Chapter 40 Wedding-ish
wedding-ish
Liam
What is that sound? What is that feeling?
Oh, fuck my life.
I wake knowing exactly where I am and why I’m here, but not what to do about it. Yet.
My phone isn’t dead, but the battery is way too fucking low for bad attempts. No messages in or out. No emails. Phone signal is dampened until even SOS doesn’t show. I’m in a metal box.
I bet if I rotted here, the smell wouldn’t even impact the rooms around me.
A thought occurs to me. Did Briggs even buy this place?
If not… If not, I was lured into a snare that was brilliantly laid and foolishly fallen for. I’ll kick my own ass if that’s the case.
But the sound and that feeling? I drop my head before I think better of it.
If today were stand-up comedy, life just dropped the punchline. Ba-dum-bum-ching with a snare drum. Under my chin, nestled between my beard and my neck, something purrs. Pulling out my flashlight, I find a jet-black kitten, too young to be weaned already, shivering and mewing.
“Well, cat, I need to figure some things out for us to survive. Otherwise, you and I will meet the same fate.” Though his or hers, I have no clue, will be more peaceful and much sooner.
Why is it when things are this stressful, the brain focuses like a laser more so than any other time?
Fourteen percent battery life means efficiency is the name of the game.
I disable everything on my phone and close out all the apps.
I’m booting down when a thought hits me.
I hot spotted off Briggs’ phone once. We were low in the valley around his house by Durango and he had signal where I didn’t.
I won’t have to hack Wi-Fi—something I don’t have the time or the battery for—if my phone will connect.
I search the networks and find his phone. He must be close; I’m guessing somewhere above me. I can’t hear anything in this soundproof room. The signal is weak, and if he sees, I’ll be dead.
But I’m dead otherwise. Or as good as.
Me: SOS. Need extraction. Jackson, WY. Christian, plane. Fitz/Ren, dropping pin. Trapped in safe room in master suite. Windowsill is a latch. Dire. Low battery. Will check when I can.
The bar travels slowly and gets stuck at the three-quarters mark. I can’t be sure I’m not praying as it slowly tries to trek across the screen, stopping like a needle on a record only to have the red circle with the exclamation point emerge.
I try again.
Same thing.
I try each man individually, walking as close to the metal door as I dare, hoping the signal is stronger next to the source.
The result is the same each time.
Fuck.
I turn off the phone after finding my way back to my previous seat and using the flashlight to examine what I can of the room.
One air vent at the top for making sure the owners won’t die if they need to say in here for long.
One return air intake that’s lost its cover.
Is that how this little one got trapped in here?
The wall still holds a little warmth. The room itself is too cold. The kind of cold that’s damp and where your body wants to succumb to the cold, wants to fall asleep. I can’t afford that. I need to stay awake, stay on guard.
“Come here, cat.” I lift the screaming kitten who is too thin for his own good and tuck him under my beard again. “If you ever tell anyone about this… Well, I’ll be embarrassed but rich because I’ll have a talking cat.”
The little thing shivers but kneads along my skin, purring enough to settle the tension that mounts inside me.
I will not die today.
And I won’t let this creature die either.
Lorien
With all the discipline I have, I left the back porch and made my way inside.
I can’t say I didn’t want to watch or listen.
I’m nosy on things like this, but I didn’t want to see the train wreck that was inevitable, so I’m holed up in my room and don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Not true. I don’t know whether to cry sad tears or angry tears.
Sam marches to the beat of her own drum.
Sometimes the drummer is off rhythm and has no business playing.
Like today. Today is about Strider. Today is the day we all fought for, dreamed of, dreaded in a loop until those emotions swirled into their own unnamable thing.
It’s what happens when fear and hope melt into each other.
And, instead of one day to be his, one day to be about hope winning out, Sam has made it about herself. Whether my parents go or abstain. Whether we celebrate Strider with Segways or steaks, today will always have the cloud of Sam’s selfishness hanging overhead.
She didn’t invite me. She didn’t invite my brother. She asked Dad and said he and Mom were welcome. All righty then…
I grab my phone.
Me: Can you pick me up in 30 minutes? Let’s get a head start on the celebration.
Strider: I can do that.
Me: Sweet. I need to fall off my segway with fewer spectators. By the time the rest of the family arrives, I’ll be a master.
Strider: Keep telling yourself that, Lolo.
My phone rings with Ayla’s name flashing on the screen, and I switch apps, putting the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“Lorien, it’s Ayla.” Her words are rushed out.
I knew that. “What’s up? You sound tense.”
“’Kay. I don’t want you to panic, but we heard from Liam. Something’s happened—”
“What?” I interject, forgetting all my manners about interrupting and overtalking.
Her voice drops. “It’s not good, but it’s fixable.”
