Page 5 of Keep

CHAPTER TWO

Dalton

“Take the last one.”

“Nah, you take the last one.”

“Quit being such an unselfish motherfucker and eat the last damn chip.”

“Fine.” I flipped off my brother and reached for the sole loaded nacho still hanging out on the platter. Hale was quicker and swiped it right out from under me, depositing the chip in his mouth with a triumphant wink, reminding me that no matter how old we got he was still the big brother who knew how to get the best of me if he wanted to.

“Asshole.” I threw a napkin at him.

He swallowed and laughed. “I’ll make it up to you,” he said and tossed five crisp twenties on the table.

“Any change?” the waitress asked when she stopped by to settle the bill.

My brother waved a hand and said, “Keep it,” while offering up a flirtatious grin even though the woman was on the tired side of fifty and wearing a wedding band.

Still, she blushed. “Thanks,” she said and disappeared with the money.

I stood up, patting my back pocket in search of my keys. “That must have been a hundred percent tip.”

Hale drained the last ounce remaining in his beer glass. It might have been his third. Or his fourth. I hadn’t paid attention.

“I’m a generous guy,” he insisted.

“I guess things are going well then,” I said, choosing my words carefully. Direct questions would get you nowhere with Hale. Long ago I’d figured out he had his reasons and the reasons probably weren’t on the cooperative side of the law. But he never hinted about any trouble and at this point I was fairly convinced my brother was invincible.

Hale set his glass down and shifted his gaze toward the bar. “I’m doing well enough,” he said but because I was watching him I noticed a slight wrinkle crease the skin between his brows. Maybe there was something bothering him after all. Or maybe he was wishing for another drink. At any rate, the troubled look disappeared as quickly as it came. He smirked at me as he rose from his chair and stretched.

“You sure I can’t talk you into seeking a more exciting landscape tonight?” he asked.

I shook my head, knowing Hale’s idea of an exciting landscape probably involved hard liquor and bare tits. “I think I’ve got enough excitement on the horizon.”

He nodded, looking unsurprised, and let me lead the way out of the crowded restaurant. We passed a table of young women who were laughing with abandon while sucking back margaritas. The sight of them made me wonder what Cami was doing right now.

“I parked my bike all the way over in the next lot,” Hale said once we were outside. “So I guess this is where we say good night.”

I looked him over. He seemed steady, perfectly sober. I knew he wouldn’t take me up on the offer but I made it anyway. “I can give you a ride if you’ve had one too many.”

Hale was amused. “You know I can hold my alcohol better than three of you, little brother.”

“Right,” I nodded. “Just asking.”

He tipped his head back to check out the clear night sky and took his time before speaking. “Don’t worry, Dalton. I’m the last thing you should worry about right now.”

“Actually I’m not worried at all,” I said, joining Hale in a brief moment of star gazing. There were too many lights from the city to get a proper view of the sky. Two nights from now I’d have a different view. After spending our wedding night at a five star resort in Phoenix, Cami and I would drive up to the White Mountains and have our honeymoon at a remote cabin. Ten days, just me and her. Husband and wife. Fucking heaven.

“And then I told her you better suck that shit good, you bitch,” slurred a voice at my back. There was a pack of muscled frat boys lurching past us, probably en route to the Irish themed bar on the corner.

“Watch it, asshole,” Hale warned when one of them knocked into me. The college guy looked up with a defiant sneer, then thought better of the situation and kept walking. That was a good decision. Hale wasn’t the type to back down no matter the odds and I’d hate to have to deal with explaining to my bride why I was sporting a shiner in the wedding photos.

That reminded me of something.

I nudged Hale. “Hey, you picked up your tux, right?”

His narrowed eyes were still following the drunken college boys but he shifted his gaze and broke into a smile. “Of course I did. I’m the best man.”

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