CALLEN HAD TO make his way through the maze of Christmas decorations, carolers, shoppers and well-wishers who were clogging the sidewalk that led to the police station. All that cheer and merriment didn’t improve his attitude one bit, and he knew what was waiting for him inside wouldn’t help.
Or rather who was waiting inside.
Kace, Judd and Nico.
Callen had called each of them, saying he needed a family meeting, and they’d agreed—eventually. Though Judd had got in a dig about Callen not having any family. Or something along those lines. Callen deserved the dig, but he’d also known it wouldn’t stop Judd from coming.
“Callen,” someone called out in greeting. It was Ginger Monroe, who’d been the dispatcher for multiple decades now. “Well, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”
Ginger winked at him with what genuinely looked like “sore eyes.” They were red and puffy, and she was dabbing at the corner of her left one with a Kleenex. “Bad reaction to some new mascara,” she added when he stared at her.
He could see why a reaction had been possible. There was perhaps a pound of that mascara on what might not have even been lashes. Perhaps just gobs of the black goo.
“It’s good to see you, too,” Callen told her, and he tipped his head to what was now his brother’s office. “Are they here?”
“Yep. All of them,” Ginger verified. “Kace didn’t say what the meeting was about, but if y’all need anything, just let me know.”
Since Ginger might try to listen at the door, Callen decided to get her off their scent. “We’re just discussing some bull sperm I want to talk them into buying. I’ve got a couple of gallons that are about to go bad if it doesn’t get used soon.”
It had the intended effect, complete with Ginger’s mouth squeezing up like a prune and her saying “ewww.” With that task done, Callen headed to Kace’s office, stepped inside and shut the door.
Scowling, Kace was seated behind his desk, and his expression certainly wasn’t one that even remotely conveyed he was interested in buying bull sperm. Or anything else for that matter. Judd was pacing like a jungle cat. No sperm-buying interest there, either. Nico was lounging, his Stetson covering his face, his legs stretched out as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
Since there was no easy way to say this, Callen just went with fast. “Yesterday, Avis Odell came to the inn and demanded money. He said if I didn’t give it to him, that he would disrupt Buck and Rosy’s wedding.”
Judd cursed.
Kace cursed.
Nico lifted his hat from his face and eased to a sitting position.
Callen didn’t have to guess what was going on in their heads. The shock, the flashbacks, the anger. Well, except for Nico.
“Why didn’t you just tell him to piss off?” Nico asked.
Callen nodded. “I did, more or less. Then about an hour ago he showed up at Buck’s.”
Kace and Judd cursed again, and a mean jungle-cat look went through Judd’s eyes. “Is he still there?” Judd snapped, and it didn’t sound as if he was simply asking a question but also setting up a potential ass-whipping for Avis.
“No, he left,” Callen explained. “But he came when the Millhouse family was visiting with Lucy and Mateo. Let’s just say the family was more than a little alarmed, and I’m not sure how it’ll affect their decision to take the kids.”
That hurt. A cut to the bone. Avis had already dicked around with so many lives, and now he might have ruined a solid chance for Lucy and Mateo. Of course, if that ruckus had sent the Millhouse couple running, then they likely wouldn’t be the parents the kids deserved.
“I’m not paying Avis a penny,” Callen insisted, “and neither will any of you.”
“No arguments there,” Judd agreed. “I want to kick his ass.”
“Shelby already did. It didn’t help. Much.” Though it had given Callen some satisfaction to see Avis on his knees and puking.
They looked at Callen as if he’d sprouted an extra ear. “Shelby?” Nico questioned.
“Yeah, she punched him twice and kicked him in the balls before I could stop her.”
Kace studied him a moment. “How hard did you try to stop her?”
“Hard,” Callen verified. “Because I wanted to kick his ass myself.” He paused. “Avis made a threat, telling me I was going to pay for that. He might try to press charges against Shelby.”
A burst of air left Judd’s mouth, but it wasn’t a laugh of humor. “You really think Avis is going to admit he got his balls busted by a woman Shelby’s size?”
“I believe he will if he thinks he can gain something from it. I won’t let Shelby be arrested for this,” Callen added, and made sure that wasn’t up for debate.
Thankfully, no one argued about it. Callen doubted the lack of debate would hold once he told them his plan.
“I made some calls and found out that Avis is staying at the motel just off the interstate exit for Coldwater,” Callen explained. “I plan to go there and clarify that there will be no payment and that I want him to leave.”
“Clarify,” Kace repeated on a huff. He scrubbed his hand over his face. “You mean threaten.”
Callen nodded, causing Judd to grumble some profanity. “I’d be better at a threat than you,” Judd insisted.
No one debated that, either. Judd could be downright scary.
“But I don’t want you to get caught up in this,” Callen said.
“Bullshit,” Judd spit out. “That dickhead nearly killed Nico and you when you two were just kids. I’m involved. I’ll get my coat and go with you.” He headed out the office door.
Kace sighed, got up, taking his coat off the back of his chair to put it on. “I’ll drive. And I’ll do the talking.”
