Page 23

23

LOVELY. SO LOVELY

Jack

T en years ago, my best friend for life, Levi Hollingsworth, hooked up with the new girl in school.

No.

That’s not right.

He didn’t hook up with her.

He fell to his fucking knees, obsessed with the new girl, and didn’t stop until he made her his wife.

We were in high school at the time, so you’d think their story of young love would be one with Gilmore Girl vibes.

But not those two.

That spring semester was a straight up made-for-TV Lifetime movie.

Politics.

Adultery.

Computer hacking.

Oh, and the biggie…

Who can forget murder?

It was a fucking trip and not one to the beach.

Most of it played out here, at the Boyette Mansion.

The creepy-ass old house that was owned by Carissa’s grandparents. When old-lady Louisa Boyette died peacefully in her sleep—note, in the same room that Levi and Carissa now sleep in, I mean, can it get any creepier?—she left the estate to Carissa and her twin, Cade. Cade chose to stay and work in Boston after he graduated from MIT. That left the mansion that sits high on the hill and sprawling land to Carissa and Levi.

This is where they raise the kids they’re popping out faster than horny rabbits.

And they’ve embraced this mansion for what it is over the years. The walls are brighter, the furniture doesn’t feel like two-by-fours stuck up your ass, and there’s a security system that’s probably monitored by the team of middle-aged badasses.

If I’ve learned anything this week, it’s that once you’re in with Crew Vega’s group, you’re in for life. Asa might’ve called in those favors to board up my house and put it under their surveillance, but I know he didn’t do it for me.

He did it for Emma.

“Emma and Jack! I shouldn’t be surprised that my favorite singles got here at the same time. Jack, I have to say, you’re usually later than this.” Carissa Hollingsworth throws herself at her sister-in-law. When she lets go, she holds Emma at arm’s length and looks her up and down. “I can’t believe I haven’t seen you since you moved back to Virginia. You look amazing! I love your dress. Where did you get it?”

Emma waves her off and slides her coat down her arms. “Thanks. Target. I’ve been shopping there a lot lately.”

Yeah, she has.

And not that anyone cares, I’m sick of having to walk through the dollar aisle, cosmetics, and a movie candy end cap to get to the women’s section. I’ve worked too fucking hard to shop like that.

I not only bought her a new dress and pair of shoes, but Emma also walked out of there with a desk organizer, a bottle of wine, and nail polish remover.

Oh, and a stack of books and puzzles for Hudson.

Never did I dream of purchasing such a lame-ass gift for a one-year-old. It’s not at all loud or obnoxious, which goes against every fiber of my being.

It’s official.

I cannot say no to Emma when it comes to anything.

I paid for the most boring birthday gifts on earth and slapped my name on the card in the car.

I even did it with a smile on my good-looking mug.

Emma hands over her gift of finger puppets and the wine I thought was for us later tonight. “For Hudson. And the wine is for you. I thought you might need a drink after the party.”

“You know I will.” Carissa holds my wine to her chest like it’s her most cherished possession before she looks at me. “How’s it going, Jack? I heard about your house. That’s horrible. Talk about a rollercoaster week.”

“Ups and downs, that’s for sure.” I hand Carissa the most perfectly packaged gift that’s ever had my name on it, thanks to Emma. “For the birthday boy. It’s not loud or obnoxious. Hudson will no doubt nickname me Dad’s boring-ass friend .”

Carissa laughs and moves through the long entryway that spans three stories. Emma follows, but not before she elbows me in the ribs. I follow and can’t take my eyes off her ass in that tight dress.

I might not like shopping at the big, red bullseye, but I can’t deny their shit looks good on Emma.

Then again, she’d make anything look good. Especially my boxers and T-shirt.

Carissa talks as she walks. “Dinner is in the dining room. Kids are high on sugar and running feral. Ladies are in the kitchen tasting Addy’s new batch of wine she just bottled. Asa is still outside with some of the guys even though it’s dark, overseeing the playground that’s bigger than those at most elementary schools. Between us, it looks more like a miniature tactical course, but it is what it is. We had no idea what was happening when we woke up this morning. It’s so Asa. Can I get you guys something to drink?”

There’s a low chatter from the family room when we come around the corner.

Emma doesn’t give me a glance and follows Carissa. “I’ll help you with the drinks, then I need to find the birthday boy and kiss him all over his face.”

