Page 52 of Ruptured
“That only happened once. Mom’s not a villain.”
“Once was enough,” Axel said impatiently. “I’m going to say that until you and Diesel make Dad understand. Cuz, C., if his woman was a dragon rider, she would’ve torched him and uscuz of our association.” He wagged a finger in front of CJ’s face. “Momisn’tthe villain. Dad isn’t either. He’s just stupid.”
“Dad’s very smart. And you said he makes her mad because he loses his mind not because he’s dumb.”
Axel swiped his arm across his nose and sucked in snot. “You’re stupid, too, cuz you’re not hearing me.”
“Then explain it to me.”
“That would take more fucking breath than I got. When you figure it out, let me know.”
“Fine, Ax.” CJ started off again. “I still can’t believe Dad killed Nyx in front of Ransom,” he grumbled.
“So that means we have to do an interception cuz he’s mad at her.”
“Intervention.” Curiosity got the best of CJ. He needed to know what Axel saw for him to be so convinced of Dad’s anger. “And why do you think he’s mad at her?”
“Are you brand new, CJ? Dad would be with his woman and let you be with Reb. He goes to her room for five fucking minutes, then leaves.”
“He’s worried about Rebel.”
“Nope, he’s mad at Mom. When you got all those drugs in you, he wouldn’t leave her side until he heard you’d be okay, then he went hunting. When she was in the hospital to get Jo out, he didn’t even come home. He didn’t sleep or nothing. He’d worry about Reb from Mom’s room if he wasn’t mad.”
“You see more than I give you credit for.”
“Am I fucking blind?” Axel huffed. “Of course I see.”
CJ laughed. “It’s an expression, Axel.”
“Okay, I’ll ask you about it later. I don’t feel like learning nothing new.”
“You haven’t learned anything at all. None of us have been to school in days.”
“What do you meanus? You haven’t been to school longer than that.”
“I know,” CJ said morosely as they reached the short pathway that led to Uncle Cash’s front door.
“Don’t you miss it?”
“No,” he lied. If he admitted how much he missed school and the football team, it might get back to Dad. “I want to join the club.”
“You can’t join the club anyway right now, stupid. You might as well make use of your time and go to fucking school like the rest of us.”
“You don’t understand. Dad can teach me what school can’t.” If his father could focus.
“Yeah, how to piss off his woman. That’s aboutallhe can teach you now. You’re not eighteen, so shut up until then. No matter what that motherfucker teaches you, you can’t join the club.”
CJ gritted his teeth, not wanting to lose his temper with his little brother. Reaching the entrance, he rang the doorbell and waited.
Considering Uncle Cash’s monied background, his home was rather ordinary. Even Aunt Bunny and Uncle Digger’s English cottage house had charm. But this bungalow had brown and green siding that blended in with the forest. The main house was a one story structure where a porch led to the front door. Attached to the home by a covered breezeway was a two-story building constructed of brick and glass that housed the kitchen and breakfast room on the first floor and the dining room on the second floor.
Not CJ’s favorite style because it made no sense to him.
“CJ,” Uncle Cash greeted when he opened the door. He smiled at Axel. “Ax.”
“Hey, Uncle Cash,” CJ said, guiding Axel in when their uncle stepped aside so they could enter the house.
Loud sobs echoed down the hall. Annoyance crossed Uncle Cash’s face.
