“Well, you’re on your own after this.”
“Cam, seriously. This is fantastic. And here I thought Liam’s story was complicated. That old fuck sure did mess up a lot of lives.” He gathered the papers together and stuck them back in the file. “Kelly James is in for the shock of her life. I can’t thank you enough, man.”
“Am I interrupting anything?” A deep voice drawled from the doorway. Cam looked up and saw Alex lurking in the doorway.
“Hey! Great timing and no, not interrupting. Our old buddy Roman, here,” he said with a powerful thwack on the man’s back, “was just picking my ball hairs out of his teeth.”
Roman jerked to attention when he realized who stepped into the room and threw up a smart salute. “Major,” he said with a deferential nod.
Alex saluted back and immediately stuck out his hand in welcome.
“Who moved the fucking rock and let you crawl out?” the big man said with his usual sardonic bite. Then he took control of their clasped hands and drew Roman in with a laugh. The handshaking, back slapping, bro hugging fist bump routine played out again with Alex giving the guy ten tons of grief.
“Jesus, don’t let his wife see you saluting,” Cam chortled.
Roman smirked. “Why?”
“Because she’d fall down laughing and then I’d have to beat the snot out of you to restore my manhood. That’s why,” Alex quipped.
“Sounds like my kind of lady.”
A thousand dirty references hung in the air unspoken. Cam almost crapped his pants when Big Daddy reacted like a fifty thousand volt Taser hit his nuts.
“She’s pregnant and if the hairless balls of a man-pussy are what she wants for lunch, I’ll come looking for yours.”
That my friends, Cam thought with laughter, is what we call a homerun. Alex had the best putdowns.
Roman went from stunned to cracking up and gave Cam a knowing look. “Oh,” he chuckled. “I see how it is.”
Cam nodded and returned the look, “I just bet you do.”
Alex and Roman were a lot alike when it came to control issues. Probably explained why Roman went off on his own to do private security rather than stay with Justice. He didn’t take orders well and had a terrible time playing nice if he wasn’t in the mood. All traits which only became more pronounced after the guy’s wife and kid died.
“Look at you guys,” Roman joked. “Wedding rings and private planes. If I ever feel like getting old and settling down, I’ll set up camp in Bendover. Great name by the way. Very apropos.” His amused snicker was directed at Alex who flipped him off with great flair.
“I hate to break this knitting circle up but we have a meeting waiting on us.” Alex’s meaningful look reminded Cam it was a workday. “Roman,” Alex said with another hearty handshake. “It was good to see you. Good luck with your search mission and all joking aside, you know we’d welcome you here any time.”
“Thanks Alex. That means a lot coming from you. And I was just being a dick about you being married. I’m glad you found someone to put up with your shit.”
He was biting back a snicker when Roman turned and said, “You’ll forward all this stuff, right? Good. Then I’m out of here, gentlemen.”
After a handshake and some muttered goodbyes, Roman left with a nod at Alex. Cam hoped the guy found what he was looking for. In more ways than one.
“I fucking hate you guys,” Drae muttered. He glared at the grinning faces gathered around the lopsided table.
Calder, the lead grinning jackass, was next to Brody who kept banging the table with his fist while he laughed.
Then there was Cameron, that fucker, who was having a hard time staying in his seat he was laughing so hard.
Fuming as the Douchebag King, Parker fucking Sullivan, held up his phone to record Drae’s humiliation, it was all he could do not to roundhouse kick the irritating prick into next week.
And then there was Alex who was making no effort to hide the fact that he found Drae’s predicament fucking hilarious.
Their fearless leader used his beefy hand as a gavel and banged on the table to get everyone’s attention. “Gentlemen,” he choked out with mock dignity and then lost it as they all broke into a fresh wave of laughter.
Finding none of this funny, he crossed his arms and glanced at the garish pink t-shirt he sported. Eyeing his friends as they awkwardly tried reeling it in, he admitted deserving the ribbing he was getting.
