Slowly climbing out of the truck, I grumbled and reluctantly followed. Upon entering, I found my cousin Romeo standing firmly in the drawing room, arms crossed over his chest as he glared at his sister C.C. “Hey, you two. What’s going on?”
“C.C. was about to tell me how she knows Trip.”
“For the last time, I don’t know a Trip. How the hell was I supposed to know that Calvin Hall is some biker from Virginia? All I know about the fucker is he killed two drivers and vanished from the circuit.”
“Exonerated,” Romeo and I blurted, then I asked, “What’s the problem? So Trip is coming to take Mitch’s place?”
“You knew about this, Wade?” Romeo asked, looking at me.
“Well, yeah. It’s all anyone’s talking about.”
“Look, Jasper,” C.C. said, getting her brother’s attention. “It’s not like I have a choice in the matter. Ansel is bringing him in. Not me. I’m just the driver.”
We all turned when the screen door opened and in walked Sugar and Enigma with their boys, Benny, Sean, and baby Finn.
“Gator!” Benny rushed over, hugging my leg. “Are we still going fishing?”
“Sure thing, bud,” I said, leaning over to give Sugar a kiss on the cheek and then shook Enigma’s hand.
“Trouble?” Enigma looked at Romeo, then at C.C.
“Yes.” Romeo glared. “Did you know Trip was returning to the circuit?”
“Uh, yeah,” Enigma admitted. “Ansel called King last week and asked for a special request. What’s the problem?”
C.C. growled. “This is my business, Jasper, and you are staying the hell out of it,” she snapped as she shoved past him, taking the boys with her, just as Auntie Gail and Uncle John walked in.
It was official.
All three La Croix sisters were home.
“I’m going to go find Devlyn. Is she in the kitchen?” Sugar asked.
“Yeah, she probably ate half the fridge by now.”
Sugar said nothing and walked off, leaving me alone with Rome and Enigma. Looking between them both, I groaned, “Alright. What’s going on?”
Enigma sighed. “All I know was that Trip wasn’t fucking happy when he learned Ansel called. Brother has been crystal clear for years. He wants nothing to do with the circuit. Then Ansel called and asked for a special request. A sit-down meeting with him.”
“Fucker is setting my sister up, isn’t he?” Rome asked.
“That’s what Trip thinks. King’s calling in all the brothers on this one. Something about it doesn’t sit well with him or Trip.”
“This have anything to do with Trip’s past?” I asked.
Enigma nodded. “Possibly, but he isn’t sure yet, and King’s not taking the chance after what Trip’s already been through.”
“That was some real shady shit Ansel pulled against Trip. Don’t blame the brother for being cautious, but I ain’t gonna let that pansy-assed fucker throw my sister under the bridge.”
“What aren’t you telling us, Enigma?” I asked.
“Like I said, Trip’s leery and after everything that’s happened, he’s being cautious. Playing it safe. He really wants nothing to do with the circuit and if it wasn’t for King asking to take the meeting, Trip would have blown the fucker off. I don’t think you guys realize how much this is fucking with Trip.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, for starters, Trip finally got behind the wheel of his car for the first time in years, five days ago. Brother rides his bike in the dead of winter because he flat out refused to sit behind the wheel again, and then Ansel calls and shit goes tits up.”
Romeo groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. “If Ansel is looking to railroad my sister, he’s got another thing coming. I make a call and I can have the Silver Shadows here in fourteen hours. The Arkansas Chapter in six.”
