Deploy (3 page)

As Boon stepped forward, Tobias’s arm shot out like a viper. “If you need to be closer to intimidate that fool then you have a lotta growing to do.” Tobias barely moved his lips as he spoke and it was hard to hear him over the wind that was carrying the storm in, but his message hit home. Boon decided to stand just like Tobias, arms crossed and a placid expression at best.

Declan flicked his glance to Nolan, wanting to be pissed that he had earned yet another glimpse of affection from Justice, but finding it just as hard to do when he saw his brother’s carefree grin, one that told Declan he didn’t even notice. It didn’t matter anyway. They were both out of there within a week. Justice Rose would only be a chapter in the book of their boyhood. When they returned for good, they’d be men.

Both Declan and Nolan stood six foot three inches tall, just a tad shorter than Tobias. They were lean but ripped—and they both had the same eyes. The only real differences, the ones you might notice if you didn’t know them, were that Declan almost always had a shadow of stubble framing his sharp cheek bones and his lips weren’t as thin as Nolan’s. And according to his grandmother, Missy, he had the longest lashes of all the boys.

“Fuck him,” Declan said to Tobias who was still glaring at Murdock for taking a cheap shot at his brother. “What are y’all doin’?”

“Coming to fetch you,” Boon said, still trying to look just as tough as Tobias while he glared across the way.

Declan furrowed his brow in suspicion. He had his own ride. Then his stare slid to Nolan, wondering what in the hell he was up to. He’d heard him talking to their dad a few days ago about how Declan’s truck needed a new set of tires. It did, but Declan was not going to drop over a grand on some tires that he would not be using for months to come.

That’s where Nolan came in. His truck wasn’t going to make it very far on his road trip, so he wanted to use Declan’s. They’d argued about it for months. Nolan had even said if they were going to keep their cover story up then he had to take it. Their daddy wasn’t going to let them take two trucks to boot camp; he’d know something was up.

“Happy graduation,” Tobias said. “Daddy dropped a new transmission in Nolan’s truck this morning, and now your truck is getting new tires.”

Declan shook his head as he stared down Nolan who was sporting his classic ‘fuck yeah’ grin. New transmission or not, his truck still would not make it all the way to Canada, and now without the excuse of bad tires, Declan had little reason not to give in to Nolan.

It
’
ll keep his ass safe
, he told himself, even though he flipped Nolan off.

“This storm’s going to be a bitch,” Tobias said glancing to the sky. “I told daddy I’d get you and we could head over to the bar and take shelter in the cellar. He’s already got Atticus with him.”

Atticus was the second to the youngest brother—daddy’s boy to say the least. 

“I got two hours left on this bullshit. I need to be here.” Declan’s pride wouldn’t let him leave now, not after Murdock bucked up to him in front of everyone, in front of Justice.

“That’s a different tune,” Nolan spouted, glancing to the bleachers then to Declan. “What changed your mind there, bro?”

“Fuck you. I didn’t want to come, but I’m here ain’t I? I leave now, and that ass thinks he made me.”

“That pride got the two of you in this shit in the first place,” Tobias said dismissively. He thought they were both in the fight, but only Nolan was busted for it, and Declan was serving the time because it was the right thing to do.

“Like you would’ve done differently,” Nolan said with a lift of his brow.

Tobias smirked. “Do as I say, not as I do.”

“What do you gotta do?” Nolan asked Declan. “What’s left? I’m telling you they’re going to call that game any second, we’ll just tell whoever I finished the time.” He shrugged. “What are they gonna do? Make me do this shit the morning we walk the line? Doubt it.”

Declan glanced over his shoulder to the Sheriff’s cruiser parked a few spaces back. He was sitting in it watching his son play. He and his big mouth would tell someone they left early. He’d already been looking at Declan like he was sure the wrong brother was in detention.

If the Souters hated anything more than someone standing up to them, it was having someone pull a fast one and get out of whatever bullshit trap they had set.

“Mulch these flower beds. I was supposed to water it, but I don’t think that’s gonna to be an issue,” Declan said with another glance to the sky. The wind was picking up, and the dark clouds above seemed to be racing each other as they glided by.

