Chapter Twenty-Nine

There was a peacefulness in the house that Scott hadn’t felt in way too long. He made his way downstairs, buttoning up his white dress shirt, smiling as he looked into the living room where Zach was sitting on the floor with Casey, letting her paint his nails dark blue while “Rock’Em Sock’Em” played on TV.

Casey held her tongue between her teeth as she carefully positioned Zach’s thumb on the coffee table for the last, precise stroke of the brush. Scott had let her do his nails before, and she hadn’t always been so good at keeping the polish on his nails, but she’d had a lot of practice on him, Luke, and Tyler since. Zach usually teased them all about their “monthly manicures,” and he got out of them by distracting Casey with a game of Candy Land.

Scott had a feeling it would be a while before Zach told Casey “no” for anything. He and Becky would have to make sure Casey wasn’t completely spoiled because Zach felt guilty. Maybe draw the line at him buying her a pony.

“Great job, munchkin!” Scott bent down to kiss the top of Casey’s head and caught Zach’s eye. “The color matches the tie she bought you for Christmas.”

“That’s why I chose it!” Casey grinned up at Scott before leaning over Zach’s hand again to blow on his nails.

Zach’s lips slanted in wry amusement. “Wasn’t the tie she bought you pink?”

Casey answered before Scott could. “Stephan helped me pick out Demmy’s tie. But Demmy likes black nail polish. And he keeps it on until it starts looking bad because of all his tools. But you don’t work with tools, Daddy. Do you think it will last a long time?”

“Not sure, sweetie. But I’ll be very careful not to ruin it.” Zach shifted without moving his hands from the table, looking Scott over. His brow furrowed. “Is there a meeting I’m not aware of?”

Shaking his head, Scott pulled his tie out of his pocket and draped it around his neck. “No, just something I have to take care of. Where’s Becky?”

“In the laundry room, I think. Scott, wait.” Zach stood, holding his hands out at his sides awkwardly. He glanced down at Casey. “Stay here and watch Grapes for a bit. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, but make sure you don’t touch anything for at least ten minutes,” Casey said before turning her focus to the TV.

In the kitchen, Zach braced his hip against the counter and frowned as Scott quickly did up his tie. But he didn’t ask the obvious question. Scott had a feeling Zach figured he’d lost the right to expect explanations for anything Scott did.

Not the best way for things to go back to normal. Scott pulled on the suit jacket he’d left on the back of a kitchen chair, then moved to stand in front of Zach. “Go ahead and ask, man. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

Zach winced and looked down. “I wish I’d… Fuck, I don’t even know what else I could have done. You’ve come so far since I told Jimmy to get lost. When he came back—”

“You should have told me.” Scott tugged his jacket sleeve straight and did up the buttons. “Yeah, dealing with him again would have been hard, but I’m tougher than I look, Zach.”

“Right now you look pretty fucking tough. And sexy.” Zach lifted his hand toward Scott’s face. He inhaled sharply when Scott latched on to his wrist. “What—?”

“You’ll smudge your nails.”

“Oh…right.”

“Ask me.” Scott gently pushed Zach against the counter, pinning his wrists on the rounded edge. “Show me you haven’t gotten so used to keeping things to yourself that I have to guess what you’re thinking.”

“Never again, Scott.” Zach sighed as Scott’s brow lifted. “Where are you going?”

“To see my brother.” Scott closed the distance between them, kissing Zach before he could voice his protest. He’d already spoken to Becky about going to visit Jimmy in jail, and she’d given her full support. But she hadn’t met Jimmy, had no idea how toxic he really was. Zach did, and Scott knew he would worry. “I wasn’t sure I could ever face him again, but look at the power that gave him. I can’t imagine he went straight to threatening Becky and Casey. He’d have started with something simple. You gave him the opening by showing him how desperate you were to keep him away from me.”

“I was. I am. You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do.” Scott grazed his knuckles over Zach’s scruffy cheek and smiled. “Soon as your nails are dry, you need to go shave. After that, bring Casey to the park. Then to a flower shop to buy Becky some of those blue flowers she loves so much. Have supper ready when I come home.”

“Will do.” Zach shook his head and glanced down at his restrained wrists. “I really shouldn’t let you be in control, but I can’t say I’m not enjoying it.”

