Black Clouds of Cotton (In Vein Series Book 2)

by C. M. Radcliff

  It feels like hours pass as I sit there until my eyes burn from keeping my gaze trained on the door until it finally opens. Ander ducks through the doorway, dodging Anya as he comes down the stairs. His steps are hurried, but he remains calm as he makes his way to the car with his backpack slung over one shoulder.

  Tearing my eyes away from him, I stare back at my white knuckles as he drops into the seat beside me. The car door slams as he pulls it shut behind him and I jump as it startles me. “Drive,” he demands as he sets his backpack on the floor.

  “Ander...” My voice trails off as I look over to him, my eyes wide with fear. “What the hell is going on?”

  “Hadley,” he growls as he pins his bloodshot eyes on mine. His expression is hard, but I can see the same fear washing over the depths of his ocean blue irises. “Drive the fucking car. Drive it anywhere you want—I don’t care—as long as it’s anywhere but here.”

  I swallow hard over the lump forming in my throat as I’m overcome with a mix of emotions. “Ander—” I start, but he abruptly cuts me off.

  “DRIVE!” he yells at me as he grabs the keys from my hand. Forcefully, he jabs one into the ignition and turns it over, bringing the engine to life. I stare at him as unwarranted tears begin to fall from my eyes. His anger is confusing me and my mind is already fucked-up. Ander lets out a ragged breath as he runs a frustrated hand over his hair. His eyes soften slightly as they bounce back and forth between mine. “Please, just get us out of here,” he pleads.

  Swallowing back my emotion and tears, I nod slowly as I put the car in drive. Stepping on the gas, I whip the car onto the street and drive, quickly putting as much space as possible between us and the house. Sirens wail in the distance as I blow through a red light, quickly turning down a side street.

  “Jesus Christ,” Ander breathes after a few minutes of riding in silence. I catch him furiously rubbing the back of his neck as I glance at him from the corner of my eye. “I should have known that he would come looking eventually.”

  We pull up to a red light and I slowly step on the brake as I turn to face him. “Who?”

  “We should have been smarter,” he mumbles to himself as he grips the back of his neck with his hand. He sighs as he glances out the window. “I knew that it was too much cash and dope that she took, but I didn’t say shit.” Ander’s face contorts as he turns to look at me just as the light turns green. “Consequences never fucking matter until they’re staring you in the face. And then it’s too fucking late. Then you end up dead.”

  “Ander,” I say his name quietly, raising my middle finger to the asshole who blows his horn behind us. I press my foot on the gas, glancing back and forth between Ander’s worried eyes and the road. “Who are we running from right now?”

  “We’re not running from anyone,” he points out as his eyes bore holes into the side of my face. “You’re going to go inside and lock your door. Anya is just the beginning of his reign of terror. If he catches wind of you at all...” His voice trails off as he drops his chin to his chest, inhaling deeply. “I will rip him to fucking shreds.”

  What the fuck have I gotten myself into?

  “In case you haven’t noticed, I am the one driving the getaway car from a goddamn crime scene like we’re the ones who committed the crime.”

  “I can’t have you wrapped up in this shit, babe,” he says hastily as he picks his head back up. “You don’t understand what these guys will do.”

  Cocking my head to the side, I raise my eyebrows as I glance at him. “Pretty sure that I just witnessed what they’ll do.”

  The shock is still overriding my system, so the graveness of our situation still hasn’t completely set in. The thought alone of finding Anya dead is enough to make my head spin. I push the horrific scene that plagues my mind as I mindlessly pull into the parking lot to my apartment building. I quickly find a spot and whip the car into it before throwing it into park.

  Ander turns in his seat to stare at me as the engine loudly rattles. “I need to use your car.”

  Whipping my head to the side, I cut my eyes at him harshly. “Absolutely not.” I shake my head.

  “No,” he argues. “You’re going to go up to your apartment, lock your door behind you, and not let anyone in unless it’s me.”

  “Wherever it is that you want to go, I’m going with you.”

