Falling For Mischief - Book One in The Hollywood Gambles Series {UNDER EDITING}

43 - Brendon's Advice

Brendon's P.O.V.

For an event that is supposed to be joyous, this one sure felt... well... Miserable. You wouldn't expect the first thing you see to be the person who the surprise was aimed at walk in and then run upstairs before slamming a door. For a pregnant woman, boy can she run.

Poor Tom looked a bit flabergasted, Leonie and Craig looked worried and everyone else was murmuring things to the person next to them. I walk over to Lani's parents.

"I can go talk to her if you want." I offered.

"Thank you Brendon. I don't think she'll listen to any of us." Leonie answers. I nod and walk over to Tom and motion for him to follow me as I walk up the stairs.

"What happened Tom?" I ask as we near her bedroom door. He hangs his head and shakes it a little.

"All I wanted was to get her out of the house for a few hours while her parents got this all sorted. I never planned for anything bad to happen." As he turns when we get to her door I notice the bandage on his arm.

"Why do you have a bandage on your arm?" He looks at his arm and then back at me.

"Monty." Shit.

"What did he do?" He stays silent and stares at Lani's door. "Tom. What did Monty do?" I ask again but with a stern tone added to my voice.

"He shot at me and the bullet grazed my arm."

"Shit. Did he do anything to Lani?" Tom looks at me and i see sadness and anger in his eyes and I straight away knew the answer. We stay silent for a bit and then after a few moments of silence, Tom opens the door and looks in. He then motions for me to follow.

We go and sit by her bed where she is lying and I notice the tear trails on her cheeks and the bandage on her shoulder. I shake my head. "Not again." Tom looked at me.

"What do you mean not again?"

"It's not the first time he has bitten her. He hasn't for ages though. I was lucky enough to stop him before it got too bad last time he wasn't able to break the skin." I focused on Lani and didn't move, I knew the look Tom had on his face and I could tell that his breathing had picked up and therefore letting me know that he was losing it ever so slowly.

"Why would he do something like that?" His voice was strained.

"Monty is very possessive if you haven't already noticed. He doesn't take well to other people taking what he believes to be rightfully his. What he does is no excuse because it would push her away from him and I'm suprised that he did it again."

"So there is a chance that he will keep showing up to try and get Lani back?"

"Sadly yes. There may be a way to stop that though." He cocked his head to the side with what looked like a curious expression on his face... Of course I could be wrong. "He knows where she is if she is here, as in Melbourne. He knows all her hangout spots, and even then he has ways of finding out. You would be best to move out of the city to another town or overseas where it will be a lot harder for him to track her down."

"I don't want to do that though. She has it hard enough with the pregnancy and she hardly feels like moving as it is and she doesn't want to be far from her parents while she is going through this." I went to respond but heard Lani stir a little on the bed and both Tom and I watched her as her eyes opened and she looked at us.

"Hi." She says in a small, timid voice.

"Hey. Are you alright?"

"As good as I can be with bite marks on my shoulder." She turns her gaze to Tom's and she holds out her hand for him to take which he does instantly.

"I'm sorry about Monty, Lani."

"Don't worry about it Brendon. He's done worse." I knew what she said was true but it didn't help with anything.

"I know, but it doesn't excuse what that brother of mine has done. I need both you and Tom to listen very carefully. No arguing alright?" She looks at Tom and then back at me and nods once.

"Alright."

"I need both you and Tom to stay in the house. I know you may feel like you'll go crazy but here you will be safe. If you set foot out of this house there is no telling what Monty might do the next time he finds you. Just please promise that both of you will stay here."

"I promise." She sounded as if she had just given up and accepted what was happening way too easily. Tom and I look at each other and then back at her.

"I know you Lani, you normally take longer than that to agree to anything."

"Maybe I've changed."

"Or maybe you can't deal with being hurt again." She looked at me and for the first time since we got here i saw anger flash through her eyes. "Lani, I'm trying to help you. You and I both know what Monty is like and I don't want you or Tom to have to deal with him, especially now."

"I promised that I would stay here. I never break a promise. You have my word that I will stay."

"Alright. But promise me something else." Both Tom and Lani looked at me.

"What?" Lani asked.

"Promise me that once you've had the kids, you will move. I don't care to where, just leave Melbourne." Lani sat up after I asked this.

"You're asking me to leave everything I've grown up with? Everything that I know?" I saw tears in her eyes and regretted asking her this, but it was the only way that I could try and keep her safe from my psychoctic brother.

"I'm sorry. It is the only way that i can think of that will keep you both safe." She hung her head and sighed.

"Very well. Once I've had the babies we will leave Melbourne." She spoke softly and I knew that I was asking way too much of her.

"Lani, are you sure?" Tom asked.

"Brendon is right. As long as I'm here, he will be able to find me easily. If we leave then he won't be able to." She kept her gaze on her fingers and I saw a few tears fall.

"I don't want you to have to leave. You're like a sister to me Lani. I just want  to keep you safe." She nodded her head and Tom moved to beside her and wrapped his arms around her. I slowly got up, leaving them alone and heading back downstairs.

Lani's P.O.V.

"I don't want to leave here." I said as soon as i was sure that Brendon was far enough that he wouldn't hear me.

"I know, but he does have a point love."

"But i grew up here! This is pretty much all i know Tom. It won't be easy to just up and leave everything I've ever known."

"I know.... I know. But we will get through it together, just like we always do." I sigh as he kisses the top of my head. Brendon is right. As long as I'm here, Monty will always find me.... My only choice would be to move away. Away from family, away from friends..... Away from home.....

A/N: Hey guys! So sorry it took forever to get this chapter up. I've been studying for exams which are all next week so the next chapter will not be up until after my last exam which is next Friday. Thank you all for be so patient :) Hope the story is still alright.... yes I've made Monty into a bit of a bastard..... Sorry....

Hope this chapter was alright, let me know what you think, and only about another 4 chapters until this story is finished.

~Z