This storm was rolling off the coast. They’d been talking about it for weeks, and the parties to ride it out had been planned for just as long.

Tobias pulled his phone out of his jeans, answering the silent ring, then stepped away, meaning whatever girl he had on the line for the night was hitting him up.

Boon grabbed a bag of mulch and started laying it down in the flower beds next to the building. Nolan came to Declan’s side to help him finish planting the row of new bushes.

Nolan elbowed Declan when no one was looking. “When are you gonna stop eye fucking Justice?”

“Me? I’m just tryna’ to figure out how come a girl with your ‘take’ on her is looking right miserable. Starting to worry about you, man.”

“She’s smiling now,” Nolan taunted. Under his breath, he mumbled, “You and your damn loyalty.”

“When are you gonna take your ‘take,’ off of her?” Declan snapped back. “We’re both outta here.”

“Never.”

Declan shook his head knowing this was not the time to have this debate. A few years ago, maybe. But not now, at this late date.

“Why, fucker?” Declan asked, just because if he didn’t Nolan would know for sure Justice was his unicorn, the myth that was not meant to be his.

If Declan Rawlings was quiet, he was plotting, plotting to get something he wanted. If he was arguing, he was doing so just to rattle his brothers up. He didn’t care about the outcome because he had already declared he was going to win—and always did. What kind of win he was going for was never truly clear, though.

“Because that girl is right and as long as my ‘take’ is on her
no
Rawlings will hurt her.”

“Who?” Declan asked, thinking one of his cousins, or worse, younger brothers had their eye on her, and he didn’t know it. Tobias had for real had Declan under his wing since before Christmas. He’d told him it was best to take in the solitude, that it would be easier when he left if he had a degree of separation. So Declan had no clue what high school drama was going on.

He co-op’d out at eleven o’clock every day and went to the garage, and apparently, most drama happened during lunch and after school.

Nolan shook his head as he went back to his task. In his mind, Declan was a fool when it came to Justice. Nolan was almost sure the girl was born loving Declan. He only called ‘take’ when he was a boy because he was always trying to one up his brother and saw his chance.

When Declan figured out he wasn’t getting an answer, he cussed under his breath and went back to work. Then his thoughts got the better of him.

“I said who,” Declan gritted out.

“You need a girl right now? I’m not talking about a hit it and quit it. I mean somethin’ like her,” Nolan said with a tick of his head toward the field.

“What do you think?” Declan snapped.

A slow grin spread across Nolan’s lips. “I think my ‘take’ is going to stay in place until you can give me a different answer.”

“Right, then,” Declan breathed as he shook his head and went back to work. He wanted out of there before he had too much time to think about the possibility of Justice Rose in some far off distant future.

Even if he overlooked the fact she still had a year of high school left and by that time he’d be a world away, and they would both be different people— it wouldn’t matter.

Justice Rose had a special kind of hate for Declan. She had to have; he couldn’t imagine why she would’ve been so terrible to him in the past for any other reason. She had confounded him in ways that couldn’t be legal in his mindset. Say it. Meant it. Move on. The ‘I’m ignoring you’ game did not compute in his mind as fair play.

Nolan whistled when he saw rage alight in his brother’s gaze. Then he chose to push a few more buttons simply because he was one of the few who could get away with it. “I guess it wouldn’t matter considering you’re all good with her and Murdock hooking up.”

The glance Declan tossed Nolan would have killed weaker men, or at least given them the idea to run for their life.

“Do you want me to get twisted up in some assault charges? Is it your goal to make sure my ticket out of here goes up in flames?”

“Now there’s an idea,” Nolan said with a daring glint in his eyes. He was mad as hell when he figured out Declan signed at seventeen.

He’d wanted Declan to wait, at least a year, and just run with him. For them to take a second to figure out who they were without the Rawlings’ name, and Rawlings’ history, who they were outside the corps, outside of Bradyville. It was the first thing the pair of them had disagreed on down to their core, the one thing neither would bend on.

As it stood Nolan claimed he wasn’t mad that Declan did his thing, but he was mad that he didn’t tell him, his best friend, he was going to. Not because they should have agreed on it, but because it was a huge day in his life and he’d shut Nolan out.

