Sylum Advent 2023: Day Three

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Title: Episode 1: Curtain Call 
Author: Gil Grissom
Series: Crossroads
Pairing: Dom/Brian
Summary: As Brian’s part of the case winds down, the Clan Members in Los Angeles prepare to stay in LA or head to Mexico. Those leaving start their journey home.
Author’s Note: This is the sequel to series Shifting Tides

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***

Brian groaned when his alarm went off and he reached his hand over and slapped at it until it flew off the nightstand and skittered across the floor. Now it was on the floor and still going off.

“Smooth,” Dom murmured next to him.

Blowing out a breath, Brian climbed out of bed and went to get it, turning it off and setting it on the nightstand before dropping back down on the bed. “I don’t wanna get up.”

“Then don’t.”

“I gotta. I’m supposed to meet Angela at the precinct, so we can deal with Tanner and the fit he’s still throwing. Also, I think the FBI is supposed to be there today.”

“If they aren’t anything less than apologetic, I’m going to call Seeley and tell him off.”

“Well, let’s see what they have to say before you go bitching at everyone about their dumbass behavior,” Brian said as he reluctantly got up to head into the bathroom. He took a quick shower and then headed into the bedroom to change, making a face at Dom, who was still in bed sleeping.

He stumbled downstairs and into the kitchen, grinning at Daniel when he offered up a large mug of coffee. “You are a god among men,” Brian told him as he sat down and doctored his coffee to make it perfect.

“What time is your appointment?” Daniel asked. “Eggs and bacon with toast okay for breakfast?”

“Yeah, that’d be great, thanks,” Brian said, knowing if he tried to cook it he’d probably burn something, very likely himself. It was way too early and he was way too coffee-deprived to be trusted at a stove. He looked at his watch. “About two hours from now. Wanted to give myself enough time to wake up and get to the precinct in case there’s traffic.”

“Traffic in LA is always a bitch. I much prefer being in Salina Cruz. Though honestly, it’s pretty much a trade-off. Fewer vehicles, but the drivers are crazier.”

Brian laughed. “That’s saying something considering what you guys do for funsies.”

“Very true. That Tanner guy still balking at your resignation?”

“Yeah, but it’s not up to him. He’s being a pain in my ass. He’s still trying to blame me for believing the FBI, when I was the one who was saying something wasn’t right. It’s just…ridiculous. I don’t know if he’s getting heat from the upper brass or what, but I’m not about to take the fall for his apathetic behavior. If he’s that lazy and can’t be bothered to do some critical thinking, he needs to not be a cop anymore.”

“Hopefully whatever they have to say today will be the last of it,” Daniel said as he shook an egg slightly. “How do you want them?”

“However you feel like making them. I’ll eat them anyway but raw.” He spent a few minutes in silence and sipped on his coffee. It finally struck him after several minutes that there was no one else around them. “Where is everyone else?”

“Asleep or just doing whatever it is they do in the morning when they have nowhere to go and nothing pressing that needs to be done. I know David’s still snoring away.”

“I wish I was,” Brian muttered and turned his attention back to his coffee. Several minutes later he was startled when the empty cup he was pouting down at because it was empty was taken from his hand, and a plate was slid onto the table in front of him.

“I’ll get you more coffee,” Daniel said, heading for the coffee pot. “Start eating so you can get on the way.”

Brian did as he was told, spreading blackberry jam on his toast and digging in. It was good but he ate more by rote than anything. Usually he didn’t eat as soon as he got up, but he didn’t have the luxury of waiting until he was hungry. He doubted anyone would be amused by him busting out some packed breakfast in the middle of the damn meeting.

“Thanks for that,” Brian said after he finished his food and his second cup of coffee.

“You’re welcome. Now get,” Daniel said, shooing him off.

Brian laughed a little and headed back upstairs long enough to grab his shoes and brush his teeth. He kissed a still-sleeping Dom on his temple and headed out, taking the car they’d worked on, in case they wanted it back for some reason. He made a note to tell them that they were going to have to pay Dom back all the thousands of dollars he put into the thing if they decided they wanted to keep it, as Dom already said he was going to sue their asses just for the sheer life lesson, which had amused Brian to no end.

Traffic was a little heavy in some spots due to the time in the morning, but he managed to get there a little early. He didn’t bother going in, instead texting Angela to let her know that he was in the parking lot when she arrived. A few minutes later he got a text back to stay put until she got there, so he sent an affirmative and settled in to wait.