I spot Levi hanging with a couple of the badasses, Crew, Grady, and Ozzy. Cade and Mason are with them.

Every time I’m here I’m shocked it’s the same house we snuck in and out of back in the day.

“I’m going to find my long-lost friend who’s always too busy for me,” I say.

“Beer, Jack?” Carissa calls.

“Whatever you’ve got. Thanks.”

I make my way through the family room and wonder how this is going to go. Levi’s hands are full since he’s holding Hudson and a beer. He lifts his chin and smirks when he sees me.

Well then.

I guess Levi doesn’t know about me and Emma yet.

I’ve got work to do.

“What’s up, everyone?” I greet Levi and put my hand out to Hudson to see if he’ll give me a high five. “Happy birthday, little guy.”

Hudson throws himself at Levi since he doesn’t know me. “Stranger danger. Smart kid.”

“He just woke up from a nap. He’ll wreak havoc soon,” Levi says before lifting his beer bottle to me. “Thanks for taking time out of your high-profile life to stop by. I’m not sure we can offer the action you’re used to.”

I stuff my hands in my pockets and tell him the truth. “Give me five minutes, I’ll do my best to up the game around here.”

Mason leans in and lowers his voice. “I heard Brett is staying at Whitetail. Probably a good thing he went into hiding before they issued the warrants. How long is it going to take you to clear his name?”

“He can stay as long as he needs to,” Crew says. “But he might be able to go home soon. Ozzy has news. Cade even kicked in to help.”

I turn to Cade. “Seriously?”

“I was bored. I can only sit around this place for so long.” Cade shrugs and takes a gulp of his soda and turns to Levi. “No offense.”

Levi smirks. “None taken.”

“I saw these two at work.” Grady motions to Cade and Ozzy. “They’re like freak hackers. I’m in awe of their illegal talents.”

“Well?” I demand. “Do I have to beg for information?”

Ozzy takes a sip of his beer. “We ID’d Emma’s informant. I don’t know whether to be surprised or not, but he’s got connections to Sullivan.”

I forget all about the fact I walked into this room moments ago wondering how I’m going to tell Levi about me and his little sister. All I can do is wonder how Deep Throat is connected to Brett. “Who the hell is it?”

“Rylan Crawford,” Cade announces.

That’s it? No explanation

“I have no clue who that is,” I bite. “It would be nice if someone could fill me in.”

“His younger sister is Renee Crawford,” Crew says. I’m sure they see nothing but a blank look on my face since that’s how I feel. Crew finally gives up the link to my client. “Renee was a beneficiary of Brett Sullivan’s foundation two years ago. She graduated with honors from a school in the District and is in the middle of her sophomore year at George Washington. We checked her out. Her GPA is a three-point-nine. She’s killing it. Her older brother, not so much.”

I drag a hand down my face. Besides showing up to Brett’s annual celebrity fundraiser for his foundation and making a sizeable donation, I have nothing to do with it.

“Are you saying this guy did this to Brett because of who he is or he’s trying to save him because of his sister? Because the first doesn’t make sense,” I say.

Ozzy puts in his two cents. “I agree. And from what we can tell, the phone he uses to call Emma is a prepaid. There have been no other incoming or outgoing calls. The guy might not sport a GPA of any sort, but that doesn’t mean he’s not smart. What he doesn’t know is we can triangulate that phone from the satellite. We can pinpoint his location to pick up the other lines. I’ve got a list we’re working through.”

I look between Crew, Grady, Ozzy, and Cade. “I sucked at geometry. You lost me at triangles.”

“If I didn’t work with them every day, I’d be lost too,” Grady says. “Oz has a short list of phones in close proximity to the prepaid. They’re going through them one by one.”

“And by pinging, I’m taking it down to five hundred square feet. If this guy has been in the vicinity of other cells in the last fourteen hours, we have the number. We’re continuing to collect data as we sit here drinking beer. It’s on autopilot,” Ozzy says.

I stuff my hands in my pockets and rock back on my heels. “Impressive.”

Mason shakes his head in disbelief. “That’s more than impressive. This feels like old times, but we’re adults and got to come through the front door instead of having to sneak in the back.”

Grady lifts his chin and turns to Crew. “I remember that night. These guys were freaked.”

“I wasn’t freaked,” I argue. “I was ready to step up, but it was Mason’s bedtime.”

