Chapter 27 #2
It was obvious how intent she was on testing the bounds of her new ability to come and go as she pleases.
Whether her carelessness can be chalked up to simple naivety after being removed from the world for so long, or something baser: a need to feel anything–good or bad, safe or dangerous.
Knowing the root cause wasn’t going to deter her from acting on it, though.
So I did the only thing I could think of at the time: coax her into coming with me, ignoring that her easy agreement set off a plethora of warning bells.
Despite us having spent the previous seven months getting acquainted with one another over the phone, I was still a stranger, for all intents and purposes, that she’d only met face-to-face a few moments prior.
But at least I knew she’d be safe with me and wouldn’t fall victim to someone else’s depravity.
“Don’t give me that self-sacrificing bullshit,” Raiden snaps, crowding Briggs’ personal space.
“There might be a hint of truth in what you’re spewing, but it mostly boils down to you feeling superior because the rest of us were excluded from your little circle of trust. You relished knowing that no one else was privy to her secret.
Too bad the jig is up.” Briggs smiles, his eyes flashing in satisfaction as Raiden reveals how bothered he is to be on the outskirts of Andi’s confidence.
Idiot. I feel no less salty about it, but his reaction is only adding fuel to the fire.
“If you think that’s the only secret I’m keeping, you’re dumber than you look.
I’ve spent more time with Andi than all of you combined.
In fact, I sleep beside her every night.
Actually…” Briggs goads, stepping closer, so his chest brushes against Raiden’s.
“It’s your bed we’re sleeping in.” I can practically hear the whoosh as he douses those angry tinders with gasoline.
Raiden charges forward, the promise of murder rolling off his body in waves.
Thankfully, Royce deflects the worst of it, forcing some much-needed space between them before they tear apart the living room.
“Need I remind you of the badge you’re wearing?
” Royce states, the underlying threat hard to miss.
“If the four of you don’t get your shit together, I’ll find Andi a new place to live.
She’s got enough stressors as it is; the last thing she needs is a group of boys masquerading as men in a constant pissing contest for her attention.
” Damn. Not gonna lie, that hurt just a bit.
Raiden, clearly having reached his threshold for what he’s willing to tolerate, storms out the front door, slamming it closed behind him.
Royce sighs, glancing between us with glaring disappointment.
“I practiced safe sex,” he grumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose as he searches valiantly for a shred of patience.
I glance at Col in confusion, who simply shrugs his shoulders, neither of us making the correlation to our current issues and Royce’s sex life.
“And yet here I am, parenting the lot of you. A bunch of assholes who can’t resist the pull to best each other.
” Royce stops his mindless pacing, spinning to face us so there’s no mistaking how serious he is.
“Fix it. One way or another, you have to figure out how to work together, because it won’t be any of you who feels the brunt of your discord; it’ll be Andi.
” Before any of us can think of a response to those wise words, Rita exits the bedroom, placing a finger against her lips.
“She needs to rest as much as possible. Growing a human is taxing enough as it is, so you boys mind your manners and keep it down out here.” We nod in unison, silently agreeing to be on our best behavior.
They leave shortly after, but my thoughts are too turbulent to stray much farther than Andi.
I guess some sheetrock and two-by-fours are as much separation as I can manage at the moment, so I settle in, resigned to a sleepless night on Raiden’s couch.
As expected, Briggs wastes no time climbing into bed with her.
I wonder what her reaction would be if I dared to be so bold.
Is she content to have his company, or did the relentless bastard simply wear her down with his persistence, and she got sick of fighting it?
Sometime later, the front door creaks open.
Col and I both jerk to attention at the sound, too many nights living in a shady trailer park having us on high alert at all times.
Raiden takes in our guarded stances and lifts his hands in an attempt to reel us back in.
He kicks the door closed and flips the deadbolt, dropping to an open space on the couch as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders.
I can’t pretend to know what this has been like for him, but it’s safe to assume his normal is no longer recognizable.
