Unforgettable (Family Justice Book 5)

by Suzanne Halliday

  As the song kicked into high gear the crowd went completely crazy. Alex beat his drums to shit and Parker engaged in a fiery back and forth with his new guitarist.

  Oh. And Berger? Fuck. That guy was every kick ass rock bassist rolled into one. Flea. John Entwistle. Paul McCartney. Krist Novaselic. They could all have a seat because Desert Thunder had Berger on bass and all was right with the world.

  Grabbing Remy’s hand she took off, dragging her toward the girls and yelled, “Come on! Time to dance!”

  The reluctance from the other woman was kind of sad, but Angie was having none of it. She simply put her head down and went for it.

  Soon as Finn’s song wrapped up Parker and Alex laughed like maniacs and ripped into Girl, Girls, Girls because sometimes nothing else would do except some Crüe.

  The Justice Ladies went turbo and dominated the crowd by table dancing and making an all-out scene throughout the entire song. Angie dragged poor reluctant Remy right into the thick of things, but Smokey just frowned and squirmed until she managed to find a sliver of shadow to melt into.

  Her eyes, however, never left Finn. Not even when Shelly hopped up on the bar at the other side of the room and caused a commotion as she gave up some impressive dancing stripper moves—all decked out in a skimpy gypsy costume.

  Angie let the warm, happy, and yes, tequila burnished glow of love and belonging sweep her up. Her choice to live amidst this crazy mash-up of contrasting souls had probably saved her in a lot of ways.

  Her eyes moved to Parker. She sighed when her heart did that pitty-pat thing it did whenever she looked at him. Tonight, in his sarcasm-implied Han Solo outfit he looked even hotter and more imposing than ever as he did his rock-god thing, and in the process turned her skimpy bikini bottoms into a sultry swamp of rapacious need.

  Lacey nearly toppled off the tall bar table when Tori jumped up next to her and started screaming at the band like an unhinged groupie. Drae acted as spotter and made sure she didn’t go flying backwards or tumble onto her face. She saw Drae and Lacey look at each other and smirk at the same time.

  It was a good night and they were all having a bang time. Well, mostly all, because Remy was spoiling the average. But nonetheless, Angie put her concerns about Sophie and what her folks were up to into a far corner of her mind and put her Justice knickers on. Her man was in the spotlight and it was her job to cheer the loudest. Slugging back the dregs of her margarita, she ditched the empty glass and shoved her way forward where Parker could see her while she danced and acted the Desert Thunder cheerleader.

  Meghan was right there, sitting with Heather while Brody hovered nearby, deep in conversation with Calder. Red gave her a peace sign with a wink. As one song rocked into another, Thunder went through a set of crowd favorites and she put away another margarita.

  It was a good night so far and she was finally enjoying herself.

  19

  Meghan grabbed Princess Leia for a burlesque worthy bump and grind in full costume when the boys wailed through a lusty rendition of Everybody Wants Some. She had an appreciation of Van Halen that went beyond mere fandom. She told her college roommate that it wasn’t that she wanted to fuck David Lee Roth. Nope. She wanted to be the outrageous performer. She liked his ‘fuck off and eat shit’ swagger. It was Roth who she gleefully channeled when Boots, Sass and Ass took center stage. Plus, her mom, believe it or not, was a serious metal head. No joke. Hell, one of her favorite pumped up jams was Ozzy’s Crazy Train.

  But this song? The one that started with the sexy drumbeat and sultry guitar riff? Showed off Alex and Parker’s musical prowess. This was them at their best.

  Breathless and hot, she fanned herself and made her way back to the table where her cold drink waited—with Heather standing guard over it. She found Brody leaning over her and from the way Heather laughed and slapped his hands away, she assumed he was taking liberties with his wench’s curves.

  She remained standing and sipped her drink as she looked back to the stage. Parker was doing some sarcastic back and forth with Finn that the crowd was eating up. Her gaze shifted to Alex. He was staring straight at her and she didn’t miss the wicked glimmer in his eyes when he lifted a hand and cupped it in front of his face.