Mason laughs. “Hey, I was fourteen and barely weighed a buck-oh-five. I was not interested in hunting a murderer in the Love Machine.”

“The Love Machine.” Levi reminisces as he bounces a wiggling Hudson in his arms. “Fun times … sort of.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve hacked anyone illegally,” Cade says. “Felt good.”

Ozzy lifts his bottle to him. “You know your way around a network. Come back anytime.”

Cade looks like he might actually consider it. “Thanks.”

“This is all great,” I snap with sarcasm. “But where do we go from here now that we know who Deep Throat is? I need to know who paid Rylan to drug my client. My number one priority is to prove Brett innocent so I can go back to contracts and endorsements, not kidnappings and drive-bys. They cramp my style.”

“Did I hear someone say innocent?”

We all turn to see Emma standing there with two bottles of beer. She hands one to me and takes a sip from the other leaving a drop on her bottom lip.

Damn.

I want to lick it.

It’s go time on project tell my best friend I plan on banging his sister for a very long time .

Dare I say … forever.

If we didn’t have an audience, I’d take advantage of him holding a baby.

Instead, I tap the neck of my bottle to Emma’s. “They ID’d Deep Throat. His sister was a scholarship recipient for Brett.”

Emma’s eyes widen. “No way. Who hired him?”

“It’s only been a few hours, Emma. Cut me some slack,” Ozzy drawls.

Emma smiles. “Sorry. But if we know who he is, we can contact him. Right?”

Grady rubs his jaw. “There’s a decent chance you’ll spook him, and he’ll cut off all contact with you and his sources. We’ll lose our technical trail of breadcrumbs.”

Emma disagrees. “I think he wants to help us, but he’s scared. I want to meet with him again.”

“Whoa.” Levi steps into the conversation with a deep frown. “You’re not meeting this guy after what he did at the parade. He’s unpredictable.”

Emma rolls her eyes. “Hello to you, too, bro.”

Levi frowns at his sister. “I don’t like that you’re in the middle of this.”

I can’t say that I don’t agree, but there’s no way I won’t have Emma’s back.

She proves she doesn’t need my help and sets him straight. “I’m the one he trusts. He’s not unpredictable. If anything, he risked his own safety to help us help Brett.”

“Let’s not jump the gun,” Ozzy says. “He’ll have other cells. Give me a day to track those and study the activity. We’ll figure out how predictable he really is.”

Crew looks at Emma. “If Bella were here, she’d tell you to do it. Hell, she’d probably offer to be your wingwoman.”

“I could use someone in my corner. Where is she?” Emma asks.

“She and Carson went to Winslet to visit her brother,” Crew says. “This guy kidnapped you. Your dad—correction, all of us—will lose our shit if you try to meet with him.”

“Would everyone quit saying I was kidnapped? It was a conversation, that’s it.”

That, I disagree with. “I was there. You were kidnapped.”

“Let’s talk about that.” Levi glances between Emma and me. “Ever since Vegas, you’re both running from the same drama. It’s more than coincidental.”

Grady huffs a laugh and glances outside. “Where’s Asa? He could probably chime in on this.”

“That’s true,” Mason agrees and doesn’t stop there. “The game. The interviews. The parade. Jack was at Emma’s kidnapping. Emma warned Jack about the drive by… I could go on. Statistically speaking, Levi is right. It’s more than coincidental.”

Fucking Mason.

I do not need an audience when I talk to Levi.

I motion between Mason and Levi. “You two and your oversized brains making everything about statistics.”

Instead of talking about stats, Emma forces me to take her beer and reaches for her nephew. “Come here, little cutie. Auntie Em wants to kiss you all over your sweet little face!”

Shit. In her effort to change the subject, Emma stole the only shield I had between me and my best friend.

And what is it with adults referring to themselves in the third person when it comes to babies?

Hudson goes straight to Emma and squeals when she tickles him. I can’t take my eyes off her and her nephew.

Emma is hot.

Emma with a kid on her hip is even hotter.

But Carissa appears and pulls Hudson from Emma’s arms, ruining the vision of my future. “As much as I know everyone would rather discuss football and shootings, it’s time to open presents so we can get to the cake. Can you round up the kids, Levi? They’re outside with your dad. I’m pretty sure he and Jarvis are running drills and timing them.”

