Hell, he didn’t even think she should be out in the cool air. For once in his life, Walker wished Callen would pop up and help out
“Why?” Water sloshed around them as she tramped around in her rain boots. When a few drops fell again, she pulled her hood up to cover her long hair.
Rain or sunshine, the question didn’t make much sense to him. “Excuse me?”
Grace stopped and faced him. The wind blew over them, and one of the many outbuildings scattered around the yard blocked their view of the back porch. Walker suspected she’d waited to get him to one of the farthest points in the backyard and away from the house to start this conversation. Whatever it was going to be about.
He couldn’t blame her. He’d employ the same tactic if the roles were reversed. But that didn’t mean he had to like the plotting. After all, they were talking about his life, not a case.
She exhaled and he knew whatever was coming would likely piss him off. Her words carried that sort of power if the topic was right.
“I’m hoping you’re making a sudden and very public play for Mallory because you care about her and not because you have some sort of competitive issue where you can’t tolerate her leaving you first.”
That was pretty fucking insulting. “There’s nothing sudden about it. I was with her before.”
“Only as some big secret. And you know what I’m asking, so don’t play dumb. Answer me.”
He wasn’t really in the mood to do that in a nice way after her delivery. “How much of a dick do you think I am?”
Grace didn’t back down. “Since you lied to me—to everyone I know—and left town and wouldn’t take my calls, should I answer that?”
Heat rushed over him as his temper flared. He bit back the response he wanted to say, knowing he might not be able to take it back, and went with one less likely to inflame the situation. “You know why.”
She snorted. “Do I?”
The annoying noise started a pounding at the back of his head. “Do. Not. Do That.”
Not one to back down, Grace didn’t now either. “Then answer me.”
He inhaled and wrestled his frustration back under control. Losing it now wouldn’t resolve anything.
“I couldn’t tell you or anyone at the FBI I was Charlie Hanover’s oldest son.” Walker refused to use the word father because that man had never earned the title.
“I’m not just anyone. I was once your partner and, more importantly, am your friend.”
“Which is why I didn’t put you in the position of carrying my secret.” Some of the tension left his chest but he didn’t relax because this was too important and he needed her to hear it all. “You would have been obligated to report it, or at the least be torn apart by not doing so. And, then there was the selfish part.”
“Which was?”
He didn’t hold back. “I would have been pulled off the case.”
She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and back under her hood. “From where I sit that wouldn’t have been a bad thing.”
Possibly in some ways. “His victims need someone to fight for them.”
“Hard to do that if you get fired.”
Fair enough. “Right.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “But we were talking about Mallory.”
Walker debated how much to say. He could push the conversation off and head back to the house, using the excuse of impending downpour. He’d moved his bags in and had an excuse to hide in the first floor guestroom he now occupied.
But Mallory deserved more than that. So did his friendship with Grace. “I don’t want to hurt Mallory.”
“But do you want to love her?”
Okay, sharing or not, that was too much. Walker brushed a hand through his damp hair. “Jesus, Grace. That’s not your business.”
“She’s my friend.”
“I get that.” Part of him liked that fact. Part of him didn’t. He needed an ally in this battle and he really didn’t possess one.
Story of his fucking life. Father gone. Mother died in an institution. A maternal great aunt who tolerated him until he went to college then never talked to him again. A life lived in a pile of lies with a whole lot of hatred.
Grace put her hand on his arm. “You’re my friend.”
The words lifted a burden off his shoulders slightly, but it was still there. “I appreciate that, but—”
“She’s had some shitty cards dealt to her.” Grace squeezed his arm before dropping his hand. “Her life has not been easy.”
Everyone tiptoed around Mallory’s upbringing. He’d heard rumblings and a few stray remarks. He’d even investigated a bit on his own and realized at least part of their initial attraction likely stemmed from a similar shitty childhood.
That made him all the more protective of her. Also made him curious. “Meaning?”
“You know about her past.” Not a question. More of a statement as if Grace was testing to see what he would say.
He didn’t really have a good answer other than: not nearly enough. Maybe uncovering more would help him understand her better. Would shed some light on how he should handle her going forward.
Hell, a man could hope. “Some.”
Grace eyed him up. “Have you asked, or do you guys just have sex?”
“You could keep your voice down.” Grace hadn’t shouted but he glanced around the wooded area anyway.
“We’re outside with acres of land between us and the next house.” She held her arms wide as if to make her point. “Unless you’re worried about raccoons hearing us, you can calm down and stop avoiding the question. You’re doing that a lot lately. Very annoying.”
Grace always did know the difference between his real anger and his anger born of strategy. They’d worked together long enough to learn each other’s likes and dislikes. And she’d picked up on a few of his tactics before getting stabbed and leaving the FBI for her new career.
“You’ve gotten bossier since getting pregnant.” He wasn’t sure if that was something a man should point out but it seemed like a fair assessment.
