Page 268 of Ruptured

“No. I just…” He shoved his hands in his pockets. He still wore his trousers and white button-down from his day at school. After witnessing the scene at Turn Creek Bridge, he’d come home shell-shocked. He told Pops what happened, went to his room, and locked himself in. He hadn’t even gone down for dinner. “Uncle Christopher…” He shook his head. “CJ…CJ finally accepted it,” he whispered. “It’s time I did, too.”

Her eyes widened. He stiffened his spine, preparing for her coming attack. She’d always been less than sympathetic over Molly’s disappearance.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly, scooting by him into the bathroom. “I know how much he cared about her. You, too.”

Turning to face her, Ryan backed into the hallway. She looked…not like herself. Nothing like the girl he’d crossed swords with.

She shut the door without another word.

Her devastation was just one more sin to lie at Ryan’s feet.

Instead of coming downstairs for dinner, Megan opted to eat with Rebel in her room. It left Christopher and his sons, along with Kaia and Bishop, to eat on their own in the dining room.

He wasn’t the only one who constantly glanced at Megan and Rebel’s empty seats. The boys did, too. Ryder and Ransom ate in subdued silence. Their asses probably stung from the spanking they received. Axel still sniffled because his brothers were angry at him for running into the kitchen when they’d been chasing him, but Christopher didn’t give a fuck. An unexpected shit bath was one of the worst goddamn things in the world.

Diesel talked to Axel in low tones. Christopher cut up Gunner’s rinsed off chicken. Bishop ordered spicy teriyaki chicken and white rice for them, not realizing he needed to select something less peppery for a little kid.

As CJ told Christopher about Skye, he kept his expression blank and nodded, inserting a comment here and there, but mainly wondering about Megan.

The evening seemed endless as he brought his sons to the den and talked to them just as he did with Megan. When they left, Christopher sat in silence. He expected Megan to come down and join him. This was their private time together. It had been days since they’d enjoyed each other’s company. Tonight, he thought she’d thawed. He’d been so certain he hadn’t even gotten clean clothes to take with him to one of their guestrooms.

Sighing, he went to the room Ryder and Ransom shared. For months, Axel bunked with them, but he’d been banished tonight.

“He’s small and cute,” Ryder grumbled when Christopher pointed out how much that hurt Axel. “He’s supposed to get us off.”

“Yeah, Dad. He got usintrouble,” Ransom said. He was looking better, not as haunted. Christopher suspected it was because Megan offered love, support, a shoulder to cry on, and an ear to listen to. “Not out of it.”

“What the fuck he was supposed to do? Stand fuckin’ still and let you lil’ motherfuckers throw shit on him?”

“If he hadn’t run, we wouldn’t have gotten you,” Ryder pointed out.

“He ain’t expected me to be there, boy.”

“Our momentum sent the shit flying,” Ransom reasoned. “But it still stands, it’s his fault.”

“Then it’s a good fuckin’ thing Iwasthere. Your momentum would’ve doused your ma.”

They both groaned.

“But Ax did nothin’ wrong. The lil’ motherfucker was tryna escape the fuckin’ tortureyoulil’ motherfuckers wanted to inflict on him.”

Ryder and Ransom shifted.

“What the fuck you need a bomb for any goddamn way? I thought you was just stockpiling shitin case, not actively building a motherfucker.”

“You heard that?” Ryder squeaked.

They exchanged glances.

“I got fuckin’ ears. Yeah, I heard that. You got two fuckin’ seconds to explain.”

“It’s for Nardo Grevenberg,” Ransom admitted, and told him about their run-in earlier. “He would’ve hurt Ax so bad.”

Or killed him. Axel was a small kid. Probably the result of his premature birth. For his sake, Christopher hoped his genes kicked in and his son grew.

“You sent Ax in cuz of how Harley was actin’?” Christopher asked for clarification.

“Yeah. Like weird,” Ryder said. “Out of it. Something’s going on with her. We planned to tell CJ, but he was scarce, too.”