“It wouldn’t be the first time someone over exaggerated the amount of drugs and guns found. I’m sure it’s probably something that the local police could have handled.” He doesn't bother hiding his complete lack of interest in any kind of social niceties.
That fucking condescending ass. Jason shoots him a dirty look and steps away as if to distance himself from him.
“Are you suggesting we threw our weight around? To what purpose? It’s not like we’re trying to make the front page of some tabloid. Not to mention, I was under the impression that Count Bucataru was suspected of illegal activities in the past,” Declan growls as another car pulls up behind the SUV. Forrest climbs out, briefcase in hand.
“Sorry it took so long for me to get here.” He sounds a little frazzled, but he’s already focused on hurrying over to Dad, sparing a moment to wave at me, Declan, Jax, and Jacinta. Poor guy. Our family really has run him ragged the last few weeks. The man is worth every penny, though I’m not sure he thinks that we are.
“This is our family lawyer, Forrest,” Dad introduces him to the two agents. “This is Agent Jackson and Agent Adams.”
The men tip their head in greeting before Jason turns to Declan, bringing the conversation back on point. “Yes, I gathered some information regarding any investigations connected to Count Bucataru, but I haven't had a chance to read it over it yet.”
Wayne shoots him a surprised look, which doesn’t say much for their partnership skills. “You didn't say anything in the car.”
“You’d already made up your mind. Why should I do your job for you? You could have run the same search I did or had one of your people to do it. In my mind, it’s a formality anyway. I trust that the Federal Department of Counterterrorism wouldn't have involved us, no matter who had requested it, if they hadn't thought it was needed. Not to mention you haven't been particularly helpful to me when we’ve worked jobs together in the past. Why should I help you out this time?”
Oh, so that’s Wayne’s problem. He doesn’t seem to like being bossed around or having to work with anyone. Regardless of that, we need to get something settled because our family is about to depend on this asshole. “Got a problem with our family, Wayne?” I snap as he crosses his arms, stretching his DEA shirt across his large chest.
“I have a problem with rich people thinking they’re more important than the little people,” he throws back.
The tension between us all ramps up, and Forrest hurries to intercept it. “Shall we just show them and go from there?” Before we can go anywhere, the sounds of a siren pierce the air.
“You guys go. Dad and Emma need to be checked over by medics, so I’ll wait here with them. Any questions you have for Emma can be asked over at our place when you're done here,” I tell them, and although Wayne rolls his eyes, still skeptical, Jason easily agrees.
“Do you remember how to get there?” Emma asks, her eyes saying what she can’t voice.
Declan steps right in to answer her, not an ounce of confusion on his face or in his voice. “Thomas and Kai are going to meet us on the other side of the island and guide us there in case we get lost,” he reassures her, and she breathes a sigh of relief and relaxes into Dad’s arms.
The ambulance is coming down the overgrown driveway, its siren now off but its lights still flashing, as Declan, Jacinta, Jaxon, and the two agents make their way toward the zoo.
The medics both have curious looks as we explain what happened, but they do their job professionally. They confirm that Dad has a burst eardrum from the explosion, but it will heal, which is the best we could have hoped for. They clean up their cuts and abrasions before offering a ride across to the house on the way out, recommending rest to combat the little bit of shock they’re both suffering from. While Hope debriefs with Nana over the phone, I wave them off, putting on a smile that I don’t entirely feel to try to put Dad a little more at ease.
Once they drive away, Hope and I head back inside, and I lock the door behind us. This house is so big I won’t hear if anyone lets themselves in, so it’s better to be safe than sorry. They might be still around and hiding in the bushes outside. Though I guess the appearance of the DEA and ATF might scare them off.
Jaxon wouldn't tell me where Harlow was taking Oliver, so I’m feeling a little grumpy, especially after the interaction with that DEA asshole. I can’t believe neither of them heard the explosion and came to check. I should probably message them and let them know what happened. But I guess they're safer than we are if they’re still upstairs. I’ll let them know when they come back down.
