Chapter 3
MEMPHIS
“Recalculating. I hate that!” Scarlet said as she glared at the nav screen on the dash. “I think we need to get some of the brainier people in the family to create a more realistic navigation system.”
Xavier, who happened to be driving, laughed before he said, “Maybe while they’re doing all that brainy stuff they can figure out a way to make people like you stay in your fucking seatbelt and quit crowding the driver.”
Scarlet ignored him and rested her forearms on the console, perfectly comfortable wedged in between us, and suggested, “Instead of that recalculating bullshit, it should say something more realistic like, ‘Shit! You missed your turn. Give me a second to figure out how to get there now.’ That is something I can get behind.”
“I like that,” Xavier conceded. “But it should have a dozen or so options so that it’s not always the same thing. Change it up now and then and say, ‘Where the hell are you going?’”
“‘Are you even listening to me?’” Scarlet laughed and added, “‘Who the hell taught you how to drive?’”
“‘At this rate, we’re never gonna get there!’”
“What would be really funny is if they figured out how to change the voice to someone you know!”
Xavier cringed. “And have my dad’s voice come through the speaker telling me to get my head out of my ass and pay attention to the road? No, thank you.”
“Sam’s voice would be a hit with the women of the world,” Scarlet mused. “We should look into that.”
“And have the rest of the world traumatized when he starts cussing because your driving makes him lose his shit? Again, no thanks.”
Sam Duke, Xavier’s dad, was a funny guy, but when Xavier and I were going through driver's training, having him in the passenger seat was a comedy show. Of course, I only thought that because I’d never driven with him freaking out in the passenger seat beside me, only as an observer in the back seat.
“Turn left in three hundred feet,” the nav voice announced.
“Shit. We’re here,” I whispered frantically.
Scarlet leaned her head on my shoulder. “It’s all gonna work out, Mem.”
“Yeah. That girl said her sister only has the little girl’s best interests at heart. As soon as she sees that you’re not here for anything nefarious, she’ll be chill.”
“Oh, yeah, sure. Tell me, what would your mom do if some guy showed up and told her he wanted to move her kid to a different town?” I asked.
“Carlie would rally the troops and start killing people,” Scarlet answered for Xavier. “Our mom would . . . well, she’d be part of the troops, just like Carlie would be if Mom made the call.”
Xavier laughed. “That’s true, but this is different. It’s not like you’re gonna snatch the kid up, man. You’ve got a plan, and now she just needs to roll with it.”
“Because women are so good at that,” I scoffed.
“Hey!” Scarlet snapped. “I’m a woman!”
“And you’re great at being told how shit’s gonna go, aren’t you?” I asked sarcastically.
“Listen, you got input from the wisest woman of all on how to handle this, and you’ve followed her instructions to the letter. I’ve got faith that Gamma knows what she’s talking about, so if you stay the course, everything’s gonna be okay,” Scarlet assured me.
“I’ve played in front of huge crowds, talked on live television to God knows how many people, and done all sorts of crazy shit in my life, but I’ve never been this nervous,” I admitted.
“Because in those situations, you could put your guitar or the mic down and walk the fuck out. Once you go up there and get this ball rolling, there’s not gonna be an out, even if you decide you want one.”
Xavier was mostly right, but in reality, the second I found out that I had a child, there was no going back for me.
Family was more important than anything in the world.
We had all been raised with that core concept.
There was no way in hell I could ignore my own child or deny her the opportunity to be surrounded by the people who would love her just as much as I did.
“I’m going in.”
“We’ll stay here until you call for us,” Scarlet assured me. She kissed my cheek and whispered, “You’ve got this, Mem.”
“Thanks for coming with me, guys,” I said earnestly. “I don’t know if I could have made this drive on my own.”
“If you would fly like a normal person, we’d have been here six hours ago,” Xavier complained, probably trying to lighten the mood.
“It’s best that we don’t draw any more attention to this situation than necessary,” Scarlet reminded him. “If this can get resolved without making any ripples in the media, then everything will be fine. And if she fucks around, then we’ll drag her ass through the court system.”
“No threats, Scar.”
“That’s not a threat. That’s the fucking truth and you know it.”
“Neither of you need to go in there with guns blazing, okay?” Xavier reminded us, but I knew he was mostly talking to my sister. “Be calm and stay calm, until it’s no longer an option.”