Declan couldn’t look him in the eye and deny it, which was half the reason Nolan had been able to convince Declan to help him as much as he had to make sure Nolan got his adventure.

Declan had covered for him, giving him any extra cash and shifts he had, and now apparently he was giving him his truck for a few months. And he still felt indebted to Nolan...and he was pissed at Nolan because he did. “You think an assault charge is going to land me on the road with you? Hiking up some fucking mountain for the hell of it and looking at sunsets and shit? You’ve lost your damn mind—chill, brother. Stop rattling my cage.”

After a second Nolan said, “Whatever that’s between them is nothing. I think Murdock’s just her way out of the house and she takes it.”

“She tell you that?”

Half shrug. “She never talks about him or home, and is quick to change the subject if I bring it up. But I do know I haven’t seen her outside of school without her daddy unless it’s with Murdock.”

Declan glanced over his shoulder, catching Justice’s gaze once more. He held her stare for a second longer than he wanted to. He was trying to read her eyes. He’d always felt like even though hardly any words passed between them that they spoke constantly.

He could tell you where he’d pass her everyday in the hall and which way he should glance when he walked to his truck as others made their way to lunch. In those eyes of hers she could convey every emotion, even flirt, without expression.

He had no idea how she did it, how when she locked their gaze she opened up this secret moment they had, a moment that helped shape their every day, but he loved it.  

He saw sadness in her gaze then. He wasn’t sure what kind, though, only that lately, with each day the emotion deepened in her.

“You need to make sure she’s all right,” Declan said.

“Me?”

“Yeah, y’all are tight.” Declan drew his brow together. “What did Murdock say to you? Why did you hit him?”

“I don’t even really know. She was crying and he was telling her to be quiet. I asked if she was all right and the fucker pointed at me and said, ‘you assholes can’t leave town fast enough.’ So I hit em.”

“She never told you what it was about?”

He pursed his lips and shook his head, like he hadn’t thought to ask which was typical. Unless it was in his way, in his face, it was not an issue Nolan cared to give any emotion to that would weigh him down.

Right as Nolan glanced over his shoulder at Justice to question if he should’ve asked, Declan caught yet another fast ball thrown in their direction. This one he had to reach a bit for—and he grasped it two inches before it would’ve slammed into Nolan’s head.

Declan’s hand was on fire, telling him that ball would have delivered some
serious
damage to his brother.

Tobias dropped his phone and barely caught both Boon and Nolan as they strapped a ‘let’s do this shit’ expression across their face and charged forward.

Boon hollered every swear word he could think of at the field, and before anyone could do anything else the Sheriff flicked the lights on his cruiser then moved his ride to block the Rawlings’ boys.

“Don’t you boys know it’s sacrilegious to disturb a baseball game with a brawl?”

Asshole,
Declan thought.

“You acting like you didn’t see that?” Tobias asked with a lift of his chin, not showing any strain as he held Boon back with his grasp and Nolan with a hard glance. Declan stayed back a few feet, knowing if he came any closer to that old, fat, sweaty fucker he’d lose every ounce of his calm.

He knew that man had turned his head a million times over when Justice’s dad had had one too many; he’d acted like he never saw the bruises. He didn’t deserve his badge as far as Declan was concerned, and he sure as hell could not be trusted.

“I saw it, this wind’s a bitch, might as well call the game,” he said, with a slow smile as the ump did just that.

Tobias narrowed his stare. “Those players are lucky to have you looking out for them, bet you make ‘em feel safe.”

The Sheriff’s grin was slick. He’d read right through Tobias’s seemingly innocent comment that basically said his son needed him to fight his battles. An insult, no matter what family you came from. Around there you were as strong as your youth. 

The Sheriff glanced to the field, to the retreating players then to the boys. “The lot of you need to learn to pick your fights, and when.” He nodded at Declan. “Finish up and get on home, the storm’s coming.”

Tobias turned Boon and Nolan back toward the flower beds. The Sheriff watched from his cruiser for a good while, long enough for the teams and the crowd to leave the field before he pulled away.