Hold (Gentry Boys, #5)(22)
“Hey, how’s Steph? Feel like I’ve barely seen her in months.”
Chase shifted and I thought I detected a fleeting look of worry. But then it was replaced with a cocky grin.
“She’s good. Might be a little worn out today after all our erotic acrobatics last night but no worries. She’s used to my punishing stamina.”
Creed rolled his eyes and snorted. “Keep your stamina back there where it belongs.”
“Don’t be jealous, Creedence.”
“Fuck you.”
“No thanks. You’re not pretty enough.”
I laughed out loud, feeling good all of a sudden, despite the fact that we were driving straight to Emblem. In some ways we would always be boys. I laughed so hard I started coughing.
“Look at that,” Chase accused. “You broke Cord. Saylor’s gonna kill you. It’ll just be one more reason why I’m her favorite brother-in-law.”
“Bullshit. Saylor never said that.”
“She did. Truly told me.”
“My wife wouldn’t tell you a damn thing.”
“Truly adores me.”
“Why don’t you put a ring on your own business, Junior, and stay out of mine?”
It was the kind of mocking barb we’d been hurling at each other since we could talk. Chase was never one to back down from verbal combat but he quieted right down. Creed must have hit a nerve without really meaning to.
I was done coughing so I turned around to see Chase kind of slumped in the backseat. He shook it off when he saw me staring though.
I raised an eyebrow. “Everything okay?”
“Of course,” he answered automatically. Whatever was eating him must have something to do with Stephanie. The two of them had always been somewhat volatile in a way but I suppose every relationship was different. It seemed like they’d settled into a happy life and I expected they would stay together. They loved each other fiercely and at this point I couldn’t imagine Chase with any other woman but Stephanie. I knew he couldn’t imagine it either. I hoped that would be enough.
Creed could be sensitive when he wanted to be. He realized that the mood had soured and so he switched topics. He asked Chase questions about the teaching job he’d be starting in a few months. Chase perked up and started talking about how he couldn’t wait to be in front of a classroom. I was so proud of him. And those kids he’d be teaching were damn lucky to have him.
As the miles passed, the scenery was largely the same. One sprawling stucco suburban tract after another, punctuated by strip malls. We ran into some traffic due to all the folks headed out to their far-flung subdivisions after working all day. I didn’t mind. It was nice being with my brothers and we’d still make it there in plenty of time.
As Creed exited the freeway in favor of the two lane road that led to Emblem the mountains were just beginning to melt into the darkness. The neat little communities became fewer and farther apart, surrounded by the endless inky expanse of the desert.
When we closed in on Emblem the first thing I saw was the harsh light radiating from the sprawling prison. A good chunk of the locals were employed by the prison in some way, including Saylor’s father. John McCann and I weren’t enemies but we weren’t friendly either. Saylor invited her father up to Tempe far more often than he agreed to visit and sometimes I wondered if that had something to do with me. Saylor’s father and my father had an unsavory history that I didn’t know much about, other than they’d known each other as kids. Her mother had all but disowned her when she found out Saylor was marrying a filthy Gentry.
Impulsively I withdrew my phone, figuring I ought to text Say and let her know exactly where I was. Then I thought better of it. She’d wait up and worry if she knew I was down in Emblem. There was no harm in letting her think I was happily carousing around Tempe with the boys.
I didn’t even realize I was squeezing the soda cup until it crumpled in my hands and spilled ice into my lap. If Creed had something to say about it he chose not to. He merely opened the window so I could toss the ice out onto the pavement.
“Is that Gaps?” Chase pointed.
“That’s Gaps,” I confirmed, squinting out the window at a lone figure leaning against a police cruiser at the boxy Emblem police station.
Gaps saw us coming and raised a hand in greeting. The sunlight was rapidly disappearing but I could recognize the weak chin and sagging gut that were the hallmarks of all the men in his family. Funny thing, heredity. You’re handed all these pieces of yourself and believe they’re unique to you, but everything about you belonged to someone else first.
Gaps leaned inside the window when Creed rolled it down. “Hey, boys.”
“Should we go inside?” Creed asked, motioning to the station right after he cut the engine.
Gaps frowned slightly. “Nah, let’s keep this away from all the eyes.”
I waved around the bundle of cash. “Shouldn’t we get off Main Street then?”
Instead of answering, Gaps opened up the door to the back cab and climbed in. He produced an envelope and held it up. “So who will do the honors?”
Chase took the envelope and opened the contents cautiously. Creed flipped on the overhead light since it was really too dark to read properly. I swiveled around and watched Chase while he scanned the documents. After a moment he nodded.