Regardless of the reason, he hated—hated—both of them at that moment. Lawrence for being the asshole he was, and his mother for…well, for being who she was, too.
He punched his pillow and then buried his face in it to wait for his eyes to quit stinging. He wouldn’t cry over her. Not again. It wasn’t like he was some little kid who needed his mommy. That part of his life had been gone for some time now. There were good reasons for that, too, and he was better off without her. To emphasize the point, he deleted his mother’s number from his call log.
When that bit of defiance didn’t help, he threw the pillow against the wall, which didn’t do a damn thing to dull his temper. Son of a bitch, it was hard to breathe around the jagged chunk of fury lodged tight in his chest. Maybe taking his temper out on one of the punching bags in Jack’s gym would help even if he could only punch one-handed.
After shoving the phone into his pocket, he checked his face to make sure that no tears had actually escaped before heading downstairs to the kitchen. There was no sign of Marlene anywhere, which was a good thing. The woman had an uncanny knack for knowing when something was bothering Ricky. She never pressed for answers, but she made sure he knew she was willing to listen if he needed to talk.
Like words ever fixed anything at all.
He ducked out the back door and crossed the driveway to the annex. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, either. Marlene wasn’t the only one whose radar picked up on Ricky’s moods. At least when Jack asked if something was up, he took no for an answer and didn’t try to force the issue when Ricky didn’t immediately pour his guts out.
He knocked on the door and waited for Jack to answer. The SUV was parked out front, something Ricky had checked on as soon as he’d gotten up that morning. He’d halfway expected it to be missing since Jack had taken Caitlyn out last night. They tried to play it cool around him, but he wasn’t an idiot. The pair obviously had the hots for each other. That was their business, at least as long as Jack treated her right.
After a few seconds, he knocked again. This time he heard footsteps headed his way. But when the door swung open, it wasn’t Jack standing there. Ricky backed up a step, preparing to bolt for the house, when he finally recognized the guy as one of Jack’s brothers. He’d never met him, but he’d seen enough pictures of him scattered around Marlene’s living room.
“You’re the army cop.”
The man nodded. “I’m Tino. You’re Ricky.”
The conversation coasted to a stop at that point. Tino stared at him for a couple of seconds before stepping back. “I assume you want to talk to Jack.”
Well, duh. “Yeah, if he’s here.”
“He is.”
Tino cocked his head to the side as if listening. “Unless I’m mistaken, big brother is just now dragging his lazy ass out of bed. Do you want to come in and wait for him?”
“Yeah.”
Tino shrugged. “Suit yourself. I was going to fix breakfast. Want some?”
Unsure what else to do, Ricky followed Tino into the small kitchen. “I ate earlier.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t eat again. I thought I’d make pancakes if Jack has the ingredients. Mine aren’t as good as Mom’s, but they’re close enough.”
“Sure, I’ll have a couple.”
While Tino started pulling out bowls, plates, and a griddle, he nodded toward the coffeemaker. “I don’t know what you need from Jack, but he’s usually easier to deal with if he’s had a hit of caffeine. Make yourself useful and put on a pot.”
Ricky didn’t bother to reply. He headed for the canister where Jack kept his stash of dark roast and then got out the coffee bean grinder. A couple of minutes later, the scent of coffee filled the air.
Tino drew a deep breath. “God, that smells good. I’m betting Jack will be making his appearance any second.”
Sure enough, the steps overhead creaked. Ricky grabbed three mugs from the shelf over the sink and filled them with coffee. He scooped sugar into his own cup but left Jack’s black. “Do you take anything in yours?”
Tino shook his head as he flipped the first two pancakes onto a plate and held it out to Ricky. “Black is fine. Better start eating those quick before Jack commandeers them.”
“Too late. You should have moved faster.” A big hand reached over Ricky’s shoulder to grab the plate from Tino. Jack parked himself at the kitchen table and grabbed the maple syrup. “Besides, considering I paid for the groceries, I deserve to eat first.”
