like you came out of a fucked up family like ours, but you make me want to be a better man. So you get through this. Get through it and let me show you I can be better.”

  Brave took a deep breath.

  “I’ll be here when you wake up, Alder. And I know you will. If not for me, than for that fucking beautiful woman and that amazing man who love you like you deserve to be loved.”

  After going quiet for a few moments, Brave stepped out of the room. He gave Jesse and Danica a small, sad smile. “Not sure if that helped. I was waiting for him to get up and punch me. Tell me to fuck off. Anything.”

  Danica let out a shaky laugh. She brought a trembling hand to the silver cuff Alder had given her, rolling it around her wrist. “Give him a couple of days and you’ll get your wish.”

  Nodding, Brave headed down the hallway, hands stuffed in his pockets, shoulders hunched.

  Jesse let Danica go in next. He couldn’t hear what she said, but she seemed much more relaxed when she came out.

  “I could have been imagining things, but I think he smiled.”

  Squeezing her hand, Jesse nodded, then slipped into the room. He rubbed his lips with his hand as he looked over all the machines around the bed. All the tubes and wires attached to Alder’s body.

  The blue sheet covering Alder brought out the pallor of his flesh. There was a tube under his nose. His chest didn’t seem to be moving, but after Jesse stared for a while, he caught the subtle rise and fall. The steady beat of the heart monitor reassured him a little, but Alder’s hand was ice cold when Jesse took it between his.

  He sat on the edge of the small, black padded metal chair by the bed and brought Alder’s hand to his lips. “I’m sure Danica came up with something good to say. She’s smart and she’s good at showing people how much she cares. Brave sucks at it, but from the sound of it, he’s getting better.”

  Jesse rubbed Alder’s lifeless hand, hating that it was so damn cold.

  “I wasted so much time not letting you get too close. I told you how much you scared me. You’re a good thing I couldn’t let myself have. But that was me being weak. I don’t think I really understood what fear was until I saw you bleeding. Until I realized I might lose you.”

  He hadn’t let himself cry before. He’d been strong for Danica. For Brave.

  But he couldn’t stop the tears now.

  “You have so much to live for, Alder. So I’ll say what everyone already has. You fight. And that shouldn’t be hard, because even when you were in the background, getting no fucking credit for everything you’ve done, you were fighting. So you have to keep doing that, just a little longer.” He looked at Alder’s face, wondering if Danica had been right. Had Alder smiled? Heard any of them? “You’re a fucking hero. Valor wasn’t, and I know you always looked up to him, but you don’t have to any more. Because you saved Brave—you saved him even before you stepped in front of that crazy fucker with the knife. He looks up to you. So does Tate, and Malakai, and Connor. And so do I.”

  The doctor had said no stress, so maybe this was a bad idea. He should find something to talk about that Alder could look forward to. Something simple.

  His lips curved as he considered the one thing Brave had forgotten to mention. “I’m going to pick up your dogs and bring them home. When you get out of here, they’ll be waiting for you. And you know they’ll go fucking nuts when they see you. Think about it. You’ll be coming home to your furbabies. To Danica.” His throat locked as the door opened and a nurse quietly told him visiting hours were over.

  Leaning close to Alder as he stood, he kissed his forehead.

  “And me. Come home to me. You wake up and you fucking come home.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Slicing pain. Then cold. Shouting and pressure on his chest.

  Alder struggled in the darkness, gasping for air. The man was trying to kill Brave. Where was Brave? He wasn’t sure if he’d gotten there in time.

  He jumped as he heard a loud Bang!

  He opened his eyes and tried to sit up.

  “Whoa, not so fast.” A man in a white coat pressed a hand to his shoulder. “Try to relax. Breathe slowly.”

  “Where am I?” Alder winced at the sharp pain in his chest. “Shit, that hurts.”

  “I imagine it does. I’ve just given you something for the pain. Give it a moment and you should feel a bit better.” The doctor checked the beeping machine by the bed and nodded with satisfaction. “Very good. Aside from the pain, how are you feeling?”

  Fucking confused. And cold.

  But that didn’t matter. He frowned at the man he assumed was a doctor. “Where’s my brother?”

  “Asleep right there.” The doctor pointed to a chair in the corner of the room that didn’t look very comfortable, where Brave was passed out with his head on his bent knees. “He’s been taking turns with a sweet girl and a very irritable man for the past few days and none of them have slept much. I’d hoped hearing that you were definitely going to live would get at least one of them to go home for a good night’s sleep, but I don’t think they were convinced, since you hadn’t woken up and I had to inform them you likely weren’t smiling when they spoke to you.”

  “Wait, did you say days?”

  “Yes.”

  “The band is on tour! They can’t perform without Brave.” His head was spinning and he groaned as he brought his hand to his face. “Wake him up. Tell him he needs to go.”