“Ayla.” My own voice is a whisper. Worry leaches through every syllable.
“Liam got a text out to Christian and the guys. He’s in trouble in Wyoming. They’re going to find him.”
“He mentioned Jackson Hole before….” My voice is barely audible. “I forgot.”
“Can you think of anything else? Anything at all?”
I replay the conversation in my mind, but there’s nothing. We got tangled up in the details about this weekend and changed topics.
“Nothing. What can I do? I feel helpless.”
“I don’t know. Annika calls him the Kool-Aid man, though, and I’m counting on that spirit.”
“Who’s Annika? Do I want to know?”
“I forget you don’t know everybody yet. It feels like you’ve been around longer than you have. Hold on.”
What? She’s jerking me around though I don’t think she means to. I wander, throwing on shorts and searching for a t-shirt for the day. I’ve put on two different socks by the time she comes back, and I’m reminded of my panicked run to the airport.
“I’m back, but I need to go. I’ll keep you posted, okay?”
I haven’t echoed her okay when she disconnects. I’m panicked, panicking, and am half wishing I could fly home, half wishing I could just pretend while I’m here.
I brush my teeth and put on a little makeup. It’s not typical for me, not a lot anyway, but the shock I’m experiencing means I look pale—paler than normal—and I need the mask.
All of a sudden today feels ominous... and not in an exciting way.
Phone and ID in my back pocket and sunglasses on to block the world from my true feelings, I holler, “Heading out with Strider for some quality time.” The front door closes behind me before Strider has a chance to park.
“Let’s roll.” I point through the windshield before grabbing my seatbelt.
We’re nearly downtown, when my brother pulls into a grocery store parking lot, puts it in park, and turns to me. “Spill.”
“Not today. Tomorrow, maybe, but today is about you. Happy birthday. What do you want to do?” I’m talking faster than I should be, but I have to fill the silence. There’s too much of that in every other area of my life.
“What I want is to know what has you rattled.” He puts his big brother voice into it.
My face scrunches of its own accord, and I look away.
“What made you call this morning?”
“Having time with you.” The duh is obvious in my voice, but the way the sentence tilts up in question lacks authority.
“And?”
“And Sam is being Sam. Mom and Dad are… Well, I’ve never seen them like they were this morning. And you and I are on the outside, so we might as well be on the outside together.”
His phone rings inside his SUV. “Dad” flashes on the screen.
“Hello?” Strider asks but stares at me.
“Stride, is Lorien with you?”
“I’m right here, Dad.”
“You left without saying anything.”
I did but I didn’t pause to make sure they heard. “And you didn’t answer your phone.”
Ugh. I slide it from my back pocket only to realize it’s on do not disturb. How did that happen? I toggle it back on as I say, “Sorry about that. I’m with Strider. We’re starting birthday shenanigans early.”
“And avoiding your sister’s wedding at the same time?”
Strider’s eyes go wide, and I avert my gaze. “Well, she asked you and Mom. She didn’t include me.” I sound petulant. But today is about Strider. Sam has always come off a little jealous of the attention he gets, attention he’d rather not have if it came down to it.
“That isn’t what she meant. And if it was, I don’t care. You two should be there.” Dad sounds defeated.
“Shorts and tee aren’t proper wedding attire.” I pretend my own wedding-ish wasn’t in a t-shirt over tacos. “And I’m just hearing about it,” Strider answers our dad but turns his chin to me in disappointment.
That’s when my phone starts dinging.
And doesn’t stop.
Ayla: The guys are en route. I don’t know more, but as I do, I’ll tell you.
Ayla: Fitz was Special Forces, and I trust him.
Ayla: And Ren is no slouch. How long will that take?
Me: Fitz who makes chili?
Ayla: Knowing Fitz, he has talents none of us know of. I wouldn’t be surprised if the man can cook.
Me: I’ve had his chili. Or Liam’s. It was Fitz’s recipe.
Me: Who’s Ren?
“Earth to Lorien. Gondor calls for aid.”
I slide my eyes to my brother who looks at me with suspicion. “What are you on about?”
“Well, I’ve been talking to you since Dad hung up, and you’ve been over there making faces acting out whatever is happening on your screen. Gonna share?”
I pull my phone back almost to the door.
“So you have something to hide? I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Whatever.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about Sam?” he starts.
I shrug.
“Use your words.”
I growl. I can do that in this car and not get a spanking.
“You know I know you’re lying, right?”
“I haven’t uttered a single falsehood.”
“Correction.” He holds up a finger. “I know you’re hiding something. And I’m going to get to the bottom of it. Today.”
“That sounds like a threat.” I’m appalled.
“It’s a promise, little sister.” He puts the car in drive and pulls back out onto the highway. “Now what shall we do while our sister gets married without us at her side?”