31. Haze
31
HAZE
Day five of four of the six Van Dorens being gone on dangerous contracts has Imry very tense, though he tries not to be. It doesn’t help that there’s been a lot of questions thrown at him by our friends. Especially when Imry’s answer is always, ‘ I don’t know; they don’t have communication abilities right now .’
At least that’s not the case with Voss. He talks to Voss somewhat regularly. I think he’s paying more attention to the brother he can check in on as a way of convincing himself that the brothers he can’t are going to be okay.
Currently, Imry is down the hall with Jalon as they talk. I can see their profiles. Neither smile. It’s just an exchange.
This has happened a lot in the past five days. It’s either Myro or Jalon updating Imry. He comes back with a smile that’s more forced than genuine, his shoulders tense, and huddling close to my side.
He answers the new questions as best he can without saying anything at all. Something that isn’t lost on anyone, but I’m not the only one who can see how hard he’s trying not to lose his mind.
I’ve never been a twin or a triplet but I’m confident that part of Imry’s stress is because the rest of his triplet trio is in this very high danger place that Imry isn’t.
“It’s weird that Loren’s gone somewhere he can’t call me,” Oakley says, frowning at Imry and Jalon’s profiles down the hall as I am. “In the few times he’s agreed to a contract, he talks to me every day. Multiple times a day. It’s strange how he can’t this time.”
I think about the contracts Imry’s told me very little about. The way he explained how dangerous they can be. Does that mean Loren’s always put himself in those dangerous positions? I wonder how this ties into the serial killer that Loren somehow rescued Oakley from.
The story we’d been told suddenly feels like it’s Swiss cheese. I can see the holes from here. What’s the entire story?
Maybe once the brothers return home—and they will ; I refuse to believe otherwise—I’ll present my suspicions to Imry and see what he says. Since it doesn’t sound like they’re on their way home, I’ll have some time to form my hypotheses.
“Maybe it’s… location,” I suggest. “Some places don’t have connections.”
“Some places don’t even have electricity,” he adds.
Fair point.
We continue to watch until Imry comes back down the hall. I study his face thoroughly, hoping to glean some truth from his expression, as opposed to what he’s going to tell us. When he returns to the hangout area on the fourth floor, he offers us a tired smile. He has bags under his eyes.
We’ve been sleeping in the big house, so we’re close to Oakley, who’s also staying in the big house while Loren’s away. It almost feels like Imry and I are a couple. We share a bedroom. Our clothes share a closet and dresser. We share the bathroom and shower together.
In a strange way, this whole contract has inadvertently pushed us together a little more. If Imry wasn’t so stressed, I might point this out. I might edge us into a conversation that maybe I’m finally ready for.
“Anything new?” Oakley asks.
Imry sits beside me, and I pull him close as soon as his sexy ass hits the cushion. “Nope,” he says. “Which is both good news and exhausting news.”
Oakley nods. His gaze drifts back down the hall where Jalon disappeared. “Why doesn’t Daddy Jalon hang out with us? What’s he doing?”
Imry grins. He loves that we all call his father Daddy Jalon. He finds it amusing as well as endearing. “I don’t know.”
“Is he too cool to hang with the kids?” Oakley teases.
Still grinning, Imry shifts beside me to pull his phone out. I watch as he texts his father.
“Oh. Maybe I should have asked if that’s weird for you. Is it weird hanging out with your father?” Oakley asks.
Imry shakes his head. “Nope. I think we’ve all really loved that he spends time with us. Was it weird hanging with your parents?”
“Yes,” Oakley says, laughing. “It was definitely awkward when they lingered, and my friends were there. Not that they were bad or embarrassing, but I’ve realized I have a home personality and an everywhere else personality. It’s a very uncomfortable and awkward feeling trying to marry the two.”
“Well, Dad’ll be up in a few minutes. He’s finishing something.” He looks at the man sitting in the giant beanbag chair surrounded by his scary wolves. Though, truth be told, the wolves are sprawled out and napping like rugs.
Rhodes has been hanging around more often than not over the last couple weeks. I find it as amusing as I do curious since his attention is almost entirely focused on Brek when Brek’s around.