Tino sneered. “You’re just lucky Mom isn’t here. She’d smack your hand for stealing food from a hungry kid.”
Ricky didn’t much like being called a kid, but Tino’s grin invited him to play along. “Yeah, I know she’ll be disappointed in you when I tell her what happened. Don’t forget that she expects you to set a good example for me.”
Tino laughed. “Good one, Ricky.”
Jack snorted. “I’m guessing Mom fixed him a huge breakfast already this morning, which makes me wonder why he’s over here mooching from us.”
Ricky accepted the second plate Tino held out to him. “Hey, you weren’t bullshitting me. These do look like the ones your mom makes.”
“Watch your mouth, kid.” Jack gave him a hard look. “You know how Mom feels about cursing.”
“Yeah, I do.” Ricky paused to douse his pancakes with a thick layer of syrup. “And I also know how mad she’d be if she knew how you talk around me when we’re out on a job or when you think she isn’t listening.”
Tino joined them at the table. “I like this guy, Jack. He doesn’t put up with any crap from you.”
Jack shot his brother a bleary-eyed glare. “Keep it up, little brother, and I’ll use you instead of the punching bag for my morning workout.”
Evidently Tino took Jack’s threat seriously, because he immediately shut his mouth. The three of them ate in silence until they finished their first round of pancakes. Tino picked up his plate. “How many more do each of you want?”
Ricky shook his head. “I’m good.”
Jack held up four fingers. “I want them full-sized, too. None of those stupid silver dollar ones you tried to sneak over on me last time.”
Tino returned to the stove and began ladling more batter onto the griddle. Ricky sipped his coffee and watched Jack wipe up the rest of his syrup with the last bite of his pancakes. “So what brings you over here this morning, Ricky?”
Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all. He hadn’t expected Jack to have company. “No special reason.”
Two pairs of eyes zeroed in on him. Before the two brothers could call him on the obvious lie, he held up a hand. “Okay, okay. I wanted to know if I could use your punching bag or lift weights or something.”
“Sure, go ahead.” Jack gave him a long look. “Everything okay?”
There was no good answer to that question. On the other hand, hanging out with Jack and Tino had already improved his mood. “It is now.”
“Start off with some weights first. It’s better to warm your muscles a little before hammering on the bag.”
“Will do.”
Ricky made his escape into the other room before Jack got around to the questions the man really wanted to ask. There was a good chance he’d follow him into the gym and ask them anyway, although he might cut Ricky some slack since Tino was there.
He picked up a weight and started counting off a series of reps. It still felt awkward to do everything one-handed, but the day was quickly approaching when the cast would come off. From the beginning, he’d been telling himself he was only going to stay with Jack and Marlene until his arm healed up. Now, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to rush into leaving. They both treated him okay, and it was nice to sleep behind a locked door every night. He didn’t know who he was keeping out, but he slept better than even when he still lived with his mother back before Lawrence had butted his way into their lives.
The sound of laughter drifted in from the kitchen where the two brothers were still hassling
each other about some stupid thing. It was hard not to be jealous of their relationship, but at least they’d included him in the games they played with each other. It might not last forever, but as long as it did, he would take great pleasure in giving them as much grief as they gave him.
—
Jack listened to Ricky quietly counting in the other room. It went silent in there for a second, and then the music came on. It wasn’t anything Jack would normally listen to, but it was okay as long as it made Ricky happy. As good as Tino’s pancakes had been, right now they weren’t settling very well. Damn that kid. Something had to have happened to send Ricky over here to the gym needing to punch something…or someone. “I wish he would just tell me what the hell was going on.”
Tino had been clearing the table, but he stopped to stare at the wall that separated the kitchen from the gym. “It’s scary how much he reminds me of us at that age. Especially you.”
Jack didn’t bother denying it. “Yeah, I see it, too. We still don’t know the specifics, but I’m guessing he’s had it pretty rough.”
“Are the cops having any luck tracking down the asshole who broke his arm?”
