Kennedy looked at him, not a little horror in her eyes. “No doubt. Did you have to use the tire iron?”
“Yes,” Sully said and looked at Jericho.
“Everything just went south,” Jericho said, his voice low, his gaze on the table. “I grabbed Harley around the waist, towed her back to the truck, and threw her inside.”
“And that’s when Mars went after him,” Sully said, looking at Malachi. “And Jericho became legendary.” A faint grin tugged at his lips. “It was a pretty wicked fight.”
Jericho frowned, touching the bridge of his nose. “I don’t remember much of it,” he said, his voice low, “but I do remember Sully dragging me away, throwing me in the cab, and taking off for the hospital.”
Malachi looked at him, setting his pizza slice down. “That’s how you broke your nose?”
“I was stupid and impulsive and in over my head,” Jericho said, his voice flat. “And the Sorros brothers never forgot it. About a week later, we found slashed tires on all the trucks at the resort and graffiti on the maintenance building.”
“Never proved it.” Sully’s gaze was on the table. “Dad was pretty mad about that. He and Sheriff Tatum vowed they were going to shut down the Sorros gang.”
“I was already at basic by then,” Jericho said, his voice quiet. “According to Dad, though, once I left, they backed off.”
Hudson’s mouth tightened. Jericho frowned at him, but Sully kept talking.
“Their dad, and I think Jago and Conan, got arrested a couple years later. I think that took a little wind out of their sails. Ithink Mars moved to Anchorage and started causing trouble down there.”
Silence.
Finally, Malachi said, “No wonder everyone sort of has this weird vibe about the mysterious Jericho Bowie.”
“He sort of cemented the Bowie name,” Hudson said.
Jericho frowned at him.
“Not that I was upset,” Malachi said. “I liked having a brother who people thought could dismantle them. Nobody messes with the Bowies, right?”
Malachi held up a fist, and Hudson met it, their knuckles bumping.
“Oh, brother.” Jericho rolled his eyes, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Listen, I’m a long way from that guy. I got my fill of violence in the military, thanks.”
Maybe he was hungry, after all. Jericho reached for a slice of meat lovers, the crust warm in his hand. He took a bite, the tangy sauce hitting his tongue. “This isn’t bad,” he said. “It’s not Mom’s, but it’s pretty good.”
“It’s time the Sorros brothers were brought to justice,” Sully said. He took Kennedy’s hand.
“So, what happened between you and Harley after the fight?” she asked, her gaze on Jericho. “I’ll bet she was glad you came to rescue her.”
He didn’t mean the harsh laugh that escaped him, or his words, really. “Are you kidding me?” Jericho said. “She was furious. She rounded on me at the hospital, told me what a fool I was, that she could take care of herself.”
He sighed then, lowered his voice. “It wasn’t my finest moment. I lost it, told her she was going to get herself killed and that I didn’t want to watch.” He lifted a shoulder. “Then she walked away.”
Silence settled over the table, his brothers suddenly very busy with their pizza.
“And that’s it?” Kennedy asked. “You just let her walk away?”
“What do you mean, Ilet herwalk away? She clearly didn’t want me involved.”
“She was terrified.” Kennedy’s voice softened. “Terrified that you were going to get hurt and probably horrified that she’d put you in that position.”
Oh.But, “That’s not what came out of her mouth.”
Kennedy cocked her head, her lips parting, then closing. “No, it’s not,” she said. “But women and men are different. Men are direct and say what they mean. Women—well, it’s complicated.”
Sully’s gaze flicked to Kennedy, a faint chuckle escaping him.
