Chapter 21
”She”s fine,” Jamie assured the anxious St. Johns.
Drae, Tori, and their eldest, Danny, had rushed the family pet, a blonde Labrador named Raven—pun intended—into his clinic after the mischievous dog devoured a sack of fast food hamburgers that she”d somehow managed to unwrap without eating any of the paper.
In general, people tended to underestimate how damn clever their animals were.
He looked at Drae. ”It”s good that only one of the burgers had pickles.”
He then switched his gaze to young Daniel St. John as he continued. ”But she might fart. A lot.”
Tori snickered before grabbing the dog”s face so she could kiss her over and over.
Seeing an affectionate bond between an animal and its humans always made him feel good.
He did his doctor”s thing—issued sensible pet care guidelines and made sure to include Danny because the relationship between a boy and his first dog is sacred.
From the plastic bag of treats he kept in the pocket of his lab coat, Jamie plucked two tasty tidbits—treats baked in his kitchen—and fed them to Raven.
While Tori rushed from the exam room to the nearest washroom with Danny in tow for an emergency potty break, Jamie eyed Alex”s right-hand man and remembered Rafe”s insistence that Drae, along with his co-pilot, Jason Cameron, were most likely up to no good.
After observing the comical dynamic of original Justice—the wartime team of Alex, Drae, Cam, Rafe, Domineau, and Roman Bishop—he”d concluded that if they could fuck with each other, they would. Gags and practical jokes were commonplace between them, so in his mind, it was a given that Drae was either up to tricks or knew what was going on.
”Hey. Question. Are you fucking with the groom-to-be? Asking for a friend.”
”A huge, very bald friend?”Drae chuckled.
”Yeah, that”s him! The jumpy dude.”
They shared a laugh.
Drae adopted a mask of innocence that was so unbelievable it was comical.
”Watch it, Doc. You wading into this is an invitation to suck you deeper into the friend zone. Are you sure that”s what you want?”
”It”s inevitable, right? You guys are actively working to wear me down. Plus, an entire squad of females interested in my social calendar is making me crazy. I know it”s stupid to resist.”
”Is that whyyou”relacking in subtlety?”Drae chuckled and arched his brows, anticipating an answer.
”Police work 101. Sometimes, it”s easiest to show your hand.”
”Doc! You scoundrel. Police 101? We need to work on our communication. I thought you were an animal doctor.”
”Save it,”Jamie drawled. ”What Alex knows, you know. And Cam, too, I suppose.”He shrugged. Now that he”d told Rebecca his story, it was inevitable that some select parts of his past life would surface.
”Smart man,”Draegyn St. John said in a fierce tone that Jamie had not heard before. ”I”d follow the Major into the fires of hell. Same for Cam.”
He nodded his understanding. One didn”t live in Bendover without hearing some of the stories about Team Justice”s legendary exploits.
Drae squinted, his intense perusal piercing Jamie”s skull. ”He brought you here. That says something.”
The air in the exam room turned still. Their eyes locked.
”If the Major wants you here, I”m all in, so listen up. The bridegroom gets what he deserves. That”s the messageI”msupposed to give should Rafe or someone working on his behalf ask.”
”Okay.”
”Now that the message is delivered, you have a choice.”
”A choice? Oh, shit. What kind of choice?”Choices sounded ominous.
”With Justice, we are all equal opportunity ballbusters. I bust you, you bust me, andwe bust someone else. Think of it like a lifetime round-robin of pranks. No one is exempt—not even the Major. If you want in, you”ll have to say so.”
Even on the outer fringes where he had set up camp, Jamie already felt like part of the Justice crew. Drae was giving him the chance to declare his alliance publicly.
Changes were sweeping through his closed-off world in rapid waves—one after another. As each protective wall tumbled down, he learned a little more about himself and perhaps began to have a clearer picture of what he wanted from life.
Friends were not of any interest when he first arrived in Bendover. He”d been there, done that, and it hadn”t worked out in his favor. Friends had been the ones who fucked him over the hardest. But over time, as he became more and more invested in the quirky desert town and her interesting citizens, Jamie”s frozen emotions began to thaw.
And now, he was about to take several gigantic leaps of faith.
In a dry, mocking tone, he answered Drae. ”I”m going to be way disappointed if this turns out to be a nothingburger, but I”m in.”
Drae smirked. ”This is where we spit in our palms and shake hands.”
”Are you serious?”
”It”dmake for a hilarious story if I say yes, but my ninja senses tell me you”re not quite ready for it, so, no—not serious.”
It was all so ridiculous that he laughed.
”Ask Rafe what he and Domineau did to Roman at the man”s bachelor party,”Drae snickered. ”It”s best if you hear it from him. D’alessandro is rightfully petrified of Roman”s payback. We”re all laughing at Rafe”s ball-shrinking fear of the righteous retaliation he knows is coming his way. He assumes Cam and I will be the lead instigators. It”s kind of our thing—being dicks.”
Jamie chuckled. ”Ohhh. I think I know where this is going. Are you and Jason playing with him while the real threat comes from a different quarter?”
”Ah ha ha! Yep! We”re calling it Operation Payback. Fake texts, a stray sticky note, mysterious deliveries—you name it, and we”ll find a way to make it sinister.”
”It”s all becoming clearer,”he told the grinning man.
”Good. Now, all you have to do is deliver the message.Let”ssee what he does next—the clock is ticking. The last week in August isn”t that far off.”
* * *
Jamie rinsedhis lunch containers and placed them next to the insulated tote he packed full of snacks and lunch daily.
