by Taylor Hart
Luke looked guilty, but shrugged. “You should have told us the truth. Now we’ve come for answers.”
He couldn’t get away from a case for more than an hour. “Whatever.”
Damon frowned and moved to the bag of chips. “What’s the deal, bro?”
Nick sat, putting the gun back down on the table in front of him, then ran his hand through his hair. There was something plaguing him since his conversation with Frank. The girl. He couldn’t shake the idea she would go off by herself.
Luke moved in front of him, blocking his view. “No hug?”
Damon grunted, shoving a chip into his mouth, and nodded at Luke. “Nice.” It was no secret that Nick, not Luke, was the huggy brother.
Not in the mood for his brothers’ jokes, Nick snapped, “Sit.”
Luke sat in the other chair and took a handful of Doritos. “You’re eating junk food. What happened to clean eating?”
“Yeah,” Damon said through a mouthful of chips.
Nick thought of how they’d all gone through the clean eating phase, but now he mostly just worked out hard and ate whatever he wanted. He didn’t respond, still unable to get her face out of his mind. Worse was the feeling that she would die if she left. The girl had no idea what could happen to her.
They all sat there for a few minutes, staring out at the night sky.
“I don’t like your view as much as mine,” Luke murmured, “but it’s okay. I’ll admit it’s even nice.” He said it in his patronizing way.
“Shut up.” Nick was in a surly mood, and it ticked him off even more his brothers knew he hadn’t gone to Mexico.
“Oh, the li’l bro is having a bad re-entry from vacay. Poor baby.” Damon snickered.
Luke stuck out his bottom lip in a mock pout. “Yeah, maybe if he would let the crew come in and fix his house, he wouldn’t be such a mess all the time.”
Nick ignored him, but found the idea of belting him one kind of appealing.
“Oh, you’re gonna get it,” Damon said, swiping Nick’s water and taking a sip.
“Out with it, Nicky.” Luke always resorted to the childish version of his name when he wanted to boss him around. “What’s up with you?”
Nick remembered what Frank said—too many people already knew.
“Nick.” Luke’s voice was quiet, but determined. “We knew you needed to get away from that case, are you okay?” He looked serious, then snorted out a laugh. “Because you’re a cop and you pack around a gun—a gun you can shoot people in the butt with if you’re not careful.”
Nick had taken a shot in the butt last year after a domestic violence call. His brothers thought it was hilarious, and usually he was fine with their teasing.
Today, that was it. Nick shoved Luke off of the chair and onto his butt and stood over him.
Damon stood and threw the water bottle down, putting up his hands like some UFC fighter. “Oh, Nicky wants to rumble.”
Nick gave him what he wanted, taking a quick jab to one side to juke him out and then shoving him, too. Damon deflected it, spun, and pushed him hard. Nick faltered, giving Luke enough time to push him onto his backside, but recovered quickly enough.
His brothers were both grinning like dogs circling for a fight, because hey, this is what they did when the womenfolk weren’t around and they wanted to let off steam—they pushed each other around
Nick adjusted by circling out of the way of the furniture to the center of the porch. The other two adjusted to give them all space.
Damon cackled. “Man, you’re in a mood.”
Nick went for him, faking a punch at his face and landing it in his gut, but Damon caught it and turned him, holding him in a chokehold around the neck.
Luke took a swing and landed it on Nick’s shoulder. “Back down, bro.”
The burst of pain made Nick clench his teeth, but he was not backing down.
Damon released and Nick took a kick at Luke, landing it in his side.
“Stop!” Luke hollered.
They reset and kept going at each other, punching, kicking, releasing, until finally he let loose and punched one too many times at Damon, landing one in the gut and on the face. Then he found himself on the ground with Damon on top and Luke over head, holding down his arms.
He smelled Damon’s sweat and turned away. “You stink, man!”
Damon held him down. “Luke, what’s wrong with our baby sister tonight?”
Nick struggled, trying to use his legs to get some leverage to move.
