Sanctuary (Family Justice Book 3) (32 page)

What if these Justice people didn’t like her? His phone contact list was all about them, and they called with regularity. And not just other guys either. There were women, a few in fact, who touched base with her man almost daily, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

After the Jason nightmare, she’d closed off so completely that friendships were a low priority. Yeah, she had colleagues and some loosely described friends but nothing like the connection she sensed between Brody and the Justice crew.

The bride to be, Meghan, really ruffled Heather’s feathers although she couldn’t put into terms why that was. Maybe it was the way Brody’s voice changed when he talked to her. Heather knew she was acting like a crazy, jealous girlfriend, but she couldn’t help it. This was all new to her.

And then there was Lacey. At least, that one was married and a mother. Didn’t take a genius to figure out that her jealousy lessened slightly with the presence of a kid.

Starting up her run at a much slower pace, she kept ticking off names on her worry list. Victoria was next. Or Tori. Mostly, the woman’s husband called her by her formal name. Everyone else used the shortened version with Brody going back and forth. He liked the husband. Drae was his name. Draegyn St. John. She snickered. Good grief. A book boyfriend name if ever there was one!

Then there was Gus. He sounded older and spoke in a deferential way to Brody. She noticed this a lot when he interacted with other men. It was that alpha thing, she supposed. Until associating the term with him, she’d been the first one to snort at the word. Hell. A couple of shithead freshmen actually answer a
What Do You Want To Be Doing in Five Years
question with the expression … Anything Alpha.

The burn in her thighs intensified as she struggled up a serious incline. Huffing and puffing, she crested the hill and slowed to a heavy walk. Her heart was beating from the intense workout and a trickle of sweat made its way down her neck. Chest heaving, she slapped her hands on her hips and walked in place for a few moments.

Brody. He was changing everything. Before she knew it, they’d be together in Boston and his other life would come crowding in. She hoped he wasn’t expecting too much.

“Ah ha ha. Son, you’re a piece of work.”

Pops’ gentle chiding laugh made Brody grin. He was pacing back and forth in his office waiting for three o’clock so he could shut down and head out. A shopping excursion with Heather was on his agenda. He still didn’t know what to get Alex and Meghan for a wedding present and figured a woman’s opinion was better than going down the gift registry and simply buying whatever was left.

“You tell this gal you’re in love with her?”

Straight and to the point.
Must be a family trait
.

“Well, no. She’s not ready to hear it. But soon, Pops. It’ll have to be soon, you know?”

“What are you gonna do, boy, if your Heather isn’t impressed by all that yee-haw stuff in the desert? You’ve said it yourself. Part of the appeal is Justice being a world unto itself. Not everyone wants to live in the middle of nowhere.”

Oh, god. Like he didn’t think that through a million times already. What seemed the Promised Land to him might not be her cup of tea.

“I know. That’s why I’m taking her to Boston for Alex’s wedding. Give her a chance to meet everyone on neutral ground.” He sighed heavily. Pops knew everything. There weren’t any secrets between them. “She’s struggling. I’ve thrown a lot at her in a short time.”

“Does she know about Tracey? And the kid?”

Easy bull’s-eye. Shit. “Yeah. Not the details, though. All that’s a work in progress.”

“She gonna have a hard time if you locate your little one? You’ve thought this through, I hope.”

“Fuck, Pops. I can barely think about it. Not if I wanna hang on to my sanity. Once I have some time to sit down with Cam and find out what he’s learned, I’ll decide how to handle Heather.”

The old man laughed. “Read about him on the website. Is it true he can find Waldo every time?”

Brody chuckled and nodded, pressing the phone to his ear. “Yeah. It’s freaky too. I asked him to hide something for my training pups to track. Not only can he find pretty much anything, he also has some voodoo shit going on when it comes to concealment too.”

“Hee, hee, hee. I thought that was your special power.”

“I wish,” he grunted. “Hiding in plain sight is worlds away from outright concealment.”

“Remember when you scared the piss out of Reverend Baker? He was convinced you used a cloaking device that time you surprised him at the church picnic. That was some funny shit, son.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “And that was before the military scrambled my brain.

Shuffling sounded in the hallway as classes let out and people started moving.

“Gotta run, Pops. School’s out and I’m off to shop for a wedding gift. Call me this weekend, okay? I want to know what the doctor says and no running me in circles.”

“Son, I’m fine. Really. Don’t you worry about me. You want to help my old man’s heart? Put a ring on it, boy. And get crackin’. I’m too old for this shit.”