Levi leans down and kisses his wife. “That might take a minute. They look like they’re having a great time, including my dad. The last I saw, Eze was killing it. I’m pretty sure Jarvis is making plans to build an even bigger set at their house. Knowing him, he’ll build another garage and make it an indoor gym.”

Levi heads outside and Carissa says, “I’m going to change Hudson. Be right back.”

Once they both leave, it’s Grady who calls us out. “You know, I remember the day I found out my friend hooked up with my baby sister. I want everyone to know, I’m not leaving this house until someone leaks it to Levi that you two are together. I don’t want to miss the brawl.”

“Wait a second,” Mason exclaims and turns to Emma and me. “You two are doing the dirty?”

Cade looks just as surprised. “You hooked up with Emma?”

“Thanks for that, Grady.” Emma grabs her beer from me and takes a big gulp.

Mason goes on, way too loud, “You broke the bro-code?”

“Hell yeah, he did,” Grady confirms. “Asa knows, but Levi does not.”

“Everyone knows but us?” Cade motions to Mason. “Why were we left out?”

“Because you’d yap to Levi and Carissa, that’s why,” I bite. “I’m going to talk to Levi. Emma and I have had a lot to deal with this week—give us a break. And Levi will be just fine. Hell, he loves me. Once it sinks in, he’ll be so happy, he won’t know what to do with himself.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Crew mutters.

“Hello?” Emma calls to the group. “I’m standing right here. This isn’t some regency romance where my father and brother get approval of who courts me. What century are you people living in?”

I motion to the woman I can’t get enough of. “Exactly what she said. Just don’t open your big mouths before I get the chance to talk to him.”

“I can’t believe it.” Mason beams and crosses his arms. “It’s finally come full circle.”

“What does that mean?” I demand.

“Yeah, what does that mean?” Emma echoes.

Mason leans in and lowers his voice. “It means we know what you did in the barn at Levi’s graduation party.”

“Are you serious?” Emma blurts.

Cade looks bored. “It’s true.”

“Damn.” Grady shakes his head. “I remember that party. Our only job was to make sure no one got pregnant. Apparently, we can’t be good at everything. We need to stay in our lane.”

Emma swats Grady with the back of her hand. “It was a kiss. No one was close to getting pregnant.”

I look to make sure Levi is still outside wrangling kids and Carissa is still changing diapers before I put my hand low on Emma’s back and glare at Mason and Cade. “The Homies were snooping? What the hell kind of friends are you?”

Mason takes a swig of his soda. “I could say the same thing about you, since you were kissing your best friend’s little sister.”

“He’s here!” Our huddle of Homies and badasses turn to the opening of the family room when Keelie rushes in from the kitchen.

Knox saunters into the room.

He’s grown at least six inches since I last saw him and put on some weight in the form of solid muscle.

He’s not a kid anymore. He’s at the stage between a boy and a man. He’s grown into the body of a man, but still has the eyes of a kid.

I doubt he’s had to embrace vegetables yet. Lucky fucker. I remember those days when I could survive on fried food, pizza, and beer that someone else bought for me since I wasn’t of age yet.

And right now, I know who’s buying his beer.

The woman attached to his side.

I lean down and put my lips to Emma’s ear. “Talk about all grown up—I haven’t seen Knox in forever.”

It’s like Emma doesn’t hear me. Her whole body goes taut. “Who the hell is with him?”

I look down at her and raise a brow. “You mean the cougar on his arm?”

“Knox landed an older woman?” Grady drawls low for only our group to hear.

“I don’t know,” Emma whispers. “Keelie said he was bringing home a girl. He lied. That is no girl.”

Since every eye in the place is on Knox and some older woman, I slide my hand low on Emma’s back and wrap it around her hip. “No offense, Em, but you’re more of a girl than that woman.”

Emma’s dark eyes angle to mine. Her expression is set to shocked. She must not take offense at my comment. “Right? Knox is twenty. What the hell? Keelie is going to have a fit.”

We’re not the only ones in the room who see it. Once Keelie gets past her excitement of seeing her son, her expression is a million times more shocked than Emma’s.

I’ve known Keelie since she was my high school counselor. That was well over a decade ago, and I’ve never witnessed her skirt the edge of rude.

Until now.

“Who are you?” Keelie demands as she looks the woman up and down.