Damon leaned back his weight, holding him to the ground. “Baby bro better tell his big bros what’s wrong with him or we’re going to start the Navy Taps on his chest.”
Finding it futile to fight their combined strength, he did something he shouldn’t have. He spit in Damon’s face.
Luke howled with laughter as the wad of spit splattered against Damon’s nose. Then Damon started the Navy Taps on his chest with one finger. “One, two, three,” Luke counted. “How many should we do, fifty?”
Damon kept pounding until Nick finally relented. “Get off me!”
Adding five more taps for good measure, Damon finally moved and Luke let go. They both got up quickly.
Damon grinned. “Hey, bro, not gonna lie, I told you I was holding back in that fight last year and I meant it.” Apparently all the boxing training he’d been doing with the other firefighters was paying off.
Nick wiped at his face and rolled his eyes, but admittedly it did help to let out some aggression.
He moved to the house, flinging back the sliding door and moving to the kitchen, retrieving waters out of the fridge.
His brothers followed, high-fiving each other.
“It takes both of you now to take me down,” Nick pointed out, opening his bottle and glaring at them.
Damon chugged his own water. “True. But we still got you down.”
“Yeah, that’s all that counts anymore.” Luke swallowed and set his water down, smacking his lips.
Damon grunted. “Yeah, it does.” He and Luke high-fived each other again.
For a few seconds they both just stared at him, the energy in the room dissipating. “Out with it.” Luke said. His suit was all sweaty, which Nick would’ve found hilarious if he hadn’t just held him down and let his brother do Navy Taps on him.
“Yeah,” Damon agreed, putting down the water and folding his arms.
“Nothing,” Nick said, knowing he wasn’t convincing. He often commented he would be horrible at being a spy, because he wasn’t very good at hiding his emotions from his brothers. He was with other people, but with his brothers he’d never been good at it. Never had to be. He trusted them implicitly.
“I swear.” Luke’s face shifted to a shrewd attorney expression. “We’ll gang up on you again if you don’t talk.”
Damon nodded, cocking an eyebrow.
“It’s complicated. Police stuff. Confidential.”
Luke glanced at Damon. “Go out, I’m going to be his attorney. Pay me a dollar, you can tell me anything under attorney–client privilege.”
“I’m not going out.” Damon shook his head and solidified his stance, showing he would not budge. “I ain’t gonna tell nobody nothin’. Talk.”
To his dismay, Nick knew he had to tell them. There would be no getting around it. Plus right now he felt helpless, and that was the kiss of death for a cop—not being able to do anything to help the person who needs it most.
His heart rate picked up. In this moment he’d decided he would make her stay. The decision was a huge weight off his shoulders. She would stay and they would go with the plan Frank wanted. “Uh, I got engaged.”
“What?” Damon sputtered.
Luke threw his hands up. “What the—”
“I don’t want to hear about it.” Nick gazed into the fridge, not wanting to meet their eyes. “I don’t have to explain to you guys.” The repercussions of his lie whirled inside his mind. He took some almost empty containers out and began the process of cle
aning out his fridge. It needed to be done, so why not get it done before she moved in? He pulled the trash out, ignoring the expectant looks on his brothers’ faces.
Damon shook his head. “O-kay. Well, when do we meet her?”
“Tomorrow,” Nick said quickly, still pulling things out of the fridge.
Luke took an old carton of cottage cheese from him and threw it into the trash. “Where is she right now?”
His mind raced to find a quick answer. “En route. She had to go home for a day to check in with her work.” Trying to play the part, he flashed them a lovesick grin. “We just can’t stay away from each other.” Nick sidestepped Luke and went to the kitchen sink, taking a rag and getting it wet, then turning back to the fridge. He began to wipe down the shelves, thinking it could work. Yes, he would pretend this. Everything would be okay.
Before he knew it, both of his brothers were on either side of him, closing in.
“What’s going on, Nick?” Luke asked.
Damon cracked his knuckles. “The truth, bro. Ever heard of it?”
