“They haven’t hurt me so far. Like I said, everybody takes ‘em.”
A thousand cases, a thousand crime photos of people who felt the same way, like a young woman Lucky had once found lying dead on the floor, leaving her three small children without a mother.
How could he deal with this shit every day and overlook it in his own home? “How long have you been taking them?”
Ty stared at the floor, scuffing the toe of one shoe across the tile. “Two weeks.”
Fuck. Lucky held out his hand. “Give me the bottle.”
“But—”
How could his nephew do something this stupid? Knowing he’d been stupid as a young ‘un too kept Lucky’s anger in check. “You do realize I could arrest you, right? If you give me the pills, tell me where you got them, then you’re cooperating in an investigation.” God, how he hated turning agent on his own nephew. Better him than Atlanta PD.
The color flooded back into Ty’s face, a rush of red up to his ears. “What the fuck, man? You wouldn’t.”
Lucky met Tyler’s attitude and raised him some stubborn. “Only if you make me.” Please, God, let Ty not make him. With a few simple words he’d turned his nephew against him again. “Go get the rest of those pills. I want them, now.”
Ty pursed his lips, balling his hands into fists, but relented and retrieved the bottle. Good. He hadn’t taken any since Lucky found them.
An unsuspecting school district might have a huge fucking problem. If the problem hadn’t escalated to elsewhere.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Lucky stood on the back deck, staring out at the night, serenaded by a few early crickets and the occasional frog. Too much went on in his head to sleep: Landry, the folks Rett worried about, Bo’s new job and how it would affect their future, Charlotte getting pregnant.
Charlotte not getting pregnant.
Now Ty.
Possibly a whole school full of Tys.
Bo stepped out onto the deck and became a first-class back warmer. Lucky leaned into the embrace. Part of him wanted to say “Go back to bed”, but another part of him needed Bo more now than ever before.
Dealing with drugs on the streets, or factories, or taking out supply chains seemed relatively easy compared to facing the battle dropped onto his doorstep.
“Something on your mind?” Bo’s husky murmur did things no human voice should be able to do: arouse Lucky’s libido while calming his mind. The arms around him didn’t hurt either.
The old him would’ve kept family matters private, only, Bo was his family. Keeping secrets from him? Terrible idea, and likely impossible. Too smart for his own good. “Ty brought home something he thinks is Adderall or similar, but with no markings on the pills. I confronted him.”
“Oh my God. Where did he get them?” Bo spun Lucky around.
Lucky gripped Bo’s shoulder to steady himself. How did such a slender body hide this much power? “From school. Says all the kids do ‘em.”
Bo hmmm’d and brought Lucky to his chest. “It’s been an ongoing problem for a while. There are articles online that instruct kids on what to say at the doctor’s office to be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and get their own prescription.” He shrugged, the motion rocking Lucky. “Some they take, some they sell. But Ty? He’s too intelligent to fall for this kind of shit, isn’t he?”
Lucky wouldn’t have been. Nope, in his day he’d smoked rabbit tobacco, stolen his uncle’s moonshine, and many other stupid things at the merest suggestion. Hell, he’d even downed a nightly tonic of orange juice and chloral hydrate to get a good night’s sleep once upon a time, served up by his lover, not a doctor. He’d wised up since then. “These don’t have a stamp. I don’t think they’re real. I’m going to have them tested.”
“Did he tell you who he got them from?”
“No. He only recently started talking to me without growling, and now this.” Lucky shook his head. Life got too damned complicated sometimes. “Suddenly, I’m the enemy again.” At Ty’s age, anyone who hadn’t agreed with Lucky or was past thirty had been the enemy.
Bo snuggled up tighter against Lucky. “You’re too close to the situation. Let me talk to Walter. I’ll assign someone else to investigate, leaving Ty’s name out of this.”
I’ll.Ah, hell. The truth hit Lucky in the face. Again. Bo would soon be running the department. The boss.
Lucky stepped back. Withdrawing from Bo’s comfort took a big fucking effort, but he needed to stand his ground now and establish a pattern of not being pushed to the side, work-wise. “Why not me? He’s my nephew. It’s my problem.”
Bo took a step forward, hands raised, yet stopped and lowered his arms. Lucky’s “back the fuck off” vibes must’ve been worse than he thought. “Like I said, you’re too close. Andyourproblems areourproblems. I consider him my nephew too. Also, you’re a trainer now, and you’ve got enough rookies to keep you busy. We’ll investigate this. That way, Ty can’t be mad at you, he’ll be mad at me. Have you told Charlotte?”