Knox puts his hand to the woman’s back and ignores his mom’s freak out. “Mom, this is Ricki. Ricki, my mom.”

Keelie shifts her glare from the female who is not a girl to her son. “Ricki?”

The woman, who I’d put money on is older than me, offers her hand to Keelie. “It’s so nice to meet you. Knox has told me so much about you.”

Keelie moves in slow motion and takes her hand. “Interesting. My son hasn’t told me anything about you.”

Knox stiffens.

Grady chuckles.

Crew sighs.

“Who’s ready for presents?” Asa bellows as he enters from the cold. Everyone’s heads swing to the other side of the room where Asa, Saylor, and Levi come in from outside with a slew of kids in all shapes and sizes. “Good luck topping my gift.”

“Dad,” Emma hisses and pulls out of my hold to hurry to Asa. “Do something. Knox got here with his girlfriend who is not a girl. Keelie is about to freak out.”

Asa’s gaze moves across the room to the scene playing out. “What the hell did Knox do?”

Saylor comes to a stop next to Asa, and her face lights up when she sees Knox. “This is amazing.”

Asa ignores Saylor and moves to his wife on the other side of the room.

Knox takes a small step toward his mother. “Mom, calm down.”

“I’m calm,” Keelie bites in a tone higher than normal for her. “All I’m saying is you haven’t told me anything about…” Keelie turns to the woman who fits herself to Knox’s side. “Ricki?”

The woman smiles. “It’s short for Erica.”

“Asa.” Asa introduces himself but we can all see it’s a ruse to hold his wife back as he puts an arm around her. “I’m the dad. Nice to meet you.”

Ricki glances up at Knox and smiles before turning back to Asa and Keelie. “You, as well. It’s lovely to be here.”

“Lovely,” Saylor mimics. “So lovely.”

Asa holds Keelie back to his chest and narrows his eyes at Knox and Ricki. “How long have you two been seeing each other?”

I’ve got to hand it to Knox, he doesn’t look the least bit anxious about bringing an older woman home as a surprise. “A couple months. We met on campus.”

Levi butts into the conversation. “I’m Levi. Welcome to our home.”

Ricki smiles and tips her head to lean on Knox’s shoulder. “It’s beautiful.”

“Beautiful, right?” Saylor just won’t stop and crosses her arms. “Are you a … professor?”

Keelie gasps. “Saylor!”

“Oh, goodness no,” Ricki exclaims and stands up straight. “I work on campus but not as an instructor. Knox and I met at a student government meeting. I work in the Student Affairs office.”

“I bet she does,” I mutter.

Emma doesn’t move from my side and whispers, “This is a nightmare.”

Levi must agree, because the moment Carissa returns with Hudson, he announces, “Who’s ready for presents and cake? And I think we could all use another drink.” He turns to Asa. “Dad, can you and Keelie get everyone a refill?”

“No—” Keelie starts, but Asa doesn’t allow her to argue.

He pulls Keelie toward the kitchen. “We have all day to visit, baby. Let’s get you a glass of wine. I have a feeling you’re going to need it.”

Everyone does as Levi says, but Saylor continues to interrogate her brother. I turn Emma to me and lean down to whisper, “Thanks to Knox, no one is paying attention to us. I’ll talk to Levi tonight. No more secrets.”

Emma takes a sip and exhales like she needs a long winter’s nap.

After the last week, I wish I could make that happen for both of us.

“Time to rip off the bandage.” She glances around the room before she steps closer to me than she would a friend. This time it’s her turn to put her lips to my ear. “Then you can rip off my dress.”

My fingers flex on her hip. I’m about to drag her to the third floor and lock us in the attic, when Ozzy interrupts us as he stares at his cell. “Guys, I think we’ve got something.”

“Is it one of the new cells we started to monitor?” Cade asks.

Ozzy looks up to the group. “Sort of. We’ve got a trail of calls from those cells.”

“To whom?” I demand.

“Do you know anyone named Pike?”

Emma grips my arm.

“Jack?” Crew calls for me. “You know him?”

I feel something between rage and a kick in the balls. My old boss and firm … I left for a reason. If he can’t be the best of the best through hard work and integrity, he finds another way to the top. It comes from willing to work dirty and being a straight up asshole. Freddy Pike is both down to the bone.

“I know him,” I confirm. “And I’m going to kill him.”