“Good. I’d hate to think you’d be unhappy with our new arrangement.”

“What new arrangement?”

“We’re a family, Zach. When you and Becky stood in front of that judge and said for better or worse, I was there. And I made the same promise.” Scott knew there was still plenty to talk about. Things they’d have to hash out over the next few days, if not longer. But he couldn’t help but see the scabbed wound on Zach’s throat and know the pain and doubt he’d suffered was nothing compared to what could have happened.

Much as he hated what Zach had done, the fact was he couldn’t say he’d have done things differently to protect his family. Lie, cheat, steal…even kill. Facing the demons of his past was nothing compared to the fear Zach had dealt with alone every single day for far too long.

They’d probably deal with other problems in their future—who knew what would happen tomorrow? But Scott would do his best to make sure the past would never come back to haunt them again.

He rested his forehead against Zach’s and closed his eyes. “I only need one thing from you before I go.”

Zach twisted free of Scott’s hold on his wrists and brought his hands up to Scott’s shoulders. “Anything.”

“Tell me I can do this.” He sucked in a shaky breath. “If you tell me I can, I’ll believe you.”

First, Zach said nothing. He had gone still. Didn’t even seem to be breathing. But when Scott opened his eyes and stared into Zach’s he saw no trace of doubt. And Zach’s tone was firm when he finally spoke. “You can do this, Scott. He can’t hurt you anymore. I should have seen that, seen the man you’ve become. I do now.”

Before leaving, Scott went down to the laundry room to see Becky. She didn’t waste a second before hugging him and whispering in his ear, “Should I make him suffer for a bit?”

He laughed and picked her up in his arms, giving her a long, deep kiss before he replied. “Not too much. I think he’s suffered enough.” He glanced over at the pile of clothes on the card table she used for folding. “But if this isn’t done by the time he gets home from the park with Casey, make him do it.”

Becky’s eyes widened. “You know very well I can’t ask my Dom to do chores. That would be…wrong.”

“Fine, spoil all my fun.” He let her slide down his body and kissed the tip of her nose. “Will you let me help while he makes supper?”

“That I can do.” She laughed and jerked her chin toward the sports bags in the corner. “Actually, I saved all that for you.”

“You’re so sweet.”

“I try.” She grabbed his hand before he could turn. “This isn’t going to be easy, Scott. But try to remember where Zach went wrong. We’re stronger together. You won’t be dealing with this alone.”

He smiled, nodded, and squeezed her hand. “If I didn’t know that, I wouldn’t go. I’ll just be happy to have this over with.”

On the drive he got a text from Luke. Then one from Tyler. Both asked if he was sure he didn’t want them to come. Fuck, he was tempted to say yes to both when he parked in front of the station, but instead he texted back, assuring them he’d be fine. He got out of the car and adjusted his suit. Being all dressed up for anything besides a game felt weird, but brought him to the same mind-set he had before he walked into any arena, home or away. He’d worked hard to be the man he was today. He wasn’t the weak, broken man Jimmy had taken advantage of for years. Maybe Jimmy wouldn’t see that, but who fucking cared?

The only thing that could have made Scott feel stronger was to come here in uniform, pads, helmet, and all. With the entire team behind him. But that would be a bit excessive. And make Jimmy feel more important than he was.

He strolled into the station and approached the front desk. The young man sitting there looked up and smiled at him. “Can I help you, sir?”

“I’m here to see my brother.”

“I’ve got him, McKinley.” Ryan Hamilton, Laura’s brother, came over and held out his hand to shake Scott’s. “Have to say I prefer seeing you coming in here not wearing cuffs. I spoke to Laura after you called to say you were coming in. I’m not sure if you intend to post bail…”

“No, not posting bail.” Scott hesitated as Hamilton motioned him toward the hall leading away from the reception area. “Unless not having bail means he’ll be here longer?”

“There’s no way to speed things up. He won’t be deported until he’s convicted and has served his time here. His lawyer wants you to explain to the judge that you can guarantee Jimmy won’t run. He’s come in a few times, bitching that we aren’t cooperating.” Hamilton smirked. “You’re a very hard man to contact. Your number isn’t listed.”