  “Fuck that,” he growls, narrowing his eyes at me. “It’s too fucking dangerous. I am not putting you in his fucking crosshairs.”

  Exhausted from the mindfuck that he continuously puts me through, coupled with seeing Anya, has me tipping over the edge. “WHO?!” I scream at him, not bothering to hide the tears of frustration as they stream down the sides of my face. “Who the fuck are you running from, Ander? What the fuck is going on? Stop keeping me in the dark, please.”

  A mix of emotion washes over his eyes as he stares back at me with his eyes wide. Sighing, Ander runs a hand down his face. “Javi, the guy that I worked for at the casino. Anya and him used to hook up and she got the hookup when it came to drugs. When we bounced, we took shit from him. Neither of us ever thought he would care enough to come looking for us. We were both wrong.”

  This can’t be real life right now.

  The things that Ander has done wrong just continue to pile up. It won’t be long before the levees break and everything comes spilling out. And when they do, there’s no way anyone will survive that. The only thing that we’ll be able to do is drown.

  “So, he came looking, found Anya and killed her, and now he’s coming for you?”

  Ander’s nostrils flare and his jaw clenches as he gives me a curt nod. “That’s why I need to go see him and face this shit.”

  I stare at him incredulously for a moment. “You’re not serious...”

  “Either I go to him or he’s coming to me.” Ander pauses as he lets out a ragged breath. “I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you because I got you mixed up in this shit. I’m just gonna go and talk to him and see if we can straighten this shit out.”

  “Did you not see what he did to the girl that he was supposedly with?” I scoff, staring at him with my eyes wide in disbelief. How the hell is this even a conversation right now? “Do you really think that he’s going to just decide to spare you?”

  Ander gnaws on the inside of his cheek. “I don’t fucking know,” he says quietly, “but I refuse to sit here and have to constantly be looking over my shoulder.”

  “I can’t let you do that.”

  “Babe,” he starts as he reaches out, taking my hand in his. “Either you walk yourself straight to your apartment or I’m carrying your ass up there, even if you’re kicking and screaming.”

  I tear my hand out of his grip, shoving his hand away. “Fuck you, Ander.”

  “When I get back.” He smirks with a wink. He tries to make light of the situation, but the reality hangs heavily in the air and creates a tension between us that’s thicker than oil. “I promise you that I’ll be back.”

  “Fuck you and your promises,” I bark at him. “You expect me to go sit inside and wait while you go put the final nails in your coffin?”

  “I’m more valuable to him than she ever was,” he tells me, his eyes desperately searching mine. “He’s too smart to take me out this quickly. It will look better on my end if I seek him out. Please, just trust me. Trust me to take care of this fucking mess.”

  Trust him.

  How do you trust someone who shattered your heart? I don’t even know what trust would begin to look like where Ander is concerned, but I guess this is a start. If we’re going to have a future, we have to start somewhere.

  “You have one hour,” I whisper. “If you’re not back by then, I’m coming looking for you.”

  Ander stares at me for a moment before nodding. “I promise I’ll be back.”

  “Save your promises,” I tell him as I let myself out of the car. “Make them your truths instead.”

  Chancing a glance, I look a
t him once more as he gets out of the passenger side and rounds the front of the car. A ball of emotion forms in my throat as reality settles in around us. Spinning on my heel, I leave the door hanging open as I march across the parking lot to the building. I could very well be sending him off to his funeral right now. This could be the last time that I see him alive.

  The image of Anya flashes into my mind. He’s right though—he can’t spend his life looking over his shoulder. He won’t do that. Ander already made his mind up. Javi dealt him his hand and now it’s his turn to play his cards to the best of his ability.

  The only thing that we can do now is hope that the house doesn’t always win.

  32

  Ander

  Dragging my hands down my face, I wipe away the sweat that builds along my hairline. The hot sun beats down on my back as I stride up to the front doors of the casino. The sun is hot, but the day isn’t as hot as it typically gets here. A cool breeze gently blows past me, sending a shiver through my body as the hairs on my arms stand up.