“Me too, Pops. Me too.”

“I should probably get them something too,” Heather murmured as they wandered through some high-end crap in the crystal department.

All the things on display mystified Brody. What the hell was half this stuff? And who in their right mind needed a cut crystal ice bucket?

Slinging an arm about her shoulder, he brought her in close and squeezed. “No need, m’lady. We’re a couple now. Remember? Whatever we get will have both our names on the card.”

Wrenching from his embrace, she answered with a frown. “Absolutely not!”

“Why? Isn’t that how these things are done?”

She picked up a champagne flute and held it up to the light. When she put it down, he saw her teeth making a mess of her bottom lip.

“Um, well yeah. I suppose. But they don’t know me from Eve.” Shrugging, a move he didn’t care for, she added miserably, “They’re your friends, Brody.”

“That’s true. And they can’t wait to meet you.”

She didn’t look at him, so he kept throwing words out and hoping some of ‘em stuck the landing.

“I think Meghan’s more excited that you’re going to Boston than she is to get married. Weird, actually. And Carmen is making you a Justice Welcome Basket.” Chuckling heartily, he admitted, “Have no idea what that is but I’m sure you’ll love it.”

She stiffened. He was smart enough to recognize the signal and pulled up short. All right. What the fuck?

“How can someone who’s never even spoken to me know what I’d like?”

It was always this with her. “Is this more of that being swept along thing?” Brody regretted the terseness in his tone but did nothing to soften it. Honesty first. He’d learned this lesson already.

She turned on him with an icy glare. “Don’t you judge me. Going along almost destroyed my life!” she bit out.

Oh, for god’s sake. This was ridiculous. Pissing on her ex-husband’s grave seemed like a better and better idea with each time she pulled this shit out of her ass.

Releasing a frustrated sigh, he took her by the hand, none too gently, and hauled her from the department store at a fast march speed. She was stumbling along in his wake, and it’d be funny if he weren’t so fucking annoyed.

Out in the cavernous mall with it’s over decorated spring theme, Brody located an out-of-the-way bench and pushed her onto it. He blocked her in place by standing directly in front of her and crossing his arms like a furious schoolmaster.

“Excuse me but last week when you told me a whole group of people in your department got together for lunch … wasn’t part of that narrative how nobody could agree on what to order?”

She looked like a cross between a pit bull aiming to chew his nuts off and a bad kid about to get a serious spanking, so when she meekly replied, “Yes,” he couldn’t help the snort of relief.

“And what ended up happening? Hmm?”

She looked at him, her eyes narrowed, searching for a way to respond.

“Didn’t you say that Jenelle demanded Chinese so that was that? Jenelle played the cunt card and what did everyone do?”

“Fuck,” she muttered.

Then she said something else but her mumbled response got lost in the cavernous setting. Just as well. Having her say it again only helped make his point. “Excuse me?”

The look she gave him was hysterically funny. If she could have suggested he bite her, she would have. He schooled his face not to break into a grin as she struggled.

“We all gave in and let her make the order.” Every word was spoken with an edge sharp enough to slice paper.

“Oh,” he drawled silkily. “So you went along and what happened? Your life get destroyed?”

“It’s not the same thing,” she angrily defended.

“Oh, yes it is. And keep your voice down, woman. I don’t do public spats.”

If looks could kill, he’d be on the floor. Down but not out. Good girl.

“Heather. Something undeniably shitty happened to you. I get it. But why has it never occurred to you that going along with events that were out of your control wasn’t a decision you made for you?”

She looked honestly confused. “What do you mean?”

“You were alone. In shock. Pregnant and ill. Marrying was the best thing for your baby. Not you. And not that piece of shit.”

Although she never moved, a quiet sob tore from her throat. She began wringing her hands. He worried that he went too far and kicked himself for doing it in a public place.

Crouching in front of her so they were at eye level, he stopped the frantic movement of her hands with his. “I’m sorry. I was out of line.”

She bobbed her head but kept her eyes averted. Dammit. He knew better than to lose his cool without having an escape plan. And then she looked at him. Carefully. The pain was all over her expression. He hoped she smacked him for being an insensitive dick.

“No. You were right.”

He stopped breathing.

Her dainty hand came out and rested on the side of his face. “Don’t give up on me. Okay?”

Turning his face into her palm, he kissed her hand and put his big one on top of hers.

“I will never give up. Ever.”

The Justice Compound ~ Outside Sedona, Arizona