Ten minutes or so later, Brian got out of his car as Angela pulled into a parking space a few down from him. “Hey,” he said as she got out.

“Hi. You ready for this?”

“As ready as I’m going to be. I just hope the Feebs are going to be more reasonable than Tanner is.”

“We’ll make sure they are,” she said, looking at the car. “Is that the one you guys rebuilt from scratch?”

“Yeah, when I got it, it was a huge hunk of junk. The engine on it was promising, but even that had needed a lot of work, as did the entire body. The paint job alone, Suki said she’d charge a minimum of $1500 for, and that’s the ‘I like this person’ rate. The not an asshole rate is about a thousand more, and the asshole rate is a minimum of $4,000.”

Angela huffed a little laugh at that. “I can see charging that. It’s a beautiful job.”

“Yeah, and the Feebs are going to have to pay out the nose if they want the car back, considering how much went into it.”

“Oh, I have the feeling they’ll be willing to let it go since the alternative is to make a big, public stink about it. The last thing they’re going to want is for it to get out that there was a big corruption syndicate within their ranks that could have cost the lives of multiple people,” she said as they headed toward the building.

When they got inside, Brian was surprised that Tanner wasn’t practically on top of them, and they were led into a conference room where several people in suits had congregated. One of them stepped forward as Angela slid her briefcase onto the table. “Hello, Mr. O’Conner. I’m Agent Seeley Booth.”

Part of him thought he shouldn’t be surprised that they sent him out here to take care of all this. Brian took the offered hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Agent Booth. What’s going on? I honestly expected another hard sell from Tanner to not resign and take the hits for him.”

“He’s been suspended while they investigate whether or not he had any culpability in what happened with the Tran-Toretto debacle,” Booth said as he motioned for them to sit. Agent Booth looked at Angela. “And you are?”

“Angela Monroe, Brian’s attorney,” she said as she sat down. “I’m here to protect Mr. O’Conner’s interests because the LAPD, or at least some members of it, have been unreasonable and threatening my client.”

“I’m happy to tell you that the LAPD has been removed from the investigation, other than the one they have with Tanner, and the FBI has cleared you of all wrongdoing,” Booth told Brian. “From what we have so far, it’s very clear that you had nothing to do with the corrupt scheme and were just doing the job you were roped into.”

Brian relaxed at that. “Thanks.”

Angela nodded. “I’m glad to hear that. It makes my job easier. Now, there’s the problem of the vehicle Mr. O’Conner currently has.”

Booth frowned. “What vehicle?”

“The original car that he was to use in order to integrate into the racing scene was destroyed by the Tran cousins. It was shot up when Mr. O’Conner, Mr. Toretto, and Mr. Lue inadvertently ended up in territory the Trans claimed for themselves. What was left of the car was stripped by the time the LAPD was able to get to it after Mr. O’Conner reported it to them.

“When Mr. O’Conner told Agent Bilkins that he was going to need another vehicle, instead of something that was running and usable, he gave him an extremely damaged, undrivable heap of a car. Mr. Toretto and his family and friends put their time and money into fixing the car, spending tends of thousands of dollars on it.”

Booth’s mouth twitched, likely knowing where it was going, and he turned to one of the other agents who was in the room, going through papers. Probably the stuff for the case, Brian thought. “Is there anything in the paperwork about a vehicle being purchased?”

“Give me a minute. I think I saw something while I was organizing,” the agent with his arms full of files said as he set them off to the side and went to one of the already filled boxes.

Booth turned back to him. “How much does Toretto know about what went down?”

“All of it,” Brian said and shrugged when the other agents stopped talking. “I was practically integrated fully into the family because that’s basically what Bilkins wanted. Hell, he wanted me to sleep with Dom’s sister to get an in into the family. I managed it without resorting to that kind of assault since it wasn’t something I wanted and I doubt she would have been consenting if she knew what was going on, but being that deep in, I wasn’t ever getting out cleanly. It also doesn’t help that Dom is friends with an LAPD officer through the officer’s partner, who is a doctor Dom’s known for a while.”

Booth’s expression was amused. “How long has he known?”