Mine sure the hell isn’t. We sit in silence for a while, lost in our own thoughts, until a throat clears and Col starts to speak.
“Royce made a good point,” he admits begrudgingly.
“Andi needs the four of us to pull our heads out of our asses and stop bickering like a bunch of angsty preteens. We might not have a lot in common, outside of me and D, but I think we can agree that Andi’s well-being is something we all have a vested interest in.
I mean, you gave up your home, Raiden, so she wouldn’t have to be displaced.
And for all of Briggs’ faults, it’s obvious he cares enough to get his shit together, if only for her sake.
He’s never shown this level of coherency for more than a few days at a time.
“We need to set aside our differences until this is over with, and give Andi a semblance of stability. Between the four of us, we can manage any slack in our schedules. There’s no reason for her to suffer through this alone–doctor’s appointments, hearings, and the like.
As it stands, we might need all hands on deck before this shit blows over, so maybe it’s a good thing she has so many people who are eager to lighten the load. ”
Raiden snorts, tilting his head so it’s draped across the back of the couch before reluctantly murmuring, “I wish I could muster up a decent response to refute your logic, but honestly, I’m tapped out. I keep trying to pull from a well that’s bone dry, and has been for quite some time.”
“Exactly.” Col nods in agreement. “It doesn’t have to be this hard. It’s okay to let us shoulder some of the burden, too.”
“Don’t use that word. It’s fucking derogatory,” I snap defensively, knowing he didn’t mean any offense but incapable of tempering my body’s instinctive reaction. “Andi isn’t an obligation that needs to be managed.”
“Of course she isn’t, you ornery prick.” Col brushes off my dig in his typical unflappable fashion. Before I can formulate a retort, Raiden’s phone chimes, interrupting our childish back and forth. He slips it from his pocket, brows drawn together as he reads the notification.
“I just got an email from an attorney claiming to represent Seth. He’s requesting a meeting with Andi tomorrow morning.
” Raiden tilts his chin up and brings his gaze to ours, the light from his screen illuminating the obvious worry etched across his face.
“I don’t want to accept on her behalf, but I don’t want to wake her either.
” He glances at the bedroom door, torn over what to do.
“Make a tentative plan for us to be there, and if she doesn’t feel inclined to take the appointment, we’ll regroup,” I offer, certain that Andi won’t pass up the opportunity for answers.
“Good call,” Col agrees. “Let’s get some fucking sleep.
It won’t do us any good to be dragging ass tomorrow.
Something tells me this shit’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
” I scowl at the idiot for daring to jinx the situation even more.
I’m not an overly superstitious person, but some things are best left unsaid so you don’t run the risk of accidentally speaking them into existence.
“Feel free to crash in Briggs’ room,” Col offers, kicking Raiden’s foot as we head towards the door. “It’s gotta be more comfortable than whatever shitty hotel you’re currently shacked up in.”
“I’d rather take my chances with a wayward used needle than sleep between that dickhead’s cum-crusted sheets.
Based on his glittering personality, I can only imagine how many times he’s had to fuck his own hand to get some action,” Raiden sneers, his lip curled in disgust at the image his mind has conjured.
I bark out a laugh, his candid response catching me off guard.
If nothing else, it seems the two of us are like-minded where Briggs is concerned.
My disdain for the man runs a bit deeper since I’ve known him longer and have firsthand knowledge of how self-centered he can be.
I stopped allowing his bullshit to affect me a long time ago, but it’s not just me or Col he’ll disappoint if he reverts to his old ways.
Keeping Briggs on the straight and narrow is no way Andi’s responsibility.
He’s grown used to Col being the buffer for his shitty behavior, but absolutely nothing will stand in the way of me fucking him up if he disappoints my butterfly.
“I mean…he’s sleeping in yours?” Col teases, cackling when Raiden grabs a throw pillow and hurls it at him, a slew of colorful curses trailing after us as we flee across the courtyard.