Jack got up to top off his coffee and then Tino’s. “No, and the kid pretends he doesn’t remember anything. I figure he’s trying to protect someone by not ratting the guy out.”
Tino nodded. “Most likely some family member. A sibling or maybe his mother?”
“That’s the most likely answer. I’m leaning toward it being his mother or another adult. Neither of us had any brothers or sisters, but I can’t imagine we would have abandoned them to the hells we escaped from. My gut says Ricky wouldn’t either.”
“Do you think he plans on staying with you and Mom after the cast comes off his arm?”
Leave it to Tino to ask the hard questions, the ones that kept Jack awake nights worrying about his young charge. “I don’t know. I hope so, but the one time he really lost it was when Caitlyn mentioned him being able to stay at one school for an entire year. If that hit a nerve, he must not be planning on sticking around that long.”
His brother put his hand on Jack’s shoulder. “All we can do is show him that he’s got it good with us, Jack, and that we like having him here. We were smart enough to figure it out for ourselves when we were his age. Who knows, maybe he will be, too.”
Tino was one person Jack could share his real concerns with. “It’s not like I have any experience taking care of a kid. What if I’m going about it all wrong?”
Instead of offering sympathy, his brother laughed. “Seriously, Jack, don’t be an idiot. First of all, Mom would be the first to let you know if you were screwing up. Second, like we just said, you were a kid like Ricky. Who better to understand what he’s going through?”
Then his smile faded away. “He might not realize it, but that kid already trusts you, Jack. That’s half the battle when it comes to getting him to accept the chance for a better life that you’re offering him.”
“Maybe.” God, he hoped so.
Tino sat back down at the table. “So, when do I get to meet the lady who kept you out until the sun was coming up?”
It took Jack’s sleep-deprived brain a couple of seconds to catch up with the abrupt change in subjects. “As far as I’m concerned, never would be too soon.”
“What’s the matter? Afraid she’ll be overwhelmed by my good looks and charm?”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. The woman is smarter than that.”
“If she’s so smart, what’s she doing with you?”
He knew Tino was just yanking his chain, but the comment still rankled. Probably because the thought had crossed Jack’s own mind a time or two. “First of all, she likes to dance. Our first date was at that place you and Mikhail mentioned, the one with live music and a big dance floor.”
That had Tino’s jaw dropping in shock. “Seriously? I mean, yeah, Mikhail and I both like to go clubbing downtown, but it’s not the kind of place I’ve ever pictured you having a good time. A bar out in the boonies has always been more your style.”
Again, another truth, not that he’d admit it. “We had a great time that night.”
“And last night?”
Jack didn’t respond, but last evening had started off good and ended up great. He suspected his smile gave away more than he meant for it to, because Tino had just pulled out his cell. “What time zone is Mikhail in right now?”
Why would he want to know that? “As far as I know, he’s still on East Coast time.”
All of Tino’s attention was focused on his cellphone, his thumbs a blur as he keyed in a text message. “What are you telling him?”
“I’m letting Mikhail know that you’ve gone down for the count.”
Jack made a grab for the phone, but Tino snatched it back out of reach. “Don’t be a jerk.”
“Sorry, but that’s what brothers are for.” He made a production out of hitting the Send button. “And it wouldn’t be fair of me to deny the baby of the family the chance to give you grief, too.”
As if Jack didn’t have enough on his plate right now. The last thing he needed was Mikhail and Tino ganging up on him. “Jackass.”
“Yeah, well, I learned from the best.”
“Just remember that I will get even, and you won’t see it coming.”
His brother wasn’t impressed. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. You’ve got all those snazzy Special Forces skills. I’ve heard it all before. Not impressed. I’ve put a lot tougher guys than you behind bars.”
Jack pulled out the big guns. “Okay, then I’ll just tell Mom you and Mikhail are picking on me. I’m guessing she’ll quit shipping goody boxes to you for a while. Yep, one word from me, and she’ll cut both of you off cold turkey.”