“For several weeks. Nathan made me as soon as he saw me. He came for a family dinner along with Adam. There was no way I was getting out of it, but Dom had suspected already. But by then, I already knew something was rotten with the whole thing, and nobody was listening, because Bilkins was working with Tran and Tanner was coasting along on this because he trusted too much in Bilkins. I don’t necessarily blame him for that, because he should have been able to trust that the op was solid and legit. I do blame him for trying to make me the scapegoat because he’s embarrassed he got played.”

“Here, Booth,” the agent said, handing over a folder.

Booth opened it and inside was both the bill of sale from the junkyard and the title. “Looks like they paid about $600 for it.”

Brian snorted. “The guy who sold it probably got strong-armed or didn’t know what kind of engine was in it, or he’d have charged more,” he said.

“How much has been put into the car?”

“In parts, labor, and time, from start to finish?” Brian asked. “Probably $20k, if not more. I know the paint job alone was $1500, and that is without the asshole tax that the woman who did the job would have charged for jerks. That’s a minimum of $4k. And she liked me, so I got a discount.” Brian sat back again. “And as I said, Dom knows everything, so you can be sure he’s going to expect the FBI to foot the entire bill he gives you if you take the car. And he’s not planning on being quiet about it because you guys fucked up.”

Booth hummed. “If we sign over the car, will he call it even?” Booth asked. “I’d heard from Tanner that there had been a car involved, and I did talk to the brass. They’re willing to let go of it to just get everyone to be quiet about this. Something like this could hurt the FBI’s reputation and it’s not something we need at the moment.”

“He would be,” Brian said. He knew a lot of this was for show, because several involved in fixing the clusterfuck were actually Vampires and Chosen, but they had to make things at least look legit for those around them who were not in the know. “Look, this is your circus and your monkeys. All I want is to be done with it. The last thing I want, and I know the last thing that Dom wants is some kind of big public spectacle over the whole damn thing, and honestly having to sue for the car and what he put into it would be a big public spectacle for everyone involved. I just want to go home and far away from the FBI and the LAPD, and figure out what I want to do with my life now that the bloom has fallen off this rose.”

Booth nodded. “Alright, well it looks like while they got the title, they didn’t do much with it, since they hadn’t given it to you yet, so I don’t think there’s a problem with just handing it over.” And Booth did just that, and Brian took it.

Angela slid over a sheet of paper that she’d hand-written. “This simply states that the FBI has willingly given over the title in recompense for all the funding that has gone into making it a working vehicle and that you’re not going to attempt to repossess it at a later time. This is temporary until I can get to my office and create an official one. I’ll send that to you so that it can be signed properly for the official records.”

Booth nodded and handed it off to another guy in a suit. Brian figured it was their attorney. After a moment, the guy nodded and handed it back. It got signed and notarized, and a copy was made, while Brian just sat there and waited.

“Alright, Mr. O’Conner. You’re free to go,” Booth told him. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry you got dragged into this entire mess, and that your desire for a career in law enforcement was destroyed in the process.”

“Am I going to have any problems with the LAPD about this?”

“No, you’re not. Aside from Tanner, no one is trying to pin anything on you, and we’ve made it very clear that you did nothing wrong during this operation. We’ve taken over the entire thing completely. You’re free and clear, and they’ve accepted your resignation without any issues.”

Brian was sure that it was both Vampire influence and the feds not wanting to have their fuck up plastered all over national television that was making all of this go away nice and neat, at least on his side of things, but Brian sure as shit was going to take it. “Okay, thanks.”

Angela held out her card. “If you need anything further with Mr. O’Conner, it will have to come through my office.”

“Of course, Ms. Monroe,” Booth said. “You’re free to go.”

Brian blew out a breath and headed out of the precinct with Angela, title in hand, feeling relieved that his part was all over. He knew it wasn’t completely over because the Clan had to deal with a lot of bullshit that Han’s dumbass cousin created, but that was out of his hands. “Thanks so much for coming down here with me, even if it was somewhat anticlimactic.”

“Well, not everything can be Perry Mason levels of high drama,” she said cheerfully as they stopped by her car. “Tell the others I said hello, and let me know if there’s anything more I can do for you.”

“I will, thanks.” He waved her off and then headed to his car, climbing in and heading back for the beach house.

~*~

Dom stared at Vince, who was sitting on the couch and fuming. “You gonna behave or do I need to get a spray bottle and give you a good spritz if you start lashing out?”

Vince rolled his eyes. “I’m fine. Annoyed that you sent Jesse off before I could punch that little fucker in the face, but fine otherwise. I can’t believe that asshole got me killed!”

