JAMIESON
“Stop being a pussy.”
“Yeah, of course that’s what you’d say, James!” Wyatt is taking this just how I’d expected him to. Leaning against the wall in his hospital room, we’re talking about the lawyer bullshit that I dealt with yesterday.
“What’d you expect me to say, Wyatt? I didn’t really get a choice in this. The way they have this shit stacked up, that fucking clause will leave it in the hands of the lawyers and board members if we don’t do as it stipulates. How the hell would you respond?” I’m more pissed off that he thinks I want this. It’s being thrust upon me.
Beside him in the adjacent bed, tucked in close is Circe. Touching his arm gently, stroking him in soothing movements, my little brother visibly pulls in breaths to bring down his temper. “Wyatt,” she says sweetly, “listen to what he’s saying and relax. I doubt you want Sali medicating you.”
I’ve dealt with everything, taking it all in stride after my brother, Circe, and our mother were in that fatal wreck on the Intercoastal. I flew out here on a dime to be the head of the house. China’s meltdown, her arrest, Wyatt and his girlfriend Circe’s health, our Mother’s frozen body, Crown board bullshit, paparazzi, news crews, and losing out on the World’s team has happened as I became nursemaid. My life has been put on hold. Shit is totally fucked up. I’ll be the head of Crown goddamn Industries or we lose it all.
“This wasn’t what I planned on either, Wyatt. We’ll figure it out, but—”
“But nothing, James.” The strain of this pulls on his already tired psyche. Wyatt’s bipolar episodes have lessened with medication, but his frail situation still tears at him as he holds his volatile emotions in check. “Why did they do this? Is that why she wanted us all at the house for the reading of the will? Did she plan this all along?” Raking his good hand through his overgrown platinum hair, I can see that this is tearing him to shreds. Marca, our mother, had always given the impression that this was a position he was to be given—unwillingly, I might add—but he’d worked himself up to the idea that he’d have to start dealing with it on a daily basis. To tear it away is harder when you know it could be taken away from the family whose name it was built on.
“Look, I understand the shock of it all. Do you think I’m happy about this?” I’m seriously frustrated.
Speaking up, Circe asks, “What if you accepted it?” As Wyatt is about to pipe up, she cuts him off. “What if you accepted the paperwork as it stands? Is there any stipulations about you redirecting control once it’s yours? Did the paperwork state anything about the three of you holding the position? After it’s completed as your parents wished, of course.”
Well fuck. I never thought of that. “Pretty bright lady you have here, brother.”
“Tell me about it, James. Siren’s a fucking whip.” Seeing the frustrated edge of my brother’s anger escape slowly, he smiles. It’s a carefree grin that showcases the way she’s softening his moods without drugs. I’m glad. He’s still a swinging pendulum, but it’s better than I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying something.
For the next hour, we look over the papers the lawyers left with me. Raking through them, combing every inch, looking for loopholes, we consider the options ahead of us. Not a lot of choices really, as they made it pretty airtight, but we have a plan. It’ll take all of us, but we should be good. There’s a few things we felt would be best left as is, but overall, it’s a good plan of attack.
With Doll and her current predicament of house arrest, we’ll have to wait for her jailor to bring her down here to go over it. We’ll wait, though. It’ll be better to do it after we’ve found new lawyers. The idea of pulling her into something like this without an airtight plan isn’t fair. It’s not really something you do over the phone. Even I’m not stupid enough to think that her fit will be exponentially worse than Wyatt’s emotional outbursts.
“I’m tired, man. Think we can wrap this up with Doll later?” Wyatt asks as his sleepy eyes flutter for control.
“Yeah, I’m good. I have things to do. Get some rest.” I’ve paced for a bit, sat and stood against the wall as we devised a course of action. Even I’m tired.
As I’m opening the door, Wyatt says, “Hey, Jamieson?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think they’ll be proud of what we’re doing?”
I nod. “I truly think we’re doing the right thing, brother. Get some sleep. We’ll talk after we get new lawyers. This isn’t going to happen overnight.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Hitting the hall, I mention to Sali, their nurse, that both of them are resting. Making my way to the elevators I press the button, and I’m reminded of the sexy woman in heels that held me hostage here not too long ago.
I lied to Wyatt when I said I had things to do. I never do. For months I’ve escaped China, Wyatt, and everything else, hiding out at the hotel in my air-conditioned room. Bloody staff turn it down all the time, which quickly upon entering, I crank it way down. Buying and running Powder Kings has given me a slight distraction while I’ve been here, but even that hasn’t been enough.
With the carriage arriving, I hop inside and click the button. The sound itself is a reminder of Carli’s sass. Counting down the floors, I arrive on the main level where the sun beams in, announcing how far away I want to be from here. I’m saddened by the weather. Others think the sunshine is a balm to their souls, but it makes me itchy. My skin crawls. Under my clothing, there’s a relief of it hiding in the shade, and gradually making my way to the doors, my breathing tightens. God, I hate it here.
And my parents thought that after all these years away I’d accept the responsibility of running a race team in the sun? What the fuck were they thinking? This is the least happy place on earth for me. And as the sun touches me, I feel threatened.
Nope, not at all where I want to be.
Someone make this fucking nightmare end.