“I’m getting drinks. We are all going to bed. James, you will not leave.”
James raised his eyebrows at the command. “Okay.”
Not done giving orders, he looked at his two sons sitting side by side and commanded, “Pat, you’ll sleep in your brother’s room tonight.”
“What the fuck, Dad? I’m not fucking five.” If Bran could have smiled, he would have at Patrick’s outrage.
“No way... you can’t make me.”
“Mature.” Dad took a deep breath. “We need to sleep. Cooler heads may prevail in the light of a new day. Patrick, your brother is upset. He may wish to talk, or... I don’t know, find comfort in not being fucking alone.” Probably like he’d felt alone after his wife had destroyed his life.
“I have something I need to do, though,” Patrick finished lamely.
“You are not calling or texting River. Give the girls a moment. Now,” he stopped to take a drink of his EC, “Jesus, that’s strong. I’ve told you three what I expect, and I expect to be obeyed. Last time I checked, this is still my house, and you are still my children. And as you are a guest, James, you’ll mind me in this too.”
He left without another word. Bran tilted his phone up and swiped. The screen unlocked. Once more, the photo of Raven embracing another man tore him apart. He couldn’t look at it one more time.
Standing, he pocketed his phone and went to the bar where drinks were poured and waiting. If the jet fuel fumes wafting around the glasses weren’t clue enough, he read the label. 132.6 proof. Perfect. James and Patrick met him at the bar. Each man took their glasses and threw back the shot in one eye-watering go. In silent accord, they walked up the stairs and found their beds.
19
The car ride home to Eufaula was silent except for the occasional sniffle and hiccup. She’d felt this type of deep-tissue pain once before. Emotional gauntlets hurt.
And damn it, she needed to pull herself together, but Dermot Kennedy’sAn Evening I Will Not Forgetstarted playing. Jesus, the absolute irony, and her hot, swollen eyes began to burn again. Tonight was a blow. A grenade. But it wasn’t just her she needed to consider.
She had sisters. Where one went, the others would follow. Even if she asked them to let her go for a while— just a moment to shatter and scream— they would follow.
There was no dissuading them. Raven should know, if the situation were reversed, she would never let them go. So... she needed to plan.Theyneeded to plan. To prepare for the inevitable fallout.
Drying her eyes on what looked like a dirty pair of gym shorts— whatever— she was past any level of eww. One thing did need to be cleared up first.
“River. Rowan. You do... believe me?” Good Lord, she choked on the last words. Tears were endless.
“Don’t be an idiot.”
“Of course, Raven. We’ll forgive you for asking. This once.”
Rowan looked at her briefly, the dash lights illuminating her own tear-streaked face. Raven wasn’t the only Byrne hurting.
“Thank you, guys. I could never get through this without you both. I’ve... I’m trying to put aside what Bran... what he believes, what he said, I guess, and think of tomorrow and the day after. We need a plan. Triskelion is something we have control over. My relationship is not. I want to set what happened aside. For now. Until I can make sense of it.”
“Agreed.” River’s voice was also thick with tears. “I’m one step ahead— as usual.” Her attempt at levity warmed Raven.
“We’ll be home in fifteen minutes, so I’m going to state all the obvious shit we three are aware of— there is a lot, so just sit back and take it in. Once we’re home, however, we shower, separately, as we aren’t filming a weird ass video forExtreme Sisters— gross— then we pick a room, grab a bottle of Row’s Glen 25, and watch a movie until we sleep. Jo shouldn’t be but an hour behind us. Tomorrow, I have a whole other list of things to do with the direction I think we should take going forward.”
“You’re an elite strategist.” Row backward knuckle bumped River.
Raven was silently crying again. Damn it. Their support was so very, very needed.
“Sounds like just the thing, River.” Raven’s voice was shaky, and she knew she hadn’t done well at hiding her continued distress. River cleared her throat. She hated making either of them sad.
“Here’s where Triskelion currently stands— We finished clients pre-O’Faolains two weeks ago. We chose not to take on new clients until the first Wolves was all but complete, which is about two to two and half months away, I believe. We all agreed that the potential windfall of clients that would want us onceWolves is regaled in the papers had the potential to skyrocket TTD. We are that good, so the gamble wasn’t really a gamble, not even a calculated risk, in my opinion. A sure thing. Moving on,” River continued.
Raven had turned to watch River swipe through her phone a few times before she paused, almost hesitant.
“What is it?” Raven asked.
River took a deep breath. “Okay, fuck waiting until the morning. I know what tomorrow looks like, and the day after, and the day after that fucking day. We’ve got this nasty situation by the balls. It will not destroy us. Any of us.”