Dom couldn’t refute that because, for all intents and purposes, he’d be dead. Vince would have died long before the ambulance arrived. He might have made it as far as to the hospital if he was really lucky, but the damage was too extensive. “I know he did, and I’m sorry you had to be Turned earlier than you wanted. Jesse being sent to Josiah and José wasn’t any kind of reward. It was for your benefit because you didn’t deserve to have him all up in your face, especially with both of you being newly Turned, and I honestly preferred to keep you with me.”

“Does he know it’s not a reward?” Vince asked.

“Yes, because I made it clear that I wasn’t happy with him at all. I’m furious for a lot of reasons. Before he left, he kept trying to blame his ADD for his behavior and wasn’t acknowledging that he fucked up.”

“That’s bullshit. He had his dad’s car’s title. There was no reason for him to have that title on him unless he planned on doing what he did,” Vince said.

“And it’s telling that he chose to race Tran out of all the people he could have gone up against,” Leon murmured. “He was dead set on racing him, proving that he was better than him. Brian and I did try to stop him, but you know what Jesse is like when he’s made up his mind like that.”

“I know. Brian agrees with what you’re both thinking, and so do I. Nothing he did that day was impulsive, and you have every right to be furious with him,” Dom told him. “The only thing I ask is that you don’t dust him, because that would just irritate Mia. She’s furious with him too, but she’s known him for so long that he’s like one of her kids, and she did Turn him.”

“I’m not gonna dust him, but I don’t think I can forgive him for his idiocy any time soon. Especially if that little asshole isn’t even sorry about it and is making excuses. I don’t want him all up in my face with how it’s not his fault and shit.”

“We’ll make sure he keeps his distance,” Dom told him, turning when he heard the door open and Brian came inside. “How’d it go? You’ve been gone for a while.” It was after lunch, but he’d known Brian would likely be gone for some time.

“I stopped by to get the title for the car put into my name,” Brian told him. “Booth was there. The FBI has taken everything over, Tanner was suspended pending an investigation into his behavior during the op and probably afterward, and I’ve been cleared of everything and the LAPD has accepted my resignation without an issue. So I’m all good on that.

“I had planned on coming back immediately but decided to go ahead and take care of that since I figured it would be better to do that before we decided on our next steps. I put your other address down to send the new paperwork to since I do need to go and clear out my rental and contact my landlord. My lease was up for renewal in two months, so it won’t be a big deal to break it. And I can have my mail forwarded to the other house.”

“We can go in a couple of days and deal with your place. The goal is pretty much to head down to Mexico soonish, but it’ll probably be another couple of weeks. We’ve got time to get you all packed up and decide what you want to keep and what you don’t.”

“The place came furnished, so I honestly don’t have a whole lot there other than just my personal things, which won’t take up much space. I’ve lived pretty minimally, honestly. Most of my childhood things are still with my parents.”

“Is there anything we need to do today?” Vince asked. “Because if not, I’m going back upstairs to wallow for a while.”

“No, but don’t forget to feed later. There’s blood in the fridge.”

“I’ll remember.” Vince scrambled up from the sofa and passed by them, flicking Brian on the ear before heading out of the living room.

Brian rolled his eyes. “I want to go swimming, I think, and just relax.”

Dom nodded. “Pool or beach?”

“Pool. I don’t feel like getting sand up my crack or risk a jellyfish getting frisky.”

Dom laughed and nudged him toward the doorway. “Let’s get swimsuits on and we’ll get your pale ass slathered in sunscreen.”

“I’ll be Turned before I die of cancer, you know,” Brian said as he let himself be manhandled toward the stairs.

“Yeah, but it’s going to be a real bitchfest around here if you burn like a lobster today, and I don’t want to hear it from you or the lecture I’ll receive about the care and feeding of human Mates.”

~*~

Brian unlocked the door to his rental home a couple of days later, Dom and Han following him inside.

“It’s very Spartan,” Han said, clearly amused by how little of Brian was around the place.

“I’ve had the place for less than a year, and honestly, I didn’t spend a whole lot of time in it,” Brian said with a shrug. “Plus, I knew it wasn’t permanent so I didn’t want to have a bunch of crap I needed to haul around when I found something better.”

“I get it,” Han said. “So none of the furniture is yours?”

