Bullet Series Box Set Books 1-8

by Jade C. Jamison

  “What?”

  “Butterscotch schnapps.”

  “Why for me?”

  “It’s smooth. I thought you might want to get a little buzz on. You helped propel us to where we are now.”

  She grinned. “Why do you want me trashed?”

  “I don’t. I just want you to feel good…just a little. You deserve it.”

  “Okay.”

  He held up the bottle. “One shot, you and me?” She smiled again and nodded, and Brad poured a shot’s worth in two cups and handed one to Val. “Bottoms up.” As he poured the shot down his throat, he felt grateful for one thing—that, in spite of Ethan’s douchebaggery, Brad and Val remained close friends, and he knew, even if just from this act alone, that she trusted him. That meant a lot. She set her cup down and he asked, “How’s that feel?”

  “Pretty good.”

  “Okay. Just one more. As tiny as you are, I don’t dare let you drink more than that.” He even wondered if a second one was a good idea, but he’d go easy on the second one. She wouldn’t have to know he wasn’t giving her a full shot. He just wanted her to enjoy herself, and he knew alcohol usually relaxed him, so he hoped it would help her too.

  When she set her cup down, he said in her ear, “Now…half an hour from now, you don’t feel like you’ve got a buzz on, come back. I’ll hook you up.” Being that close, he couldn’t help himself. He pulled her into an embrace. In just those few moments, he remembered how much he cared about her, how much he wanted her. He had to let it go, though. Friends only. He hoped that was all she got out of the hug, and so he let her go quickly and grabbed another cup to divert her attention. “In the meantime, though…” He placed some ice inside the cup and filled it with water. “Nurse this.”

  She smiled and said, “Thanks, Brad. See you in a while.”

  Brad had already seen a stacked blonde getting friendly with Ethan, so he hoped he wouldn’t be seeing Val crying later. She looked pissed as she spied Ethan across the way, and he suspected she was going to grow a spine tonight. If she didn’t end up in a catfight with the groupie tonight, he’d be surprised.

  But he couldn’t worry about that. This was his damn party, and even though he didn’t plan to get laid tonight, he was hoping to lay some groundwork. Things were going pretty well, too. He felt like he was forging strong bonds with a lot of band members—not quite friendships. That wasn’t a bad thing, though. Friendships weren’t quite what they were, but they were more than just acquaintances. Business relationships and mutual understandings, maybe. And he also talked for a while with several different women. He hadn’t gotten any phone numbers yet. He didn’t want to seem too eager, and he didn’t want to be a dick either. If he went around asking for every girl’s number in the place, he’d look desperate and none of the women would want to have anything to do with him either. No, he had to take his time. By the end of the evening, he would choose one and get her number.

  When someone found the stereo and turned it up, Brad was counting his blessings, grateful that he’d invited his neighbors to the party. Even if they left later, he hoped the good will he’d earned would prevent them from tattling, would instead have them come back and ask him to turn it down if it came to that.

  He was talking with the lead singer of one of the bands they’d played with earlier that evening when, in spite of the volume of the stereo, it felt like the room grew quiet. The guy he was talking to shifted his gaze and got a bit wide eyed. He nodded his head toward the hallway entrance and then said, “Isn’t she your vocalist?”

  Brad turned around. Sure as shit, Val was standing in the entryway to the kitchen, her shirt off. She covered herself just as he looked over, and then his eyes looked at hers. She was completely out of it. But how? Two shots wouldn’t do that.

  Would they?

  “Sorry, man.” He walked away from the singer, setting his cup on the kitchen table as he made his way toward Val. When he got there, he rested his hands on her shoulders and got close. “Val? You okay?”

  Her eyes told him she wasn’t. He had to get her out of there, away from the gawking eyes in the room. He led her to her bedroom and had her sit on the bed while he glanced around. She had a robe hanging on her closet doorknob, and he draped it over her shoulders. He sat next to her and asked, “What happened?”

