“You need to chill, man,” Tech said. “The building won’t survive you exploding again.”
“Or the furniture,” Bridget said, walking into the office. “Tyler is helping Whiskey watch the kids. Bones and I came to help.”
“We need more recon done in the morning,” Grady said.
“Tomorrow’s Saturday,” Bones said. “I promised James I’d run security at the store while he’s out of town on club business.”
“Most of us will be working at the store tomorrow,” Anne added.
“I’d go, but I have a few guys helping me finish the war room tomorrow,” Bridget said. “I can’t wait for you guys to see it.”
Grady stood, handing a stack of files to Lisa to put in one of the boxes. “I’ll go.”
“No way in hell, cowboy,” Donovan said.
“I second that,” I said, smirking at Grady. “You’re not going anywhere near Sadler Creek without supervision. We can send Trigger and Drake. See how well they do.”
“It’s a risk. They’re pretty green,” Grady warned.
“They are polar opposites,” I said. “As a team, they should be able to bullshit their way through any situation.”
“I’m not even sure if Trigger’s going to make the cut,” Grady said. “I can’t see him doing bodyguard work, and he doesn’t have the discipline for rescue work.”
“I’ve had the same feeling,” Bones agreed. “But he’s got other talents. He’d make a great prospect for the club.”
“Don’t be marking him club property just yet,” I said. “If Grady and Donovan don’t have a place for him, I’d like to try him out on some ideas that I have.”
“Are these ideas legal?” Maggie asked, not looking up from the file she was reading.
“Mostly.” I shrugged. “Take the Reno case for example. I tagged along behind Ryan and the woman he was protecting and within two days, I spotted the stalker.”
“Ryan was happy,” Donovan said. “He couldn’t get a bead on the guy.”
“It was quick and easy. But it takes someone who can blend in and who has a sharp set of eyes.”
“Do you have enough cases like that?” Bones asked.
“No. But I have plenty of investigative cases that require someone to go out and ask a few questions. I can keep him busy.”
“I agree,” Tech said. “We have a pile of cases we can’t take because we don’t have anyone to knock on doors.”
“Can he read people?” Maggie asked.
“Nope.” I grinned, turning to look at Bridget. “But he’s not the only one I’m interested in hiring.”
Bridget squealed, jumping up and down.
“No,” Bones growled. “It’s not safe.”
“Trigger would protect her,” Donovan said, nodding at me in favor of the idea. “He’s a top-notch shooter and ballsy as hell in a fight.”
“And Kelsey’s right. He’s alert,” Grady agreed.
Bones stormed out of the room, growling.
“Ooh.” Bridget sneered at the door. “That man is so infuriating! Who does he think he is?”
“Go tell him—not us,” I insisted, pointing toward the door.
“I’m going to do just that,” she said before storming after Bones.
Grady smiled down at me. “You’re a wicked woman.”
I stood to kiss him briefly. “You love my wicked layers.”
“Damn straight.” One eyebrow rose and I could read his eyes as naughty thoughts crossed his mind.
“Later,” I whispered.
We all turned toward the door hearing Bridget and Bones screaming and yelling at each other. We could make out the entire argument for a good five minutes. Then it was quiet, very quiet.
I turned back to Grady, but he had his head bent, shoulders shaking as he laughed silently.
“If they have sex in my office, you’re cleaning it!” Donovan said as glared at me.
“It’d be worth it. Those two need to get it out of their system.”
Grady was still smiling when he tapped on the stack of files in front of me. “Anything in your brothers’ files?”
“Same old motherly love. She’s been interfering in their lives and holding petty crap over their heads since they were born. Worst thing I found, though, was that she pressured a young girl into getting an abortion, but kept the records to blackmail the girl with.”
“Your mother is a b-i-t-c-h,” Genie said before handing me a stack of papers. “Here. I printed a list of storage facilities that existed twenty-five years ago and were within a twenty-mile radius of your parents’ house. Some of them have photos.”