  My chest heaves as my breathing grows ragged. My legs feel like bags of sand and I struggle to lift them as I climb the steps that lead to the front doors. A whooshing sound fills my ears, drowning out any other sound as my surroundings begin to spin. The dizziness comes and goes, but this attack is worse than any of the ones I’ve had recently.

  I made sure to shoot some of the heroin before we left the house, right after we had found Anya on the front stoop. The rush from the drugs should have combated any of these feelings, but it didn’t. I’m still high, but I don’t fucking feel right.

  Grabbing the railing along the wall, I pause, hunching over forward as I struggle to catch my breath. My body sways as the waves of dizziness continue to rock me. Lifting my head, I glance up in a panic, watching in horror as my vision grows blurry and the edges of my field of vision grow black.

  I’m going to faint right here on the fucking concrete.

  What the fuck is happening?

  “Yo, Ander. Is that you?” I watch as a blurry figure moves closer to me. “It’s me, Ty.”

  I groan out loud as the sound of his voice registers in my mind. I never really cared for the kid. He worked as a custodian and cleaned the bathrooms at the casino when I worked here. He was always so far up Javier’s ass though, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he had worked his way up the food chain within the past six months.

  “You good, man?” he asks as he puts his hand on my shoulder. “You don’t look so good.”

  Glancing at him, I blink rapidly against my blurred vision as I struggle to focus on his face. “Get the fuck off me,” I grind out, breathing heavily as I suck the dry air into my lungs. Taking a deep breath, I use all of my strength to move my legs and push forward. Pushing off the railing, I stumble up the steps, brushing past Ty.

  He calls my name again, but I don’t have the energy to engage with him, nor do I have anything nice to say to him. My entire mind is distorted right now and it’s not helping with how my vision and senses aren’t interpreting the world around me correctly. It wouldn’t take much to get in a fight with Ty right now, especially when I’m not here for him and he’s only standing in my way.

  As I push through the doors of the casino, the cold air that blasts from the air conditioners cools my skin. It doesn’t combat the sweat that coats my skin as the room spins again. My shirt is drenched and sticks to my torso but it’s now a cold sweat. I erupt into a series of shivers and my teeth chatter involuntarily. Ignoring it all, I push ahead, stumbling through the crowds of people, heading in the direction of the back of the casino.

  I can feel the eyes on me of everyone that recognizes me as I walk past the various tables that are surrounded by patrons. Glancing over at the bar, I stop in my tracks. My chest heaves with every ragged breath as the adrenaline courses through me, finally drowning out the dizziness. My eyes are trained on Javi as I watch him sitting at the bar, slowly sipping his drink. He doesn’t frequent the floor often, so I’m surprised to find him sitting out here.

  With my sights set on him, I turn to face him and quickly stride over to the bar. I would rather have seen him in his office, but this could be better for me. There’s no way that he would lay me out in front of all of the people out here.

  That doesn’t mean that he won’t come looking for me another time though.

  Walking directly beside him, I pull the seat out that is next to him and sit down. Keeping his eyes glued to the ass of the bartender, he continues to sip his drink without acknowledging my presence. Sitting in silence, I watch him out of the corner of my eye as I fold my arms on the bar top.

  “I presume that you got my message?” Javi finally speaks, keeping his voice low as he continues to stare straight ahead.

  “I did,” I say, turning to glare at him. “Was killing her really necessary?”

  “Was stealing from me really necessary?” he asks as he turns his head to look at me. His eyes narrow as he scans my face with pure disgust. “Jesus fucking Christ, Ander.”

  My jaw clenches as I meet his cold, detached gaze. Beads of sweat roll down the sides of my face as my vision blurs slightly. Hastily wiping the sweat away, I blink rapidly, blinking away the impending dizziness. “I get that you’re pissed off about it, and I don’t know the specifics of shit between you and Anya. I’ll work off everything that I owed you.”