“Nope, I just need to get my clothes and the things I have managed to accumulate. I also need to clean, because it’s been a couple of months since I’ve been here thanks to the op. I’ve already called the landlord and let him know what’s what. I’ve already had the bank transfer the last couple of months worth of rent to him and told him to keep the deposit because I just don’t care and don’t want to have to bother with it. He was more than happy with it. He’s planning on changing the locks so he told me just to toss the key once I’m done and out.”

Dom nodded. “Alright. Why don’t you start packing up everything in the bedroom, and Han and I will start tackling the kitchen? Are the dishes and everything yours?”

Brian nodded. “Yeah, that’ll be good. And yes, all the smaller appliances and the dishes and stuff are mine. The only things that aren’t are the fridge and stove. Even the microwave is mine. I don’t want any of it, so if you don’t need it at either house or the shop, we’ll just make sure it’s all cleaned up and send it to the thrift store.”

“Okay, we’ll work on that, then,” Han said, taking the bags of cleaning supplies into the kitchen, Dom following behind him.

Brian went into the bedroom and stepped into the closet, pulling out the duffel bags he had accumulated there. He went through the dresser first, pulling out all of his clothing there, sorting through it and making piles for the trash or donation, and then tucking the things he wanted to keep into his bags. He did the same for both nightstands and then tackled the closet, watching the donation pile grow ever larger since some of it he just didn’t want anymore. Due to not having a lot of stuff, he’d become something of a packrat about his clothes, and he just never got around to getting rid of shit he didn’t need or couldn’t wear anymore.

He went through the bathroom and most of it got tossed since everything was mostly empty. He took the bags out to the living room and then went back in to clean, and by the time he was done with that, Dom and Han had finished in the kitchen and were dusting in the living room.

“Is the television yours?”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to cart that big ass thing around. Leave it,” Brian said. “It works fine, so Tony can either keep it here or take it for his place. I don’t care about it at all.”

The place wasn’t very big, so after packing away the last few personal items Brian had, they took the bags out and finished cleaning before making sure everything was off and locking up.

“Sad to see the place go?” Han asked, sounding amused as they climbed into the car.

“Not in the least. It was just a place to sleep when I had to have someplace to come home to. I couldn’t even tell you any of the neighbors’ names.”

Dom snorted. “Okay, well let’s get back and pack up at the beach house. We’ll be leaving for Salina Cruz in about a week. I just want to make sure everyone here is going to be settled in alright at the other house.”

“I know Mia is staying because she’s got classes. Is Leon going with us?”

“Nah,” Han said. “He’s gonna stay and hang out, make sure that Mia comes up for air now and again and doesn’t forget to feed. If there’s no one around to distract her every once in a while, she’ll hyperfocus on what she’s doing and forget.”

“Daniel and David will be around as well since Lindsey won’t be able to get off work anytime soon,” Dom added. “He said he’s put in and was pretty forceful about getting weeks around Christmas off. Says if they give him too much attitude he’ll just quit, but he hopes it won’t come to that.”

“Yeah, he likes his job, so I hope they’re not dumb with it, and from what he’s mentioned, he hasn’t taken any time off since he started,” Brian said.

“Yeah, so it’s just us three, Belle, Suki, and Vince that are going to be heading down to Mexico.”

Brian pursed his lips. “You really think Vince is going to be okay around Jesse? He’s still really pissed off, justifiably so, but…”

Dom sighed heavily. “Yeah, he’ll be okay once we get down there, and we can run interference if needed. Hopefully, Jesse will have realized how stupid what he did was and why it was such a fucking problem.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t hold your breath,” Han said dryly. “This is Jesse we’re talking about. I love the kid and all, but he’s one of the most obtuse and stubborn sons of bitches in our entire group, and one of the ones who is the least open to owning his own fuck ups.”

“He’s too used to blaming his ADD for everything in his life, and we rarely call him on it, even when we know it’s bullshit. Some of it, yes, it plays a part, but things like this…not at all. He’s a grown man at this point, and it’s time he takes responsibility for himself and his actions.”

Brian nodded and hoped that Jesse got his head on straight, or otherwise, it was going to be a real problem because Brian might not know Vince very well, but even he knew that Vince wasn’t going to let it go just because Jesse played the part of the wounded innocent who couldn’t control himself.

~*~

Josiah was looking through some paperwork when José came in and sat down. “What’s up?”