  She looked up at him and said, “I don’t know.” She started crying—a waterfall of tears—and he pulled her close, resting her head on his chest, letting her sob. She’d tell him when she was ready. When she was able to get herself under control, she said, “Ethan had this slutty girl with him.”

  “Yeah, I saw her.”

  Her breaths were a little jerky. “I feel really weird, Brad.”

  “Weird how?”

  “Like I’m not totally here. It started earlier. I went over to see what was up with him and that girl. They were awfully cozy.” Brad was pretty sure he knew what was on Ethan’s mind because it often was. He was going to see if he could once again cheat on his girlfriend and get away with it. Brad nodded, though, and let her continue. “So I sat right next to Ethan on the couch, and he kissed me. It was strange. Not just a little kiss—a huge display. I’m surprised he didn’t start grabbing my boobs. And then he introduced me to that girl, and she started squeezing my thigh and playing with my hair, telling me she really liked me. It was kinda creepy. And right after that, it was like everything was turning black. Everything looked fuzzy, kind of surreal. I felt like I wasn’t totally in my body. Things around the room were starting to move, things that shouldn’t have. You know, like that Eiffel Tower print in the living room. And then—” She started crying again. He knew she’d let it out eventually, so he just continued to hold her, hoping he was giving her the comfort she needed. She started talking again, through the sobs, and he couldn’t understand the first few words that came out of her mouth until she said, “—into the bedroom, and I was so out of it. Then the next thing I remember, my shirt’s off and they’re both all over me, you know, wanting me to…”

  Brad got it. They were trying to get her involved in a threesome, and Val was in no shape for it to be consensual. “It’s okay, Val. You’re here.” He let her cry more, letting her wind down. It seemed to be what she needed.

  But then her voice was stronger than it had been. “Brad, what the hell kind of proof is that schnapps?”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because…it wasn’t real, Brad. It was so weird, so dark, so fuzzy. I didn’t have full control of myself.” She gasped and started sobbing again. “Oh, my God. What if I’m allergic to schnapps?” If Brad hadn’t been so worried, he might have laughed. He’d never heard of anyone being allergic to liquor before, but he supposed anything was possible. “What if I die? What will my mom and dad think?”

  And then it dawned on Brad. It wasn’t alcohol. Hell, no. Yeah, it might have loosened her up, maybe even caused her to black some things out, but it wouldn’t make her feel like she was out of her body or hallucinating. The truth of it finally hit him…and he was pissed. “What’d Ethan give you?”

  “Nothing.”

  Maybe nothing that she knew about. It would have been easy enough to slip it in a drink. “Bullshit.” He stood up. He didn’t want to leave her, not in this fragile state, but he needed answers. He leaned over. “You okay here by yourself?”

  “What are you gonna do?”

  “Find out what the fuck he slipped you.”

  “He didn’t…” But he saw a look cross her face as she accepted that it must be true. He rose again and stomped through the door. He couldn’t even think straight anymore. He walked to the other bedroom. The door was closed, so he was certain Ethan and that girl remained in there.

  He threw the door open, and it wasn’t until the light flooded in that he realized Val was right behind him. As his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness, he realized that Ethan and the girl were, in fact, still in the room, and Ethan was giving it to her doggy style on the bed. He looked like the epitome
of the drugged, crazed, out-of-his-mind rock star. His t-shirt was on, and he was holding a bottle of vodka. His free hand gripped the blonde girl about her waist. At least he had the decency to stop and look at Brad and Val. At first, Brad had thought he was going to have to slap him to get his attention.

  The bimbo on the bed said, a whine in her voice, “Fuck me. God, why won’t you just fuck me?”

  It was all Brad could do to not pull him off the bed and start beating the shit out of him. But he wanted answers, not blood. Ethan continued eyeing him with that dull stare, so Brad got a little closer and asked through gritted teeth, “What the fuck did you give her, Ethan?” Ethan raised his eyebrows but looked stupid and senseless. Brad took a deep breath, feeling more anger surge through his veins. He leaned over so he could get closer to Ethan, and his voice was low. “Goddammit. Answer me, man, or I’ll beat it out of you.”

