Page 56 of But For You

“Get him out of whatever he’s in.”

“Yeah, but⁠—”

The car horn startled us both—stunned, more like it.

There, in a Jeep Wrangler that had just pulled up, was Sam.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he roared at me as he got out of the car and came charging across the driveway.

“Me?” I yelled back. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Goddamn, Jory, what the hell are you doing out here?” He was seething, he was loud, and his body language was murderous. He scared the crap out of poor Milt, who scurried backward.

I just put my hands on my hips, planted my feet, and held my ground. When he reached me, I had to tilt my head all the way back to meet his glare. “You’d better fuckin’ call everybody because I scrambled the damn Marines,” I announced angrily, my own volume nothing to scoff at.

“Who the fuck did you call?”

“I called everyone,” I announced, loudly. “And I was this close to getting ahold of your FBI buddy Agent Calhoun, even though I fuckin’ hate him. But Duncan Stiel is supposed to be meeting me here in⁠—”

“Duncan? How the fuck do you know about⁠—”

“Because I called Chaz, and he called Pat, and Pat called him!”

“Jory, do the words secret meeting mean⁠—”

“You were supposed to meet me for drinks!”

“I know that! That’s why I sent you a text when I⁠—”

“I got no text, Sam! I got shit!”

He pulled his phone from his back pocket as mine started ringing.

“Fuck,” I swore when I answered it, turning away from Sam. “I’m sorry. Never mind.”

“You’re sorry?” my brother, Dane, rasped at me. “Never mind?”

“No, I⁠—”

“You will be at the hotel when I arrive.”

“No, Dane, you don’t have to⁠—”

“I will hear about whatever you have gotten yourself into then.”

He hung up, and when I tried him back, he didn’t answer.

“Fuck!” I yelled.

“Jory!”

I whirled on Sam, and his scowl could have peeled paint off the walls.

“So, I sent the text to the house,” he said matter-of-factly, not sounding repentant even one bit.

“And then you put your phone on silent.” I smirked at him.

“Yes,” he said through gritted teeth.