Peering into the tote, he saw reusable freezer packs and a cardboard cookie box.
He lifted the small box from the tote. ”Double fudge brownies.”They smelled glorious.
It was midday and the end of a Saturday shift—his half day at the clinic. The brownies he made on a whim last night were his admission ticket to a surprise visit with Rebecca—or so he hoped.
It had been two days since their conversation. They had not seen each other or talked since, and he was curious how she felt about what they had discussed. An offering of homemade brownies was a good way to connect and lay some groundwork for whatever came next.
Ducking into his office washroom for a necessary refresh, he took care of business and then stripped off his shirt at the sink, where he brushed his teeth and scrubbed his hands as if preparing for surgery.
While drying his hands, he studied his appearance in the mirror. It felt odd that his thoughts fixated on Rebecca and what she made of him. Many, many years had gone by since he”d let anyone close enough to give a shit about their opinion. Still, as he”d already admitted, the divine bitch parading through his brain, his emotions, and his libido was different.
Leaning closer for a better look at his reflection—another reminder that he needed glasses—he scowled at the shitty shave he had given himself earlier and yanked on the vanity drawer where he kept an electric razor for quick touch-ups.
A few swipes later, he bent over the sink and splashed water everywhere as he washed his face.
Jamie knew skincare wasn”t just for women. As a guy in his forties, he was concerned about aging issues. His sister Nora deluged him with magazine articles and product samples acquired during her many shopping adventures.
From another, deeper drawer, he grabbed a spray tonic for his face and followed up with some aftershave that smelled particularly nice.
Deodorant was next.
Slapping his stomach, he had enough vanity to smirk at his defined abs. During his dark times, working out became a refuge. Now, it was an essential part of his routine.
”Not too shabby,”he told his reflection.
Did he raise his arms and flex his muscles?
Yeah, that happened.
Pulling on a fresh shirt, he buttoned, rolled, and tucked on his way back to his office. Adjusting his manhood for comfort, he did a final zipper check and then made a plan.
Kori Tate”s laughter in the clinic”s reception area interrupted his thought train. Seizing the moment, he stuck his head and torso out from the door to his office.
She saw him right away and waved.
He gestured to her—she nodded and flashed a thumb up.
”Just be cool,”he murmured to himself while he waited.
”Knock, knock,”Kori called out as she rounded the corner and stepped into the room. ”Happy Saturday, Jamie,”she cheerily exclaimed. ”What”s up?”
”Huh, huh, huh,”he chuckled. ”I was about to ask you the same thing. What brings you to the compound on a summer Saturday? Nothing better to do?”
”I was at the barn with Mom.”
Good to know, he thought.
”The littles went riding after finishing their chores, so she thought she should keep an eye on things.”
”Ah,”he snorted.”Got it.”With a playful shudder he drawled, ”Junior Justice on horseback. Yikes.”
”Mrs. M was there—taking pictures. She was joking, saying the photos were foreveryone”s”What I Did This Summer”scrapbook.”
He smirked. ”Kid, I don”t think she”s joking. Rumor has it that she shelf-cleared all the markers and journals at the Mercantile and bought a carton of actual scrapbooks.”
”For real? Ah ha ha!”Her laughter put a stupid, happy grin on his face.
Kori had on a backpack that she swung off her shoulders and placed on his desk, disrupting his normally well-ordered desktop.
”I came down here to give you this and say thanks for turning me on to Dr. Who.”
She dug through the pack and handed him a white, rectangular box.
”Nothing special. Something I found on the ”Zon. Hope you don”t already have one.”
Curious, he opened the box and pulled out a cool mug—tall, with a handle—designed to resemble the Tardis police box made famous by Dr. Who.
”Love it,”he announced—his face wore a big smile. ”Twelve ounces is perfect, and no, I don”t have this one. Thanks, kid.”
Should he hug her? Damn, he honestly wasn”t sure.
She moved to his side and playfully nudged him with her shoulder. ”We”re friends, right?”
”Definitely in my top five. Why?”
”Unusual request,”she replied. ”I need a favor.”
The way she answered, her tone, and body language piqued his interest because they reminded him of Nora when his sister had an agenda.
Arching his brows, he drawled, ”Is it illegal or likely to lead to my ass getting kicked?”
”Not illegal,”she chuckled. Eying him critically, she added, ”and I think you can hold your own should a butt-kicking come into play.”
”Impressive non-answer, but go ahead. Give it a shot.”
Jamie knew a rehearsed speech when he heard one. Overall, it was an impressive dissertation defending her proven reliability, attention to school work, and status as an all-around good kid. So far, she was hitting all the right notes.
What she asked of him, however, blew his mind.
”I need a break,”Kori growled. ”I love my mom, but she”s overdoing the parenting. I get that it”s a two-fer for her—she has to be mom and dad—but oh my gawd! Enough! Can you be a pal, Jamie, and maybe, oh, I don”t know,”she shrugged. ”Go see a movie or take a day trip to Phoenix?”
His mouth dropped slightly. He squinted. ”Uh, say what again?”
”Would you please take her off my hands? Like, with adult stuff—not work stuff,”she quickly added. ”I figure the only way for me to catch a break is for her to either get a new hobby or start acting her age, and well, you know.”
”Take her off your hands,”Jamie mumbled —his disbelief evident. ”Kid,”he croaked, ”are you asking me to date your mom?”
Kori Tate—kid extraordinaire—smacked him on the arm and grinned. ”Yes! Thank you!”she exclaimed.
Fifteen minutes later, he was on his way to the stable complex—brownies at the ready.