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I waited, my pulse picking up. Even thinking about Harper, hearing his admission, and I was gripping the phone so tight I was surprised it hadn’t shattered.
“He did?”
“He did. She went dark for us. She didn’t want to, but she did. So have her back.”
“I’m not—”
“I know, but we’re not kids anymore. Your sister’s certainly not. She’s not been a kid in forever, and last semester when you took care of the cop and Drake, she chose that. She wanted you to handle that, so she didn’t have to. She let you in, but she’s at a point in her life where she needs to be looped in. It’s what keeps her from going dark, man.”
Quiet again.
Another beat, and then Channing sighed. It was long and drawn-out. “Having our dad back is going to mess her up. I was worried. I didn’t think she was ready to deal with him.”
“She’s not, but she’s letting us know when she’s ready and when she isn’t. I’m just saying, when it’s coming to this new stuff going on around him, because it’s affecting her job, you need to start thinking of her as an adult. It’s the only way she’s going to be able to handle whatever storm that’s coming. She has to see it first, then get prepared, so she can deal with the fallout.”
“Yeah. Yeah. I hear you.”
My hand flexed, almost dropping the phone. I caught it and rubbed a hand over my face.
That’d been intense.
Channing added, “Nothing’s happening on the Harper front. The girl is here. The kid got worked over, but as far as we know, he’s not said who did it. I don’t even know if Harper, Sr. knows about it, so a heads-up, when the kid talks, you might have another kind of storm heading your way. It’s not if, it’s when. Always when. Plan for the when.”
“Got it.” Shit.
“I just heard Heather get up for the bathroom so I’m going to go. Take care of my sister, and thank you for the call. Do the email immediately tomorrow.”
I nodded again, then forgot he couldn’t see me. “Yeah. On it.”
“Hey, Cross.”
“Yeah?”
“Watch Bren more than you think you should. She’s going to snap one of these days about our dad. It’s coming. I just know it.”
A burn started to spread through me, but he wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. Bren would snap, but Bren needed to snap. He wasn’t getting that part.
“I will.”
He hung up after that.
I let the phone drop. Catching it in my palm, I pocketed it. Man. Channing wasn’t the only one tired. I felt as if a semi had sideswiped me, crushing my legs.
I checked on the fire and noted everything had burned, then headed inside.
Plan for the when, he said.
A storm was coming. We needed to plan for it.
FROM: Cross
TO: Tazsters
SUBJECT: Re: blank on purpose
Love you. Miss you. I’ll call you later this weekend.
—I’m always the best twin
BREN
Cross came to bed, but I didn’t want to hear about any of it. Not then. Not yet.
I wanted to wait, hear it with the rest.
He came in, took one look at me, and knew what I needed. After washing up, he came to bed, rose above me and we didn’t fall asleep until much later. I woke late in the morning, wrapped in his arms.
Jordan and Zellman were already gone for classes, and Cross headed in for his twelve-thirty class. I had the house to myself, but it seemed weird to be here alone, so instead, I went for a drive.
I grabbed food, coffee, and then it was like a need inside of me that I wasn’t fully comprehending until somehow, I found myself parking at the top of a hill. I was on the outskirts of Cain. Trees spread out in front of me. I double-checked, but none of this was private property. I’d have to look through the records, but I was betting this was still city land waiting to be developed.
Packing my items in a bag, I started through the trees.
There were walking trails on the ridge, and going down one, I kept watch until I found an opening closer to the edge and moved in.
I hadn’t known I was coming here, I wasn’t even sure where exactly I was.
I moved along, off the walking trail now, and headed farther west.
I kept going until I came to a small clearing and looked out.
It overlooked a row of houses.
They were bigger than the ones in Roussou, much bigger. Each had a pool. A couple had pool houses, but I could see into their backyards. One of the houses had a woman and a group of young children playing, running, and jumping into the pool. There was another young woman talking to the other, sitting at a back table, overlooking the kids, but mostly talking to each other. There was a whole spread of food and drinks on another table. Balloons. A cake. Presents. Party hats.