Wincing inwardly, he sucked in a breath. Who was he kidding? He couldn’t fool his brothers. And if he couldn’t help her, then what would happen to her?
The same feeling as before chilled him. She would die.
“Out with it,” Luke insisted. “Now.” It was the big brother voice he’d used on him their whole lives.
He closed his eyes. “Fine,” he growled.
They both took a step back, waiting.
Nick lowered his voice and he quickly went through the events of the day, telling them about the gas station, the car with Georgia plates, and Frank and Ava. About everything he knew and everything he’d inferred.
Both of them listened intently, and he actually felt relieved after he’d told them.
“Wow.” Damon rubbed at the five-o’clock shadow on his face. “I thought he had savior problems, but this is …”
“Holy …” Luke sighed, and Nick could see his attorney brain working. “You’re right; our brother has just found the best possible way to save the girl from a killer situation.”
Nick pinched the bridge of his nose. “Stop.” They’d always teased him about having a savior complex.
Damon shook his head. “Why couldn’t you just hook up with someone in Ecuador that helped build schools with you? You could have gone all over the world saving people.”
Luke grunted. “Not our brother.”
Nick glared at both of them, not liking either option. “Shut up, both of you.”
Damon shrugged. “Okay.”
“You say she said she filed reports but they were never followed up on?” Luke asked, turning serious.
Nick nodded. “And she’s stubborn. She’s leaving tomorrow. I …” He leaned in, meeting each of their eyes. “I have this feeling. That she’ll die. She’s going to die if she leaves.”
“A commune?” Damon asked.
Luke already had his phone out. “Well, she was right. There is a commune that still exists called Slab City. Is this where she’s going?”
“Yep.” The helpless feeling was back.
“What do you want to do?” Damon asked.
“What do you mean?” Nick threw his hands up. “What can I do? I mean, would I pose as her fake fiancé if she stayed? Yeah, I guess. I don’t know what I would do about work, but I don’t want her to leave.”
After a few moments, Luke snapped his fingers. “You could go with her.”
“What?”
“Yeah,” Damon agreed. “You should do that.”
Nick couldn’t believe this. “Just go with her?”
Damon pointed at him. “You have more vacation, you know you do. You never take it. Just tell your captain that the case is still in your head. He’ll give you another week.”
Luke nodded. “She only needs five days until the anniversary. After that …” Well, he didn’t really know. “Frank wants to get past the anniversary first.”
Damon nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good plan.”
Nick swallowed, thinking about living in a public commune. “I guess I’m going to Slab City?”
Luke frowned. “No, idiot, you’re not going there. You can be ‘off grid’ anywhere, right? As long as she’s not traceable?”
“True.” Several possibilities went through his mind. Where could he take her that they wouldn’t need identification? They would have to stay in the country.
“Oh no, he’s in spy mode.” The side of Luke’s lip went up.
Nick glared at his brother, but couldn’t stop himself from smiling.
“He totally is.” Damon started humming the 007 music.
Luke joined in, and they all laughed.
Chuckling, Nick put up his hands. “I’m not going to be all spy. I’m just going to straight out go with her, but I don’t know where to take her.”
Nodding, Luke smiled. “I have just the place.”
“Where?” Nick asked.
“Ah, yes,” said Damon, as if reading Luke’s mind.
“Where?” Nick repeated, not liking being out of the loop.
“I took you there last month,” Luke said. “To the house I just bought in Jackson.”
Chapter 6
“Oh, no, you’re not coming with me.” Ava stood at Frank’s front door at seven in the morning, staring at Nick on the porch.
Frank stood next to her, his arms crossed. “No, you both should stay here, in Park City.” She and Frank had gotten into another argument last night about why he thought she should stay. But she wouldn’t, even though every part of her wished she could.
“I’ll walk to the bus station from here.” She really, really didn’t want to ask for money, but that’s why she’d come. Humiliation dropped into her stomach like a stone, and she didn’t meet his eyes. “If I could get that money, I’ll be on my way.”
Nick cleared his throat. “I got money. Let’s go.”
