Ten sighed. “You’re right, there is something going on, but it’s not what you think. Ronan and I aren’t fighting and there’s nothing wrong in our marriage.”Aside from the fact that Ronan’s dirty socks never seemed to make it into the laundry hamper,he added silently.
“Okay, so what had the two of you looking so grim?” River wore a worried look.
Ten shook his head. “Every time we see you guys, something big happens or someone dies.”
“You do seem to attract more murders than Jessica Fletcher onMurder, She Wrote.” River grinned.
Ten burst out laughing. He loved that show when he was growing up and was a fan of the conspiracy theory that Jessica Fletcher was a serial killer. “Isn’t that the truth. No one’s been killed, but the person on the hitlist this time might just be me.”
“What?” River asked, his eyes widening. “Someone’s trying to kill you? Why the hell didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Ten knew his brother was worried about his wife and family. Truth be told, he should have told River what was happening long before today. “I’ve been having this recurring dream I can’t figure out. All I can ever remember is a pink dress. Cope saw something ominous coming.” He paused waiting for the news to sink in.
“Jesus, Ten.” River’s mouth hung open like a fish out of water. “When is this cloud of doom supposed to arrive?”
“We don’t know. Cope can’t seem more than that. Everly isn’t seeing anything at all. We don’t know how, when, where, why, or how. All I can do in the meantime is live my life. Ronan’s pissed that I’m being so casual about this whole thing, but really, what else can I do?” Telling River about the issue made Ten feel a bit better. Talking to his brother always made his heart feel lighter.
“Stay away from people moving pianos for a start.” River snorted.
Ten laughed along with his brother. “We’ve got so much going on with the circus. The kids are going to have fun learning how to swing on the trapeze and dressing up like clowns.”
“Sounds like fun, just so long as Pennywise isn’t one of the damned clowns.” River shivered in the warm room.
Ten had tried to read the infamous Stephen King book years ago, but hadn’t made it past Pennywise’s first appearance. “You’re not afraid of clowns are you?
“I’m not afraid,” River said on a nervous giggle, “but that doesn’t mean I won’t be ready to kick the big-footed fuckers in the balls if push comes to shove. I’ll keep you safe from the clowns, little brother.” River held up his pinkie finger and Ten wrapped his around it.
“Well, now that we’ve got that settled, let’s go grab some lunch. I’m starving.” Ten wasn’t, not really, but the last thing he wanted to do was sit around and talk about his dream in more detail. River was only going to be in town for nine days and Ten wanted to make the most of them.
5
Ronan
The next morning, Ronan woke up feeling like something the cat dragged and not because Ten had another nightmare. They’d hosted Aurora, Wolf, and Brooke for a sleepover. The kids had eaten too much sugar, and as a result were up half the night laughing and talking.
Not that Ronan minded. Being kept awake by giggles from the next room was much more preferable than waking up to Tennyson’s terrified screams. He’d been reluctant to have the kids sleepover in case he had another nightmare, but thankfully the night passed without incident.
Getting out of bed early, so Ten could sleep in, Ronan headed downstairs and started a pot of coffee before gathering the ingredients to make his famous pancakes. He knew everyone would be over around eight for breakfast. On the agenda for the day was to head into Boston and check out a rehearsal for the circus. He wanted to get the lay of the land and knew the kids would get a kick out of the trapeze artists and the clowns.
His personal plan was to find out the names of all the scheduled performers, so that he could run them through the Boston Police database and see if anyone had a criminal record or warrants out for their arrest. Ronan couldn’t be too careful, and not just because of Ten’s dream, but there would be thousands of people at the charity performance. Boston Police would be on duty both in and outside the arena, but Ronan wanted to do his homework ahead of time. He’d enlisted the help of old friend, and current captain of the Boston Cold Case Unit, Faulkner Hayes.
“Hi, Daddy,” Everly said on a yawn from the kitchen door. She was dressed in jeans and a bright pink unicorn tee.
“Good morning, little miss.” Ronan swooped his daughter into his arms and set her on the kitchen island. “I thought you’d still be sleeping. You guys were up pretty late last night.”
“There was just so much to talk about, Daddy.” Everly giggled, when Ronan shot her a look of disbelief.
“How could there be so much to talk about?” Ronan asked with a grin. “You and Brooke speak on FaceTime nearly every day.” He’d bitten the bullet and had gotten Everly a phone of her own so that she and Brooke could talk without having to use his or Ten’s phone. They’d put strict rules on it, like not taking the phone to bed with her or getting on social media. So far, the phone was working out great.
“Daddy, you don’t understand what it’s like to be a girl. There’s so much going on with school and the circus, fashion, and Brooke’s boyfriend.” Everly slapped her hands over her mouth. The six year old had obviously spilled a secret confidence.
“Wait! What?” Ronan grabbed the nearest stool and sat down in front of Everly. “Brooke has a boyfriend? Spill the tea, girl.”
Everly giggled at Ronan’s response. “Well, I wasn’t supposed to tell you. His name is Winston. He likes to play video games and he smells like tuna fish.”
Ronan burst out laughing. “Ew!”
“Right! I don’t think I could hold hands with a boy who smelled like that.” Everly wrinkled her nose.
