Page 112 of The Ruthless Note

Bad things happen in threes.

This morning, Sol turned off his phone and went MIA.

Brahms managed to dip into corners and hallways every time I stepped into view.

And tonight…

The worst of all.

Dad came back from tour.

“Don’t embarrass me.” Dad hefts a finger covered with silver rings in Zane’s direction. His blue eyes cut me to the quick. “Keep your snide little remarks to yourself.” Finn is spared from the finger point of doom, but even he gets a warning flash from dad. “We’re respectable gentlemen tonight.”

I snort.

Respectable? The only thing respectable about Jarod Cross is his bank account.

I shift in discomfort. The headline Jinx sent to my phone for confirmation is nagging at me. Why the hell is dad going through all this fuss just so we can meet some chick he’s screwing?

Something doesn’t feel right.

Dad glances in the elevator’s reflective metal siding. He admires his silver-streaked black hair, tips his chin up and fiddles with his bow tie. He looks slightly uncomfortable in the monkey suit.

Dad’s surprise visit came out of nowhere. Finn, Zane and I were headed home when a bunch of dad’s goons in suits surrounded us. We were ‘escorted’ from our car to dad’s and taken to a tux shop to change for dinner.

“Fix your scowl, Dutch. They’re going to think you want to hurt them with a mug like that.”

I slouch against the wall, letting my expression decay from plain disinterest to clear aggravation.

“Zane, stop fidgeting,” dad’s voice booms.

I glare at him.

Dad glares right back, his eyes cold as ice.

“Who the hell are these people anyway?” Zane mumbles, dropping his hands away from his hair. He’s the only one who didn’t follow dad’s ‘suit and tie’ directive.

While Finn and I shucked on the monkey suits, Zane kept on his worn grey tee, ripped jeans, and sneakers no matter what dad threatened.

Dad gave him the stink eye on the car ride over, but it’s not like he can do anything. No one can control Zane when he decides he wants to do something.

“You’ll see.” Dad smiles.

There’s a glint in his eyes that I don’t particularly like. He seems almost giddy and that only happens when he’s about to destroy something.

Finn shares a look with me.What’s going on?

I shake my head.I have no idea.

The uneasy feeling grows when the elevator stops on the right floor.

Dad gets off first. He motions us forward. “Come on, boys.”

I don’t move.

Finn doesn’t either.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Zane growls. He stomps into the restaurant.