Page 79 of Fight for You
“Yes. If you want to see pictures, hear stories, I’d be glad too. Later.” I was still a man on a mission, after all. “Let’s call Nolan.”
“I’ll get him on the phone.” Mam nodded. “Albeit, I won’t be in charge of my response, which is why I’d rather not call him and tip him off.”
Thatwas my mother. Not the coddling woman that tragedy created.
“Fine by me. Let’s finish breakfast first.”
My request seemed to somber the mood for breakfast, but it had to be done. I was ready for tomorrow to come, whether that meant going after Aleksandr one more time or?—
A buzz brought my attention to my cell phone next to my glass of OJ.Dad. I answered on the first ring. “How’s Reb?”
“After a horrible night in the waiting room moaning the whole time, the doctor took her in around sunrise. She’s still somewhat sedated. The vet cleaned her wound again. This new antibiotic is more potent than your supply from Los Angeles. Just left Redlands. On the 210.”
That was one issue resolved. “Be careful once you start coming up the 330.”
“Meson’s giving me advice?” I heard a faint chuckle before Dad terminated the call.
I relayed our chat with everyone and how the forty-minute commute would double because of safe drivers, scary drivers, and snow.
Brody stared out the sliding glass door. “With the way the snow’s coming, they’ll be an hour. Maybe more. Well, glad to hear your dog’s still got some bark in her. You ready to make that call?”
“Yeah.” I looked at Mam.
As she removed the phone from her culottes, Jordyn sprang to her feet. “I’ll start washing dishes.”
“Later.” I placed a hand over hers as she reached for my dish. “I’ll help.”
“Nah. Hearing that man’s voice will just remind me of how bitter I used to be. Not trying to fall into that trap. Besides, I’m with your mom. I’m liable to say something crazy. And then I’d be hotter than fish grease because I can’t back up what I say. He’s a cop.”
Didn’t mean Nolan was above the law. Jordyn buzzed around the table, stacking plates that didn’t have a scrap of food left onthem. Man, I didn’t know her pain. But I was about to give the sole reason why she and the others stayed in captivity.
Uncle Nolan let children be?—
The second she walked away, Mam made the call.
The phone rang once, twice. He answered. “Nan, what do I owe the pleasure of hearing your pretty voice?”
“Cut the crap, Nolan.”
“Och, c’mon lassie. I had a thing for you in primary school. Long before Big Brody entered the picture. Thebawbagwasn’t all that big then, either.”
“Nolan, I’ll give you to the count of three to tell me why.” Her voice cracked. “Why didn’t you tell us about the other children?”
Silence. And then a heavy sigh. “I-I needed someone with pull on my side. Your clan was great to have in my pocket, but neither you nor your husband were gunning for a position in Congress.”
Her bottom lip quivered. “I just told me son I wouldn’t be liable for what I said. For so long, I’ve prayed and then taken vengeance into my own hands. I-I’m speechless.” She slammed up from the table so fast that the back leg of the chair snapped. “Youwere me friend, Nolan!”
29
LOS ANGELES
Deputy Chief Nolan McGregor
I placeda snifter on the top, mirrored surface of my three-tiered liquor cart, reached down, and uncorked the whisky. As I listened to a woman I once had feelings for, liquid splashed into a beautiful glass, catching the sunlight and dancing against the walls. Her voice no longer captivated me. She sounded … overweight … from bearing too many sons for Big Brody Mackenzie.
“You were me friend, Nolan!” Nan’s voice cracked, full of fury and heartbreak. “How could you be so cruel? Soevil? They were justweans. Weebairns. And me son … we trusted you with our Jamie.”
I took a slow sip, reveling in the rich, smooth, full-bodied whisky. A brand I couldn’t have afforded if I’d stayed in Long Beach. “Listen.” I casually slipped a hand into khaki golf trousers. This was any other day to me. Except, I’d gotten my hand caught in the cookie jar. Needed to explain myself. “You’re angry, love. You have every right to be.”
