Commander in Briefs

by Kristy Marie

  Ignoring his dig, I look to the guys. “Split up. We’re going to expand our search to the next neighborhood over a few blocks. Check the cars, houses, anywhere he might be hiding out.”

  Theo holds up a finger to stop me. “What if he doesn’t want to be found? Have you ever thought about that?”

  I have. And that’s something I don’t want to think again. Sometimes, guys like us just want to be left alone to die or waste away. I’d like to think Lawson doesn’t feel that way but we did find him face down, a needle hanging from his vein. I didn’t want to help him at the time. I didn’t want to escort him to the hospital. But Anniston… she was fucking insistent. We carried him to the ER, where he was detoxed and bandaged up.

  Anniston spent a couple hours talking to him, encouraging him to come back with us when he was released. I told her it wasn’t a good idea. Addicts are different from your run-of-the-mill homeless. I was afraid his dealer or friends would come for him, see what Anniston has and steal from her.

  Or worse…hurt her.

  She waved me off, saying he was different. That she saw hope in his eyes. And then she made me swear not to tell Theo how we found him.

  Maybe it’s better this way. Maybe he ran off looking for his next fix and I can tell Anniston that he was a lost cause, that he wasn’t ready to turn his life around. There will always be others, ones who want help.

  I look at Theo. “Anniston will want closure either way.”

  I turn on my heel, refusing to answer any further questions. I need to think. When I was homeless, I would seek out shelter in low traffic areas. I didn’t want to be seen, to be whispered about. Scaring children was not my thing.

  I head to the south entrance of the subdivision as the guys disappear, spreading out in different directions. I peek through the windows of the cars parked on the street, praying no one calls the cops and reports me for scoping the area. Lawson isn’t anywhere to be found. Wherever he went, it isn’t here.

  I’m almost ready to call it quits when screams and a loud banging erupt from behind me. Startled, I scan for the source of the screaming. The side door to a small blue house on the corner is thrown open and out runs Lawson, hauling ass, jumping over the front bushes as he goes.

  Please tell me he didn’t just rob the place.

  I break into a run, attempting to intercept him. I’m not sure what’s going on but he’s not escaping without an explanation.

  “Lieutenant!” I shout, running behind him. My body screams in pain from the hours of manual labor I’ve put in, but I catch up easily, fighting through the discomfort. Snagging Lawson’s arm, he pulls to a halt. His eyes are wide with… excitement? It’s hard to tell as he tries to pull free of my grasp.

  “Hurry, Major. He’s coming.”

  I stand firm, not allowing Lawson to move me from the scene. If he robbed the place, then he’s about to give all that shit back. I am not going to be an accomplice to a crime.

  “What did you do?”

  He looks at me then at a man charging from the doorway, a small redhead hot on his heels.

  “It’s not what it looks like.” He’s pleading for me to run but I can’t.

  I can’t allow him to rob these people.

  Lawson tries to shake free once more. “Please, sir. Please, run.”

  I eye the man charging at us with unbridled rage. I can be calm. I can handle this situation.

  The older gentleman approaches. I push Lawson behind me and hold my hands up in surrender. “Sir. What’s the problem?”

  He grits his tooth, and I say tooth loosely since several are missing in the front. “Get out of my way. I have no beef with you. Yet.”

  I nod, trying to buy us some time. “I realize that, sir. I’m sure we can handle this civilly.”

  The redhead finally catches up. She’s out of breath and barefoot.

  Ah, shit. Did Lawson fuck this dude’s girl?

  I look back and cut him a look. The guilty expression on his face is all I need. He fucked her.

  “Get out of my way, boy!” The man yells at me and charges.

  Wild-eyed, the redhead screams, “No! Run, Lawson!”

  The man turns, grabbing the girl. He shakes her, hard. “Get your whoring ass back to the house!”

  Lawson pushes against me trying to get to her. The man has absolutely no self-preservation. “I got this, Laws,” I mumble, then say louder to the angry gentleman, “look, we don’t have to call any names. I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation for all of this.”

  He points a meaty finger at Lawson. “He fucked my wife!”

