There's Nothing Like a Trail of Blood to Find Your Way Back Home

Still Tash’s POV

“We can’t let Brian see her like this,” I said as I pulled into the hotel.

After dropping Hunter back at Woody Creek, the girls and I headed straight back to the hotel. Nikki was still passed out in the back but we knew that it would be soon that she’d wake up, realizing where she was and we all feared that. All of us knew how she was after she woke up after being passed out. She would be furious when she realized what we had done but none of us could leave her there, knowing what she was slowly doing to herself.

Nicole Storm McCade was walking a fine line between life and death with each time she injected herself with heroin. This was the second time she relapsed, making it worse for her and everyone close to her. Brian and Mariemaia were in so much pain with knowing that Nikki was gone and without knowing what she on that deadly chase for that dragon.

The worst thing was that since this was her second relapse, Nikki probably knew what she was doing to herself but at this point, she couldn’t give a rat’s ass. That’s how screwed up you can get when you’re on heroin.

I should know; I used to be an addict, just like Nikki. But unlike her, I was able to keep myself in check after going to rehab. Yet, Nikki chose to go to therapy and quit cold turkey. She was running out of options before she was forced to go through rehab.

“Are you sure,” Leane asked, making sure Nikki didn’t fall off the seat.

I glanced at her via the rearview window. This would be hard to hide. I mean, Nikki is obviously a person and it’s a bit hard to hide a person from another person. We would have to tell the other guys but Brian wasn’t ready to see Nikki and she wasn’t ready to see him. I knew that she’d probably throw a fit and try and kill somebody. Heroin made Nikki a very angry person all the time. She was naturally violent to begin with and heroin made it worst. She just knew how to keep her temper in check whenever she was around her beloved daughter.

“It’s our only option,” I answered, “We all know that if they see each other, Nikki would probably attempt to strangle him.”

Liz sighed as she nodded, knowing that I told the truth. It was either she’d attempt to strangle him or she’d figure out some other way to kill Brian. This drug made her so violent that it was as if that she had a split personality. One who we all knew and that kept her sane and the other made her crazy. Like light and dark, they were as different as night and day.

“She’s going to be furious with us,” Liz muttered, “Think about it: we basically kidnapped her and took her with us. It will be a miracle that she doesn’t strangle us. Or worse.”

She was right and I was deadly afraid of Nikki regaining conscious soon. When she did regain herself, it would be Hell to pay in her eyes. I knew I wasn’t the only one afraid; Liz and Leane were also afraid.

Val was standing in parking lot as I pulled up in the rental car. “Where the Hell did you three go,” she asked, her hands on her hips.

“We went on a rescue mission,” Leane answered as Liz and I carried Nikki out.

As soon as she saw that we had Nikki, Val gasped. We had cleaned her up but Nikki still looked like crap. Her arm started bleeding again and Liz instantly got a bandana from her back pocket and wrapped it around her arm. It was really hard to see her like this.

“You found her,” Val asked, still in shock about seeing her, “How?”

“Hunter’s son saw her and we went to where she was hiding and brought her back,” Liz replied, “I’m assuming that she went on a heroin binge about an hour before we found her so she’s due to wake up anytime soon.”

“Val,” I said, pleading, “We can’t let her and Brian see each other. She’s smack dab in her heroin love affair and will be the most violent person you will ever see.”

Val nodded, still not having the ability to take her eyes off of Nikki. I don’t blame her. She was the one who saw our friend in the middle of her first withdrawal session, when Nikki was basically forced off of heroin with no real help. Her father found out what his daughter was doing and put her straight in a mental institution. He didn’t even bother helping her. He just shipped Nikki away and soon died afterwards.

“What about the others,” Val questioned, finally looking at us, “Matt, Zacky, Johnny, and Jimmy? Can they know that she’s with us?”

“Yeah,” Liz answered for us, “They can know but Brian can’t. Nikki will kill him.”

Matt’s jaw dropped, Zacky covered his mouth, and Johnny was in shock as we carried Nikki into the room. Jimmy just stared at his cousin as he moved closer to her. This was his family that we found, his cousin. Those two were incredibly close and I knew that it killed him to see her like this.

It killed me to see him like this. I also know that if Nikki didn’t kill Brian, seeing her would practically do just that. We needed her to be better to make everything else better.

“Where was she,” Jimmy asked as he touched her cheek, “And how did you find her?”

“Hunter told me that his son saw her,” I said, holding his arm, “She was in her father’s house.”

“Wait- isn’t that the house that was left to her,” Zacky asked, realizing something.

“Yeah,” Liz answered, “She went back to where it all started and to the one place none of us would think to look.”