“Honestly, a woman has to have a solid backbone to survive around here. The Hanover men can be pushy and demanding.” She started talking with her hands. Waving them around as she grew more agitated. “You guys like to hide things and then insist you did so because it’s for ‘our own good’ even though no woman I know wants to be kept in the dark.”
Now he wondered if this was about him or Callen. Hard to tell. But one point needed to be made. “I’m not a Hanover man.”
She sighed, long and dramatic and full of frustration with the Y chromosome. “You are. Embrace it.”
No matter how the biology worked, Walker could not get there. And he was fine with that. “Not going to happen.”
“You all got screwed by Charlie. That’s not up for debate.” When Walker tried to break in she talked right over him. “What I’m trying to figure out is if you intend to screw Mallory, and I’m not talking about the good way.”
First Callen, now Grace. Walker had to wonder what stupid shit Callen said about his thoughts on “funky” sex to get her mind spinning in that direction.
Walker decided maybe he didn’t want to know. “You’re awfully interested in my sex life all of a sudden.”
She shrugged. “It’s not new. I’ve always wondered.”
Something in Walker’s brain short-circuited. No way could she . . . would she . . . “What?”
“You didn’t date much. You had these targeted hook-ups and—”
“Okay, that’s probably enough of that topic.” He spared a quick glance at the house, half expecting to see Callen come running. “And don’t think about my sex life again. We’ll both be happier.”
“If you say so.” The thoughtful look on her face suggested she’d done more than think about it. She’d talked about it, probably with Callen.
Walker couldn’t think about that or his head would explode in rage. “I do.”
“Is th
at all Mallory is to you, good sex?”
He didn’t need Grace to clarify. He knew what she was asking. “No.”
Grace’s eyes widened and something that looked like interest flared there. “You’re admitting she means more to you than sex.”
Reluctantly, since he didn’t see why everyone kept poking around in this topic and assuming he was going to hurt Mallory. “Yes.”
“Good.” Grace’s voice took on a lighter tone. “So, the plan is to stick around Oregon?”
And that’s where all of his good intentions fell apart. He had a home and a life. Not much of one outside of the office, but he’d carved out some bit of normalcy in DC. Leaving that behind, walking away from the work he loved and was on the verge of having snatched away, left him raw.
“I have no idea but I can’t leave it this way,” he said.
“At least you’re being honest.” She sounded surprised at the thought.
Nice. “Gee, thanks.”
“Can I give you a bit of advice?”
The right answer was no but he doubted she’d accept that. “Can I stop you?”
“No.” She put her hands on his lapels and smoothed them out. Then came the straightening of his tie. “Lose the suit.”
The comment was all sisterly and . . . “What?”
“Mallory thinks it’s hot but when you wear it all the time it loses its punch. Go with a smart, casual look the next time you see her, manly but maybe a bit formfitting. Something that shows off those biceps.”
He didn’t even know what that would look like. Then there was the obvious problem. “It’s cold out.”
Grace rolled her eyes. “Man up, big guy.”
She was starting to sound like Callen. “That’s not annoying or anything.”
“The point is it will throw her off, and, honestly? You’re going to need any advantage you can get.”
“That sounds ominous.” Not wrong, but definitely ominous.
Grace turned toward the house as the rain started to fall harder. “Blame yourself. You didn’t pick a pushover for a girlfriend.”
There was a fact everyone in town could agree on. “No I didn’t.”
***
Callen stood at the second floor window and stared out into the yard below. Specifically, he watched Grace and Walker wander around and talk. Possibly argue.
On more than one occasion over the last few months Callen checked in with Grace about the extent of her connection to Walker. She protected him and made excuses for a lot of the stupid shit he did.
A casual observer might think there was something more between the two of them than a work relationship. Callen tortured his brain with that idea more than once. But seeing them together, listening to them argue and carefully tracking Walker’s reaction to her, Callen realized his jealousy had been misplaced.
Still, it flared up now and then. Now, in particular. He’d asked her to marry him and she said maybe. Now she walked around the yard with a guy Callen wanted to punch most of the time. It was a lot to take in.
“Hey.” Beck called out from his position behind the desk in the library. “Focus. We have a problem.”
“We will if you keep snapping your fingers at me.” Callen promised as he turned and leaned against the peeling window frame.
“If we’re down to one problem I think we should throw a party.” Declan lounged back on the couch and threw a pillow into the air, spinning it end over end and catching it right before it hit the floor.
Beck ignored them both as he studied whatever document he’d spread out in front of him. “Walker.”
“Obviously he’s a giant pain in the ass.” Callen had a list of words to describe Walker. Most of them not good.
Declan froze. “Which is why you invited him to stay?”
“No, Callen did the right thing.” Beck shoved the papers to one side. “It was a smart move.”
“Of course it was.” Callen doubted it, but better to lead with strength. If Beck and Declan ganged up on him, Callen was done. He’d learned that the hard way and made the repeat mistake more times than he wanted to admit.
Declan shoved the pillow under his arm. “Come again?”
