JAMIESON
“This is shit even I couldn’t think up.” Telling Wyatt that our mother’s ashes we’re now mixed in with other various people, pets, and vagrants, was not an easy task. The last thing I wanted to do was add stress to his life. He’s just getting his shit right, and telling Doll? Shit, I’m scared to see how she’s going to react.
Watching Wyatt use his opposite hand, trying to pack his bags up, is downright painful. I offered to help him, but he’s a stubborn brute and won’t even accept help with the simplest shit. He’s stressed today, and I have no idea why. Fuck, he was this way before I even told him about the crematorium. Something’s off. Something’s definitely off.
Circe is sitting to the side, staring, not saying a word. Not talking. That in itself is fucking scary, if even she can’t calm him.
“What’s going on?” I ask the two of them, hoping at least one will answer.
“Nothing,” Wyatt chirps off quickly. Yeah, something big is going on. I know it’s not them breaking up, because the rock of Gibraltar is still on her finger. The engagement ring he gave her last week has to be at least two carats. Her skinny fingers can hardly hold the thing up. I’m happy for him, really, but seeing the two of them on edge makes me itchy.
“You’re packing like there was a fire in the closet when I entered, so start telling me, or I’ll punch you in the jaw. Or I’ll tell that nurse of yours you had a relapse. She’ll be in here so fast with a syringe, you won’t know what hit you, Casper.” I’m sexually frustrated, I’m annoyed that things are worsening, and if these two don’t start talking, I’m going to lose my shit.
Just as I think Wyatt’s about to talk, sister dearest storms into the room with her jailor slash boyfriend in tow. “Hey. What’s the big fuss you needed me to come here, Whiskey? And why is Wyatt packing in anger?”
Halting, Wyatt turns to us with fire in his eyes as I respond to Doll. “Fuck if I know why he’s steamin’ hot. Circe isn’t speaking either.” Looking at her, arms crossed and lips tight, I swear we’ll never get to the bottom of this without a serious family fight.
Traipsing in, Doll heads straight to Circe. It’s amazing how things have changed. It used to be Doll’s full attention was on Wyatt, but now she’s looking to the girl before the brother.
“Hey man, good to see you,” Risen says, offering out a hand.
“You, too. She keeping you on your toes?” My little sister can be a handful. No, she’s a basket full of grenades with one pin pulled.
Rolling his eyes, he chuckles. Doll innately knows she’s about to be outed. She turns and glares at Risen before placing her attention back on Circe. “More than you know, brother. More than you know.”
She’s had her ankle monitor off for a week now, and has been back to racing. Risen and her hooked up somewhere along the incarceration, and voilà! Love. Or, at least a heavy like.
“How’s the training going?” I ask. The reason I ask is that he’s been training right alongside her. He was once a cop, her cop, but that’s another story. Risen, he too has the racing bug. He tried out one of the cars at the house while they were holed up, and she noticed he had a knack for it. So Dad’s best friend and race partner has been working with him in one of Dad’s old Indy cars. Ben said he’s a natural.
“Yeah, good. Doll just cheats—”
“I don’t cheat! I use the full track to my advantage. Your problem is you can’t run the inside like I can. Pussy.” Rising up and leaving Circe stewing in the corner still, China tucks herself into the side of Risen. She’s happy, so I’m happy. Even if I know the history with him and Tre, I don’t bug it. That’s not my fight. Trellis and he will work it out eventually.
Turning my attention back to the pissed off brother in the corner, I watch him shove his shaver and toothbrush in the bag. We can’t leave him like this. I need to get him to tell us what the hell is going on. “Wyatt, this shit has got to stop. You can’t just keep bottling up crap when you’re pissed. Let us help you.”
Piping up, China tries her own approach, as he’s still not answering me. “Ghostman, look. Whatever the fuck it is, tell us. It can’t be that bad.”
Muttering, Wyatt pipes up, “You don’t know how bad this shit is.” He points to me. “You are gonna be so pissed.”