Brek, bless his innocent soul, was entirely oblivious to Rhodes’ flirting with him until yesterday. I’m not sure what made it finally click, but since then, Brek is both amused and wary.
Currently, Brek is at work. As I should be. Though I can count this as research, right? I’m with the Van Dorens, my research topic.
“What about you, Rhodes? Is it awkward to hang with your father?” Imry asks.
Rhodes looks up from his phone with a very bland expression. “Eh,” he answers, and then frowns. “Dad’s a hoe. He stopped hiding that fact as soon as I hit double digits, which means there was always a random woman hanging around who either tried to pretend she was my mother or pretended I didn’t exist. Rarely was there anything in between.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Really?”
He nods. “Yep. Spoiler—nothing has changed, even though he’s old now.”
“Who’s old now?” Jalon asks as he steps back into the loggia where we’re hanging out.
“My dad,” Rhodes says.
Jalon gives him a demure expression. “Auden is two months younger than I am.”
“Yeah, but you’re not a hoe,” Rhodes says.
Oakley slaps a hand over his mouth to keep in his giggles.
Jalon huffs as he takes a seat. Somehow, he even manages to do that in a very distinguished fashion. He crosses his leg over his knee and looks between us. “This is what the kids are doing these days, is it?”
Rhodes snorts. One of his massive beasts sneezes. He shifts to tangle his fingers into their fur, and his tone takes on a cooey, gooey sound. “Bless you, my darling. Poor thing.” The massive dog stretches and turns onto its back, exposing its belly for Rhodes to pat. “That’s better, sweetheart.”
I look at Imry. He’s smirking. Oakley’s hand remains firmly over his mouth, and Jalon watches with amusement as well.
“When did you give birth to them?” Myro asks as he steps into the loggia, stepping over the wolves like they’re landmines. “Must have been a modern marvel. I’d love to read the scientific paper on it.”
Rhodes turns and no shit—all seven dogs sit up and give Myro glares.
Myro bursts out laughing. “You’re fucking wild, man.”
Jalon shakes his head.
Turning the subject back to something other than the way he talks to his dogs, he says, “What do you think, Myro? Is my dad a hoe?”
Myro’s struggle to keep his smile in is as comical as Oakley still trying to stifle his giggle. He glances at Jalon before looking in our direction. “He’s… happily single and excessively mingling.”
Jalon chuckles under his breath.
“Oh my god, it’s not a secret. My father is a slut. There’s literally a dedicated column in three different trashy magazines that covers who my father’s been fucking that month,” Rhodes says, exasperated. “Call the camel what it is already. There’s actually very little chance I’m his only freaking child in the world. I’m just the only one he claims.”
“Why is that?” Myro asks. “Do you know?”
Rhodes shrugs. “Nope. I never thought to ask. Believe it or not, talking to your father about his sex life isn’t as comfortable as it promises to be,” he deadpans.
All eyes turn to Jalon. Jalon smiles and honestly, it’s fucking dazzling. He could definitely be a hoe if he chose. He’s just… dashing.
“How about it, Dad? You have any wild oats you want to sow? Feel like hoeing it up before you’re too old?” Myro asks.
Jalon shakes his head, rolling his eyes. “I’m happily committed to someone, thanks.”
I don’t miss the way Myro’s smile falters. Imry’s is incredibly fake right now, too.
“As you pointed out, you’re two months older than my dad. How in the hell are you more refined and respectable than he is?” Rhodes asks, sighing dramatically.
“Your father is a very respectable man,” Jalon says. “He has successfully built and manages three different financial institutions. And while he may be observed with a different woman on his arm frequently, none of his bedroom exploits have leaked into the press. There are no dirty pictures, videos, or even worn underwear floating around on auction sites. That’s more than we can say about some of our cousins.”
Rhodes grins widely. “I feel bad for great uncle Emilien. All three of his kids were wild. And that was before the internet was the black hole it is today. Somehow, they still remain locked in infamy. I swear, I see something newly incriminating monthly .”
“The glee you take from this is disturbing,” Myro says.
Rhodes cackles.