“No, she wouldn’t do that.”
Although Tino didn’t look so sure about that, Jack poured it on. “I won’t even have to pound on you. Mikhail will do that for me when he quits getting his chocolate chip cookie fix from Mom.”
His brother was back to texting, no doubt warning their younger brother to lay off of Jack about Caitlyn. His mission accomplished, Jack headed into the gym to check on Ricky. The teenager had moved on from the weights to the big bag.
“Hey, kid, what did I tell you about your footwork?”
“Sorry, Jack, I forgot.” Ricky froze mid-motion and adjusted his stance.
“That’s better. I know it’s hard when you can only use one hand, but you don’t want to get into bad habits you’ll only have to break later when the cast comes off.”
Jack picked up the jump rope and started warming up. A few seconds later, Tino joined them. “Ricky, toss me your phone.”
“Why?” There was a world of suspicion packed into that one word.
“I want to give you my number in case you ever need good advice, especially when it comes to the important stuff like clothes. Jack means well, but he seriously sucks in that department.”
Ricky handed over his phone, but he didn’t look all that happy about it. Tino keyed in his number and asked Ricky for his, the whole time acting like it was no big deal. But it was. Tino had just accomplished something that Jack had been trying to figure out how to do ever since he’d bought Ricky that phone—he’d just gotten a good look at the kid’s list of contacts.
After handing back the phone, Tino headed straight for the speed bag and gave it a rapid-fire pounding that stopped Ricky in his tracks. “Wow, he’s fast.”
“Yeah, he is.” Jack kept jumping. “Although we’re about the same height, I carry a lot more muscle on my frame. Mikhail has several inches in height on both of us, and he’s somewhere in between us in weight and strength. The bottom line is that Tino is the runt of our particular litter. What he lacks in strength, he makes up for with speed and overall sneakiness.”
Tino didn’t break his rhythm. “Screw you.”
“Sorry, I forget how sensitive you are about your skinny arms and chicken legs.”
It was fun watching hi
s brother rise to the bait. Tino shot Jack a look that would have melted steel. “I’m not the one who lifts weights just to overcompensate for his…personal shortcomings.”
By that point, Ricky had quit working out to watch the ongoing verbal scrimmage. It was good to see him enjoying himself. “Go ahead and laugh, Ricky. Did I mention that I’ve got a dirty SUV and a pickup that could use a good washing?”
The kid just grinned. “Gee, I’d love to help you with that, but I promised your mom I’d mow the backyard for her today. In fact, I’d better get started on that.”
“Fine. Be that way.”
“I will.”
Ricky started for the door. “Nice to meet you, Runt of the Litter.”
He was gone before Tino could do much more than sputter, but then he laughed. “Yeah, like I said, he’s just like you. I think we should keep him for the entertainment factor alone.”
“Me, too, little brother. Me, too.”
Which reminded him. “What did you learn from his contacts?”
Tino’s expression turned grim. “Not much. He has your number, Mom’s, Caitlyn’s, and now mine.”
“Well, shit.”
“If I’d had more time, I would have checked his call log. I couldn’t very well do that with him standing there.”
“No, he wouldn’t have taken that well. Thanks for trying, though.”
Jack put the jump rope back on its hook and headed for the heavy bag. “By the way, I was going to see if Ricky wanted to go to a ball game with me and Caitlyn tomorrow. I thought Mom might like to come, too. If you promise to behave yourself, you’d be welcome to tag along.”
Tino’s eyes lit up. “I promise, and I’d love to.”
Jack issued one more warning. “I mean it, Tino. I don’t know how things are going to play out for me and Caitlyn long term, but she’s important to me. To Ricky, too.”
He stopped punching the bag long enough to add one more thing. “When I told the kid I was going to take Caitlyn out, he was okay with it as long as I treated her right. If I screw things up, I have to answer to him.”
Always for You: Jack (Sergeant Joe's Boys #1) Page 18