Page 93 of Sycamore Circle

Her sister looked like she wanted to argue, but in the end she nodded. “Okay, fine. I don’t like it though.”

“I realize that.”

“And, ah, Joy?”

“Yes?”

“You’re probably not going to believe this, but none of us sit around keeping score. You’re our sister and we love you. End of story.”

The words, said in her sister’s matter-of-fact way, made Joy’s eyes tear up. “Just when I’m about to tell you to mind your own business, you say something like this.”

“It’s not like anything. We love you. And we love the person you are, Joy. Not the person we want you to be. There’s a difference there, you know?”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she nodded. “I know. I love you too.”

CHAPTER 31

Lincoln rarely asked Bo to come to his office for a meeting, so this afternoon’s summons was not only unusual, but it also felt a little like being called into the principal’s office.

Bo was even more surprised when he saw Seth already waiting. “What’s going on? Any idea?”

“Nope. I was hoping you would know,” Seth said. “I’d just gotten home when I got the boss’s text.”

“Too bad you had to turn back around.” Seth lived in a pretty three-bedroom house on the edge of the Amish community. It was a good forty-minute drive from his house to T-DOT.

Seth shrugged. “It wasn’t a big deal. Now I’m just trying to figure out who might be in Lincoln’s office right now. All the guys who report to me have seemed to be doing okay.” The wrinkle between his light blond eyebrows deepened. “At least, I thought they were.”

“Am I late?” Mason asked as he strode closer. As usual, he sounded a little panicked. “Adrian needed gas and the stupid place only took cash. It took forever to get in and out.”

“You’re not late,” Seth said.

Bo looked around. “Where’s Adrian?”

“He’s going over some paperwork for a couple of grants he and Lincoln applied for. I reckon he’s in the kitchen grabbing something to eat too.”

Seth frowned. “I forgot Elizabeth was working in the kitchen today. I’m hungry. I hope she didn’t make enchiladas.” Seth loved almost everything the woman cooked, but he was not a fan of enchiladas.

“Text Adrian to ask her to make you a plate,” Bo said.

“On it.”

While Seth texted Adrian, Bo stuffed his hands in his pockets and tried not to look concerned. The three of them not only were Lincoln Bennett’s closest friends, but all had positions in the organization directly under their boss. Bo worked with the newest guys assimilating out of the pen. Seth was in charge of the core business, flipping houses in the county. He supervised teams of ex-cons, teaching them how to do simple plumbing, refinishing, and carpentry.

Mason, who was younger and often was the most outspoken, had recently moved into being Lincoln’s bodyguard-slash-enforcer for the ex-cons. It had been Bo’s position for years before Mason took it over.

Everyone in Madisonville knew that Lincoln was in tight with both the warden and the guards. If he was willing to vouch for someone’s job and housing for the next year, there was a better chance that a guy would be released early.

Just as importantly, it was a well-known fact that Lincoln ran a tight ship. If a guy messed up, Lincoln was quick to pull him out of the program—since the integrity of T-DOT mattered. No one in the prison, law enforcement, or the companies who supported them were going to give T-DOT the time of day if the ex-cons were allowed to run wild.

Consequently, there were a lot of bitter men both in and out of prison, either who had never been chosen for the program or had been tossed out. Resentment and the need to get back at the guy for perceived transgressions was high on their lists. Mason not only ran interference between the men and the boss, but also saw to it that Lincoln was never completely alone.

Not only did Lincoln rarely travel anywhere by himself, someone was always parked outside Lincoln and his wife’s house, making sure they were safe. Lincoln had used to balk at the measures—until Jennifer had come along. Now that they had a baby, too, Lincoln took it all in stride.

“Hey, did something happen?” Mason asked. “Did somebody go after Lincoln and I didn’t hear about it? Charlie was on duty last night.” He pulled out his phone, brushing his thumb over the screen.

“If something did, I haven’t heard. Calm down, buddy,” Bo said. “It’s a given that if something bad was on his mind he would’ve called.”

“Yeah. You’re right.”

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