I took the stack she handed me and turned to Tech. “Can you print the summaries you guys made, and I’ll read through it later tonight?”
“Sure. Do you want me to send a copy to Charlie too?” Tech asked.
“No. She has enough on her plate right now. I’ll go through everything with her when she gets back.”
“Are we wrapping up?” Donovan asked, looking hopeful.
“Yeah. It’s almost time for dinner and the kids will be worried if we don’t get back to the house. And Lisa looks ready to fall over.”
“I’ve been exhausted all day, so I won’t argue. If you’re watching Carl and the kids tomorrow, can you take Abigail too? I want to work at the store for a couple of hours.”
“The doctor said to take it easy, babe,” Donovan said to Lisa. “Why don’t you stay home and sleep in.”
“I’m only planning on working for a couple of hours. Quit worrying.”
Donovan looked over at me, waiting for me to say something.
“The kids can help me with Abigail, but let’s wait to see how you’re feeling in the morning. Spending a day lying on the couch, watching TV, doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me. We can make fun of all the sorry saps who have to work.”
“Hey,” Anne whined. “No fair.”
Tech handed me a stack of papers and I added it to the storage unit printouts. Grady pushed me toward the door as everyone followed us out.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Mohhmm?” Nicholas mumbled around a mouth full of food.
“Chew your food, then talk,” I said before taking another bite of garlic bread.
Nicholas dramatically chewed his food while bouncing his head up and down. Grady leaned over to wipe pasta sauce from his face.
He thanked Grady before turning back to me. “Is your demon mother going to get custody of me?”
He was trying to hide his fear, but I saw it. My chest tightened. “No.” I leaned past Grady and grasped Nicholas’ hand. “My mother will never get custody. In fact, it’s my intention that the two of you never meet. Not unless you choose to when you’re an adult. But I don’t recommend it.”
“But she wants custody?”
“No. She wants to punish me, and she knows that you’re the most important person in my life.”
“More important than Grady?” he asked, seeming surprised.
Grady laughed. “It doesn’t matter how much your mom loves me, buddy. You’ll always be her number one guy.” He reached over and tussled Nicholas’ hair.
I squeezed Nicholas’ hand one more time before releasing it and leaning back in my chair. “How did you hear about the custody case?”
Nicholas turned and looked at Sara who was giving him a death glare.
“Sara? How do you know about the custody case?” I asked.
Grady sighed. “Carl has the inside of the garage under surveillance. Sara has access to it.”
Abigail started fussing from her pen in the living room, and Anne went to get her. When she returned, she deposited Abigail into my arms. The look on my face must’ve been bad, because Grady laughed and reached over to take Abigail from me.
Anne laughed. “Oh, come on. Why won’t you hold her?”
“When she gets older, I will.” I watched Grady make noises at Abigail and cuddle her into the crook of his arm. “Until then, you all can handle it.”
<
br /> “Did you hold me when I was a baby?” Nicholas asked.
“You weren’t that little when I adopted you. You were just over a year old and almost walking.”
“Have you ever held a baby?” Katie asked.
I shook my head. “Not an infant. I was only two when Charlie was born. So, no, not really.”
Grady tried to hand Abigail back to me, but I held my hands up and leaned away. “I’m good. Thanks. Abby and I will bond when she’s older.”
Grady chuckled. “You’re over thinking it.”
“Over thinking that the only thing she does right now is poop, pee, spit up, and throw up? I’m good. Seriously.”
Beth stood and took Abigail from Grady. “I think they’re perfect at this age.”
“I loved it when Sara was a baby,” Anne said, sighing. “I was actually smarter than her back then.”
“At what age did she pass you?” I asked.
“She was two and a half when she started reading her bedtime books to herself and from there it was a whirlwind trying to keep up with her. I don’t know where the hell she gets it.”
Nicholas smirked at Anne. “Pushups.”
“Ugh!” Anne lowered herself to the floor. “Are you sure we can’t just pay money or something?”
Katie laughed. “I hear ya. I had to take a hot bath this morning to loosen my arm muscles. Tech couldn’t even lift his arms to make a pot of coffee.”