  The bimbo looked up at Brad, a tearful look on her face, and then she looked at Val and burst out laughing. “She’s tripping. Don’t you feel great, sweetie?”

  That confirmed his suspicion. “Acid?”

  The dull look on Ethan’s face continued stoking Brad’s anger, and his stupid answer didn’t help. “I guess.”

  The bimbo piped in again. “Yeah. Now would you please either get out of here or help him fuck me?”

  Brad felt like he was going to grind his teeth out of his head. He was ready to toss the blonde out the door. He got close to Ethan again. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Ethan?” The same thick look was Ethan’s only response. “I should beat you anyway, just on general principle.”

  Ethan raised the arm that had been holding the girl in position out in a Jesus Christ pose, inviting Brad to pummel him into pulp. Brad was at a crossroads. As angry as he felt, he was afraid if he got started, he wouldn’t be able to stop. He’d held back so much anger for his friend for so long that letting it out at this point could prove dangerous.

  Val got right next to him, and he was amazed at how much clarity her presence gave him. Before he could say a word, Val stuck her finger out and held it inches away from Ethan’s nose. Her voice was stronger than it had been since the beginning of the episode and she said, clear as day, “We are over, Ethan Richards.”

  “Babe—”

  “Go fuck yourself.” Inside, Brad felt a weight lift. He’d never seen Val stand up to Ethan like that before. He knew she did and often, because the two of them were constantly bickering, but for her to cut him off like that…that took balls. He was proud of her.

  At that point, he didn’t feel like beating Ethan anymore, because Val was taking care of it. She pulled the robe back over her shoulder and turned on her heel, leaving the room before Ethan could say another word. He backed away, tempted to shake his head, but he instead just turned too and closed the door. And, as he followed Val back to her room, he thought about it. He was pretty sure Ethan was finishing up what he’d started with the blonde girl, in spite of (or maybe because of) Val giving him walking papers.

  In the meantime, Val was crying again and she needed him. He wasn’t going to let her down.

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  VAL FELL ASLEEP in Brad’s arms that night. He’d always dreamed about that moment, but it certainly wasn’t the way he’d envisioned it or even wanted it.

  And he was worried too. Brad had never taken LSD, never planned to. It sounded way too freaky. He didn’t ever want to lose that much control. He was anxious about leaving her alone. He’d have to for a bit, though. So, after he was sure she was in a restful sleep, he left her room and closed the door. A few people had left but not many. He looked for Nick, because Nick was someone he trusted, but Nick was nowhere to be found. Scoring again, no doubt. He found Zane in the kitchen, doing shots. He told him Val was fucked up, and he was afraid to leave her alone. Zane raised an eyebrow, reminding him of why he hadn’t wanted to tell Zane in the first place. “No, we are not doing anything you need to be worried about. She is completely fucked up, and I’m pretty sure Ethan or that bimbo with him slipped some acid in her drink. I’m going to be with her. If you need something, come get me, but, otherwise, do you mind running the show?”

  Zane grinned. “Want me to just get rid of people?”

  He shook his head. “Nah. Not fair to them.” He made his way back to the hallway and considered telling some of his guests goodbye but thought better of it. He didn’t want them feeling like they had to leave.

  He stood outside Val’s door. Yeah—happy fuckin’ birthday.

  Still, he wouldn’t have had it any other way. He was glad he’d been the one to find her.

  He went back in her room. She was restless—mumbling in her sleep, tossing, whimpering. He pulled her to his chest and held her close, and she seemed to relax then. He lay there, running his hand over her hair, talking quietly to her on occasion, half expecting Ethan to come in at some point. Much later, the party died down, and when it finally got really quiet, Brad felt himself getting sleepy. But he wasn’t going to leave her.

  Much later but before it got light outside, she startled awake, muttering something about some wild animal in the bedroom ready to pounce. It took him a little time to convince her everything was okay. She rolled on her side, and he wrapped his arm around her. He wanted to protect her for the rest of her life, and he was angry that she’d had to deal with such seediness.

