Chapter 19
“Did you want another brownie, Scott?” Heather asked as she cleaned up the plates from dinner.
“I’d love one, but I probably won’t fit through the door afterward. I’ve been fed too well the last two days.”
Scott patted his stomach and she rolled her eyes. It was too much fun teasing her. She wasn’t a bad cook considering she was raised in a house with a slew of staff ready to serve at her beck and call. Getting up, he cleared off the last few items on the table.
Heather peeked into the living room where Jack sat in front of the fire. Callie was downstairs getting Jonathan cleaned up and into his pajamas. “Why don’t you go spend some time with your cousin? I’ll finish up here.”
He threw her a questioning look but she shooed him away. Arguing with Heather was futile and he wanted to share some info with Jack privately anyway so he settled on the couch next to him.
“I got some news on your accident.”
Jack turned with wary eyes. “Yeah?”
“It had nothing to do with Cabrini. Apparently it was one of those guys you fired a while ago. They were pissed and wanted to get back at you.”
“How’d you find out?”
“Some video surveillance from a store around the corner. It didn’t catch the whole accident but it showed them leaving the scene right at the time you got hurt. When the police picked them up, they confessed and said they only wanted to scare you.”
Jack’s face hardened but he sighed. “Good to know Cabrini doesn’t know where I am. Guess I can go back there to work. If you’re good with that.”
He hated that Jack felt indebted to him. He’d been raised with the man and thought of him like a brother. They’d also served in the military together. He’d do anything to help him.
“Actually I closed the deal on that new project with the state colleges of Connecticut. It’s something that will take a good number of years to complete. You’ll be closer to Callie and Jonathan if you work on those projects.”
His cousin frowned. Damn, why wasn’t he happy about the news?
Jack must have read his face because he got rid of the scowl. “That’s great, Scott. And I hope it’s something I can do. But being around here isn’t as safe as the more distant locations. Cabrini knows too many people in the New England and northeast area.”
“Hmm. Maybe we need to have more people helping us get rid of him.”
“Who? You know I don’t trust many people.”
“The guys from the unit. I know you called Chris to help with some phone numbers.”
Jack’s eyes narrowed. “How’d you know that?”
“He told me. I keep in frequent touch with the guys. They all want to help. We didn’t have each other’s backs and live through the hell of Afghanistan to flake out now.”
“Not sure what they can do. Seems we run into a snag at every turn.”
“Chris is FBI and Keith is a Boston cop. They have access to information and know how to be discreet. Drew works for the DA’s office. It could be useful.”
“Sure, if he doesn’t ask someone who’s in Cabrini’s pocket. Then I might have to hitch a ride with Nick again and head out west for good.”
Everyone in the group, except Scott and Nick, had gone into law enforcement of some kind. He’d been the pilot for them and was content to take over his uncle’s business when he’d died of a heart attack. Nick had bought a big rig and explored the country. Scott couldn’t complain because his friend had come in handy when the construction business had needed all the equipment hauled to some new location. But he knew his friend had gone into trucking for the sole purpose of sticking it to his old man.
“Daddy, I ready a bed.”
Jonathan ran into the room with Callie close behind. Jack’s eyes zeroed in on the two and Scott swallowed the lump in his throat he always got when he saw them together. Yeah, he’d chat with the guys. See if there was any way to push a bit more without showing their hand to Cabrini. The little family couldn’t live like this indefinitely.
Jack scooped Jonathan into his lap and hugged him tight. What would he do when Callie and Jonathan had to leave tomorrow? He hated to even think about that.
The fire crackled as Jack and Jonathan sat near it building a tower from blocks. Callie settled next to them, watching. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out. Speak of the devil, it was from Chris. He read the message and smiled.
“Hey Jack, Shaunessy sent a message. He’s getting married.”