She glared at him, her face burning. She hated pity, charity. Her mother had always told her it was her pride that was her Achilles’ heel. It was the reason she’d stayed so long in the marriage, even when things were bad. Now, with this good-looking guy in front of her, it was worse. “No,” she whispered, feeling trapped.
Frank pulled out his wallet. “I told her I’d give her money; I’ll do that.” He tugged out a couple of hundred-dollar bills and held them out to her.
Tears leaked from her eyes and her hand trembled as she took the money. “I’m sorry. I’ll pay you back one day. I will.”
Frank grabbed her into a hug, enveloping her in the smell of Old Spice. “I don’t care about the money. I care about you.”
“Okay.” She pulled away, knowing she would lose her nerve if they didn’t get going.
“Let’s go.” Nick wore casual clothes, a hat, sunglasses, and a backpack, the kind that showed he was hiking across the country.
“No. He’s not …” She looked at Frank, then whipped back to Nick. “You’re not coming.”
Frank ran a hand down his mustache. “Now, hold on, Ava.” He snapped his fingers. “Yes. It’s the perfect idea. It keeps you moving, as you want, but Nick keeps you safe.”
Nick pulled off his sunglasses. “You want to take a bus? That’s fine, let’s go. Or we could take my car.”
“No, you have a life.”
A patronizing grin swept over his face. “As he’s told you, I really don’t.”
“Not really,” Frank agreed, patting his shoulder and eliciting an almost comical glare from Nick.
It almost made her smile. From the little she knew about Nick, she could tell he didn’t like it when Frank revealed his secrets. The guy was cute, even if he was a cop. Her insides flip-flopped, and she hated it. It was idiotic to be attracted to someone like him: good, normal life, clearly had a family … No, this couldn’t happen.
Nick winked at her and pulled out three burner phones. “It’ll be fun. Just so you both know, I told my brothers last night.”
Ava fum
ed and clenched a hand into a fist. It was bad enough he was planning all this out like she wasn’t there; now he was treating it as a game? “Are you kidding me?”
Frank swiped a hand through the air in annoyance. “It’s fine, Ava. It is. I’ve known Nick Freestone for a long, long time. He and his brothers are good boys. You can trust them.”
“Oh my gosh.” This whole thing was spiraling out of control. She picked up her backpack and started for the door. “I can’t believe this.”
Frank grabbed her shoulder. “No, Ava. No. Here’s the deal. I told you I would help you. I told you, you can go. But I gotta tell you, sweetheart, I have this feeling—” He put his fist to his chest. “Right here, that if you left today, you would … something bad would happen. And I don’t like that. I don’t … I told you, you’re my family now.” He hesitated, and tears budded in his eyes. “You mentioned in your dream Katie told you I would find you help. Well, I think that help is Nick. He’s a good man. And if he’s willing, then let him go with you. Let’s get past the next five days, then we’ll figure out how to get your life back. Your real life—no more running.”
Terrified, she shook her head. “I … Hal. He won’t let me get away.” She thought of all the times he’d made his opinion clear—you’re mine, you always will be. Hal’s angry face forced its way into her mind. She lifted her hand, realized it was trembling, and put it down. “No one realizes how evil he is. He hides it, but he’s insane.”
Frank pulled her into his arms. “Ava. Ava. Trust me. Trust. You know we both had that dream for a reason, and I think … I think this is what Katie would have wanted.”
Sucking in a breath, she tried to calm herself. It was true; she did have that dream. It had compelled her to call Frank. She looked at Nick, and butterflies swarmed in her gut. Could she really go with him?
“I think you could help him, too,” Frank said, glancing at Nick.
Nick’s jaw tightened, and his eyes were hooded. “That’s enough, old man.”
Every part of her wanted to fight, to run, but she had had that dream. Katie was the only one of her friends she ever trusted implicitly.
Frank rubbed little circles into her back and held her. “Shh. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. Listen, sweetheart, my wife used to say something horrible can be one of two things: an end, or a beginning. Maybe this can be a beginning for you.”