“What the fuck did I do?”
Slamming clothing into the bag, he turns to Circe, clearly upset with her about something. “Ask her. She’s running off to see Carli and won’t tell me why.”
Pardon?
“You’re pissed off at Circe because she’s going to check on her friend?” China spews out, pissed at him.
“She won’t say. I’ve never held anything back from you, never. And you won’t tell me something that clearly has nothing to do with me,” Wyatt seethes.
“Why are you running off to Carli? What’s got his panties in a twist?” I ask.
Looking up from the floor with an apology clearly written on her face, Circe speaks. “I promised her I wouldn’t tell you, and she made me swear not one Crown goes with me. I’m sorry.”
“Circe, if you’re marrying into this family, there are never secrets.”
“Sorry, I can’t. She asked me to swear, and honestly, she wanted me to lie but I couldn’t, so I’m just not saying anything.”
Okay, now I’m pissed. “Does it have something to do with us? Is that why she made you promise no Crowns come with you?”
Her eyes blaze wide for a split second. She’s hiding something huge.
“What if we guess it? You’re not really telling anything if we figure it out,” Risen suggests. His cop skills of interrogation are coming in handy. Hopefully it works, because I’m at a loss.
“Well, if you guessed it, and I didn’t state it aloud, then I’m not telling you. But, you have to promise not one of you comes with me.” Circe is visibly afraid we’ll figure it out, and even more afraid that we’ll follow. Dammit, now I definitely want to know.
Pulling up a chair, China is excited. “Okay, this will be kind of like charades, I guess. Or…ohh! Hot potato.”
“China,” Risen sighs, exasperated.
Waving him off, and turning her full attention to Circe, she concentrates. “Okay, so Crown’s aren’t allowed to go, and it has something to do with Whiskey.” Turning to me, she asks, “What did you do to piss her off? Why won’t she call you and tell you herself?”
“When did this become about me? I didn’t do anything to her. It’s not like she was pissed off when she left.”
“So, she wasn’t mad. But why not call you?”
Chicks. “I haven’t called her and she hasn’t called me. So what?”
Turning her attention back to Circe, she asks another question. “Is she mad at Whiskey?”
Looking skyward, trying to keep her mouth shut, Circe bites down on her lip.
“Fine. No speaking. Okay, I’ll keep trying. So she’s not mad at him, but he’s done something.” Sitting quietly for a moment, tapping her fingers on her chin, China is enjoying this way too much.
“James, I didn’t know you two were even hooking up. When did that happen?” Wyatt asks me.
“We met at Indy, and we’d seen each other a few times in the hospital in passing, so we went to lunch. We hooked up once. Nothing crazy happened. Nothing like your crazy kink shit you’re in to.”
Smirking, Wyatt grins and winks at Circe.
“Not now, Ghostman. Not now,” China huffs. Jumping up from her chair, she dances around like her hair’s on fire. She’s giddy. “I figured it out! I figured it out!”
Risen laughs and slaps her on the ass. “Well share with the rest of the room. Don’t hold out, woman.”
“Not here, man. That’s my baby sister,” I tell him.
Raising his hands in defeat, Risen laughs deep. Fucker. Like I needed that vision.
Moving over to Circe and hugging her tight, China whispers in her ear. Circe’s eyes bug out before she nods.
“Yes! I am the best at this game.” Spinning back toward me, China looks like the cat that ate the canary. “You are gonna be so pissed. And happy. Damn happy. But so pissed.” Slapping me on the arm, she smiles, laughs, then says, “Dad.”
I’m stunned to silence, taking in what she just said. Wyatt takes a seat on the bed. Circe puts her head in her hands, and Risen blinks, like, fifty times.
“What did you say?”
“There’s about to be another Crown!” Smiling, she sits down on the edge of the bed, crosses her legs, and says, “Now, how about someone tell me why we were meeting here?”