  The redhead starts to cry. Lawson is agitated, attempting to step around me but I block him with my body. I need to handle this situation now before it spirals out of control.

  “I’m really sorry. I can’t change what happened but I can assure you that it won’t happen again.” I try to smile to diffuse the situation but it only serves to anger him more. Lawson scoffs behind me and the guy loses it.

  He charges me and takes both me and Lawson to the ground. “I’m going to fucking kill you!”

  I’m dodging blow after blow, trying to stay in between Lawson and this crazy man. He lands a punch to my ribs. It stings but luckily it doesn’t break anything. I try to flip over and take control but this fucker is strong.

  “We can talk about this.” I try to deflect, but a punch to my mouth stops any further talk. I’m struggling, Lawson is caught under me, trying to push me off so he can get at this prick. Before he can the guy screams, clutching his side. He rolls off me, moaning in pain. I look up and see that it’s the angel of shit himself. Theo.

  He’s standing there holding a bat with a scowl on his face. I can’t decide if I’m happy to see him or pissed off that he had to save me. When he catches me looking, he flashes me an arrogant smile. I’m definitely pissed he had to intervene.

  “Okay, now. Fun’s over. Only I get to punch Cade.”

  I roll my eyes, pulling myself into a seated position. Lawson springs up and tries to reach for the woman who still hasn’t stopped crying.

  Theo points the bat at Lawson’s chest. “Sit down, playboy.” He looks to the redhead next. “Sweetheart, why don’t you grab Grandpa and hustle it back to the house.”

  The girl stops crying long enough to glare at Theo. “You, bast—”

  Theo holds the bat up, cutting her off. “Now, now, that’s no way to say thank you.” He takes a step closer, crowding her. “Don’t be a bitch. Take Gramps back to the house, maybe give him a little head for having to chase your ass down the block.”

  Lawson is at Theo’s back before I can grab him. “Don’t fucking talk to her like that!”

  Theo turns slowly, a sneer on his face. Without warning, he swings the bat, knocking Lawson to the ground. Then Theo’s on the ground, fisting Lawson’s shirt, coming nose to nose. “If you ever pull some shit like this again, I will let the fucker kill you. Got it?”

  Lawson nods solemnly.

  “Now, get up!” He slams Lawson back onto the ground before turning to look at me.

  I’m frozen. I’ve never seen Theo like this.

  “Get him and let’s go. I’m in no mood to lie to Anniston about why your face is messed up. You’re on your own with explaining it to her.”

  I nod, helping Lawson to his feet. The chick sniffles as we leave but helps her husband up, leading him to their house.

  Theo has tucked the bat and without another word, heads to his car.

  “Hey, Theo!”

  He turns with an annoyed look.

  “Thanks.” He really saved my ass today.

  “I didn’t do it for you.”

  Of course not. He did it for her. At the moment, I’m grateful for whatever reason. Lawson steps up beside me watching as Theo and Hayes drive away, rubbing at his ribs.

  “I hope you have a really good explanation for this,” I bite, glancing down at the blooming welt on my arm from the cheap shot Gramps got off.

  Clearing his t
hroat, his lips pulled down in a frown, Lawson nods. “You’re right, we need to talk.”

  I’ve got a sinking feeling shit’s about to get real.

  Fuck.

  “Poison ivy? Seriously?” Cade flops down beside me, his expression horrified, but also relieved that Hayes didn’t have some mutant STD. “How the hell did he get poison ivy down there?” He reclines his legs over the armrest, forcing a scowling Theo over in the process. Beer in hand, he takes a long pull from his Corona, sighing into the neck of the bottle.

  That’s odd, Cade only drinks on rare occasions. Long day, I guess. He’s been holed up with Lawson for the past three hours after they got back from work.

  Theo snorts out a laugh at Cade’s ridiculous question before I have the opportunity to answer.

  “Cade, stop me if I lose you.” There’s a mean-ass gleam in Theo’s eye. Whatever he is about to say is most certainly going to piss Cade off.

  Oh, hell, here we go.

  “Hayes,” Theo motions out the window, “had some chick grinding down on his dick in the middle of the woods. Those of us who aren’t prudes call it fucking.” Theo’s smile clearly reflects that he disapproves of Cade’s abstinent lifestyle.

