Both Dalton and Caleb growled. It pissed them off that FNG could be so blasé about the whole situation. Caleb decided if Dalton wasn’t going to fire him after this, then there would be problems between them, because there wasn’t a hope in hell he was having a wanker like that on his six. Caleb silently promised Jeep as much beer as he could drink and the most expensive bottle of whiskey he could find when Jeep kicked the jerk’s chair and he landed on his ass.
“That’s police brutality.”
Logan snickered. “We aren’t the police, dumbass.”
Jeep hauled him back to his feet and pushed him into the chair again. He leaned in until he was almost nose to nose with him. “June is off limits. She belongs to Hunt, which means she is ours. We protect what is ours. You know what that means, right?”
FNG swallowed hard, but he nodded to indicate that he understood.
“Will we cross the line?” Caleb wondered how far Dalton would be willing to go for Rose. He watched Jeep and Logan pressing their target for more information on the people who chased Rose.
“We will if we have to.” Dalton kept his eyes on the interrogation room. “But she’s your woman; that makes it your call. You can decide what happens this time.”
“And if there’s a next time?” Dalton arched up an eyebrow, making Caleb fidget under his penetrating gaze. His boss never did a damn thing without considering all the options first. Blowback on his business and his people was something he’d mitigate whenever possible. He’d trust his call on this, no matter how much he craved the opportunity to smash the asshole in the interrogation room’s nose out the back of his head.
“If he’s stupid enough to come for her here again,” Dalton said slowly, “then we take care of business ourselves. Even if it means we have to take him overseas to do it.”
“Understood.” He could live with that. “As long as that motherfucker leaves today, and he doesn’t give Rose up to the jackwad searching for her.”
Dalton nodded. He leaned over and hit the button to communicate with Jeep, relaying the decision.
Caleb’s mouth twisted into a satisfied smirk when the FNG stiffened as Logan and Jeep told him the decision. “Okay.” He hoped like hell this was the right thing to do. “Call Jasper. Have him come get him.”
“If I call Jasper, Snow will lose her shit.” Dalton winced. “I was going to have the boys drop him off.”
“Huh?”
Dalton scrubbed his hand down his face and huffed in annoyance. “There was an incident at the Honkytonk the other night. Jack said he’d take care of it, but Snow is madder than a cornered rattlesnake, so I’m guessing that didn’t work.”
“Snow is just gonna have to deal.” Caleb knew she would. She’d be all kinds of mad about it, but there was nobody better at compartmentalizing when needed than Aria Keane.
“Okay, it’s your funeral.” Dalton reached for the phone.
This right here was why he liked working for Dalton. He let them have some autonomy when he could. Their opinions were taken into account when possible. It mattered. “Thanks, Boss.”
The hour it took for Jasper to arrive was spent gathering the FNG’s gear and belongings and dropping them onto the steps in front of HQ. They wanted no reason for him to have to come back here once Jasper was done with him.
Caleb didn’t dare get too close to the prisoner. His need to kick his ass was enough to warn him that crossing the line between his moral code and his desires was too fine to risk it.
Movement coming down the ranch road caught his eye, and the tension eased in his shoulders. Jeep and Rexar were going with Jasper and the prisoner to ensure there were no issues on the way to town. “Thanks for doing this.” He nodded toward the approaching vehicle as he spoke to Aria.
“I’m only going because I owe you,” she called over her shoulder as she jogged toward her truck. “I’d much prefer to be baking and drinking wine with the girls.”
“I appreciate it.” He grabbed the fucker’s gear and stomped to the cruiser. “Thanks for coming, Jasper.”
“Dalton filled me in.” Jasper may have been talking to him, but his eyes were fully on Aria.
Caleb was about to ask what happened between them, but Jeep and Rexar picked just that moment to arrive with the prisoner, and the chance was lost as they put him in the cruiser and slammed the door behind him.
Five minutes later, Caleb stood next to Dalton as they watched the convoy heading back toward the ranch gates and glanced at him. “Do you get the feeling we fucked up by not dealing with him ourselves?”
“Yeah,” Dalton admitted softly. “If it was anyone else but Jasper, I’d be chasing him down and telling him we made a mistake.”
Shit.
That’s not what he’d wanted to hear.
“Go on.” Dalton jerked his chin toward Bravo house. “Send my wife and son home and spend some time with Rose. If we need to, then I have a damn army to call on to protect her.”