  He’d been making similar gestures since taking the stage. He was messing with her and it was working. Every time he put his hand near his face it was a reminder that her scent was all over his skin. Her core throbbed and she almost spat out her drink when a laugh tore through her at the same time.

  Oh my god. That bad man has my panties.

  Even though Alex pocketing her underwear was a regular occurrence, something about this time struck her as fall-down-laughing funny. Was it the ball gown and satin gloves? Maybe. Whatever it was, she started giggle-snorting and quickly sat down, squirming on the bench seat, obscenely aware of the flood making her consider sitting on a towel.

  The party raged on for a long time with the boys rocking the house down in an impressive display of Desert Thunder’s mastery. When they broke into Parker and Angie’s tongue-in-cheek theme song, a 90s rocker called Coming of Age, she sensed a shift in atmosphere and wondered what could possibly be up.

  The scantily clad Star Wars Princess did her part to make the performance a memorable one. When the song ended, Parker began a free form rant while plucking at the guitar. Finn provided the occasional chord or riff, and Alex was right there with a series of badum-ching rimshots.

  And what was he babbling about? Ha! He went off after asking the men in the crowd to have his back and served up a direct attack on Angie’s chain yanking fuckery. Every time he lamented that he ‘asked and she said yes’, someone from the Justice crowd would yell back, “Put a ring on it, stupid!”

  From the corner of her eye she spied Calder snickering as he held up his phone and recorded the proceedings.

  It was all good fun and the usual nonsense—about what you’d expect from those two—and then Parker called Angie up to the stage. Meghan startled and swung to look at her sister-in-law.

  Like a pantomime sent from high school hell, the new guy, Berger, ditched his guitar and bounced off the stage to offer Angie a hand through the crowd. Meghan groaned and briefly put her face in her hand. Dude was sure to get his ass kicked by Parker for that little stunt. Didn’t Berger know how scary territorial the lawyer was where Angelina was concerned?

  To her credit, Angie tried not to use his assistance, but the crowd was unforgiving as she pushed along and she wasn’t dressed for combat. One wrong twist or turn and she’d be releasing the girls to view.

  Meghan briefly wondered how many margaritas desert angel had sucked down until Alex’s booming laugh cut through the noise of the crowd. Angie stumbled going up the stairs and almost went down. Him being a snarky dick and Angie’s instant finger-flashing comeback summed up their sibling dynamic in all its eye-rolling glory.

  She shot her husband a wifely frown, which he knocked back with a taunting leer as he covered his mouth and nose with tapping fingers, as if deep in thought. Every damn time he reminded Meghan that she was sans panties and how she ended up that way, it triggered a fresh surge of wet heat flooding her center. If he truly planned to have her in a back room before the night was over, they might need a life raft to rescue them from the tsunami of arousal dripping from her too-eager body.

  Across the table Heather murmured, “Uh oh,” when the youngest Marquez headed straight for her brother and in full view of the packed house, slapped hands to her waist and launched into a little-sister tirade that looked pretty funny from behind. The sight of Princess Leia’s battle-stance as she ripped her brother enough of a new one that Alex could only laugh was destined for the highlight reel.

  The crowd helped things careen out-of-control by egging the whole scene on. Finally, Parker sighed melodramatically, slung his guitar behind his back and swaggered his Han Solo badass self to where his spitfire Princess was currently reading the riot act to a highly amused Alex. Without any pause whats
oever he dipped his shoulder, grabbed Angie about the waist and threw her like a sack of wheat across his shoulder. He’d surprised her and as she squirmed, kicked and flailed about, he simply walked back to his microphone where he unceremoniously dumped the wiggling woman onto her feet.

  Then he re-adjusted his guitar, strummed a harsh sounding chord and turned his face toward Berger as he growled, “Tell the nice man thank you, honey, and then grab a mic and get over here.”

  The expression on Angie’s face was fucking priceless. Calder was laughing heartily as he recorded their antics. Alex scrubbed a small towel back and forth on his head, managing to make his hair even more of a mess, and grinned. The whole Marquez family and Parker’s lifelong participation in their odd dynamic reminded Meghan of her brothers. She searched the stage for Finn and found him languidly half-perched on an amplifier, watching with a smile, just like she was. His eyes met hers and he chuckled, made a face and shook his head at the nonsense playing out on stage. They were finally at a place where the uncomfortable outbursts they’d squabbled through were over and relegated to the past.