  I elbow him, needing him to reign it in before an all-out brawl ensues but Cade beats me to it and stands, taking an intimidating step forward to do who knows what. Theo doesn’t budge from his place on the sofa. Instead, he stays cool, his leg bouncing across his knee with a smug-ass smile that turns to a glare in seconds.

  Locked in a stare-off, ripping each other to shreds with their scathing expressions, I intervene, pushing at Theo’s chest, encouraging him to relax and knock it off as Cade settles down, retaking his vacated spot. These two have a hair-trigger of a temper today. “By the way, how was your community service?”

  “Fine,” they both say in unison, eyes still locked on each other.

  I know good and darn well something went down. The purple discolorations on Cade’s arm and face are not from a fall he took off a ladder today, no matter what he tells me. Neither are the bruises on his ribs. I know what fist marks look like.

  What confuses me is that Lawson has a couple bruises, too. He wouldn’t allow me to look as he stormed up the stairs and slammed the door, Cade hot on his heels and in a fury. Lawson hasn’t come out of his room since.

  I look back and forth at the men glaring death rays at each other from their opposite ends of the sofa.

  “What’s going on with you two? What happened out there today?”

  Cade breaks first, taking another swig of his beer before answering. “Lawson lied.”

  I’m stunned, my mouth opening and closing like a fish. “What do you mean, he lied? About what, exactly?”

  Cade swallows thickly as Theo scoffs behind my back.

  “Well,” he sighs, scrubbing his hand along his five o’clock shadow. “Lawson is different from the rest of us.”

  Cade’s cryptic sentences are wearing down my nerves and pissing me off by the syllable. “Just spit it out, Cade.”

  Cade nods solemnly as Theo chuckles at his scolding. “Lawson isn’t a druggie like we thought.”

  My head cocks to side as I encourage him to continue.

  “He was fucked up when we found him, yes—” He takes another long pull from his beer. “—but, not under the circumstances we thought. He was undercover, trying to find a kidnapped girl. Nicole is her name.”

  “He’s a cop!”

  Shaking his head, Cade looks to Theo for help.

  Theo laughs incredulously, “Don’t look at me. I told y’all to stop adopting these strays.”

  I pinch the side of his leg, in no mood for his bullshit I told you so’s.

  “He’s not a cop. He’s a Marine. His term was up four months ago. Apparently, he intercepted a call six months ago while trying to call out to his family. He got Nicole, the woman he found today in the subdivision we were working in. She told him she needed help—”

  “Why didn’t you help her?” I cut him off, up and ready to grab my keys to go help this poor girl, except Theo holds me close in hug, restraining me.

  “I didn’t know at the time she needed help. Besides, I need to investigate this more. I can’t just go running off, snatching random women from their home just because Lawson said so. So far, he hasn’t been very honest with us. Anyway, Lawson has been tracking this man for four months, finally gathering enough intel to track his drug supplier. That’s why he was high when we found him. But he doesn’t have a problem like we suspected.”

  My mind spins with this new information. Lawson let us believe he was an addict in need of refuge. I can’t decide if I’m pissed or impressed that he would go to any lengths to get this guy.

  “Why hasn’t he gone to the police with this information?”

  Cade lips purse a moment. “He says Lou, the guy who kidnapped Nicole, his brother is the sheriff. Lawson thinks he may be dirty, too, helping Lou smuggle women out of the state.”

  Did I hear him right? Did he say smuggle? What the ever-loving fuck! “Come again?”

  Cade sighs, knowing what I mean. “You heard me, Lawson thinks he and his brother are part of a sex trafficking ring.”

  “No fucking way! In Madison? I don’t believe it.”

  Cade shrugs, chugging the last of his Corona. “I don’t know but we need to look into it before Lawson does something crazy, like go after this guy on his own.”

  I agree, my finger slipping in between my teeth. Theo swats it down, a knowing smile on his face. He arches a brow. “Are you biting your nails?”

  I wave him away like an annoying gnat. “I was not.”