“It’s simple. Sort of.” Beck leaned back in the chair then sat up straight again when the wood creaked under him to the point of making a cracking sound. “The problem at hand, in addition to dealing with having a fourth brother—”
“Who hates us.” Because Callen didn’t want any of them to lose sight of that fact.
Walker had made their lives into a giant pile of dog shit. Or tried to. He’d pursued the case against Charlie long after he was dead by insisting they had his con-man swag. Never mind that Callen lived in a pay-by-the-night hotel at the time.
“Shadow Hill.” Beck dropped the line and then folded his arms on the desk. And sat there.
Not really helpful. “Are you just saying random words now?”
“Yeah, maybe you need a vacation so you can work on building sentences,” Declan said.
Beck stood up and walked around to the side of the desk closest to them. He leaned back against it. “Our grandmother left this house to her ‘grandchildren then living’ at the time of her death.”
Sounded like lawyer-speak to Callen. “I agree the language is annoying. Probably made up by one of your lawyer buddies.”
“You’re not far off.” Beck crossed one ankle over the other in front of him. “There’s this archaic legal principle called the Rule Against Perpetuities about when property rights must vest.”
Callen had no idea what the hell Beck was talking about. Except for Beck, Callen hated lawyers. They hounded him throughout the years and a few threatened to press charges against him solely for the crime of being Charlie Hanover’s son, or so it felt like at the time. As far as Callen could see no good ever came out of his family getting mixed up with anyone in law enforcement or the legal profession.
And then there was the part where Beck said “perpetuities” and Callen got lost. Thankfully. “Please stop talking law.”
Beck smiled. “The way the will is written, all of Nanette’s grandchildren who were alive when she died share in the rights to the house.”
Declan sat up and moved to the edge of the couch cushion. “You’re saying that means Walker?”
“Yeah, our new big brother has an interest in this house. We need to buy him out if we want him gone.” Beck reached behind him and grabbed a pile of papers and held them out to Callen.
He didn’t take them. It didn’t matter what the papers said if they required something impossible. “With what money?”
They already teetered on the financial edge. Only Leah and Beck held down full-time, salary-paying jobs right now. Grace freelanced but she made good money. The most money of all of them, but the baby might derail that soon.
After emptying out his savings to rescue Shadow Hill from foreclosure, Callen didn’t have much left. He and Declan had started getting some construction work and handyman jobs around the county. Some of it came through Tom Erikson, the man dating their mother. He owned his own company and saw to it that at least one of them had steady work each week.
Between that and their pooled savings they did fine, but there wasn’t a lot of money left over for some big payout. Despite the condition of the house and the grounds—in disrepair—the land had to be worth something and a payout would require big money. The kind they didn’t have.
“There’s no way around this?” Declan asked.
Ever the lawyer and honest guy, Beck immediately jumped in. “No. We need to tell him.”
Declan nodded. “Because not telling him isn’t an option.”
They all knew that. They’d made a vow when they got back to work on the house after years apart that they would never operate like Charlie. Still, Callen wiped a hand over his face as he tried to think of a way out.
“You know something?” Declan rested his elbows on his knees and let his hands hang down between them. “It would be easier
if we were the soulless assholes people thought we were.”
“Amen to that.” Callen thought that every single day then discounted it. Figuring out Charlie’s path and how he went so wrong didn’t take much. Greed and panic were potent motivators. But there was a fact they could not ignore. “Walker is looking for a reason to destroy us and we’re about to hand it right to him.”
“Are we sure he’s still holding on to all that hostility toward us?” Beck asked.
“I caught him looking through the bookshelves in the library this morning.” Callen left out the part where he’d been sneaking around, following Walker. Grace yelled a lot over that one.
“Hardly a capital crime.”
“I don’t trust him, Beck.” Callen glanced out the window and saw Walker and Grace headed back in. Good news since rain had started to tap against the window. Last thing she needed was to catch a cold. He’d probably have to kill Walker if that happened.
“Not a surprise.” Beck dropped the papers back in the same position on the desk. “That’s probably mutual.”
Declan’s gaze narrowed. “Why are you sticking up for him?”
“Because we aren’t the only ones who got shit on by Charlie. At least we had Mom.” Beck stumbled over the word as he shot Callen a quick glance then forged ahead. “Walker had nothing. He went to a foster home then lived with a friend of his mother’s, but from what I can tell that didn’t work and he stayed in the system until he hit eighteen.”
That sob story worked on Callen every single time. Hitting the road with Charlie as a kid, being forced to act as his assistant in some of his cons, changed Callen forever.
He viewed his self-worth a certain way and struggled even now to put those early days behind him and concentrate on his future with Grace. The guilt infected everything and almost resulted in him losing Grace and the baby.
Being passed around and living in a series of foster homes had to shape Walker as well. “Well, shit.”
Beck shook his head. “The upbringing almost makes me feel bad for the guy.”
“Not to lag behind here or anything,” Declan said. “But I thought we brought Walker here to offer him the opportunity to play the hero and get some of these stolen items back to their owners.”
Too Far Gone Page 7