Bad things happen in threes.
This morning, Sol turned off his phone and went MIA.
Brahms managed to dip into corners and hallways every time I stepped into view.
And tonight…
The worst of all.
Dad came back from tour.
“Don’t embarrass me.” Dad hefts a finger covered with silver rings in Zane’s direction. His blue eyes cut me to the quick. “Keep your snide little remarks to yourself.” Finn is spared from the finger point of doom, but even he gets a warning flash from dad. “We’re respectable gentlemen tonight.”
I snort.
Respectable? The only thing respectable about Jarod Cross is his bank account.
I shift in discomfort. The headline Jinx sent to my phone for confirmation is nagging at me. Why the hell is dad going through all this fuss just so we can meet some chick he’s screwing?
Something doesn’t feel right.
Dad glances in the elevator’s reflective metal siding. He admires his silver-streaked black hair, tips his chin up and fiddles with his bow tie. He looks slightly uncomfortable in the monkey suit.
Dad’s surprise visit came out of nowhere. Finn, Zane and I were headed home when a bunch of dad’s goons in suits surrounded us. We were ‘escorted’ from our car to dad’s and taken to a tux shop to change for dinner.
“Fix your scowl, Dutch. They’re going to think you want to hurt them with a mug like that.”
I slouch against the wall, letting my expression decay from plain disinterest to clear aggravation.
“Zane, stop fidgeting,” dad’s voice booms.
I glare at him.
Dad glares right back, his eyes cold as ice.
“Who the hell are these people anyway?” Zane mumbles, dropping his hands away from his hair. He’s the only one who didn’t follow dad’s ‘suit and tie’ directive.
While Finn and I shucked on the monkey suits, Zane kept on his worn grey tee, ripped jeans, and sneakers no matter what dad threatened.
Dad gave him the stink eye on the car ride over, but it’s not like he can do anything. No one can control Zane when he decides he wants to do something.
“You’ll see.” Dad smiles.
There’s a glint in his eyes that I don’t particularly like. He seems almost giddy and that only happens when he’s about to destroy something.
Finn shares a look with me. What’s going on?
I shake my head. I have no idea.
The uneasy feeling grows when the elevator stops on the right floor.
Dad gets off first. He motions us forward. “Come on, boys.”
I don’t move.
Finn doesn’t either.
“Let’s just get this over with,” Zane growls. He stomps into the restaurant.
Gut churning, I follow my twin.
The hostess greets dad with a nod. Although she looks cool and collected, the other people in the restaurant do not. Whispers roar from the surrounding tables. Phones flash. Excited squeals break out like a wave.
Without a word, the hostess escorts us into a private room.
Zane and dad file in first.
Finn and I are right behind them.
A gasp breaks out from dad’s oh-so-important guest. Something about the voice is familiar, but Zane’s currently standing frozen in my path. I step past him to see who’s in the room and my eyes fly open.
Miss Jamieson is sitting around the table. Her face is all dolled up, her hair’s in a ponytail that cascades down her back and she’s wearing a fitted black dress with one of those artsy, cleavage-plunging necklines that show all the way to her navel.
Zane takes an angry step forward and Finn clamps a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Zane halts. A vein pops out on my twin’s neck. He stares at Miss Jamieson with something close to betrayal.
I glance over at Dad.
He’s smiling, enjoying Zane’s horror.
Zane’s voice trembles. “What the hell is she doing here?”
“Zane,” dad slips right back into his fake, parental role, “that’s no way to talk to your new sister.”
My eyes widen.
Zane turns pale.
Finn frowns. “Sister?”
“Oh, everyone’s here?” a voice exclaims behind us.
We all turn and watch a woman who shares a deep, familial resemblance to Miss Jamieson glide into the room.
She’s not the twenty-something bozo chicks dad usually goes for, but her face still holds a youthful glow. I doubt she’s a day over thirty-five.
“I’m Marian.” She extends a dark hand. It has a huge diamond ring on it.
No one takes the hand she offers.
“Why the hell is there a ring on her finger?” Zane hisses.