  Angie, in true Princess Leia style, made a face at Parker, whirled around and marched to Berger. Heather was laughing, probably because she suspected what Angie was up to.

  Berger did nothing. He simply stood there in his spiffy suit, bass strapped on, and mildly stared in a totally disinterested and uninvolved way. She didn’t know the new guy at all but Meghan liked his dry attitude and admitted that the mute shtick he did was pretty effective.

  Ripping the microphone from Berger’s stand, she shimmied up to him and cooed into the mic, “Thank you, Berger.” Leia obviously knew how to spell coquette.

  Parker’s jaw clenched so hard he became an advertisement for U.S. made steel.

  Ah, young love, she mentally sniggered.

  Parker Sullivan, Esquire. Attorney Alpha and all around fire breathing agitator who gave the Major’s command and control bluster the finger as it passed by, aimed some of his dragon’s breath into the mic, growling, “Alright, princess. Don’t get cocky.”

  The audience went wild. Rock and roll, alcohol, costumes, and now Star Wars references? Bangin’!

  “Be nice, guitar boy,” Angie quipped. The way she seductively stalked Parker didn’t do much as far as putting the arrogant alpha in his place, but he sure seemed to be enjoying her swagger. When she was eyeball to chin with him, she simpered sweetly into her mic, “Okay, what’s up you half-witted, scruffy-looking … lawyer?”

  Once again, Alex roared with laughter and added another perfectly timed rimshot to punctuate Angie’s comical snark.

  With the crowd encouraging the couple’s playful antics, Parker played off their energy like a true performer.

  “Full disclosure desert angel. How much have you had to drink?” he taunted as all the ladies loudly booed the question.

  “Seriously?” she answered with a smirking drawl. “Asked like a true lawyer. When are you ever not chasing an ambulance?”

  “Just covering my ass, little girl. Answer the question.”

  Fingering the long braid of her hair, she brushed the end suggestively across her chest. She was about to answer when Brody hilariously yelled out, “Bro code, man! She’s been sucking down half-caffs courtesy of your pal, Barry.”

  Brody pointed to the bar where Barry waved and took a bow. Every man in the crowd cheered while Angie looked flabbergasted at this news.

  “Well, in that case,” she snipped. “Not near enough.” Tossing the long braid over her shoulder with a defiant flick of her wrist, Angie stayed toe to toe with Parker.

  Good girl, Meghan thought as she mentally cheered her on.

  “So, darlin’,” Parker drawled. “With your brother watching from five feet away and the good people of Bendover as witnesses, for the last god damn time, are you going to marry me or not?”

  Heather high-fived her when Meghan squawked, “Oh my god. That shit! He’s not proposing again! He’s baiting her in front of everyone.”

  “Boom!” someone yelled from the audience.

  Angie’s cheeky grin let Meghan know she might be down but she certainly wasn’t out.

  “Well, I haven’t said I wouldn’t.”

  This time, all the ladies bellowed, “boom!” and the whole place cracked up laughing.

  The amused chuckle from Parker followed by a quick kiss dropped on Angie’s nose let her know that desert angel answered as he expected. Those two were so perfect for each other it was unreal.

  “Great. Now that we have that settled, I made an appointment for us with a jeweler. I’ll text you the date and time.”

  There wasn’t an unlaughing face anywhere in the Justice crowd as Parker effectively boxed Angie in with a public throw down. He was a genius. And a devil.

  Meghan couldn’t recall many times when she’d seen Angie silenced and outmaneuvered, so this was pretty goddamn epic.

  “About time,” Alex grunted into his mic.

  She watched, enthralled, as Parker turned his back to the crowd, leaned down and whispered in Angie’s ear. Her shrewd sister-in-law immediately lowered her mic, ensuring that his words stayed private. The slow, wobbly smile spreading across Angie’s face was so adorable that Meghan quickly checked to make sure Calder was still recording.

  Angelina Marquez’s pleased expression earned a sappy sounding, “Aww,” from Heather.