After calling the board meeting to order, Drae was speechless when, with Calder leading the charge, the five of them ganged up on him for his clueless handling of Victoria and the disastrous marriage-ending stunt he almost pulled off.
They weren’t wrong but the motherfuckers took him further into the woodshed by producing this penance shirt that he was to wear anytime he pulled a bonehead move as a reminder to get his shit in order. And after this unveiling when did he have to wear it? This weekend at Pete’s.
Shit.
And the penalty for being a pussy and refusing to go through in public? A threat too heinous to wrap his mind around.
Of course it also irked the shit out of him that he hadn’t been the one to think of this truly nefarious sanction. He had to admit, they had him.
Frustrated but trying not to laugh at the same time he growled at Cam as he pointed to the shirt. “Who the fuck is this again?”
“Dude,” Cam snorted, failing miserably at controlling his laugh. “It’s from the movie Clueless. 1995. Classic shit. That’s Cher and her two clueless friends. We thought you’d feel some kinship with them.”
The howling laughs kicked in again.
Alex was barely retaining his dignity. The man’s mouth looked like it was having a spasm as he fought to keep a straight face.
Eventually Brody took pity on Drae; after all, the laughing and joke telling had eaten up most of a half hour. He forced a sober expression on his otherwise smirking face and clicked the plunger on the pen he held a bunch of times.
Click, click, click. Slowly, the laughter started to slow down. Drae watched all the guys take a deep breath and focus on other stuff.
“It’s not that bad St. John. Everyone will be in costume! It’s Pete’s Annual Halloween Spooktacular. Finn is keeping up with the tradition only with a bit more class. Your uh, fashion statement will blend in, no problem.”
Heads nodded, there was a bit of grumbling about him getting off easy.
Click, click, click.
Drae blinked. The atmosphere in the room went from a comedy club on a Friday night to a Justice Board meeting.
“Take a seat Drae and let’s get down to business.”
Alex shuffled a pile of papers and leaned to speak with Calder as Drae slid into his seat. Everyone else got organized and a low murmur of conversation filled the room. A movement caught his eye and he watched Brody toss the pen aside and reach for his phone.
A slow smile moved on Drae’s face. Jesus fuck that guy is good. Better than any of us realize. He’d previously witnessed what Brody just did up close and way-too-personal a few years ago when a trained attack dog latched onto his leg during an assignment. The vicious animal responded to a series of sounds. Clicks were what Drae remembered most vividly.
That motherfucker has us all conditioned, he thought with a burble of internal laughter. Drae’s eyes narrowed as he considered this new piece of the Brody Jensen puzzle.
He glanced down at the garish pink T-shirt and then looked at Cam. The guy was way too good not to already have noticed Brody’s dog-whisperer quirks. As if his thoughts telegraphed across the table, Cam looked up and caught Drae’s thoughtful face. Then he glanced at Brody, looked back to Drae, winked and tugged his ear.
Hand signals! Hot damn. Drae loved hand signals. Especially since Cam just basically called out the dog guru.
Using his middle finger, he casually scratched his nose and cleared his throat. Dropping his hand onto the table, he drummed his fingers three times and then checked his watch.
With
his elbow on the table, Cam stroked an imaginary beard on his clean-shaven face. Then he made a noise that was half barking cough and half a rude word, which got everyone looking at him. Drae almost pissed himself when Cam looked around innocently.
They probably would have continued to act like high school kids causing mayhem in a classroom if Alex hadn’t given them both a stern frown that even after all these years made Drae’s nuts run for cover.
Deciding to speak to Cam later about how to fuck with Jensen for shits and giggles, he focused in on what Calder was saying as he fired up a presentation that appeared on a transparent screen—one of the many insanely cool creations coming from the minds of their newest power-duo who everyone dubbed CaldEx.
They were in a whole new world now that Justice was bigger, badder and more cutting edge. Everything was changing. Sure, the inner circle of Justice, the men seated around their version of a Camelot-style round table, were all settled, older, and a fuck ton wiser every day. But the sextuple energy they created as a group was taking them places none of them dreamed of just two years ago.