  Giving him a little shove to the chest, he pulls away and flashes me a playful grin. “Enough of this Debbie Downer shit. I’m horny talking about all this sex slave stuff.”

  Theo springs from the sofa and drops to his knees in front of me. Yanking my lower body off the sofa, he throws my legs over his shoulders, biting and nipping at my inner thigh. I squeal, fighting to get upright again, but he’s too powerful.

  “What’d ya say, Ans. Wanna pretend to be my sex slave? Beg me to let you come on my face?”

  His grip tightens, and I’m at his mercy in seconds. He tugs at my leggings, inching them past my thighs. Is he seriously about to eat me out right here in front of Cade? Does he have no class? What the fuck am I thinking? Of course, he doesn’t.

  “Theo,” I giggle, fighting his death grip on my hips. “Cade is here!”

  “Oh, I think your pet needs to learn how to please a woman. How to make her scream when she rides your face to oblivion.”

  Cade rises from the sofa, his cheeks crimson. “You’re a real piece of work,” he says as he passes behind Theo.

  Theo winks at me above my leggings, which are now at my knees. He pulls them lower slowly, all the while tracking Cade out the door. When Cade disappears, he yanks them back up.

  “I thought he would never leave.” He plops down on the sofa, burrowing down in the cushions. “Want to watch that movie I recorded the other day?”

  “What about Lawson? We need to deal with the situation.”

  “Lawson, Shamawson. Who cares. He’s been tracking this girl for months. He now knows where she is. What’s one more day? Besides, Cade has no life. I bet he runs to his office and starts researching right now. Problem solved.” He shrugs, proud of himself. “Now, do you want to watch that movie or not?”

  I chuckle, catching onto his tactic to get Cade out. “That sounds very domestic of you, Von Bremen.”

  He smiles, shrugging those million-dollar shoulders. “I kinda like being domestic with you, McCallister. The buffet of sex opportunities is worth putting up with your terrible taste in roommates.”

  Scoffing, I try and fail to look offended at his comment. He laughs it off, drawing me down to his chest and hits play on the remote. For once in a very long time, I put everyone else’s issues aside and enjoy the simplicity of just being with Theo.

  The fa
rmers market is filled with chaos tonight. People are everywhere stocking up on fresh fruits and vegetables along with custom jewelry and homemade home decor. I love the farmers market. The quaint little section just off West Main Street is gorgeous with its country beauty. Tall, old oaks that have grown along the sidewalks for years stand imposed and strong, providing shade for the market’s customers.

  Cade has been busy researching with Lawson, both only coming out of Cade’s office to eat and workout. I’m trying not to worry about poor Nicole. I know Cade wouldn’t let anything happen to her. But I can’t help the betrayal I feel by my sheriff, by my town, that has supported such a heinous act. Sex trafficking? I’ve only ever heard of that shit in the movies. Who would have thought we would have participants here in Madison.

  Distracted, I shuffle through the stands, admiring a burlap bracelet with a handcrafted wooden bead.

  “Can I help you with something?” A petite woman with an English accent steps out from behind her booth with a genuine smile.

  “This is gorgeous. Do you have more charms? Say maybe a baseball?”

  She chuckles, wiping her hands on the white apron around her waist. “My husband can make anything. We can custom create something for you.”

  Excited for a new piece of jewelry, I tell her what I have in mind. She writes it all down and instructs me to come back in a few weeks to pick it up.

  I stop at a few more booths before calling it a day, heading down the narrow alley to where I parked my car. Buzzing vibrates my purse. I fish out my phone, balancing it in one hand, my bag in the other.

  “Hello.”

  “If Washington were a dick it would be a short, uncircumcised one.”

  I laugh.

  Theo flew out early this morning to be with his team. He’s on the roster as the starting pitcher tonight against the Mavericks. Even with our relaxing evening, he was still ill as a damn hornet when he left this morning. His attitude about working for the ball club is getting worse by the game. I need to talk to Thad and see if he knows more. I hate to see Theo so unhappy.

  “It can’t be that bad,” I say, turning the corner.

  “Oh, it’s bad. Bellamy was in my face as soon as I got to the stadium, bitching me out about missing batting practice again.”