  She thought perhaps Parker gave his lady love a little pat on the bottom as he slid behind her, said something to Alex and then spoke briefly to Finn. When he eighty-sixed his guitar and plucked the mic free from its stand, Meghan unconsciously reacted by clasping her hands in front of her heart and letting out an emotional sigh. They were going to sing together. Quell swoon! The vocal magic desert angel and her hunky lawyer made when it was the two of them in harmony was a rare treat and a privilege to behold.

  While Parker set things up, Angie half-smirked and looked right at Meghan in her spot along the wall. Angie’s comical expression spoke volumes and let her know that rather than being peeved at her man, she was enjoying this surprise performance.

  Alex counted out a beat with the heavy drum sticks Meghan had branded with his band name, Thunder Cock, and then he, Berger and Finn laid down a pretty melody that was instantly familiar. Parker sang first.

  “Listen baby…”

  Angie giggled and then the two proceeded to mesmerize the audience with an oldie but goodie, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. Nobody, not even Marvin and Tammy, harmonized and played off each other as well as these two did. And doing it as Han and Leia only made it a hundred times better. At some point, Meghan jumped to her feet and did a couple’s two step with Heather.

  The song over as the crowd cheered with appreciation, Han Solo led his Princess from the stage. On a nod to Finn and a handshake with Alex they disappeared into the darkness behind the black curtain leaving the rest of Desert Thunder to take over, and they didn’t disappoint. Knowing full well the kickass musical talents her brother had up his sleeve, Meghan let loose with the rest of the assembled family as Finn led Alex and Berger on a wild rock and roll tour de force featuring a smattering of songs from Boston-proud Aerosmith and a particularly memorable rendition of Springsteen’s Born in the USA that got every veteran in the place yelling and howling along with approval.

  Parker reappeared for the final two songs but Angie was nowhere around. The band ended as they always did with a rousing on-your-feet hoe-down of Journey’s Anyway You Want It and finally, to leave things on a calmer note, Thunder brought a hush over the crowd with a spine-tingling rendition of Dead or Alive featuring Parker and Finn on guitar.

  When Alex twirled his sticks in the air before the drums rolled in, she locked eyes with her beast. The message she read in his expression was unmistakable. Soon as the stage cleared, it was their turn in the shadows for some wicked fuckery.

  It was late and he was beat to shit. Jesus Christ, it had been a long, grueling day.

  Finn dropped a pen
onto the cluttered desk and rubbed his face.

  Long and grueling was his new reality. A very productive reality evidenced by the numbers after Barry closed out the register in the bar. Today’s haul was nothing short of impressive. Shit man. If they could keep this up and continue building one successful change on another, this being a saloon owner thing was going to work out just fine.

  A commotion outside the door propelled Finn from the chair his ass was warming so he could check it out. A couple of Justice guys were finishing the breakdown of Thunder’s equipment as Barry hovered nearby barking directions. The place was a mess but their cleaning crew were already on it.

  Satisfied that nothing needed his attention, he swung back to his Lilliputian-sized workspace when a fast moving blur moved in his eyesight. Not reacting fast enough, he felt himself being pulled by the hem of his t-shirt into the small office. The door clicked shut. Finn swallowed hard when he found himself staring into the rapacious grin of Nurse Betty Lou. The feverish glint in the woman’s eyes and her freshly lipsticked mouth made him nervous. Oh fuck. He knew that look.

  “You changed,” she pouted half a second before launching herself at him. Within seconds she was an oversexed anaconda, rubbing her body on his and making weird ‘uh, uh, uh’ noises.

  Fuck yeah, he’d changed, and now that he had an unwanted nurse-nymphette climbing him like a tree he was damn glad a layer of protective denim replaced the flimsy silk boxing trucks of his costume.

  Trained to assess critical situations he ticked off a list of relevant things.

  First being that the door was shut and, dammit, but Betty Lou flipped the lock too. Ugh. Unless something critical happened, Barry had the bar breakdown under control. It would be at least an hour before his partner’s work was wrapped up.

  Second, a legendary cockgobbler was trying her damndest to get into his pants. He hadn’t been with a woman in so long that his mind had difficulty connecting with when the last time was.