Always Crew by Tijan
CROSS
Bren had just tore out of the house right when my phone started ringing from the bedroom.
I went back out, naked, the shower still running for me. Grabbing it, seeing who was calling, I bit back a groan.
“Yeah?”
Bren’s brother laughed harshly from the other end as I went to turn off my shower. “What a greeting. Hello to you.”
I went back, sitting on the bed and raking a hand over my hair. “Don’t start. I know you’re calling with bad news.”
“I’m not even going to ask how you know, because, of course, I am. Good news, I’m calling my sister.”
My point exactly. I sat up, the energy I had after being with Bren was fast leaving me. I was exhausted once more. “What’s up, Channing?”
“I’m coming there.”
Whoa. I jerked up. “What?” I was suddenly all the way alert, more than I wanted to be. Post-sex was usually nice and happy and lots of extra endorphins. It wasn’t this. He was putting a lid on my post-sex good feeling. “When? Why?”
“Today, and with my guys. Bren called our dad last night. You know that?”
I went still, super still. “No. When?”
“I don’t know when, but she did. What’s going on up there for her to suddenly decide to do that? I don’t want her around him. He is not good for her.”
He was preaching to me like I wasn’t the choir here. I growled back, “I know that.”
“Where’s my sister? She’s not answering her phone.”
“She went to work.”
“Wait. What?! Why’d she go there? They’re going to use her or ice her out. You weren’t supposed to let her go back.”
“What are you talking about? You’re the one who set her up with them for a job in the first place.”
“I did because they have a good reputation, and at the time, I had no clue there’d be thirty warrants issued for our dad’s MC. Is there more that you haven’t told me?”
I paused, gritting my teeth, because there was.
“Cross,” he growled at the silence.
I sighed, filling him in on my conversation with Bren’s employer yesterday.
“What. The. Fuck?! You admitted to that? He could’ve been recording you. That’s evidence he now has.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
Channing got quiet. “What do you mean?”
“Listen, he said they were icing her out for her own good. They didn’t want to put her in the middle.”
“Bullshit.” He exhaled a big burst of air from his end. “We’re on our way up. We’ll be there around noon, maybe before. We have a few pit stops on the way. Are you around?”
“I’ll be done with my last class around four-thirty.”
“I want you available to be there for Bren. Our dad is heading up. He’s going to get in town before us, but I don’t know if or when he’ll approach Bren. We’ll handle it, and if I think Bren needs you, I’ll call.” Now it was my turn to growl at him. “Fuck that. I told you that you have to loop us in. You don’t and nothing will get resolved. I’m assuming that’s why you’re coming up here, right? To resolve something.”
“You’re in college. You guys shouldn’t be dealing with any of this.”
“Yeah, well, it’s Bren’s dad, so we will. We’ll do whatever we have to to have her back.”
Channing was quiet a beat on his end. “I’ll call when we’re getting to town. Check in with Bren today. A lot.”
“I will.”
Then we hung up, and I texted everyone letting them know what was happening. We all needed to be on alert.
Jordan: Got it. Bren, let us know how you’re doing.
Zellman: I’ll call Sunday, see if anything’s going on at their end. Bren, thinking of you.
And then, lastly:
Bren: Thanks, guys. So far, so good.
And to me:
Bren: I have to deal with my dad. I wanted to see how he’d respond before mentioning it. That’s the only reason I didn’t tell you I reached out.
Me: Did he respond?
Bren: No, but now I know he’s coming. I’ll be waiting.
Me: Want me to skip class and look for him?
Bren: No. In a way, Channing’s right. You guys are in college. You should be college students, you know?
Me: We’re crew first.
Bren: And that’s why I love you.
I grinned.
Me: Love you too.
Bren: Go and learn something, College Boy. I’m heading in to hopefully bust someone’s head today.
Me: There’s my girl.
