Xavier stood. “You punched my little brother?”
Mack sighed. “Xavier, hold on.”
“Fuck off, Revere.” Templeton looked ready to take them all on. And then she noticed the bat he carried by his side.
Cass and Mack looked at each other then at Templeton.
Mack stood next to his brother. “Are you talking to me or him?”
“Does it matter?” Templeton hefted the bat in his hands. “You’re both Reveres.”
She slowly slid out of her chair and moved away from the Revere brothers, hoping to get an advantage when she moved in to disarm the giant.
“It matters to my family,” Mack said and turned his gaze to his brother. “You see, I’m not arealRevere. I only exist to be the butt of jokes at dinner and to be conveniently left out of the important things, in addition to being the runt of the litter, apparently.”
Xavier turned, now also ignoring Templeton, who frowned in confusion. “Seriously? Is this because we didn’t pay you enough attention at dinner? Did I embarrass you in front of your girlfriend?”
She didn’t like the way he sneered “girlfriend.”
“Hey, I—” Templeton barked, but Xavier cut him off.
“Hold on a minute,” he snapped, holding up a finger for the big guy to wait. To Mack, he said, “I have no idea how you can say no one is proud of you or cares about you. That’s shit. I care. Hell, I brag to all my friends about the idiot on the Station 44 posters. And I was right up front when you graduated from BMT.”
“BMT?” Cass asked, her attention still on Templeton, who looked like he didn’t know what to do while the brothers argued.
“Basic Military Training,” Xavier and Mack said as one.
Mack swore. “Then what the fuck is your problem? I amsosick of you riding my ass for every little thing. You make fun of me, you mock me, you act like you’re God’s gift to the police force and like I’m barely good enough to be the gum under your shoe.”
“You really do, Xavier,” Cass had to agree.
Templeton yelled, “Hey.I’m the guy with the bat. And if you’re pissed about him,” he said to Mack with a nod to Xavier, “then that’s really like looking into a mirror, isn’t it? Mr. My Shit Don’t Stink. You’re both assholes.Yougot me in trouble with the lieutenant. They’re kicking me out because of you,” he spat and turned to Xavier. “And because ofyou,my best friend’s in jail,” he roared and lifted the bat.
Before Cass could step in, Mack countered the big man by grabbing onto his shoulders, fitting his ankle behind Templeton’s, and jerking the man off-balance. Mack slammed him down to the ground, one hand on his right arm to keep his shoulders and head from bouncing off concrete. Then he twisted and stomped his foot right next to Templeton’s head.
“Be glad this is just a demonstration,” he growled before leaning down to slug Templeton in the gut.
Templeton wheezed and curled into a ball.
Mack straightened and once again glared at his brother, as if the takedown hadn’t been a thing of utter beauty.
Cass wanted to mount him then and there. “I love you so much.”
Mack shot her a wink.
“Holy shit,” Xavier said, staring at the downed giant. “Wait. Ben Templeton? Yeah, I did lock up your bestie. You saw him, dickhead. What did you think was going to happen?” He looked up at Mack, for once with approval. “Nice moves.”
“Thanks.” Mack shoved Templeton back down when he tried to stand. “So what is he talking about? His best friend?”
“Two months ago the guys are at a dive bar drinking. His fucker of a best friend kicked the hell out of some kid who was out celebrating his twenty-first birthday. And why? Because the kid disrespected him. I think he called him an old man.”
“He said other stuff too,” Templeton argued. This time when he gingerly rose to his feet, Mack let him, though Cass grabbed the bat and held it tight.
“It couldn’t have been bad enough to cause all that damage. Your friend and you are twice the size of that guy. Your dickish friend broke the kid’s ribs and almost ruptured his spleen.”
“That’s not what happened. You set him up when he tried to explain things.”
The mulish look on Templeton’s face told Cass he was in denial.