“Han called and said they’d be leaving in a week or so. Things are about as settled as they want, but Mia’s decided that Brian needs to do ‘all the shopping’ because his clothing selection is a travesty. Han said Dom just laughed at Brian when he asked for help and threw him to his sister.”

“Smart man,” Josiah said, laughing softly. Mia was a force of nature when she wanted to be, and Dom wouldn’t cross her for anything. “Any eyes on Jesse?” The little shit had bolted and was hiding out from Josiah and José because he knew he was going to have to talk about his dumbass behavior. Surprisingly, he was pretty good at it and was slippery as an eel. There was evidence he was feeding, so that was something, but he was being a complete child about the whole thing instead of just owning up to it, and it was irritating.

“Not today, but I’ve put Montoya, Holliday, and Ringo on it. If anyone can suss him out, it’s those three. That is, if Missouri doesn’t find him first.”

“She does know all the children’s favorite hiding places, and he’s acting like a child, so…” He trailed off when the door was flung open and Missouri came in, literally pulling Jesse into the room by his ear. Josiah did his very best not to burst into laughter as she shoved Jesse into a chair and then pointed directly into his face.

“Boy, we’re all tired of this stupid game you’re playing. None of us have time for your shenanigans! Keep your butt in this chair and deal with the mess you’ve caused. You brought this on yourself so stop acting like you’re the wounded party in this.” Missouri shook her head and looked at Josiah. “Let me know if I need to smoke him out again.”

“Will do. Thanks, Missouri,” Josiah said, waiting until she left before turning to a sullen-looking Jesse. “This slipping away and hiding for days has been ridiculous and childish, and quite frankly, beneath a man of your age. I am profoundly disappointed in your behavior as of late.”

Jesse shrugged. “I don’t see what there is to talk about. Everything worked out fine, and I didn’t want to hear about how dumb what I did was. I already heard it from everyone else. It’s like they forget I have ADD. I didn’t mean for what happened to happen. It was like I couldn’t control myself.”

José raised an eyebrow. “You couldn’t control yourself, and yet you planned on taking your father’s car and racing it.”

“I was just driving it. I decided at the last minute to race! I wasn’t thinking.”

“You think we don’t know that you had the title?” Josiah asked, shaking his head when Jesse flinched. “You had no reason to have the title with you unless you planned on putting your father’s car up for betting collateral on a race. Leon and Brian both tried to talk you out of it. You wouldn’t listen. You deliberately went to Tran for a race. Why?”

Jesse shrugged. “He was just there. I don’t know why I took the title. But what happened isn’t my fault!”

Josiah hummed. “I’ll concede that getting shot was not your fault. That was Tran’s choice to do so. But you chose to go to that race with your father’s car and the title to said car, in the middle of an operation that you knew was dangerous. You chose to race a Vampire, an Enemy of this Clan, during an extremely contentious time, because you wanted to put him in his place.

“You think I didn’t get a full report on everything? Even Brian and Leon sent in reports on what exactly happened when I asked for the full situation. You deliberately put yourself into the path of a known criminal, and a suspected murderer, and you not only goaded him, you cheated him out of a legitimately earned win and expected, what?”

Josiah waited for an answer but all he got was a shrug, Jesse’s expression still sullen and unrepentant. “Yes, Tran was the one who fired the gun, but he wouldn’t have been anywhere near there if your actions hadn’t got that ball rolling. You not only got yourself killed, you got Vince killed as well. If Dom, Brian, and Han had been only a few minutes later, Mia would have had to choose between you and Vince. She would have had to let one of you die.”

Jesse at least looked a little remorseful about that. “I would have really missed him if he’d died.”

José snorted. “Bold of you to assume that Mia would have let the one innocent person in that situation die.” Josiah watched him shrug when Jesse flinched at that. “It’s the truth. Tran’s reaction was horrific to be sure, but you orchestrated the entire event because you had to make yourself the center of attention. The problem is, the stakes were too high and that was not the time or the place for that kind of behavior.”

“My ADD…”

“Has nothing to do with it!” José snapped. “You made decisions over hours…days most likely. This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. You went there with an idea and it blew up in your face.”

“None of you understand what it’s like to be me. None of this is my fault! And so what? It’s not like it ended badly. Vince and I were Turned, we’re fine. No big deal.”

“Except Vince wasn’t anywhere near ready to be Turned. He was Turned because he’d be dead otherwise. Because Tran murdered him. You might not have pulled the trigger but you painted the target on your back and he got caught up in it because you showed up there. Because you fucked up, and you wanted Dom and the others to bail you out yet again, like you always do.”

