Steamed 3 (Steamed #3) by Nella Tyler Page B

on
the couch. Okay, maybe he wasn't ignoring me but what was he doing sleeping in
the middle of the afternoon?
    I looked around the room where I saw a bottle of whiskey and
to my utter disbelief, something that resembled cocaine was scattered on his
coffee table.
    “Holy shit.”
    I went to Jared on the couch and shook him until he woke up.
    “What the hell?” He muttered.
    “Get up. Get up right now Jared and explain to me what the
hell is going on here? Did you lose all your brain cells recently or what?”
    He sat up on the couch and looked at me bleary-eyed. When he
realized I was standing there in his house he asked, “What are you doing here
Gemma, get out!”
    “I'm not going anywhere.”
    “This is my house,” he shouted.
    “I don’t care whose house it is,” I yelled back at him, “You
need to get your life under control because what I see here is someone whose
going to throw everything good in his life away.” I motioned to the cocaine.
    “You are one to talk. You're a traitor to your own family.
Now get the hell out of my life.”
    I stood there stunned by his words. I didn't even know the
person that was standing before me. He was a stranger. Drunk and drugged up,
ready to throw his life and family away over nothing. This recipe situation,
Link, it was all a ridiculous reason to ruin your life and disown your family.
    “You make me sick,” I said as I turned and left him sitting
on the couch.
    I headed out to my car with tears in my eyes. Just a few
weeks ago my brother was a healthy and happy man. I didn't know who that other
person was in that house but he wasn't Jared. I couldn't believe what kind of
person he was becoming and why? Over a recipe? It just didn't make any sense to
me.
    As I drove away from his house I felt totally lost. I felt
like I had lost my brother forever.

 
    Chapter Three

 
    I drove straight to Link's restaurant practically in
hysterics. I knew that I should just let my brother live his own life but I
couldn't do it. There must be a way to pull him back from the abyss. I was sure
that I could do it if I just found a way to get through to him. There had to be
a way.
    As soon as I parked I ran into the restaurant; it was
starting to get busy for dinner. I walked right past the hostess without saying
a word, noting her alarmed expression. I headed straight for Link's office,
hoping that he would be there. I stormed right in and caught him by surprise sitting
behind his desk.
    He looked up startled. Seeing the look on my face he said,
“Gemma, are you okay?”
    I shook my head as tears streamed down my cheeks. Link got up
quickly from his chair and circled the desk coming to me. He wrapped me up in
his arms and held me tight. He didn't ask what was wrong right away, he just
held me like that for a few moments. It allowed me to calm down and get a hold
of myself. When we parted I looked up into his eyes.
    “What's wrong sweetheart? Please
tell me.”
    “It's Jared, he's completely fallen apart.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I went to his work this afternoon and no one had heard from
him.”
    His eyebrows shot up, “Wow really? That's not like him at
all.”
    “No. And it gets worse. I went to his house after that and
he was passed out drunk on the couch. There was a whiskey bottle and...oh
god...cocaine.”
    “What??”
    “I'm serious Link.”
    Link was silent for a moment taking it all in. I knew
exactly how he felt. I still hadn't processed everything that had happened that
day.
    “Link, I don't know what's happening to him. I wasn't even
aware that he ever did drugs. I don't know if this is a new thing or if
cocaine's been around this whole time.”
    “I doubt it Gemma, a cocaine addiction is kind of a hard
thing to hide. You would have seen signs of it by now. I think that's why he's
falling apart right now. He's not used to stuff like that.”
    “I don't know what to do anymore. I feel like I'm losing
him. I can't lose him Link, I just can't.”
    He kissed