“Hey, you look like you could use another drink.” Hope brings the decanter over to the table and tops up our glasses. Our friendship is at a point where we instinctively know what the other person needs. Or maybe that’s just her woman’s intuition. I’m probably nowhere near as good at it as she is.
I take the glass she holds out to me. “Is this ever going to end? It seems like one thing after another, and I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.” There’s no ounce of me that regrets our current situation because if things were different, I wouldn’t have Harlow, and god knows I never would have gotten the courage to start things back up with Oli. But all of the stress and questions from this stalker shit are going to drive me mad.
“One day, you’re going to look back on all of this and laugh. Better yet, you're going to have your own children to worry about, and this will only be a fond adventurous memory in your courtship of your lady.” Something in her tone has me forgetting my own problems and looking at my best friend carefully. She’s always been a fan of me finding my person, and now that I have mypeople, she’s been almost sickeningly happy for me. But that… that was a weird twinge in her voice that definitely isn’t normal Hope.
“Is everything okay?” I ask her when I notice the pallor of her skin and the dark circles under her eyes. I mean, I know I left her hanging and flew off to Europe in the face of the Ninja Starfish debacle, but she had it all under control. She seems to thrive on that kind of pressure, so I thought for sure she would be reveling in it. But now that I look closely, she’s worn and tired. I actually don’t remember ever seeing her like this before. Maybe when I first met her in college? Those first few weeks, she seemed to be dealing with something, but we were new friends back then, so I didn’t want to pry.
She leans back and closes her eyes, the silence between us strained for the first time that I can ever remember.
“Yeah, everything’s okay. Just a few things from my past playing over in my mind more than I would like them to. I haven't slept well the last two nights.”
“Does this have anything to do with the brothers that have managed to wow my dad in such a short period of time? You’ve always been so closed lipped about your past. The only thing I really know is that you grew up with a foster family.” I don’t feel guilty about pushing her now. She knows all the good, bad, and ugly about me, so I feel like I should be able to dig at her too.
“The McCallisters,” she mutters, and I put two and two together.
“Those boys are your foster brothers, but they're not related to each other, so that means your foster family adopted all of them? How come they never adopted you too?” If these guys are going to work for my father, and have our name, which no one has ever had before, I think it’s time my best friend comes clean with me.
She sighs again like the weight of the world is on her shoulders. “I was placed with the family when I was sixteen. Parker and I are the same age, the twins are two years older, and Miles two years older than them. They’d been with the McCallisters for years and were adopted after the first one. I was placed with them as an emergency. They didn't want a teenage girl in the house, but there was nowhere else for me to go, so they agreed. Don’t get me wrong, Judy and Stan are wonderful people, but I was watchedverycarefully. They didn’t want ‘some strange foster girl seducing their good boys.’”
I gape at her with disbelief, but then I shouldn’t; I know all about shitty foster homes.
“It was a load of shit, of course. The twins would nail anything that would move. Miles had a long-time girlfriend, and Parker, well, he was my best friend, but he was busy trying to work out if he liked girls or boys. We went everywhere and did everything together. I guess it might have even gone further, but I was too scared to be kicked out again, so we kept it platonic no matter how much we both wanted more… until we didn't. Once the twins left school, they stopped being such big manwhores, and things between us changed. It wasn’t other women that they were chasing after or flirting with. It wasme.We fooled around a little, but I never slept with them. I knew they would break my heart.” She sighs, her gaze lost in the memories. “Miles temporarily broke up with his girlfriend, got drunk, and ended up in my bed one night. I gave him my virginity, and when they made up a couple days later, I almost died inside. I told Parker about all of this. He was my rock and never judged me, probably because I never judged him when he talked about fooling around with boys. Never judged when he worked out he was bi. I accepted him for him. He’s just one of those people that light up a room, ya know? What’s not to love?”