Josiah was silent for a few minutes as he watched Jesse’s expressions shift. He shook his head when he realized that none of it was sinking in. Jesse wasn’t going to take responsibility for his part in it, at least not anytime soon. “It’s clear that you can’t be trusted to make reasonable choices and accept your responsibility for the recent events. Until you can show you’re mature enough and responsible enough to be out on your own, you’re to be confined here at the ranch until such a time as we can trust you not to go out and make a big damn mess for us to clean up. The days of anyone in this Clan cleaning up after your mess are over.”

“You’re grounding me?” Jesse asked him incredulously.

“If you want to see it that way, then yes,” Josiah replied. “If you choose to act like a child, you’ll be treated like one. But more than that, I don’t trust you to not put yourself or this Clan in a precarious position, if you’re so impulsive that you cannot control yourself, as you continue to insist. If you are that out of control, you can’t be trusted away from this property.”

“You can’t force me to stay here! I’m a grown man and can do what I want!”

“I am the leader of Border Clan. What I say, goes, especially in a situation such as this. If you don’t like it, you are free to leave, but you won’t come back, and the Council will be notified that you are a Vampire who is not connected with this Clan. You will not be welcome here, and you will not associate with Members or Chosen of this Clan, because you cannot be trusted to control yourself, by your own admission. You will not receive support from anyone in the Clan. It is entirely your choice. Stay or go. Unlike the others who have done it for years, I’m not going to coddle you, pat you on the head, and pretend like you’re a child or a fully-grown dumbass, when you’re nothing of the sort. I know how smart you are, Jesse. I know what an asset you could be, but this entitlement to be excused for all the dumb things you do and using your disorder as a constant excuse is at an end.”

Then Josiah leaned back. “I’ll give you a week to make a decision. Seven full days, to choose what you will do. At the end of those seven days, you either comply with my decision for you to be confined to the ranch until such a time as I find you competent to be out on your own, or you leave and find your own way out in the world. I will be notifying Dominic and the others in Los Angeles of this conversation. You’re dismissed.”

Jesse got up and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

José shook his head. “He’s used to being coddled and not taking responsibility for himself. Dom and the others have bailed him out too much because they feel bad for him because of his home life and how he grew up.”

“I can understand being compassionate about it and helping him when he genuinely needs it, but now he’s used to being mollycoddled and doesn’t want to admit he fucked up. He thinks everyone should just give him a pat on the head and tell him that it’s okay, that nothing is his fault and he doesn’t need to worry about it. He wants to be absolved of any wrongdoing, and as I said, while he did not pull the trigger or provide the gun, he placed Vince directly in the crossfire. He’s not to blame for what Tran did, but he does have culpability in what occurred.”

“You’re preaching to the choir,” José said with amusement. “I fully agree with you about the entire thing. And Mia’s not going to be happy about the ultimatum, but honestly, it was a long time coming. He’s long needed to grow up. Vince and Leon have, and the others have been just as indulgent with them. But more than that, when those two fuck up, they own it. They admit it, deal with the consequences, and do better next time. Jesse’s simply used to not having any consequences.”

Josiah blew out a breath. “I’m going to have to call Dom about this. I wouldn’t put it past Jesse to get hold of someone down there and try to plead his case and get sympathy for it.”

“Have fun with that,” José said, getting up and heading out.

Josiah shook his head and picked up the phone. Sometimes being the leader was a pain in the ass.

~*~

A little over a week later, Brian and Vince were getting the luggage into various vehicles while the others finished packing up the small coolers filled with drinks and snacks that were going in every car. They were taking three of them. Belle and Brian’s cars were being driven by Belle and Han respectively, while Brian and Dom took the Charger that Dom decided he wanted to take with them. Suki would ride with Belle, and Vince planned to bounce between Dom and Han. Brian figured he’d be riding with Han on occasion as well.

Dom came out and leaned against the car. “Josiah called.”

“So did that idiot drive off into the wide blue yonder?” Vince asked snippily. He’d been infuriated when he’d heard about what happened and how Jesse was behaving.

“No. He’s still sulking and belligerent, but he’s complying with their decision that he can’t leave the property. Josiah thinks he’s probably waiting for us to get there so he can work on us.”

