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“Harrison?” The tall, lanky officer slid the cell door open. “You’re free to go.”
Thank Christ. He’d called Jack as soon as he could. As soon as the officer had allowed him his one phone call. What felt like an eternity later, Jack had come to rescue him. He knew he could count on his brother. And he knew, out of all three of his brothers, Jack would have the least amount of questions.
Neil rushed the opening, not looking back, practically running toward his freedom. He picked up his belongings and was ushered out into a large foyer.
“King!”
Neil tensed. He hated that nickname. As the first to be given real responsibility with the Madewood empire, he might have flexed his muscles a little too hard trying to impress. So for the last ten years, courtesy of his smartass brother Jack, he was stuck with the name and it always made him feel like such a dick.
Unfortunately, this time, it wasn’t Jack’s voice who yelled it. He hadn’t come alone.
Jack stood off to the right, a slight smile on his smug
face. On either side of him, his brothers Cole and Finn stood, equally as self-satisfied.
Neil grumbled at Jack. “I thought you would keep this discreet?”
“Hell no.” Jack stepped forward, pushing up the sleeves of his button-up shirt, exposing his inked forearms. “I think the three of us deserve to see you at your worst at least once in our lives.”
Cole crossed his arms low against his stomach. His brown hair was still wet from his shower that morning and stuck to his forehead. “I always thought we’d be bailing Jack out of jail.”
“I would have to agree.” Finn sidled closer and wrapped his arm around Neil’s shoulder. “Oh…” He breathed deeply, his blond hair scratching against his neck. “You smell like—”
“Hypocrisy.” Jack grinned. “Don’t you smell that?”
He needed a shower. He needed clean clothes. What he didn’t need was the mocking tone of his little brother.
“Do we have to make a production out of this?”
“Oh, yes, I think we do.” Cole lifted his phone. “Smile pretty, boys.” Jack and Finn leaned closer before Neil had a chance to react, the flash of the camera was blinding.
“Jesus Christ.” He shrugged them off. “Can we just go?”
Being deprived of fresh air for even one night was too many. When they walked out of the station into the light, it smacked him in the face almost knocking him back. He needed to remember not to do anything illegal ever again.
Finn and Cole left Neil in Jack’s capable hands. They stopped by his condo so he could shower and pack a bag. That tiny cottage he called his office was going to be his home for the next seven days. He spent every waking minute at the site, and with no license, there was no reason to bother anyone to drive him back and forth.
But before he whiled away his hours on site he needed to make a stop at Bistro and pick up some paperwork.
The car ride was quiet but Jack finally spoke up, “Do you want to talk about it?”
Hell no! “Nothing to talk about.”
“You have nothing to say about the fact that I had to pick you up in jail and that you’ve lost your license for seven days. How fast were you going exactly in order to—”
“Look,” Neil straightened in his seat. “I said I don’t want to talk about it.”
Jack lifted up one hand acknowledging his request. The rest of the car ride was silent. Despite being so early in the morning, the air was thick and muggy. He looked in the side mirror and saw the dense smog hovered over the city in the distance behind them.
They pulled up to the restaurant, gravel crunching under the car as they parked in the driveway behind the building.
When Jack turned off the engine, Neil said, “I’ll be at the program this afternoon in case you need me.”
He turned in his seat. “I already know that. I help make the schedule. What you should be telling me is where you’re spending the rest of your time”
Neil shot him a dirty look. “What does that mean?”
“It means most nights you’re missing in action and we don’t know where the hell you are.” Jack clutched the steering wheel. “Then you surface in the morning like everything is normal even though sometimes you have scrapes and scratches on your face and hands.”
