I Am Yours (Heartbeat #3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

to sink in. “Especially since Adam was either drunk or high when he crashed the ambulance.”
    “Wait a minute…what?” I raise my bloodshot eyes to meet his. He doesn’t look so jovial anymore.
    “Your brother’s a mess, Brian. He has been for quite a while now and I’m sick and tired of holding the pieces together. I’m done.” Holding up my hands, I dare him to challenge me. “Our boss is scared to death of a lawsuit, so he’s keeping things under wraps. Adam’s on probation and I’m getting a new partner.”
    “So he just took your word for it, huh?” He watches me cautiously, tilting his head.
    “No, I had a corroborating witness.” I manage to utter that multisyllable word, even though it comes out slurred. “It was his nephew who sold Adam the weed. He confessed in order to get Adam in trouble. That’s how much people hate your brother.” I chuckle, tipping the nearly empty bottle against my lips.
    “Wow, you are one crazy bitch. I’ll give you that.” He rubs the bridge of his nose, squinting against the glare of the neon lights.
    “Hey, he’s the one who did it, not me.” My indignation flares at Brian’s insinuating tone. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I just reported it, admittedly later than I should have, but Adam’s the one to blame, not me.”
    “You tell yourself that if it makes you feel better, sweetheart.” He clumsily reaches for his wallet and it falls to the floor with a resounding thump.
    “Why are you getting defensive all of a sudden? I thought you couldn’t stand your brother?” I get right up in Brian’s face, giving him nowhere else to look.
    “Doesn’t mean I like a snitch either.” He curls his lip, sneering down at me.
    “Well, I bet you wish someone had warned you about how much of a slut your soon-to-be wife is.” I practically spit the words at him, but he shoulders the brunt of my malice, swallowing his pride. He won’t defend her. He can’t.
    “Bravo, Jada, bravo. I wanted to come out tonight and try to salvage some part of this lousy evening. Forget about Kelly. Forget about Adam. But that was never gonna happen, was it?” He gives me a sad smile as his eyes glaze over. He slumps over his stool in defeat.
    “Brian, I…” I start to apologize, but it’s too late. The damage is done. We could’ve been allies, helping each other through this weekend. Instead, I had to push things too far.
    “Jada…just don’t, okay?” He runs his hands roughly against his face that’s in desperate need of a shave, attempting to sober up. “I’m gonna have to call Adam to drive us home and I’m not looking forward to it.”
    “Why can’t we just call a cab?” I moan, dreading the thought of Adam seeing me like this.
    “Normally, I’d say yes, if I didn’t need my car to get to the ceremony.” His eyes flicker to the clock above the bar. “That starts in roughly ten hours. Adam’s gonna have to leave his piece of shit Neon here.”
    I twinge inwardly. That car means more to me than he knows. Adam actually let me drive it to his place, where I heard about Kelly’s baby for the first time. I blink rapidly, the memory of Adam’s confession searing through me.
    “Man, do what you gotta do.” I brace the edge of the bar, twisting around in my seat. My feet unsteadily hit the ground as I stumble toward the exit. I don’t think I can stomach listening to Brian beg Adam for a lift. He’s probably going to have to coax him out of bed. Hopefully no one’s nestled against him. When I think that we were in the same compromising position nearly twenty-fours ago, it makes me want to puke.
    The night air is chilly as it blows off the Atlantic. We’re in some dive of a pub that doubles as a raw bar. Its pirate motif is beyond tacky as I kick the shin of the Blackbeard figurine next to the door. Brian promised me that if I stayed I wouldn’t have to see Adam again. Well, he’s another O’Malley who’s nothing but a big fat liar.
    Although, Brian’s