  Javier chuckles harshly as he shakes his head. Rolling his eyes, he takes a long sip of his drink before setting the glass on the bar top. “You think that I’m going to let you work it off so you don’t end up like her? Have you looked at your fucking self lately? You are fucking nuts if you think that I’m going to let some junkie work in my place of business, even when there’s a debt to be paid.”

  “So, what are you going to do then?” I ask him as I clench my fists in an effort to fight off the shakes that are building in my body. “You gonna take care of me like you did her?”

  “That won’t be necessary.” He snorts as a smirk forms on his lips. “The poison you keep putting in your veins will take care of you soon enough.”

  The anger, the shame, and the guilt all boil deep inside me, but I channel the anger. “Let me pay you back,” I insist, ignoring his comment about the drugs.

  “You can pay me back by getting the fuck out of my casino,” he growls, cutting his eyes to me. “I don’t want to see your fucking face ever again. Do you understand me?”

  My mouth hangs open slightly as I stare back at him. “You’re just gonna let me go like that?”

  “Sure,” he says with a shrug as he turns back to the girl serving drinks on the other side of the bar. “I can do that, but the drugs can’t. As much as I’d love to have your blood on my hands, I’ll get just as much satisfaction seeing you overdose and rock bottom swallow your pathetic ass whole.”

  I swallow hard over the lump that forms in my throat. He’s right, I am pathetic and I’m already circling the drain as it is. It won’t take much for my addiction to finally end it all.

  Javi clears his throat, breaking through my thoughts. “Now, get the fuck out of here before I change my mind.”

  He doesn’t say another word as he goes back to watching and sipping his drink. Nodding to myself, I slowly stand up and abandon the bar as I head back through the crowds of people. Keeping my head down, I let the adrenaline fuel me as I avoid anyone and everyone’s gaze as I disappear through the front doors. I don’t stop moving until I reach Hadley’s car. I’m lost in a daze as I head back to her apartment, alone with my thoughts.

  I don’t know how I get to her house without crashing. My vision has since grown much blurrier, I’m barely able to distinguish different figures or even make out the lines on the road. I don’t bother parking in a parking spot and instead park crookedly, directly at the front of her building. My body moves on autopilot as I climb out of the car and head inside her building.

  Sweat continues to pour down my face and my chest struggles with every breath. Bracing myself a
gainst the wall, I let it hold me up as I ride the elevator to her floor. Closing my eyes, I grow dizzier as it climbs higher. The bell above dings as the doors slide open. My legs struggle to move as they feel heavier than the rest of my body.

  It’s as if I was paralyzed and learning to walk again as I stumble down the hall to her door. My eyelids are heavy, so fucking heavy, and my surroundings slowly spin as I grow dizzier with every step. I try to lift my hand to knock as I reach the door to her apartment, but the effort is futile. My arm feels as though it weighs a ton as it drops back to my side.

  Exhaling a shaky breath, my head tips forward, hitting her door with a smack as I’m unable to hold it up any longer. I hear movement from inside her apartment, but it’s quickly drowned out by the ringing that fills my ears, along with the whooshing sound again. My head spins as I become even more lightheaded. I’m completely unsteady on my feet as I sway back and forth.

  My knees buckle and the blackness closes in. The floor comes up in a rush as my head bounces off the doorframe as I collapse onto the ground. My body falls into the door on my way down and my crumpled form lies in a heap on the hardwood floor. My eyelids are too heavy to hold open. I can’t fight against the faintness as it sucks me into the depths of the darkness. A ragged breath escapes me as I throw in the towel and everything goes black as I succumb to the empty darkness.

  33

  Hadley

  Standing just inside the door, I stare at it as something bangs against it. Sloane jumps down from where she’s sitting on the counter and walks toward me. “What the fuck is going on, Hadley?”

  “I don’t know,” I tell her as the panic quickly builds within me. “Ander went back to the casino to talk to the guy that he worked for. He told me not to open the door for anyone but him.”