  “Considering the amount of gifts and letters you’ve gotten from your fans, I believe they understand and are willing to wait for you to recover.” The doctor grabbed a clipboard and jotted down a few notes. “If you’d like to wake your brother to tell him the band’s tour schedule is more important than your health, you’re welcome to it. But if you’d like my professional opinion? It’s a very bad idea.”

  The doctor clearly didn’t know his brother. A
lder took a deep breath. “Does that mean I can get up?”

  “Not yet. I’ll come back in an hour or so and let you know if you’re ready to get out of bed. For now, try sitting. Slowly.”

  Sounded simple, but the slightest movement turned Alder’s stomach and his whole chest felt like it was going to rip open. He panted as the doctor adjusted his bed, then rested back against it.

  “Very good. If you’re ready for visitors, please let the nurse know. He’ll be here in a bit with something for you to eat.”

  Alder’s stomach growled. Fuck, he was starving.

  “I’m guessing it will be soup or something? Like when I had my appendix out?” He sighed when the doctor nodded. He was pretty sure he could eat a fucking Big Mac with fries, but the best way to get out of the hospital as soon as possible was to do whatever the doctor said.

  The doctor left and he looked around the room. Damn, there were a lot of flowers. Most of them black. Metal fans were weird. Rather than brightening up the room, all the black and red made him think of a Goth wedding. He even saw a few little voodoo dolls, one white, one black, and one red. They were cute, but…odd as ‘get well’ gifts.

  By his side was a swiveling table with two empty coffee cups on it and a newspaper. He didn’t want to bother Brave after the doctor saying he hadn’t gotten much sleep, so he might as well entertain himself.

  And maybe the paper would have something about what happened at the concert.

  His mouth went dry as he read the headline.

  ‘Winter’s Wrath Manager Arrested For Endangering Lead Singer’.

  What the fuck?

  He continued to read, then started to wonder if he’d woken up in some kind of nightmare. This couldn’t be true. Sure, Cole could be an asshole, but he wouldn’t put Brave in danger. Not for fucking publicity.

  The article didn’t leave much doubt that that was exactly what Cole had done.

  Alder ground his teeth. “I’m going to fucking kill him.”

  “Get in line.” Brave crossed the room, pulled the newspaper out of Alder’s hand, and leaned over him. Hugged him like he was made of glass. Then eased away slowly. “I forgot Danica left the paper there. That’s not how I wanted you to find out, but the doctor had no idea when you’d wake up.”

  “Cole fucking hired a fan that was sending you crazy letters?” Alder shook his head. “Is it the same one that attacked you in Ohio?”

  “No. Apparently there’s a whole community online of people who were obsessed with LOST. I’m hoping not all of them are this nuts. The love letters they write to Valor are a little disturbing though.” Brave took a seat on the edge of the bed. “The guy that grabbed me on stage in Ohio gave Cole the idea. He swears he didn’t know it would turn violent. Part of his defense actually. He contacted the guy writing me the letters and said he could get him closer to me. He planned to use the whole thing as a way to get the band on the front page.”

  “Which explains why he didn’t think we needed more security.” Rage sped up Alder’s pulse, which made his chest hurt. Not as bad as before though. The meds must be working. “Did you find another manager? The band needs to go back on tour as soon as possible.”

  “Fuck that.”

  What? Alder blinked at Brave, sure he’d heard wrong. A nurse came in with a tray bearing a bowl of watery soup and a glass of water. He set it on the table without a word, then left.

  Alder scowled at the soup, then turned his scowl on his brother. “What do you mean, ‘fuck that’?”

  “I thought it was pretty clear. We’re not touring without you.”

  “Fine. Then start recording.”

  “Without our lead guitarist? How about no.”

  Shit. He sounds serious. Alder groaned, pressing his head back into his pillow. “How about we agreed future decisions would be made by the whole band. You don’t get to make this one on your own.”

  Brave nodded, a sly smile spreading across his lips. “You’re absolutely right. It’s a democracy now, which means majority rules. And when I asked the rest of the guys about taking a break until you’re all better. They agreed. Your vote wasn’t needed.”

  “Fucker.” Alder pressed his lips together. He’d talk to the other guys; make them see how bad the time off would be for the band. They’d ‘voted’ while they were worried about him. Once they saw he was okay, the success of the band would become priority again. “Have you been writing at least? We have three songs. We need at least ten for a new album.”

  “I’m aware of that.” Brave grinned, then bent over and kissed Alder on the forehead. “I love you, you crazy bastard. How about you be awake for more than an hour before you get back to work?”

  “Fine. Where’s my phone, I need to call Danica. Is Jesse with her?”

