Page 12 of Wild Justice

Doesn’t he have his own life? Yes, but it’s complicated.

Besides, Lulu liked having Henry around. He was good company, and he was usually pretty easy to hang out with. He was, however, a complicated person and deeply eccentric. Kidnapped as a child by a family friend, but he’d escaped eventually, he’d never quite recovered his former laidback, free and easy self. He was always well-armed, and often suspicious of new people and places. When he was with Lulu, he could relax a bit if the environment was well-known to her.

Henry trusted her, and he didn’t trust many people. His constantly on-edge behavior made him perfect for his occupation - an ethical hacker. He helped companies find the weaknesses in their online presence. He made a boatload of money from it, too, and he could work from any location. Right now, he was planning to work from Harper while she got settled in her job. She wouldn’t be shocked if he ended up staying a long time. Being in a small town where he could get to know everyone might make him sleep easier.

“We will have to go running more than a few times a week,” Henry said. “Work on our endurance. We should sign up for one of those 10K runs on Thanksgiving.”

“This is surprising talk for a guy that said that if we ever caught him running, we should call the police, because a scary clown was probably chasing him with a knife,” she reminded him.

Henry had only started running because he hadn’t wanted Lulu to be out on the dark streets alone. He’d been almost frantic about it. But she couldn’t complain about him. He always put his money where his mouth was, so to speak. He’d ordered a pair of running shoes online and laced up with her two to three times a week at five in the morning. Bless him, he’d never once bitched about.

He’d lost five pounds, too.

“Let’s just say it’s not the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“I don’t know whether I’m supposed to laugh at that,” Chase admitted. “Is this some sort of gallows humor?”

“Sort of,” Henry replied. “I try to see the strangeness in my life and have a laugh with it. My therapist says it’s healthy.”

“You have a therapist?” Chase asked.

“A couple of them. You don’t? You should try it. They have to listen to you because you pay them.”

“Henry’s just giving you a hard time,” Lulu sighed. “He only has one therapist. Henry, play nice with my baby brother. He has a different sense of humor than we do.”

“That’s because he’s normal,” Henry said, his expression serious.

Chase was simply one of those people who was happy most of the time. His life - so far anyway - had turned out exactly as he’d wanted it to. He’d known what he wanted, and he’d made it happen. Lulu hoped that it would always be the case.

Their server Lisa came to their table to get their order. She was young and pretty with auburn hair and bright green eyes, and she clearly liked what she was seeing with Henry. She flirted with him quite openly, lingering until another table called her over.

“I think she likes you,” Chase said. “She’s a sweet girl. I went to high school with her. She’s into art and music.”

Henry dragged his gaze from the woman and shook his head.

“She probably just wants a bigger tip. I doubt it has anything to do with me.”

“I tip pretty well, and she’s never acted like that with me,” Chase declared. “Seriously, I think she likes you. I’ve never seen her act like that. You should talk to her. Ask for her number. Unless you have a reason not to…”

Chase was looking at Lulu, and now she wanted to stab her brother with a fork.

“For the millionth time, it’s not like that,” Lulu said. “Henry, tell him.”

“It’s not like that,” Henry repeated with an eye roll for good measure. “I don’t find your sister attractive in the least. As in…not at all. Ick. It would be like french kissing my sister, dude. Do you french kiss your sister?”

“Of course not,” Chase protested. “That would be gross.”

“My point exactly. Trust me, men and women can be just friends. This isn’t some romantic movie where we’re suddenly going to realize that we love each other. I’m not even sure I could ever love someone besides myself, of course. I make it a point to be extremely self-involved. I’d probably be the worst romantic partner in the history of the world.”

The fact was they’d tried to kiss once a long time ago when they’d first met - as an experiment. And it had been like kissing a brother. Awful. Terrible. Awkward as hell. Zero stars. Do not recommend.

“Henry is the brother I always wanted but never had,” Lulu teased.

“I can understand what you’re saying about Ben at least,” Chase said, a muscle ticking in his jaw. He was angry at their older brother. Really mad. His mood had gone from happy to pissed off in seconds. “Where the hell is he anyway? The retirement ceremony was an important moment, and guess who wasn’t there? Ben. He’s never here. When Uncle Tanner was in the hospital, where was Ben? I think he had his assistant send flowers or some lame bullshit like that. And I don’t think he even called Mom and Dad this week. Did I miss that?”

“He did reach out,” Lulu replied softly. “He sent a card to Dad.”

“He signed it, but I’d bet cash money that his assistant picked it out. One of the biggest days in Dad’s life and big brother Ben couldn’t be fucking bothered. What an asshole. A complete and total jerk. And what about today? This was your first day on the job. Have you heard from him? Let me guess…no.”

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