Callen frowned now. “I really didn’t want to involve any of you. I just came here to let you know what was going on. But you don’t have to do this,” he added when Nico stood. “Avis came after me, and this is my fight. You don’t owe me anything.”
Nico just patted his back. “We’re brothers” was all he said as he headed out.
We’re brothers? That didn’t seem like much of an argument, but when Callen walked out with them, he thought maybe it was the only argument that mattered.
Yes, brothers.
“If punches are thrown, they need to come from one of us,” Nico added under his breath to Callen as they made their way to a cruiser in the parking lot.
“Any punches will come from me,” Callen assured him. That would protect the badges and keep Nico out of it. It didn’t matter that Nico was actually taller and probably stronger than any of them. He was still the kid brother.
Kace took the wheel with Judd in the front seat. Callen and Nico took the back. It was only about five miles to the motel, which wouldn’t give them too much time to think. But Callen figured they were all dealing with the bad memories and flashbacks right now. Especially Nico.
“Say, did you really buy that body piercing kit from Ted’s?” Nico asked.
Well, maybe Nico’s mind wasn’t where Callen had thought it would be.
It took Callen a moment to realize that Nico had meant that question for him and another moment to realize what he was talking about. “Yeah.” And because both Kace and Judd looked back at him, Callen felt the need to explain, “It was part of a group of things I bought. I didn’t specifically buy a body piercing kit.”
“Does that mean you don’t have plans for it?” Nico pressed.
“That would be a no. I don’t have plans,” Callen assured him. “Why?”
“Because I wanted to buy it as a Christmas gift for Havana. I thought she’d get a kick out of it and we could try it out on each other.”
There were so many things wrong with that answer that Callen wasn’t sure where to start.
Nico laughed before Callen could say anything. “Just kidding about the trying-out part, but she would get a kick out of it.”
She probably would, and while Callen didn’t especially like having the image in his head of his brother and trusted assistant, it was better that than making a mental list of all the things that could go wrong with this meeting.
“Ted sent the gifts to my room at the inn,” Callen said. “Drop by and I’ll give you the kit.” While Nico was there, he could also give him the Christmas gift he’d bought for him.
“Thanks. Ted said you nearly cleaned out his inventory,” Nico added.
“There’s still plenty of junk in that store,” Judd grumbled.
Nico made a sound of agreement. “Yeah, but he was boxing stuff up when I was over there about an hour ago. He said he was closing up shop for good and was going to sell the rest of his inventory to some vendor in San Antonio.”
It made Callen actually feel a little guilty for being part of making that happen. Ted’s was a fixture on Main Street. Still, Ted was getting on in years and couldn’t run the business forever. But it made Callen wonder again what would happen to the place. He didn’t dwell on it for long, though, because Kace pulled into the parking lot of the motel.
“Avis is here,” Callen said, tipping his head to the man’s truck. “He’s in room 116. I keep a PI on retainer,” he added when his brothers glanced at him. “He made some calls along with running a background check on Avis. He’s forty-two with an address on the south side of San Antonio. No arrests since he got out of prison. Twice divorced, no kids. Currently unemployed.”
Which probably explained why he was trying to hit Callen up for money.
“You should have gotten the size of his asshole because that’s where my boot’s going,” Judd grumbled.
And that was why Callen had wanted to do this alone.
“Keep your boots on the ground,” Kace said, sounding not like a big brother but Judd’s boss. “You, too. And you,” he said to Nico when he shifted his glance to him.
“He didn’t say anything about fists,” Callen muttered, causing Nico to chuckle and give him an elbow jab. That, in turn, caused Kace to shoot them a glare.
They all got out, and Kace took his phone from the dash and slipped it into his coat pocket. Probably to have it ready in case something went wrong. Of course, Kace wouldn’t need to call the cops since he was one and had a very pissed-off deputy by his side.
Together, they went to the door, but Kace moved ahead of them, and he was the one who knocked. Judd and he automatically moved to the side. Cops’ stances in case someone shot at them through the door. But no shots. Avis opened the door.
And he smiled.
“Whew,” Nico said, waving his hand in front of his own face. “Two words of advice. Breath mints.”
Avis quit smiling, and confused, he looked at Nico as if that had been the last thing he’d been expecting. On this one point, they were on the same page. Callen hadn’t expected it, either. Nico’s “advice” was a little too lighthearted considering there was nothing light about this.
The confusion on Avis’s bruised face didn’t last long, and he shifted his attention to Callen. “I see you brought your get-out-of-jail-free cards with you. Two of them with their shiny badges. But that don’t matter none. Your girlfriend’s still gonna answer for what she done to me.”
Nico groaned, tsked. “More words of advice. Grammar lessons. Good grammar matters when you’re trying to make a point.”
Avis’s teeth came together. “You wiseass brat.”
“Now see, that’s much better. No double negative that time.” Nico grinned the way a teacher would at a prize student.
It was effective at getting Avis to take a quick step toward Nico. A step that got interrupted when Judd slapped his hand on Avis’s chest.
“Two words of advice,” Judd warned him, the words sharp as razors and as mean as a snake. “Don’t.”
No one pointed out that Judd had only used one word instead of two. And probably because Judd looked ready to tear off multiple body parts, Avis took that “don’t” to heart and didn’t take another step.