“Thinking that we’ll feel sorry for him and get him out of his mess? Hell no,” Vince said and scowled. “Nobody else better expect me to just pat him on the back and tell him he’s all good. I’ll punch him in his whole face.”

“No one expects it, though I expect we’re all going to get a lecture on letting him get away with shit for so long. We’re guilty of at least that, and it’s coming back to bite us all on the ass.” Dom shook his head. “We need to get this show on the road.”

“Man, I can’t wait to get there, though. I miss Missouri’s cooking. I hope she makes that stew I like soon,” Vince said.

Brian watched as Dom’s eyes went wide. “What’s the matter?”

“I didn’t call Missouri. Did anyone else call her to let her know we’ll be leaving?”

“Uh, no?” Vince said. “Not me.”

“Han! Did you or Belle call Missouri?” he called out. He tilted his head and then groaned. “No one called her.”

“What’s the big deal?” Brian asked. “We’re just leaving. It’ll be at least three or four days before we get there since we’re taking our time.”

“Missouri likes at least a week to prepare,” Vince said. “She’s especially going to want it with new Vampires and human Mates in tow. And there’s three of us in this group.” He shrugged. “While Vampires do like to eat for the taste and for fitting in, we don’t really need it, so when there’s not any humans in the house, she doesn’t tend to cook much except on special occasions.”

Vince started ticking off his fingers. “She has to meal plan, she’s gotta do inventory and see if she’s got everything she needs, she’s gotta shop, and if no one has gone to do a big trip to the US lately for staples she prefers, someone’s getting on a plane to go shopping. That takes time. Time that Dom hasn’t given her.” He grinned. “I get away with it because I’m a new Vampire. Sucks to be you.”

“Well, someone better call her,” Dom said. He looked at Han, who came out with two coolers in hand. “Han, you call her.”

“Oh, hell no. I ain’t getting lectured! You’re the second. You call her!”Han

“Yeah, I’m the second, which means I get to choose to delegate. So you call her.”

Han shook his head. “Not me with the human Mate. You or Belle can call her.”

“Do not bring me into this,” Belle said. “I’m not getting lectured by Missouri over the phone. I’ve already been dealing with dumbass Clan Members who decided to call me up and laugh at my ass for the phone thing. I find out who gave those assholes the number for this ugly ass phone, I’m shooting them in the ass with an arrow.”

“Oh my God. You’re a bunch of children,” Brian said, snatching the phone from Dom’s pocket and walking away while he scrolled through the contacts until he found one labeled for a Missouri Moseley. He pressed the dial button, held it up to his ear, and waited.

“Dom, to what do I owe this pleasure?” a woman answered when it was picked up after a few rings.

“Hi, this is Brian O’Conner, Dom’s human Mate. Is this Missouri?”

“It sure is, honey. What can I do for you? And why has that boy not called me and told me all about you?”

“I have no idea why he didn’t tell you, ma’am, but I wanted to let you know that we’re about to leave Los Angeles. I was informed by Vince that you usually prefer at least a week to prepare for new people to come to the Clan, but in all the chaos a few things seemed to have gotten overlooked.”

There was a deep huff on the other end of the line before she said, “Thank you for letting me know, baby. Fortunately, Jason and James did a big shopping trip for me before they returned, so I’m well-stocked. Is there anything you’re allergic to that I should know about?”

“I’m not, at least nothing that I know of, but let me ask Suki.”

“Who is Suki?”

Brian grinned when Belle winced. “Belle’s new Mate. She’s human, like me.” He looked over at Suki. “Suki, do you have any allergies?”

“I’m allergic to all melons,” Suki told him.

“She’s allergic to all melons,” Brian said into the phone.

“Okay, then I’ll definitely cross anything with melon off the list that I can’t substitute. Thank you for calling me and letting me know. I look forward to meeting you and Suki.”

“You’re very welcome, and I can’t wait to meet you as well. See you in three or four days.” They said their goodbyes and Brian hung up the phone, laughing at the look on their faces. “What?”

“She’s gonna adore the hell out of you and Suki, and she’ll probably fuss over Vince, but the rest of us are going to get told all about ourselves,” Han said.

Brian shrugged. “Should have called her before.” He grinned and handed Dom his phone back. “Let’s get going if you want to make any progress today. It’s already past lunchtime.”

Brian plopped down in the Charger, eager to get going and start the new chapter in his life, whatever it might bring.