An hour dragged by, they had an ambitious couple of months ahead of them, when Duke Winston showed up. Right away, Drae got irritated. His reaction was childish and he knew it, but it couldn’t be helped.
They all had their strengths. Far too many to list. But for Drae, his signature skill was martial arts. It was something he was known for. Strolling nonchalantly across a room taking out bad guys with effortless moves, sort of came with the 007 territory. And he could do it without breaking a sweat or increasing his heart rate.
And then Duke Winston happened.
The only requirement Alex had for a security chief was that he be the best. The best of the best. Cam hired him because the guy was better than good.
Did it irk the shit out of Drae that some Vietnam vet with an AARP card had the mad skills of a seasoned warrior? And the kind of moves that could take Drae down? Yeah. Yeah, it did.
Alex reacted to Drae’s pique and put his Major hat on. Reaming Drae’s butt, and laying it out for him in terms that his thick skull needed.
After what happened with the government showing up one day out of the blue to call Cam back in and whisk him away for a top secret assignment that nearly ended in tragedy, it was clear the family needed at the minimum the same level of security they put around Justice.
So, to protect his family, give all of them some peace of mind and keep all of them safe, he begrudgingly welcomed Duke into the fold.
Period. Get used to it.
“Sorry to interrupt, gentlemen, but we have a situation.”
Alex immediately took control. “Is everyone alright?”
“Yes sir,” Duke said, his voice ringing with firm authority. “It’s just that this matter concerns the uh, the women. And with everyone here, this seemed like a good time.”
Parker grunted. His mouth twisted wryly and deepened into a smiling laugh. “At least this is one thing Angie isn’t at the center of. This one’s all on you. Me and Jensen are gonna sit here, eat popcorn and enjoy the Duke-laying-down-the-law show.”
Alex’s deep, throaty chuckle floated around the room. “Ignore them,” he told Duke. What’d the girls do now?”
Cam’s snorting laugh and his own long-suffering groan summed up what life in the compound was like now that a bunch of unruly women ran the show.
“There’s no other way to put his,” Duke drawled in a deadpan voice. “Those gals are a pain in my ass.”
“Hey now,” Calder chided, his tone sharp and dangerous. “They put up with a lot so give them a break, okay?”
“Now see,” Duke replied. “That’s the thing. Give ‘em every break in the book but all that does is loosen the protective net. Got a bunch of pregnant women running around.” His voice faded a bit and then in a husky growl he added, “Mrs. Delgado thinks we should uh, think outside the box.”
Drae looked at Cam, who looked at him with clear surprise in his expression. They both turned and looked at Alex who did not appear at all surprised to hear Duke invoke Carmen’s name.
They both swung in unison to look at Duke once more, Drae raising a brow at this revelation. He started seeing the rough-edged ‘Nam vet in a different light.
Hmph. Carmen. Well, I’ll be damned.
“And what conclusions have you come to?”
Drae caught the tension in the Major’s voice. His face was still and had grown serious. He was also thrumming with energy.
“Here’s the thing,” the gruff security chief grumbled. “They never stay put. Ever. Frankly Major, they’re all over the goddamn place. And they come and go without warning. It’s driving my guys nuts.”
Cam dove in, his expression fierce. “They’re women. That’s what women do. What do you suggest we do? Make them request a hall pass?”
Alex remained perfectly still, staring at Duke. Parker sat forward and leaned on his forearms. He looked like he was deciding what to say.
Drae didn’t miss the side shade Duke threw at Cam. He looked at his friend and saw him snicker slightly and wink. Jesus Christ. He was just messing with the guy.
“Hall passes are highly over-rated and I have a much better suggestion. With your okay I’d like to put tracking sensors on everything that moves. Cars, scooters, strollers, bikes, everything. Even the saddles. We can set up a grid, accessible in the guard shack, the control center and on your phones. If it moves, we can track it.”
Cam looked at Drae. His eyes narrowed when he turned back to Duke. He wasn’t so sure how he felt about using trackers.
