Barely Breathing

Chapter Ten

Viv

I stepped out of a cab, paid the driver and approached my brother's posh Upper East Side apartment building. After an elevator ride to the fifth floor, I banged on the door, not bothering with the formality of a few light knocks.

Screw him. He hadn't returned any of my texts yesterday. It was the least he owed me after Friday night. Now I was both pissed and worried.

"Grayson," I called. "It's Viv. Let me in."

Silence. God, what if he was dead in an alley somewhere? Shot by the people he owed money to or killed by an overdose? I pounded on the door harder, by heart pounding with worry.

"Open this door or I'll call Mom and tell her everything," I said, pressing my palms and forehead to the door. "She'll be on the next flight here. Bet she'll stay at their apartment here for a while. Or maybe I'll tell her she should stay with y—"

The door opened and I stumbled inside, barely finding my footing without falling.

"Christ, Viv, it's like eight in the morning," Grayson grumbled. "What do you want?"

I could hardly make him out in the darkness. The blackout shades in the apartment were all drawn. I fumbled for a switch on the wall and found several. I flipped all of them and two lamps switched on.

What the hell? I looked around the apartment in disbelief. Grayson's entertainment center had blank spaces where his flat screen TV and other electronics were supposed to be. His furniture was gone, other than the couch and a coffee table. Wrappers, half-eaten food and wadded up pieces of foil littered the table and floor.

"Grayson." I stepped closer to him and wrinkled my face with disgust. He stank. Still in the jeans and rumpled t-shirt he'd been wearing Friday night, his hair was messy and he had several days of dark, unshaven hair on his face. "What is this?"

He shrugged. "I'm single. I don't have to answer to anyone. Especially not my little sister."

"Hey, asshole," I said, poking him in the chest. "It's not eight in the morning, it's almost eleven. You smell like dirty ass and B.O. And where's your stuff?"

He sighed and shook his head. "Not your concern, Viv."

"Then I'll leave and make it Mom's concern before I'm even out of this building."

"Jesus," he muttered. "You're gonna tell Mom on me? How old are we?"

"You don't have any idea what you're playing at."

"What, Kane? Believe me, I do. That asshole gave me a bloody nose and a concussion. He almost broke one of my ribs. What the hell was he doing at your place? I can't even contemplate you'd date him."

"I can't even contemplate you thinking that's what I mean, you dumbass. Drugs, Grayson. You're using drugs."

His vacant eyes showed no reaction to my words. "What do you want, Viv?"

"I want you to come to your senses. Look at you. Look at this place. Obviously you sold your stuff to buy drugs."

He glared at me, eyes narrowed. "I told you, I don't answer to you or anyone else. Now if you don't want anything, go away so I can get some sleep."

Where was my clean-cut workaholic brother? He'd always taken pride in his place and now it looked like he was squatting here.

"This is crazy," I mumbled.

He put a hand on my shoulder and steered me toward the door.

"Grayson, let me help," I said as he opened the door.