“No kidding?” Scott snorted, knowing full well Laura had his phone number. And since his own arrest, his contact info had to be in a file somewhere. Thankfully, no one had decided to be helpful and give it to Jimmy’s lawyer. “All I need to know is what I need to do to make sure he can’t get anywhere near my family again. All those threats he made to Zach—”

“He was probably talking out of his ass, but if he wasn’t…there’s a reason this doesn’t happen often. You’re high-profile and smart criminals don’t want to be connected to cases like this.” Hamilton stopped in front of a door with a small window, facing Scott. “Whoever he owes would rather cut their losses than come down here while this is in court. I don’t think you or your family are in danger.”

“That’s not very reassuring.”

“Maybe not, but the team has their own security. Cort wasn’t hanging around because he can’t get enough of your woman’s cooking. I’ve only gotten details over the last few days, but the list of places approved for Cort to be includes your house, Casey’s school, and Silver’s place, where Becky had been staying. He’s been a lot more cooperative than before, and he checks in daily. He’s passed all his drug and alcohol screens.” Hamilton’s tone made it clear he saw this as reassuring. And Scott couldn’t argue the fact. Jimmy’s contacts wouldn’t mess with Cort. “If you and Cort aren’t friends, change that. Upgrade your home security system. And, you know, maybe call us if there’s a problem?”

“Will do.” Scott wet his lips as Hamilton put his hand on the doorknob. This was it. He would see his brother one last time. And make sure the bastard could never hurt him or his family again. He realized he was shaking and made himself stop. Show no weakness. He’ll use it. He always has. He forced a smile. “You gonna have someone nearby while we chat?”

Hamilton released the doorknob. “You don’t have to be afraid of him anymore, Scott. He’s not getting out for a very long time.”

Scott’s jaw hardened. He shook his head. “He’s the one who should be afraid.”

“Ah, in that case.” Hamilton gave him a big smile before opening the door wide. “There’s thick glass between you. Would be very bad mojo if we let visitors kill prisoners. Hope you understand.”

“Of course.” Scott stiffened his spine and went into the room. White cement walls all around, narrow windows, sectioned off stalls in front of a large glass wall with blue cushioned metal stools welded to the floor in front of each one. He went to one of the stools when he saw Jimmy. Sat down without taking the phone that would let him hear his brother speak.

Jimmy looked sickly, his long hair matted around his head, his eyes bloodshot, tears wetting his cheeks. The gray prison-issue shirt hung around his thin body, and for an instant Scott almost felt pity for how pathetic his brother had become.

But then he remembered the knife Jimmy had held against Zach’s throat. The tire iron he’d taken to Tyler’s head. This man had almost destroyed the life Scott had built. Threatened the people he loved.

Scott picked up the phone, but didn’t say a word.

“Scott, you have to help me.” Jimmy put his hand against the glass. “My lawyer says if you’ll pay bail, they’ll let me out.”

“No.” Scott stared at Jimmy and felt…nothing toward him. The rage at what Jimmy had done burned deep, and Scott wished he could smash through the glass and wrap his hands around the man’s neck, but that clearly wasn’t an option. Still, he had a few things to say. “You don’t want me to get you out of there, Jimmy. You almost killed a man who is more of a brother to me than you’ve ever been. You’ve been blackmailing the man I loved for how long? Did you think I’d just forget that?”

“They’re lying! You’re my brother. You know I wouldn’t hurt anyone!”

Scott shot out of the stool and punched the glass. “You threatened my daughter!”

“She’s not even your fucking kid, Scott! I’m family!” Jimmy sniffed, wiping his nose with the back of his wrist, fresh tears spilling down his cheeks. “Please help me. Please…I have no one else.”

“Then you have no one at all.” Scott settled back into his chair as one of the cops came into the room and gave him a warning look. “If I were you, I’d plead guilty and see if I could get shipped back to California. You want to fight this, then just know I will be testifying against you. I will tell them how long you blackmailed me. Wasn’t that long ago; I could still press charges.”

“I’m warning you, you son of a bitch, I’ll tell everyone—”

“What, Jimmy? That I was sexually abused as a child? Go for it, I have nothing to be ashamed of because I did nothing wrong. I was little boy, and you twisting what happened to me into some kind of advantage makes you a sick fucking bastard. That’s on you, and I suggest you get some good therapy while you’re in prison.”