Calder waved Alex to silence and took over the conversation. “Will this tracking data be encrypted?”
“Absolutely,” Duke replied. “This is a For-Your-Eyes-Only set-up. I can make the sensor install happen without anyone knowing.”
“Remy will know,” Alex murmured. “She’s got spider senses, that one.”
“Maybe she should know.”
Drae nodded. Duke was right. Security was a big deal. Remington Bissett was in charge of equipment. To leave her out of the loop would be a shitty thing. Plus, it looked disgustingly sexist.
“Remy’s got her shit together,” Drae interjected. “She’s one hundred percent Justice and knows confidentiality and handling classified information is part of her job.”
“But the inclusion stops there.” Alex’s tone had a clear-cut edge that got everyone’s attention. “The more who know, the greater chance the system can be jacked.” He turned a critical eye on Duke. “You pick one of your men to handle the sensors. And he signs the sensitive disclosure document. This is our family we’re talking about. Loose lips, understand?”
They all nodded agreement and murmured quietly.
“There’s something else,” Duke added. “We need to change the gate procedure. I’m leaving this call up to you. Either a keypad to enter and exit or a full stop and verbal clearance from the guards on duty. No more waving on the way out and blowing past the checkpoint on the way in.”
He basically gave every man in the room a meaningful glare. They all reacted differently. A cleared throat here. A cough there. Duke’s description pretty much described all of their women.
“Keypad,” Brody said. “Built-in redundancy. If the cars are traceable, we’ll know when they leave the property. A keypad code will tell us who’s driving.”
It bothered the crap out of him that these sorts of issues were a part of his family’s life but Alex hit on something. Cam being whisked away without so much as a five-minute warning was a wakeup call. This is what they did for other people. To not develop a security protocol for the family would be negligent.
“Make it happen quickly, Duke. In a couple of weeks when the family center opens, things will get lively. I think we all agree,” Alex said with a glance around the table, “that we’d like this sorted out before long then.”
A few more details were discussed and then Duke made to leave. Just before exiting he turned back and looked straight a
t Drae.
“Nice shirt. Good movie.”
The old fart left the room to peals of laughter.
11
Parker will be here in a bit,” Finn informed Barry as he dumped an armload of new menus on the end of the bar. “It’s a done deal as soon as we work out some details and shake on it.
“Good work, man,” Barry said as he snatched a menu and flipped it open. “Having Desert Thunder as the official house band will guarantee a register full of cash anytime they play.”
Yeah, whatever. Just because it was great for business doesn’t mean he enjoyed making nice with Zorro’s arrogant doppelgänger. Readjusting his opinion of his brother-in-law was one thing, but putting up with Parker and that other asshole Calder Dane, well, he had a tough time with it.
Chuckling, Barry pointed to the menu and made a face. “Finnegan! You old softie! Bella-Style Grilled Cheese?”
He shrugged. “The kid’s got mad wicked skill. Not shitting at all. She knew the difference between real and fake mashed potatoes. What other five-year-old could taste the difference? Hell, man—half the customers can’t tell.”
“Well, the grilled cheese you two came up with kicks ass.” He closed the menu and gave Finn an approving look. “The changes you made in the kitchen are gonna revolutionize this place.”
“Are we good for the weekend? Shelly sent me a text about the dry ice. Her guy from the dentist’s office is gonna do us a solid, man!” Finn had to smile. The party they were throwing was going to be epic. “Halloween is the perfect time to show off the changes here. Let everyone know that Pete’s is more than a bar.”
“Yep, yep. Got the decorations ready to go. Convinced Grey he really did need to work in a costume,” Barry snickered. “He was less than thrilled. Oh, and that guy who does the pizza for Justice? He’s hooking us up big time.”
Sounds from the parking lot started making their way inside the building. They looked at each other. “What the fuck?” Barry drawled. Vaulting over the bar, he darted to the window next to the front door.
“What is it?” Finn asked.
Unforgettable (Family Justice Book 5) Page 12