Over the years he and Michael had gone their separate ways, Chase ending up in law enforcement, a lifelong passion, Michael sliding deeper and deeper into drugs and alcohol—thanks to his no-good father.
Knox Winston was a gangster in expensively tailored business clothes. His ruthless, shady dealings had made him obscenely rich, but at a tremendous cost. His wife had committed suicide. His son had overdosed more than once.
How the man had escaped prosecution for so many years was something Chase could not comprehend.
After his friendship with Michael had ended, Chase had stayed away from the family and until this morning, had every intention of keeping it that way. Now a pair of big blue eyes clouded with worry and memories of a man he had once loved like a brother were dragging him back into the fold.
Chase silently cursed. Grabbing his navy blazer off the back of the chair, he shrugged it on over his jeans and shirt and walked out into the open area the guys called the bull pen.
Nine oak desks arranged in rows of three were occupied by the independent contractors who worked at Maximum Security. Antique farming tools decorated the walls, along with framed photos of the ranch Chase owned with his brothers.
Across the room, Jason Hawkins Maddox, a bail enforcement agent and one of his best friends, was heading out the door. They called him Hawk because he swooped down on his prey like a raptor and always came back with his man.
At a desk a few feet away, Dante Romero and Lissa Blayne, both PIs, were arguing over a case, not unusual for the pair who did everything in their power to ignore the attraction between them. Chase shook his head and kept walking, making his way to the reception desk.
“Mindy, I need you to cancel my appointments for the next three days. I may be gone longer. If I am, I’ll call and let you know.”
“I’ll take care of it, boss.” Mindy was a temp who had been working at The Max less than three weeks, replacing a longtime employee who had retired to spend time with her grandkids.
Mindy was good. He was thinking of bringing her aboard full-time.
“If a problem comes up, go to Bran or Jason. They should be able to handle it.”
“Okay.”
Turning, he walked over to his youngest brother, who had just gotten off the phone. Bran was a PI who specialized in personal protection, law enforcement being a tradition on their mother’s side of the family. The Devlins, including Chase’s grandfather, great-grandfather and a handful of uncles, had all worked as cops, FBI or been career military men.
His younger brothers were two very different people, Bran a former special ops soldier turned bodyguard, Reese the extremely successful businessman, CEO of Garrett Resources, the Texas-based oil company founded by their great-grandfather. Both brothers had blue eyes, but Reese’s hair was black, Bran’s dark brown. Both were an inch taller than Chase’s six-foot-two-inch frame.
“Something’s come up,” Chase told Bran. “I’m leaving the country for a few days, maybe longer. I need you to keep an eye on things while I’m gone.”
“No problem. What’s up?”
“Missing-persons case. Michael Winston’s disappeared. His sister needs help finding him.”
Bran grunted. “Guy’s probably off drunk somewhere or loaded on drugs.”
“According to Harper, he’s turned his life around. Been clean five years.”
Bran sat up a little straighter. “Well, that’s good to hear. He was a great guy before he went haywire.”
“For his sister’s sake, I hope he hasn’t fallen off the wagon.”
One of Bran’s dark eyebrows went up. “His sister? I thought I recognized the luscious little blonde who was in here earlier. Seems to me you had a yen for her way back when.”
“She was Michael’s sister and way too young. Plus she’s a Winston. That family’s nothing but trouble.”
“So why’d you take the case?”
“Moment of weakness, I guess. Or maybe for old times’ sake. Mike was once my best friend. Worst of it is Harper’s going with me.”
Brandon laughed. “Jeez, big brother, you must have a masochistic streak.”
Chase grunted. “With any luck, we’ll find Michael and be home in a couple of days. Harper Winston is trouble I don’t need.”
And no matter how much he’d like to find out if she was the cold fish people believed or the passionate woman he had glimpsed, it wasn’t going to happen.
Harper had picked the right guy to go with her. She was definitely safe from him.