Hell in a handbasket, Callen hadn’t needed any proof that Judd was a badass, but that was a prime example of it.
“I understand you paid Callen two visits,” Kace said to Avis. While Kace’s voice was lacking that whole snake-meanness, there was an edge, simmering and hot just beneath the surface.
“Yeah, I went to see him,” Avis admitted. “And on the second visit, his batshit crazy girlfriend assaulted me.”
Kace slid his gaze over Avis. “A woman a foot shorter and a hundred and fifty pounds lighter assaulted you?” Kace asked. “With what?”
As expected, Avis seemed uncomfortable. “She got the jump on me when I wasn’t looking.”
“You mean when you were trespassing on her family’s land,” Kace amended. “Did she tell you to leave first?”
Avis’s forehead bunched up. “Well, yeah. But that don’t matter none.”
“Yes, it does,” Kace argued. “A big guy like you comes onto her property. A convicted felon at that, and she has a right to defend what belongs to her family. If there was no weapon involved, she didn’t use excessive force. She asked you to leave, and you didn’t. In fact, she could file charges against you for trespassing. I’d be happy to make that arrest. In fact, I’m going to read you your rights in anticipation of those charges she’ll file.”
As Kace did indeed recite the Miranda warning, the anger flared in Avis’s eyes and his face went red. It wasn’t a flattering combination with the purple bruises on his face and his swollen nose.
“I see what you’re doing,” Avis snarled. “You’re throwing your weight around.”
“You know a lot about that, don’t you?” Callen snapped. He was feeling a new dose of anger, too.
“Yeah, I do.” Still red, still flaring anger right and left, Avis’s attention settled on Callen. “My business is with you, not your brothers. There’s no law against showing up at the inn day after tomorrow. It’s a public place.”
“And what will you do at the inn?” Kace calmly asked.
Now Avis smiled. “Just look around, talk to people. Visit. And Callen here knows what he needs to do to make me change those plans.”
Callen opened his mouth, but Kace spoke before he could. “How much money did you want my brother to pay you to back off?”
Avis’s smile widened. “It’s up to seventy-five grand now ’cause I’m a mite pissed at what his girlfriend did.”
“Seventy-five grand?” Kace, again, and again he spoke before Callen could. “And if he pays it, you go away?”
“That’s right.”
Kace took out his phone, showed it to Judd. “Did you record that confession, too?” he asked Judd.
Judd tapped his pocket, nodded. Nico did a pocket tap as well, indicating that he also had a recording. Callen didn’t huff, but he felt stupid. He refrained, however, from telling Kace to send out a memo the next time they confronted an asshole and needed recordings.
Avis made a feral sound, and he lunged. Not at Kace, Judd and Callen. But at Nico—his favorite target.
Judd reached for the man. Kace, too. But it was Callen who got to him first. He waited a split second until Avis took the first swing, which Callen dodged. Then Callen unleashed hell on the man. He put all the anger, all the pain into the fist that he slammed into Avis’s face.
Avis staggered back, and Callen went after him again. He landed the next blow in his gut, and Callen would have just kept punching and punching if he hadn’t felt the hand on his arm.
“It’s enough, Cal.”
It was hard for Callen to hear over the thundering rush of blood in his ears. Everything inside him was primed to beat this snake into dust. But the “it’s enough” had come from Nico.
Callen reined it in, barely, just enough to let Nico pull him back.
“You’re better than he is,” Nico added. “A whole lot better. But I figured you needed to do that.”
He had needed it, and Callen hated that it still hadn’t tamped down the anger and the pain. It still hadn’t erased the past.
Once Nico had Callen outside, Judd stepped into the room. “You dickhead asshole,” he snarled right in Avis’s face.
Even though Avis was still woozy, he took a swing at Judd. Judd didn’t dodge it. He let it connect with his jaw. Then he smiled through the blood that was now on his teeth. “Assaulting a police officer. You really are a dickhead.”
And then, as if he didn’t have that rattlesnake temper and a bloody mouth, Judd calmly strolled out.
“So many charges,” Kace said, still in the doorway. He showed Avis the video he’d just taken of Avis punching Judd. “Trespassing. Attempted extortion. Attempted assault on the person you were trying to extort. Assault on a police officer. That all adds up to lots and lots of jail time for someone like you. And I’ll file these charges if and when you’re stupid enough to come after me, my family or anyone connected to my family or my town. Understand?”
Avis glared at him.
“Understand?” Kace repeated, and this time the badass came out.
“Yeah, I understand.” Avis tried to sound badass, too, but it wasn’t effective because he whimpered in pain when he rubbed the spot on his gut where Callen had punched him.
The four of them walked away, and Callen purposely didn’t look back. It might spur him to go after the man again. That couldn’t happen because it would only make things worse. Now he needed to convince himself of that.
“I want to see Shelby. Now.”
Callen hadn’t even known he’d said it aloud until Nico flicked a glance back at him. “I’m sensing a lot of unresolved anger in you. With the mood you’re in, you think that’s wise?” Nico asked.
No. It wasn’t wise. But Callen was going to pay her a visit anyway.