“I bet if we watched the surveillance videos, we’d hear a lot more swear words,” Nicholas said.
“Won’t work,” I said.
“How come?” Sara asked, looking suspicious.
“Because after dinner, you, Tech, Carl, and Nicholas are taking all the surveillance equipment down and deleting the electronic files. And if any of you spy on us adults again, there will be serious consequences. We're talking groundings, losing your phones, losing TV time, losing desserts.”
Carl pouted from the end of the table. “Ah, man.”
“All of them?” Tech asked.
“Any piece of equipment that is recording video or sound within twenty feet of the house is to go. No exceptions. No arguments, Tech. This is our home. I refuse to feel like I’m a prisoner and need to write secret messages and make a shiv out of my toothbrush.”
Katie pointed her fork at Tech. “And if you decide to get sneaky and leave any up, I’ll take away your favorite dessert.”
Beth choked on her food, and we all laughed.
“I’ll get started now,” Tech said, jumping up from the table and heading into the living room.
“Aunt Katie, are you talking about sex?” Sara asked.
“Eat your dinner, Sara,” Anne said as she reached over and took Abigail from Beth who was still coughing. “You need to get the surveillance equipment down before bedtime.”
“Anything special on the schedule tomorrow?” I asked Anne.
“Since you’ll be home with the kids, the rest of us will be at the store. Whiskey plans on splitting his time between the store and the house.”
“I can be around the house all day if you need me,” Whiskey said.
“I can handle it. No worries.”
Lisa grinned. “You said you’d help watch Abigail tomorrow. How are you going to do that if you won’t even pick her up?”
“I don’t have to pick her up to change a diaper or feed her,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Besides, your ass will be parked on my couch all day. If I run into a problem, you can help me. But you’ve been pushing yourself too hard and need to take a break.”
Abigail let out a loud happy squeal.
“See? Even Abby agrees.”
Nicholas was watching me with a raised eyebrow, having noticed that I swore. I fake scowled at him while getting on the floor, counting out ten pushups.
“Can I be done?” Nicholas asked.
“Me too?” Sara asked.
As I crawled back up from the carpet, I looked at Nicholas’ plate, then Sara’s. “Sara can be done—scrape your plate, please. Nick, you need to eat some of your vegetables.”
“Awe, man,” Nicholas grumbled. “No fair.”
“It’s fair,” Carl said, gathering his plate and a few others. “Sara ate her vegetables, and you didn’t.”
“Do I have to eat my veggies too?” Nana asked as she pushed her food around. “The broccoli is overcooked.”
“Nana, you are not helping. Eat your vegetables.”
“Overcooking vegetables causes them to lose a good portion of their minerals and vitamin content,” Sara said, gathering her plate and her mom’s.
“But even overcooked, broccoli is still is a good source of fiber,” Beth said, challenging Sara.
“Fiber helps you poop.” Carl giggled on his way into the kitchen.
“See! There you have it!” I said.
I turned to Grady to see him chewing his food as he looked down at the table, laughing silently.
“To pooping!” Whiskey said, stabbing a chunk of broccoli and eating it.
“Is this the normal dinner conversation?” Beth asked, laughing.
“We’ve had worse,” Lisa said as she stabbed a chunk of broccoli.
The doorbell rang and I went to see who it was. As one hand wrapped around the door handle, I reached the other behind my back to my Glock. Cracking the door open, I saw Doc standing on the front stoop and opened the door to let him in.
“Hey, Doc. Were we expecting you?” I asked as I swept my arm out, inviting him in.
“Katie called and told me a nurse friend of yours was in a jam. We arranged for the nurse to meet me here, but Katie also told me that if I came early, I could mooch dinner. I hear Italian was on the menu tonight.”
“You’re always welcome for dinner. I’ve told you that before. Plates are in the kitchen, help yourself. Did Katie explain to Marilyn what was happening?”
