Page 36 of The Legend
Theproblem was that it would be a danger for a housing development that was on theother side of our 230-acre plot. Therefore, once again, I was going to have topay for all the damage.
When wegot home, the fire had been contained and all that remained was lingering smokeand a lot of burnt trees. We had a private gate when you entered the propertyand it looked as if someone tried to run into with a bulldozer. Turned out tobe where the fire truck smashed through it. A $23,000 gate was completelydestroyed.
Awesome.
“Keepcalm.” Sway said when she noticed my anger rising. “Let’s not overreact untilwe know what happened.”
Clenchingmy jaw, I pulled to the right and around crossed over the creek and then downour road. Thick layers of smoke remained, curling as we drove through. “Itlooks like the aftermath of some kind of war.”
“Yeah wellthere’s about to be world war three up in the place when I find our kids.” Iseethed.
Enteringour driveway, I pulled into the garage and shut the car off taking deep breathsand trying like hell not to explode. I remember all too well the shit me, andmy brother, did growing up and understood that parties get out of control. Thething was, I told Casten no parties and he didn’t listen.
Spencerwas in the middle of our front lawn, passed out.
“Get upasshole.” I kicked Spencer in the ribs before dumping my water bottle on him.
With alaugh, Sway walked back into the house to find Casten. We knew instantly he wasbehind this since Axel was racing in Chico.
“That kidparties harder than we ever did.” Spencer groaned holding his head with bothhands. “I think he slipped me something.”
“I’m aboutto slip you something. Get off my lawn.” Turning on my heel, I left him moaningin the grass and I found Sway, upstairs, sitting outside Casten’s room watchinghim talk to a girl. He was barely clothed and she was sitting on hiswindowsill. Apparently, either coming or going.
The girlwas young, probably fifteen and pretty. Casten went for the blondes; he had athing about them. I never did so I couldn’t see that attraction, but she waspretty.
“Oh mygod, my son is a flirt!” Sway whispered shouted in my ear with a giggleforgetting that we intended to come up here because he was in trouble. “Go inthere.” She shoved me forward.
“No.” Ipushed against her and scrambled to stand behind her. “You can’t make me go inthere. I won’t.”
“You’re ahorrible parent.”
“I amnot.”
“Addingbreaking and entering to your dossier?” Casten asked the girl sitting on thewindowsill.
“What doyou know about my dossier, Casten?” The girl whispered sultry.
Wow, isn’tshe a little young? I thought to myself.
Sway musthave thought the same thing because she put her hands on her hips and scowledat the girl from her place beside me. “Go in there,” she pushed me forwardagain and gave me the what-the-fuck look, “he’s too young to have girls in hisroom. Do something.”
I shook myhead and whispered no frantically. I was not about to go in there while he was half-nakedwith a girl in his room. I was fourteen once. That would have been the worseidea ever.
Castenlaughed and winked with his signature Riley smirk at the girl. “Ah, well, Iknow plenty, honey.”
I laughedquietly only to have Sway shove me again.
“Helearned from the best,” I whispered with arrogance and jerked back when Swaypunched my stomach.
We wentback downstairs. I did not intend to see him, or the girl, naked after thatordeal with Emma and Aiden. I shivered at the sight and forced myself to focuson something else.
“We needto punish him,” Sway said once downstairs. She sat at the bar in the kitchen,her hands cupped around her cheeks in a defeated gesture. “He needs to be punished.”
“We shouldground him.”
“Yeahbecause that always works for him,”
Lookingaround, we needed more than just the average punishment. The house had beencompletely destroyed by water, red and yellow plastic cups, food and somesubstance we had no idea what it was. It kind of resembled that crap that comesfrom a fire extinguisher. You name it and it was on the ground and outside inthe haze of smoke.
