Page 21 of Whatever It Takes

“How’smy bachelor party coming along?” my brother Brody asked, rounding the corner and squeezing into a small metal chair along the wall of my corner cubical. I clicked send on my document and spun around to face him.

“Isn’t that for me to worry about?”

“Actually, no. Ever since you turned down my suggestion, I’ve been concerned that this is going to turn into a snoozefest.”

“I’m not fucking spending twenty-five hundred dollars a night on a penthouse suite at the Four Seasons in Vegas.”

I heard a couple chuckles from the cubicle next to mine. That’s the thing about working in close quarters with people. There was no privacy whatsoever.

“It’s not like you don’t have the money in the bank, you tightwad. You’ve got more overtime accumulated than anyone in the department.”

“You know why I’m saving my money, jackass.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t think a few grand is going to put much of a dent in your savings. You’ve got to live a little, brother.”

Brody was stressed about getting married next month. I tried not to take offense to his piss-poor attitude, or the way he glared at me. The only reason I tolerated him was because he was my brother.

“God help Gretchen,” I mumbled. I was trying to do something different than simply hitting as many bars as we could and visiting seedy strip clubs. I also didn’t want to be on the other side of the country and leave Charlotte and Emery as open targets with Grant still on the run. The odds of him doing anything to physically hurt them were slim, but I wasn’t willing to gamble with their safety. As far as I was concerned, as long as he breathed the same air outside of a jail cell as them, he was a threat.

“You still planning on bringing Bree to the wedding?” He arched his eyebrow and tossed a stress ball back and forth between his hands. The asshole was fishing, and despite my best efforts to not let my true feelings show, he could see right through me.

“She’s coming into town later tonight. I’ll ask her.”

He smirked, and that cocky gleam in his eye only pissed me off more. Have I been dragging my feet with Bree these past few weeks? Absolutely. He didn’t need to know that though. If I was honest, I wasn’t sure what I wanted anymore. The only thing I did know was that I couldn’t get Charlotte out of my head no matter how hard I tried.

It wasn’t fair to Bree that I was hung up on someone else. She deserved better, and I was an asshole because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to end things with her either.

“Have you heard anything new on the investigation?”

I rubbed my palm along the side of my neck. “Nothing. Marco is working closely with the US Marshals, but they haven’t been able to come up with anything solid.”

“Grant Anderson isn’t an idiot. He’s a smart man with a lot of connections. But eventually, his luck will run out. It always does.”

“I’m not letting this go until the bastard is locked up and doing more time than a ticket taker in a toll booth. This may not be my case, but it’s personal.”

His phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the screen. “I gotta take this.” He stood up and pointed his finger at me. “Be careful.”

There was a warning in his tone. He wasn’t just talking about Grant.

After following up on a few open cases, I picked up my keys and shoved my phone in my pocket. I wanted to stop by Charlotte’s on my way home and check-in on things.

I pulled my car into her driveway and took the two front steps in a single bounce and pressed the doorbell. Something didn’t feel right, and the back of my neck tingled. I felt uncomfortable with my back to the street, so I turned around and waited for her to answer.

My eyes scanned the neighborhood. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Just a few teenagers walking in groups and a few dogs barking in the background. Normal suburbia. Still in deep concentration, I chalked up my paranoia to just being keyed up.

The sound of the front door swinging open caused me to spin on my heels. “Jesus, Charlotte, you startled the shit out of me. Do you always open the door without asking who it is on the other side?” I snapped.

“Well, hello to you too.” She smirked, her voice was thick with sarcasm.

I brushed past her, taking in the lingering scent of her perfume. “Just don’t ever open the door without knowing who it is, okay? It’s not smart.”

“Yes, Dad,” she replied and closed the door behind her. I walked into the house, noticing that it smelled like clean linens and lemon.

“Where’s Emery?” I asked once I reached the kitchen counter.

Charlotte walked over to the sink and poured a glass of water. “She’s upstairs getting changed. We’re going out for pizza to celebrate.”

I took a seat on one of the barstools at the counter and asked. “Celebrate what?”

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