“You think I had it easy? You saw what I went through. You’re my brother and you can’t just turn your back on me!”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing, Jimmy. I’m turning my back on you. And as far as I’m concerned, you’re not my brother anymore. You are nothing to me, so don’t try to contact me or my family again.”

“I know people, Scott. They’ll come after you and I’ll tell them—”

“You don’t want to do that.” Scott stepped right up to the glass, gritting his teeth as he spoke. “I’m sure you’ve heard of Roy Kingsley? Big deal crime boss who was connected to the Cobras? He was killed in the same fucking prison you’re going to. Would hate to see the same thing happen to you.”

Jimmy paled and tripped backward.

The cop who had come into the room came over and put his hand on Scott’s shoulder. “You’re done. Let’s go.”

Hanging up the phone, Scott looked at Jimmy one last time. Then nodded and followed the officer out. “You’re right. I’m done.”

Palms sweaty, his whole body trembling, Scott walked out of the police station as fast as he could. Head down, he strode across the parking lot toward his car. He heard someone running in his direction and stopped, lifting his head.

Tyler slammed into his side and fell on his ass. Luke avoided falling over Tyler, but hit the back of Scott’s car pretty hard as he stumbled sideways and started laughing.

“Is this supposed to be moral support, or are you guys trying to escape?” Scott leaned down and helped Tyler up. “Because if it’s the latter, you can take my car, but you’ll be playing Thelma and Louise on your own. I’m going home.”

Dusting himself off, Tyler cocked his head at Scott. “Who the hell are Thelma and Louise?”

Luke rolled his eyes and rested his arm on Tyler’s shoulder. “We decided you might want to go out for drinks after dealing with this.”

“Fuck no!” Scott laughed and punched Luke’s shoulder. “We agreed to once a month.”

“But are you okay? I mean, that couldn’t be easy and the fucker is your brother and he’s probably going to be in jail for a long time.” Tyler finally took a breath, then kept right on going. “You need a distraction. So do I. So does Luke. Do you know he’s having a baby? Well, he’s not, but Sam is and—”

Putting his hand over Tyler’s mouth to shut him up, purely out of habit at this point, Scott shook his head. “Congratulations, Luke. I think. And you’re my brother, Tyler. And so is he. Which means no more of you two making out. Wanna come to my place and chill for a bit?”

“You sure Pearce and Becky won’t mind?” Tyler checked his watch. “I can hang for a bit, but they must be getting sick of me.”

“They won’t mind. And Casey will be happy to see you. She got some new nail polish. Sparkles and all.”

Luke grinned and held up his hands. The crusted remnants of black polish showed around the edges of his nails. “I could use a touch up.”

“Yeah…no sparkles for me, thanks. Last time Laura used sparkle polish she had to wrap aluminum foil around her nails for like an hour to get it off. And that shit was on everything.” Tyler blushed and ducked his head. “And I mean everything.”

“Kinky!” Luke snorted and slapped Tyler’s shoulder. “You know you’ll let Casey use whatever she wants, kid. She’s got the three of us wrapped around her little fingers.”

“Come on, let’s get out of here. You guys drive or—” Scott didn’t see either of their cars. If they’d planned to drink, they’d probably left them at home.

“We took a cab.” Luke nudged Tyler toward the passenger side of the car. “Take shotgun so you can tell Scott your suicidal plans for the night. Maybe he can talk you out of it since you won’t listen to me.”

Once they all got in, Scott pulled the car out onto the street and glanced over at Tyler, waiting for him to start talking. The kid was being quieter than usual.

“I don’t want to talk about my plans.” Tyler shifted sideways in his seat, his blue eyes shadowed with concern. “This couldn’t have been easy. Seriously…are you okay?”

“I’ve got my man back. My woman and my little girl are home, waiting for me. My best friends showed up at exactly the right time to remind me how fucking lucky I am.” Scott looked out at the maritime city he’d come to love, the trees along the street, the earth, all showing the first signs of new life despite how long the deathly chill of winter had tried to hold on. The skies were clear and the sun shone bright off the stretch of blue horizon. He grinned at Luke in the rearview mirror, then over at Tyler. “I’m gonna be fine.”