Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
CALLIE
It feels wrong to be excited while a storm is on the horizon, but the more time passes without Theo popping up, the more I fall into a false sense of security. Tonight, the guys are taking me out and my body buzzes with excitement and worry.
We’re going on a date. In public. Where everyone will see us together.
I slide between the twins in the backseat of Knox’s truck, my palms sweating as we pull up to the local diner.
The neon sign flickers, something it’s been doing since I was in high school, casting pink and blue shadows across the cracked parking lot.
Even though I’m proud of my relationship, all those old fears come racing back. People were terrible after Penelope posted that amateur porno of me with the twins. Part of me is terrified history will repeat itself.
Jax turns toward me, features hard as stone, reading my anxiety with one look. “Fuck them if they don’t like it.”
“Yeah.” I straighten my shoulders and lift my chin. If they don’t care, neither should I. “Fuck them if they don’t like it.” Besides, the four of us being together isn’t anything new. The four of us having sex is definitely a big change, but honestly, more people should try it.
Knox catches my gaze in the rearview mirror. He nods once, sharp and decisive, before cutting the engine. Brax opens his door and slides out, then turns to offer me his hand. “Come on, Callie. Let’s show this town what they’ve been missing.”
Warmth floods through me as I take his hand and let him help me out. His light blue eyes crinkle at the corners when he smiles, and I remember why I used to steal glances at him during algebra.
The diner smells like fried chicken, gravy, and freshly made buns. Pure comfort and nostalgia. Red vinyl booths line the windows, and the worn black and white checkered floor squeaks under our feet as we follow the hostess to a table with chairs in the center of the restaurant.
This is so different from all those pretentious restaurants Theo dragged me to in the city.
Places with cloth napkins, dishes that left you hungry, and waiters who looked down their noses if you didn’t know which fork to use first. The one time I suggested we grab burgers instead, he actually laughed at me.
“That’s what passes for food in Big Ridge?” he said, his voice dripping with disdain.
Theo can shove his tiny-portioned dishes up his ass.
I shove that memory down deep where it belongs and focus on the here and now.
Jax takes the chair beside me while Brax takes the seat across from us.
Knox settles next to his twin brother, his broad shoulders filling out his flannel shirt in a way that makes my throat go dry.
Which is crazy. I’ve had so much sex in the last few weeks there’s no reason for me to be this horny.
“So tell me about getting ready for school.” I turn toward Brax, shutting down my thirsty thoughts. Food first. Sex later. “What’s it like prepping for a classroom full of second graders?”
Summer school comes to an end in two short weeks, and the full school year starts three weeks later.
The halls have been buzzing with teachers panicking about getting ready for a new set of kids in their classroom.
I’m a little sad my temporary employment is coming to an end.
I really loved making art with those kids.
Brax’s face lights up as he thinks about the year to come. “Controlled chaos, mostly. I’ve been working on bulletin boards and lesson plans for weeks. I have twenty-three kids incoming. The hardest part is remembering their names that first week.”
“Twenty-three tiny humans who probably think you hung the moon.” I smile at the image of Brax surrounded by gap-toothed kids hanging on his every word.
“They’re good kids. Most of them, anyway.” He grins and steals a small cinnamon roll from the basket the waitress just set down. The country diner stuffs you full of pastries before serving you up a meal that would make most doctors frown. “There’s always one who thinks glue is a food group.”
Knox snorts. “Remember when Jax ate some in kindergarten?”
“That was one time,” Jax mutters.
The waitress approaches our table with a practiced smile, doing a quick sweep of our group. When her gaze lands on me flanked by all three Williams brothers, something like envy flickers across her face. But it’s not mean-spirited. More like the look you give someone who won the lottery.
“What can I get you folks tonight?”
I hide my smile behind the menu. The best part of all is that I don’t have to choose. I don’t have to cut pieces of my heart away to fit into someone else’s idea of what love should look like. I get to keep them all to myself.
We order burgers and fries all around because sometimes the simple things are exactly what you need, and we all fall back into easy conversation about everything and nothing. Knox tells us about the ’67 Mustang he’s restoring, and Jax shares a story about rescuing a cat that got stuck on a roof.
The food arrives steaming hot, and I’m reaching for the ketchup when the front door chimes. My hand freezes, ice shooting through my veins.
Theo. Penelope hangs on his arm. My mouth turns acidic.
It doesn’t take a genius to guess why they’re here.
Theo immediately bumps into a passing waiter, sending a tray of food crashing to the floor.
He doesn’t even glance at the mess he’s made, his calculating eyes sweeping the restaurant until they lock onto me.
All three guys go rigid beside me. Testosterone crackles in the air like live electrical wires. Impending dick measuring contest in three, two, one.
Penelope tips her head like some kind of psychotic Barbie doll, her eyes twinkling with malicious glee as they make their way over to our table.
Theo peers down his nose at us. “Callie Mae, slumming it at the local grease trap. How fitting.”
Penelope stiffens slightly beside him. This is her great-aunt’s restaurant, after all. I hope she regrets whatever decision drove her into his arms.
Knox’s voice is deadly calm when he speaks. “You need to leave.”
Theo tsks. “I heard folks like you were nice to tourists, but I guess you’re worried I’ll steal your girl again.”
Jax’s laugh is low and dangerous, the kind of sound that sinks into your bones and makes smart people run in the opposite direction. “I suggest you get out of town while you still can.”