“Who’s great uncle Emilien?” Oakley asks. “Where’s the relation?”
“Emilien is mine and Auden’s fathers’ younger brother,” Jalon says. “Emilien has three children—Devereaux, Ottoline, and Cassander. All three children were definitely free-spirited in their younger years.”
“It’s so cute you’re giving them the benefit of the doubt that they’re settled down now, Uncle,” Rhodes says. “They’re really just better at covering their tracks.”
“They’re all happily married,” Jalon points out.
Imry grins, turning his face into my shoulder.
Rhodes gives Jalon an amused smile. “Indeed.”
“Okay, okay. I need some family names. Draw me a tree. I’m confused on fathers,” Oakley says. “And Haze is going to be writing a family memoir for the Van Dorens, so tell us some family stories!”
Rhodes looks at me with a wide smile. “Are you?”
I nod. “Jalon’s working on allowing me access to the family archives. I’m hoping to have something put together for the 150th anniversary of your family being on this land.”
His amusement doesn’t fade. Rhodes’ eyes flicker to Jalon before he says, “I’ll give you a short version. Our great-grandparents had eight kids, my granddad and Jalon’s dad being two of them. My granddad died when he was thirty-nine. I never knew him. Jalon’s dad, Weston, is still alive and kicking. In order: Their oldest sister, Signy, has four kids. Those kids have seven kids and two grandkids. Then comes my grandfather, Bowie, and his twin sister, Elilah. My grandfather had my father, Auden, who had me. Supposedly, I’m his only accident.”
“Hotly disputed on the trashy talk shows and scummy tabloids,” Imry mutters.
Rhodes nods solemnly. “Aunt Elilah has one child, who, in turn, has two children. Then comes Weston, who had five sons, whom you all know, beginning with Jalon. I think you’re intimately aware of this branch of the family.”
“Little bit,” Oakley says, pinching his finger and thumb together.
“Next comes Sophia with five kids, and I don’t know how many grandkids. We’re not close to Aunt Sophia. Then Emilien—three kids, thirteen grandkids. After Emilien is Lainey with three kids and an undisclosed number of grandkids.”
“Damn,” Oakley mutters.
Myro snorts.
“Lastly comes Cambria. She has five kids, thirteen grandkids, and two great-grandkids. If we got into generations above the grandparents’ line, we’re talking endless numbers of kids, grandkids, etc. Especially since families were enormous back in the day,” Rhodes says. “I’m going to quiz you later. Just be thankful I’m not giving you all the names .”
“You should at least give them Hartwell and Cartwell,” Myro says. “One of great-aunt Signy’s kids is named Hartwell. Seven years later, great-aunt Cambria had a son and named him Cartwell. The drama that still flies around it is wild. Signy has gone so far as to claim that Cambria slept with her then-husband and therefore decided to name their son just like Signy’s as a means to replace Hartwell.”
“Wow…” I say. “I thought I knew family drama.”
“Admittedly, Hartwell and Cartwell look weirdly alike,” Jalon says. “We all have a certain undertone that is present in the Van Doren line, but the two of them are… uncanny.”
“Seriously?” Oakley asks with a wide smile. He leans forward. “Do you think Cambria slept with Signy’s husband?”
“Those two were always at each other’s throats,” Jalon says, shrugging. “I’m not saying one way or another what I believe, but is it possible?” He shrugs.
“Ohh. That’s Dad talk for fuck yeah it is !” Myro says.
Oakley giggles as Rhodes cackles. His laughter makes one of his wolves howl. Then, another two join in. Before long, the entire pack is singing in the loggia as Rhodes looks at them with a disturbing amount of glee.
I look around the room and note that, for just this one minute, Jalon, Myro, and Imry are smiling. Their fear and fretting over the four sons/brothers currently in untold danger is just a niggle in their memories as they let themselves get lost in this moment of family drama.
Granted, this isn’t exactly the kind of history I’m looking for. Maybe an outtakes novella, like they do in movies at the end of the credits. Bloopers. Here are the Van Doren bloopers. Be ready to feel scandalized and filled with laughter, all at the same time.