All Grown Up (Eden High)

Knowing Mandy’s fucked up head, if she were using this for blackmail as I’m sure she is, she wouldn’t tell too many people. It would lose its power then because wasn’t the whole purpose of blackmail the threat of exposing something the other party wanted kept quiet? Why would anyone fold if you’re going to tell the whole world before you get what you want?

“I want to tell you not to worry about this, but I know that you will. What I will say is that it’s no longer yours to carry alone. No matter what, I’m going to make sure you come out of this okay.”

“Just don’t get into trouble, and tell Jace not to either.” Yeah, okay!

Jace

“Sian, do we have everything we’re gonna need for the twins packed?”

“I thought we were leaving them here with our parents for a few days?” I watched her flit around the room naked, a sheen of cum drying between her thighs. Little freak stole one when I was trying to nap after running around behind bad ass kids all morning.

“They’re too young to be left with people other than their parents.” I want to have this argument for the one-thousandth time with her hardheaded ass. The look she gave me is the same one she gave the last time she brought this shit up. “Jace, it’s not just anybody. It’s your mom and mine plus our dads, and Maggie wants to spend some time with them before we go back.”

“I’ll tell you what, just so we don’t argue again. Tonight, at about seven o’clock, you, me, and our friends will be getting on a plane. My kids had better be there, or you won’t see any of those people downstairs for a year. You choose.” I tuned out the cussing and threats and got up to go grab a shower. Like I’m dumb enough to argue with her.

I don’t know in which universe she thought there was even the slightest possibility that I was going to leave my kids here and fly hours away from them when they’re not old enough to defend themselves or tell me if someone fucked with them while daddy was gone. I don’t care that they’re our parents; there’re other people walking around this bitch; so no, fuck no.

She can roll her eyes till her corneas burn out. I’m not changing my mind. Mom and the others had given up trying, so I guess this one figured she’d give it one last shot. Chad and Heather Saunders never left me with anyone when I was a kid, so I don’t know where they get off trying to pull that shit.

She was gone by the time I came out of the shower, so I guess she used one of the guest showers down the hall since I could smell the soap she likes in the air. No doubt she’s in one of her moods now because she’s not getting her way. Whatever.

I headed downstairs to find the others. The last day and a half without Alex has been odd. We’ve been together every day since we went away to school, and this is the first time one of us has been gone. Fuck if I can sleep at night.

I feel like a worried dad with one of his kids. I know they all laugh behind my back, especially my wife, but it’s just how I feel. Before Mancini dropped his little bombshell about the squad, I sometimes wondered about the connection between my brothers and I. I’ve always been overprotective of them, especially Track. It’s for that reason that I don’t find his words suspect.

Knowing that our ancestors once shared the same bond is something we’ve been discussing for the last little while, with Track on the hunt for more answers. We’re due on Mancini’s island in a couple of days, where he promised to fill us in some more; I can’t wait. I’m not too worried about what we’ll find there; my biggest concern since last night is Alex’s wedding. Let him out on his own for one fucking day, and he screws up.

I’d given him all the warnings I could think of, with help from Track and the others, about sneaky ass women and the tricks they get up to to get us, men, to do their damn bidding. With all that training, he didn’t even last a damn day.

I’m gearing myself up for Sian’s shit to start as soon as we land because, like me, she can’t seem to deny Cassie anything. We both know, in part, what she’s been through. My wife knows she’d been bullied, and I know that she was there the night Mandy got hurt. So, between the two of us, there’s a soft spot for the little girl who got lost in the shuffle, but dammit, not this; this is where I draw the line. I don’t care what they say or do. I’m not wearing shit from a cartoon, the fuck.