  When she woke up the next morning, her motion in the twin bed awakened him too. He was exhausted. He sat up. “How you feeling?”

  She shrugged. “A little strange, I guess. Still kind of out of it.” She rolled her neck. “Pretty pissed.”

  He nodded. “Understandable. You gonna be okay now?”

  She looked at him, a small smile on her face. “Yeah. Thanks for making sure I was okay, Brad.”

  “I was worried about you.”

  “I appreciate it.” She stood. “I think I really need a shower.” He had so much he wanted to say to her…but he somehow knew that now was not the time. It was too early, too fresh, and he wasn’t ready. He knew she wasn’t either.

  He wanted to get more sleep and that had been the plan…until he saw all the people sleeping on the living room floor. Well, a party had been a stupid idea. He wouldn’t do that again. He decided to make coffee and clean the kitchen. It was trashed. Making noise might get the people up and at ‘em, and then he could take a nap later if he needed to.

  While he cleaned the kitchen, he heard Val in the shower singing. She was belting a song they’d written last summer, one called “Let You Go.” He knew why. It was about ending a toxic relationship. Maybe she was thinking along those lines. That was his hope.

  But as the week progressed, he saw that Val and Ethan hadn’t broken up any more than the oceans had evaporated. Ethan was on his best behavior, yeah, but they were together. Either Val had forgotten she’d broken up with him or she’d forgiven him. Either way, they were back at it, and even though Ethan was behaving himself, Brad knew it was just a matter of time before they started fighting again. They were just one of those couples. And they’d make everyone around them miserable.

  Brad decided he had to talk to his friend about it. He couldn’t sit back anymore, so he asked Ethan out for dinner one night when Val had to work. He didn’t want her—or the other guys—to see it. If Ethan chose to tell her after the fact, fine, but for now, Ethan was his to deal with.

  Ethan knew something was up but found it difficult to turn down a free meal at Wendy’s. They got their food and sat down and Brad figured he shouldn’t pussyfoot around. “I know you know something’s up, so I’m just going to get it off my chest.”

  Ethan shrugged. “Okay.” Ethan had been in one of his phases where he was high more often than not, but he was lucid right now. Brad was grateful, because nothing he had to say would matter if Ethan’s head was shoved up his ass.

  “You know Val loves you, right?”

  Ethan could barely hide what he was thinking. He was irritated. “Yeah.” Brad wasn
’t sure exactly how to word what he wanted to say next, and before he could speak, Ethan started talking. “You think it’s one-sided?”

  That took the wind out of his sails. Yeah, he had, actually. He’d assumed all along that Ethan was playing with Valerie, enjoying pulling her strings, especially because of the way the guy had treated her early on. Brad had never considered that Ethan might really care for her. He knew that on some superficial level Ethan cared, but he didn’t think it ran that deep. “Is it?”

  Ethan put his burger down and took a sip of his drink. Then he took a deep breath and looked Brad in the eyes. He shook his head. “I care about her. I—love her. I can see it in your eyes. You don’t think so, and I really don’t give a shit what you think. But you need to know she’s important to me.”

  Brad nodded. He had to rethink the discussion. He’d planned to tell Ethan to treat her well because she loved him and he needed to try to reciprocate; instead, if his friend really did love Val, then maybe he could reason with him. “That’s good, man. I’m glad to hear it. Just…your actions don’t always show it.”

  After a long moment of silence, Ethan nodded. “I know.” He shrugged and took another sip of his drink. “I know. But I also know I’d be worse without her.”

  “You think?”

  “I guarantee.” And that was when Brad decided to back off entirely. He’d had no idea. If they loved each other, he wasn’t going to get in the way, and he wasn’t going to fuck things up. But one thing that worried Brad—if Ethan would be worse without Val in his life, what the fuck would he have been like? The thought scared the shit out of Brad and made him fear for his friend’s well being. Val had a lot riding on her shoulders, and Brad doubted she had any clue.