  “Yeah, they’re at your place taking the dogs for a walk.” Brave studied Alder’s face, his brow creasing slightly. “Why are you so grumpy? Are you still in pain? Do you want me to get the doctor so he can up your doses?”

  “No, I think they’re already fucking with my head. You’re being way too nice, you’re not putting the band first, and I think I just heard you say you loved me.”

  “I did. And I do. Get used to it.” Brave pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to Alder. “Now stop being all broody. That’s my job.”

  Alder snorted and tapped Danica’s number on speed dial.

  She answered right away, sounding out of breath. And like she was walking through a wind tunnel. “Brave? Is Alder awake?”

  “Yes, I’m awake.” Alder held the phone away from his ear as she screamed. He grinned at Brave’s chuckle. “Brave was just telling me you’re taking care of my babies.”

  “Yes, I am. And I’ve fallen in love.” The windy sound faded away. “Jesse, hurry up! You shouldn’t let her drag you around then!” She laughed. “Alder just called. We’re going to the hospital!”

  “Who have you fallen in love with? Jesse or the dogs?”

  “The dogs. Jesse is a pain in the ass. Did you know he can’t work a dishwasher?” She giggled, which made Alder smile. He was happy she and Jesse had been taking care of one another. “And I’m going to ask my grandfather to take care of the puppies when we go on tour. Do you know your parents never took them for walks? They’re horrible on the leash, but me and Jesse are training them. My grandfather will get some of the boys from the reservation to bring them out running every day.”

  Wind again, and then a car engine growling.

  “We just dropped the dogs off at your place and we’re on our way. But sleep if you’re tired. How are you feeling? Fuck, I should have asked that first.”

  “I’m fine. The meds make me tired, but I’ve been asleep for days. I’ll be up when you get here.”

  “Danica, give me the phone while you’re driving,” Jesse said.

  Danica sighed. “I planned to. I just pulled out. Relax.”

  “Right. Remind me to never let you drive the bus.”

  “Alder, I love you. I’ll see you in a few minutes,” Danica said quickly. “Talk to Jesse. He’s pouting.”

  “I’m not pouting.” Jesse’s voice came out clearly, as though he had the phone now. “Alder, your woman is driving me insane. Your house is fucking spotless though.”

  “So she’s my woman? I thought we had a good thing starting between the three of us?”

  “We do, but when she’s being a nag, she’s all yours. Ow! What the fuck was that for?” Jesse sighed. “I swear, I’ve got bruises everywhere. She’s very abusive.”

  If this conversation was anything like the ones they’d had while Alder was in the hospital, he wouldn’t be surprised. Jesse needed to learn some tact. Or at least when to keep his mouth shut.

  “Other than managing not to kill one another, have you both been doing good?” Maybe he’d assumed they’d taken care of one another too fast. He hated the idea of them being miserable; sticking together because they thought that was what he wanted. “I’m guessing Malakai and Tate staye
d with Tate’s grandmother?”

  “Yes, we’ve been fine alone. I know it sounds bad, but we haven’t argued that much.” Jesse’s tone softened. “I would have gone crazy without her. Neither of us has slept a lot, but Brave suggested we try lying down together for a bit. Even just to get some rest because we’d be useless to you dead on our feet. It worked. No one could get him to leave the hospital for longer than it took to eat and take a shower though. We all tried.”

  Alder looked over at his brother, taking in the shadows under his eyes. He’d been shocked when Brave had said he loved him. His brother hadn’t used those words since Alder was a teenager.

  Saying them was cool, but he’d proved they weren’t just words.

  “Alder, you still there?” Jesse asked, sounding concerned.

  “Yeah. You guys almost here?”

  “We’re just pulling into parking.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you when you come up.” He met Brave’s eyes. “I need to talk to my brother.”

  Hanging up, he set the phone on the tray by his bed.

  Brave stood. “Okay, I’m not sure what to make of that look. Whatever Jesse told you, he’s lying. I haven’t hit on him or Danica. I’ve only seen Tate in this room. And if he told you anything I said while you were unconscious, I was trying to piss you off so you’d wake up.”

  “I don’t even want to know.” Alder folded his arms over his chest. Which was a very bad idea. His stomach flipped as pain tore through him.

  “What did you do? Do you need the doctor?” Brave started toward the door.

  “No, just give me a sec.” Alder took several uncomfortable deep breaths. The pain didn’t disappear, but he didn’t feel like puking anymore. “I want to thank you.”

  “Thank me?” Brave blinked at him, like he’d spoken in math terms that didn’t add up. “For what?”

  “For staying with me. For making sure Jesse and Danica were okay. Our parents aren’t even here, but I don’t care because you are.” Alder shrugged, not sure Brave really got how much it all meant to him. “I swear, I won’t mention it again, because I know how much you hate the sappy shit, but you were my fucking hero growing up. So…thank you.”