“No. Katie gave me Marilyn’s number, and I called her and asked her to meet me here. I told her that there was some type of investigation and that I’d help with the paperwork.”
“I don’t want you to get in trouble, too.”
“It’s an easy fix. She kept records on all her patients, so we’ll be able to backdate the clinic’s computer files. I’ll have Sara help, so it can’t be traced back. By the sounds of it, it’s only about twenty patients, and you’re one of them. I’m happy to help.”
Before I had closed the door another set of headlights turned into the drive. I waited and watched Marilyn crawl out of her ancient Toyota and walk to the door.
“Welcome, Marilyn. Doc’s filling a plate. We have plenty, so help yourself.”
“I’m so nervous, I don’t think I can eat. I was told trouble was heading my way. Do you know what’s going on?”
She stepped inside, and I closed the door before answering. “My mother.”
“Ooh, I hate that woman.”
“Yeah, me too. I found a file my mother had on you. She has photos and notes of you giving me prescription drugs. Doc’s going to help put the records on the clinic’s computer, so they look legit. My mother and I are nearing a war, and I don’t want you to become collateral damage.”
“I knew the risk I was taking, sweetie. Don’t you stick your neck out for little ole me.”
“You stuck your neck out for lil’ ole me when I needed it, remember? Besides, Doc says he has it covered, and I trust him. You can too.”
“Well, I trust you, so I’ll do as your Doc says and hope for the best. And that food smells divine, so maybe I’ll have just a bite or two.”
After dinner, Grady and I helped Carl unhook the cameras from the ceilings while Nicholas boxed the equipment, and Tech deleted the electronic files.
Sara was helping Doc and Marilyn enter the false medical records into the clinic’s computer server. Sara said something about the IP download needing to be deleted from the main server, but whatever she was talking about, Tech understood and said he’d stop at the clinic the next day and take care of it.
&nbs
p; My phone rang, and I saw it was Hattie calling. I walked down the hall to my bedroom to answer the call. “Hey, Hattie. How’s Texas?”
“Wonderful, sunshine,” she said. I could hear the smile in her voice. “I talked to the kids earlier, and they said you were home. Sara also said trouble was brewing, and it had something to do with your mother. Do you need Pops and me to come back? We can fly out tomorrow.”
“No, stay in Texas. I’ll let you know if I need you, but we’re still gathering intel. I’d rather you both were there to keep an eye on Wildcard and Reggie.”
“Why? Are they in trouble? They were over for dinner earlier, but didn’t say anything.”
“You don’t know? They’re supposed to be on lockdown. Ernesto Chaves was released and has the names of all the guys who did the sting in southern Texas.”
I heard her talking to Pops, but she must’ve put her hand over the receiver because it was muffled. A minute later, she spoke into the phone again, giggling. “We didn’t know, but Pops is calling them now and telling them to get their butts over here. We’ll make them stay put until we hear it’s safe.”
I laughed. “Good. Ground their asses.”
“How’s everything else going? Are things settling for you at all?”
“Yes and no.” I was quiet for a moment, trying to decide how much to tell her. “Hattie, I told the rest of the family some truths today that you and Pops have a right to hear. When I was a kid, I did some things I’m not proud of. It’s upsetting, though. I’m not sure how much you want to know.”
“I know enough, sunshine. I know that you were fourteen, taking care of yourself and another child. That couldn’t have been easy. I don’t need to know the rest. You’ll always be my sunshine. And to Pops, you’ll always be his baby girl.”
“You’re the best, you know that?”
“I try,” she said. “I heard you hired a teacher for the kids. I was scolded for calling during class, but then Sara told her that I was like their grandma, so she let them talk to me.”
“Beth’s great. You’ll like her. She’s keeping the kids on a schedule and is including Carl in the mix here and there. I’ll let her know that we’re okay with you calling whenever you want.”
“No worries. I’ll call before or after school. I think it’s great they have a teacher, and I don’t want to mess up her schedule. We’re pretty busy here, anyway. I’m overseeing the little ranch you’re having built on the property across the road. You’re going to love it.”
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