“What’s your problem?” Penelope’s shrill voice cuts through the tension. “Pissed you’re the only Williams brother with no future?”
“You’re such a cunt.” The word tears from my throat as I grab my fork, ready to plant it somewhere painful. Brax’s hand shoots out and snatches the utensil away before I can follow through. I’m not sure if I should be happy or annoyed that he knows me so well.
“By the way.” Theo’s smile turns razor-sharp. “Did you boys find what you were looking for at the town hall?”
The threat hangs in the air, a grenade falling in slow motion.
All three guys push back from the table simultaneously, their chairs scraping against the floor with an ominous screech.
Some tourists around us gasp, realizing that there’s about to be a fight, but before anyone can throw the first punch, the manager hustles over with panic written all over his face.
Theo flashes his most charming smile. “Don’t worry, slick, we were just leaving.”
“But Theo—” Penelope starts to protest.
“Shut up.” He gives her a vicious look. For a moment, I feel a flicker of pity for her. But it’s there and gone in a millisecond. She doesn’t need my pity. She needs a new personality.
They head for the exit, and two massive dudes exit too, blocking my view of them, but that’s probably for the best. Neither of them deserve another second of my attention.
I roll my eyes and turn back to the table. “Can we all agree that those two were made for each other?” We all share a laugh that breaks the tension that’s been building around us.
I can’t wait for this lawsuit bullshit to be over.
I nurse my second mug of coffee, watching the guys move around each other like a well-choreographed dance.
Brax flips pancakes while Jax butters toast, and Knox leans against the counter with his arms crossed as he waits for the bacon to finish.
Three mountain men cooking for me? It’s a fucking dream.
“Planning on staring at us all morning?” Knox’s voice cuts through my thoughts.
Heat creeps up my neck. “Just enjoying the show.”
Jax snorts. “Knox trying not to burn the bacon is always entertaining.”
“I’m not burning the bacon,” Knox grumbles then curses. He turns off his burner and grabs the tongs to rescue the bacon before it’s very well done.
Jax and Brax trade looks with one another then glance at me. I smirk. We all know Knox struggles with bacon. It’s his kryptonite, though he hasn’t stopped trying to perfect cooking it.
The normalcy of the moment hits me square in the chest. This banter, this easy rhythm. I’m part of their unit again. Another piece of the puzzle. I’ve missed them so much. There’s so much time to make up for, but every day we spend together fills my heart.
A rough knock rattles the front door, startling us all out of the moment. My eyebrows shoot up as Knox frowns.
“Expecting company?” I ask. Please don’t let it be Theo. That asshole has already ruined enough small moments.
Knox shakes his head and sets his mug down with a sharp clink. His work boots thud against the hardwood as he stalks toward the front of the house. Jax and Brax watch him, and the concern lining their faces makes my skin prickle.
“Knox.” A male voice carries from the porch. “Are your brothers home?”
Officer Martinez? He used to catch us causing trouble all around town, but he always let us off with warnings.
“Everything all right?” Knox’s tone sharpens.
Jax and Brax abandon the food they’re monitoring, faces grim as they follow Knox to the porch. I turn off the griddle so the pancakes don’t burn and creep closer to the doorway, my heart slamming against my ribs.
“What’s going on?” Jax’s voice carries an edge I’ve never heard before.
“I’m really sorry about this, boys.” Antonio’s exhale sounds heavy, weighted with something awful. “I need you all to come down to the station for questioning.”
I rear back. What the fuck is going on? Does he know that Jax and I spray painted that hunting blind?
“Questioning for what?” Knox demands.
“For the murder of Theo Martin and Penelope Hartley.”
The words almost bowl me over and my hand flies to my mouth, stifling the gasp that tries to escape. Penelope is dead?
How?
“What are you saying?” Brax asks, tone wary.
“Theo and Penelope were found dead in a hotel room this morning.” Antonio’s voice remains steady, professional. “Sounds like you all had an altercation the other night.”
My ears ring as I try to process what he’s saying. Which confrontation? The one at the diner or the show down with Penelope at the Bar? I don’t understand. They were murdered? Bile burns my throat.
“We don’t know anything,” Jax says.
Another officer speaks, Trina I think, her tone gentler but no less firm. “Listen, guys, we need you to cooperate. It’s all standard procedure. Come down to the station so we can sort this out.”
My world tilts sideways. My guys are being questioned for murder. Of my ex-boyfriend no less. This can’t be happening. We barely got back together, I can’t lose them right as I got them back. My chest aches.
I rush out of the house. “Trina.” My voice cracks. “Are they under arrest?”
She gives me a sympathetic look. “Not right now.”
Not. Right. Now. But they could be, maybe will be. My gut churns. I turn around, gaze bouncing between the guys, tears burning. An icy finger of dread tracing down my spine. They’d do anything to protect me, but I know they didn’t kill Theo. We were with each other all night.
My men are strong though, and they each kiss my temple before following the officers to the police cruiser, their shoulders tense but compliant. Knox glances back. The look on his face—resignation mixed with something that might be fear—makes my chest constrict.
The cruiser doors slam shut with a finality that echoes in my bones. As they drive away, my mind spins into overdrive. This is wrong. All wrong.
I race toward the counter where I left my keys, my hands shaking as I grab them. Whatever happened to Penelope and Theo, whatever mess this turns into, I’m not letting them face it alone.