My eyes whip to dad’s. He wraps an arm around Marian’s shoulders and gives her temple a gentle kiss. “We got married.”
Marian grins wide. When she smiles, wrinkles bracket her eyes, showing her true age and hinting that the life she’s led hasn’t been an easy one.
Immediately, I look over at Zane.
Finn does too.
But our brother isn’t looking at us, dad, or even Marian.
He’s looking at Miss Jamieson.
She’s still standing frozen behind the table, her jaw slacking and her body trembling like she’s standing in a hurricane. The panic in her gaze screams that she’d throw herself through the window to get away from here.
“It’s a really romantic story,” Marian says, when the awkward silence thickens to the point of being unbearable. “Jarod just… he saw me in the middle of the street and came right up to me. As if he knew everything about me.”
“It was love at first sight. And when you’re this sure, why wait?”
Zane snaps his mouth shut. His jaw clenches and he looks seconds away from swiping all the dinner plates and upending the table.
“Mom,” Miss Jamieson chokes out, “you didn’t tell me you’d already gotten married.” Her eyes flick to Zane before landing on her mother again. “And you certainly didn’t tell me that the groom was Jarod Cross.”
“Don’t blame her. We wanted it to be a surprise.” Dad’s cruel smile flickers across his face before he hides it again. “For everybody.”
“Well, color me freaking surprised,” Zane spits.
“Aren’t you going to offer your congratulations?”
“Mom,” Miss Jamieson’s eyes darken, “can I speak to you?”
“About what?” Marian asks innocently.
“Mom, please.”
“Honey, it’s already done.”
“This is your family now,” dad says. “These are your brothers.”
“Family?” Zane’s voice is scrambled. “Don’t pretend you know the meaning of that word, dad.”
“Where are you going?” Dad calls as Zane stomps to the door. “Why don’t you sit down and have a meal with your new step-mom and step-sister?”
Zane freezes like dad just uttered the most despicable words he’s ever heard.
“Jarod,” Marian pounds at dad’s chest with her fist and laughs giddily, “don’t force the boys to call me step-mom.” Her eyes land on each of us. “You can call me ‘Mar’.”
The tension in the room is thick enough to choke on.
Miss Jamieson stares at the floor. From the way she’s wringing those dark, slender hands of hers, she’s clearly flustered.
“Sit down, Zane.” Dad’s voice rings with authority. And then it softens to a coaxing tone. “Or do you have some pressing reason why you can’t stay?”
To anyone else’s ears, dad’s words would sound like concern. But I know who he really is. This isn’t him worrying about Zane’s feelings. This is him sticking his finger into the gaping wound he left in my twin’s chest and rearranging my brother’s guts.
Zane turns slowly. His eyes are red and his chest is heaving. Damn. I’ve never wanted to grab my brothers and run more than I do in this moment. I’ve never wanted to erase the ‘Cross’ from our last names and pretend we grew up in a normal family without a freaking psycho for a father.
When Zane finally speaks, it’s in an extremely polite tone. “Enjoy the rest of your night.”
Zane moves swiftly out of the room.
Finn chases after him.
I nod at Miss Jamieson.
She dips her chin sharply, but she can’t quite meet my eyes. Her delicate jaw muscles are straining and it looks like she’s holding herself together with every ounce of will power in her body.
I start to leave the room.
“Tell Zane we’ll do this again when he’s less emotional.” Dad’s crooning tone is like nails on a chalkboard.
My nostrils flare. My fingers pull into fists.
“By the way,” dad adds, “Miss Jamieson isn’t the only one you’ll be seeing at school.” Dad rises and flattens his hands over his tie. “Starting next week, I’m your new music teacher.”
Jinx: Rockstar Dad Turned Redwood Heartthrob
Am I dreaming? Sources say that Redwood Prep will have a special guest lecturer from now until the end of the year. Jarod Cross himself.
It looks like The Kings aren’t the only Cross royalty at Redwood. I can’t wait to see what drama the royal family is about to stir up.
Whether they’re worshiped or whether they’re plotted against, everyone wants to see the people at the top have a mighty big fall.
Until the next post, keep your enemies close and your secrets even closer.
– Jinx