We all looked at Nikki who groaned, signaling that she was near awakening. Now we weren’t the only one who was scared. Hell, Jimmy started backing away, knowing full well the result of a McCade temper. I’ve had to deal with it firsthand because back when we were teenagers, Nikki got mad at pretty much everyone. She also threw a chair at me one time but luckily, I got out of the way. Scary thing is when she’s high, Nikki’s got some pretty good aim.

“Why was I ditched at the bar,” the one person no one wanted here at this moment asked.

Instantly, we all stood up, hiding Nikki from Brian’s gaze. He looked at us and I could smell the alcohol on his breath. He had been drinking again. Brian’s now an alcoholic and Nikki’s a heroin addict. They both are so screwed up. To make matters worse, Mari still keeps asking for her mother. The only thing we could tell her is that Nikki was on a vacation but like her mother, her daughter inherited brains so she didn’t buy it.

For a four-year-old, Mariemaia Haner was pretty damn smart.

“What are you guys hiding,” Brian asked, trying to get a view of Nikki who was slowly waking up.

Even though he was buzzed, he was still aware that there was something not right, something not normal, going on here. Damn it. This was the one time I wished that he drank so much that he didn’t notice anything. Then we could have had enough time to figure out where we were going to hide Nikki.

“Nothing,” Jimmy said as Matt tried to walk him backwards.

“Serious, this isn’t cool,” Brian yelled, getting annoyed.

“WHY THE FUCK AM I HERE?”

Oh shit…..

Brian’s POV

I think time stopped as soon as I heard that voice screaming. Slowly, Nikki stood up and pulled herself off that couch. She looked furious and was about ready to kill. Yet, the only thing I could think of was the fact that here was Nikki in the flesh. My eyes instantly wandered to her arms where I saw a bandana wrapped around her left arm, right below the elbow.

No, anything but that. Not my Nikki. Please don’t tell me she’s back on heroin. Please, anything but that. I caused this to her, I know I did, but please, just not that.

Nikki looked at me for the first time. I saw in those green eyes of hers all the hurt I caused her, all the pain. But that was quickly washed away as she started screaming at me. “WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU HERE?!?!? I DON’T WANT TO BE HERE!”

Slowly, I walked to her. I don’t know what possessed me but all I wanted was to feel her in my arms again. Nikki thought otherwise. Her immediate response was to punch me, straight in the eye. I was surprise at her because she’s never done anything like this. Well, there was that one time when I brought her to school with me but the jackass deserved that.

But, I just took it. I did this to Nikki. I did this to the love of my life. I caused her to return to this damning chase for that fucking dragon. I hurt her. I hurt the one person who I care about most. I knew that she was killing herself and it was all my fault.

“Nikki, stop,” Jimmy yelled, pulling her away from me.

“Put me down,” Nikki snarled, “I don’t want to fucking be here. I want to back at my father’s house, chasing the dragon!”

Jimmy didn’t let go, not once. Tash looked at her best friend and pulled something out. It was a bandana and she used it to cover Nikki’s mouth but more importantly, her nose. Amazingly enough, she began to settle and slowly began to fall asleep. Jimmy laid her back on the couch and he looked at his wife, asking the two questions that was plaguing all our minds, “What did you do and how did you know to do that?”

“Its lavender,” Tash explained, “My mom did that when I was little and being fussy. She’d get some lavender scented candles and it would make me fall asleep. I didn’t know it would happen but I took the chance. I can’t stand seeing Nikki like this.”

Everyone else started talking, trying to figure out what to do aside from me. I just sat on the couch, holding Nikki’s body close to me. She was slowly breathing but for the first time in probably a long time, she looked content. Nikki was at peace and that’s what I wanted her to be like. Not mad and angry at the world while being high, I wanted her happy.

“You know it’s basically your fault she’s like this,” Johnny said, ruining my happy moment.

Everyone glared at him but I sighed, “I know and I regret it every single day since she left.”

“Brian,” Tash said, sitting down on one of the couches, “You’re the only one whose going to be able to help Nikki. She’s going to kill herself if she keeps going at this rate.”

I looked at her, taking in all that she was saying. Tash would know what she was talking about; she was Nikki’s best friend and she also was a former heroin addict herself. Tash would definitely know how to handle this.

“I’m too weak to argue with you but I want you to know that I hate you,” Nikki muttered.

I carried her to my room earlier and was currently sitting on the bed, still holding her. When she said that, I looked down at her and saw her staring up at me. She said that but her eyes said a different thing. She was in pain and I was mad at myself for causing this.

“Nikki I-“

“I hate you,” she repeated

That hurts, hearing that Nikki hates me. I loved her; I’ve always loved her. No matter what, I still loved her.

I placed my hand on her cheek and she didn’t flinch but then again, she said that she was too weak to argue with me, “Nikki, I want to help you.”

“You won’t be there for me. I don’t want you helping me.”

“I don’t care. I will be helping you, whether you like it or not.”

She narrowed her eyes and repeated, “I still hate you.”