“We’ve been sitting in front of her house for ten minutes now,” I reminded them as I opened the truck door and slid out. I turned around and looked at my best friend and my sister before I blew out a long breath and said, “I’m going in.”
“You’ve got this, Mem. We’re right behind you,” Scarlet assured me.
Xavier extended his fist, and I bumped it with mine as he said, “Congratulations, Dad. You’re about to meet your little girl.”
“Fuck! I’m terrified!”
“We’re only afraid of what’s most important. If you weren’t scared, I’d wonder about you, my friend.”
“Xav is right. A little bit of fear brings caution, and with caution comes the greatest rewards.”
“Says the woman who plows through the world with blinders on when she sees something she wants,” Xavier teased.
And then they were off, bickering like they’d been doing since we were kids and forgetting about everything and everyone around them.
I didn’t mind, though. I pulled the file folder out from behind the visor where I’d stuck it.
I’d read it through at least ten times today while we’d been driving.
I closed the door and turned to look at the house before me.
I’d looked the address up online, checking out the neighborhood, the value of the home, and every other piece of information I could find, so the sight of it wasn’t a complete shock.
However, there were subtle differences that the satellite pictures on Google Maps hadn’t shown.
Those little details told an entirely different story–and it was a good one.
A pair of children’s rainboots sat on the porch next to a small, brightly colored umbrella that was still dripping from the storm we’d driven through about an hour ago.
As I looked around the yard, I saw more clues.
In the pebbled flower bed flanking the sidewalk, brightly painted rocks were tucked here and there alongside a paving stone featuring a child’s handprint.
Everything seemed like a typical, nice suburban home that held a family–specifically, a little girl. The only exceptions were the random toy cars scattered in groups. It reminded me of what my parents’ front walkway looked like when I was a kid and used the sidewalk as my personal racetrack.
My brothers, sisters, and I had spent hours crawling in the grass next to the sidewalk with our collection of Hot Wheels.
Along with an assortment of other toys, we created racetracks and entire worlds that echoed with the sounds of four little boys and two little girls mimicking the squeal of screeching tires.
More often than not, our older brothers–Adam, Joshua, and Heath–would join us for a little while.
I had more memories than I could count of playing cars with my dad, my uncles, and my Papa.
Considering the size of my family, there were cousins involved too.
Most of them seemed to love anything with an engine and wheels as much as we did.
I shook off the memories and kept walking until I stopped in front of the door. I glanced over my shoulder and couldn’t help but smile when Xavier gave me a thumbs-up while Scarlet made a motion for me to get on with it.
I still wasn’t sure it was the best idea to ambush this woman, but the general consensus among the few who knew the situation was that ripping off the Band-Aid and putting my cards on the table was the right way to proceed.
And if she didn’t like the hand she was dealt, I had another ace up my sleeve that included DNA and some damn fine lawyers.
But I wouldn’t take that route unless forced.
I pressed the doorbell and looked up at the camera to give whoever was watching a good look at my face. I heard voices inside, then a woman’s loud squeal before the front door flew open and I found myself face-to-face with one of the women I’d seen in the photos.
Erisa–Iliana and Cassia’s sister–was erratic, hilarious, dramatic, and loyal to the bone. Apparently, she was a force to be reckoned with, but the fact that she had been a big fan of the band since our start might help pave the way. At least, that’s what Iliana seemed to think.
Since the only information I had was what I’d gathered from Iliana during her visit to Rojo, I was going to have to muddle my way through. I started by giving the woman in front of me the smile that fans seemed to love.
The woman’s scream reached a decibel that could have been heard three counties over–and then she slammed the door in my face.
I cleared my throat and then glanced over my shoulder to the truck. I could hear Scarlet and Xavier cackling loudly at the woman’s reaction.
I looked back at the door when I heard another woman’s voice yell, “You did what?”
I assumed Erisa had recognized me and told Cassia who was at the front door, and then Iliana had finally admitted that she’d been in contact with me. I realized I was right when the door flew open again. This time, a breathtaking woman with fire in her eyes was standing there.
“Hello.” Her eyes narrowed, so I tried again. “You must be Cassia. I’m Memphis Forrester.”
“What do you want?”