Ally, wild and flowing curls flying, barreled into the room. She pulled up short when she saw James, Grady, and Jake standing in the kitchen. “Who is he?”
“He’s helping us with Mandy’s case,” James replied, scalding her with a hard look. “Do you know how to knock?”
“Did Grady knock?” Ally sneered. She loved getting under her brother’s skin, and this was no exception.
“Why are you here?” James pressed.
“Why do you care?”
Jake shifted uncomfortably next to James, his gaze fixed on the wide-eyed Ally.
“I’m sorry,” James said, taking a step back. “Jake, this is my sister, Ally.”
Ally extended her hand. “Hi.”
Jake took it, holding it briefly before pulling away and eyeing her curiously. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m nice to meet,” Ally agreed, wrinkling her nose as she looked Jake up and down.
James didn’t like the look. “Don’t you have something to gossip with your cohorts about?”
Ally rolled her eyes, potential drama evident on her face. “You’re such a wet rag.”
James watched his sister join Mandy and Sophie on the couch. They had the remote control, and were flipping through the channels. There was something overtly delightful about their interaction, the giggles they dissolved into, the smiles they shared, that James couldn’t help watching them for a second. After a moment, he realized Grady and Jake were mesmerized, too.
“Sorry,” James said, shaking his head. “Back to Cole Gordon. What do you think his current situation is?”
Jake shrugged, leaning back against the counter. “There are only so many places these guys can go, and I can’t say for certain he’s not going back to the tent city when I’m not there.”
“If he really did get money for a hit on Mandy, then he might be renting a place,” Grady interjected.
“Except the hit failed,” James pointed out. “She survived. Who would pay a homeless veteran for a hit that failed?”
“He has a point,” Grady said. “If Cole didn’t get paid, and he has nowhere else to go, what are his options?”
“I don’t know,” Jake admitted. “We can question the guys out at the tent town again, but I’m not sure what that will yield.”
James rubbed his hand over his jaw, considering. “We’ll take a full load of supplies. I was planning on doing it anyway. Coats. Food. Bottled water. We’ll bring the whole enchilada. If we can get some information? Great. If we can’t? We’re out nothing more than time.”
Jake nodded. “They’ll appreciate that.”
“Then it’s a good idea regardless,” James said, shifting as Mandy made her way into the room. He watched her pull a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, her gaze trained on Jake the whole time. “Do you want to tell me what you’re doing?”
Mandy pulled up short, fixing James with a sultry look. “Who says I’m doing anything?”
“I do,” James said. “You’re acting odd. What are you doing?”
Mandy sighed, tossing a haphazard gaze in the direction of the couch. “I was checking to see if Jake was wearing a wedding ring.”
James’ eyes narrowed. “Really? Do you want to tell me why? Or should I just kill Jake now?”
Mandy rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t looking for me.” She gave James a quick kiss, and then rejoined Sophie and Ally in the next room. James’ eyes followed her, realization washing over him.
He glanced over at Jake, who was just about as red as one man could get without profound sunburn.
Grady was shaking with silent laughter.
“I don’t think it’s funny,” James said.
“She’s an adult,” Grady countered. “You take this whole big brother thing far too seriously.”
James scowled as he watched Ally send Jake a saucy wink, and then dissolve into a pile of giggles with Sophie and Mandy.
This was not good.
Twenty
The next afternoon, James, Grady, and Finn met Jake at the parking inlet by the river. They’d stocked up, and they’d need to make multiple trips between the vehicles and the tent town to unload. The constant furloughs back and forth allowed the three brothers to get the lay of the land without looking too suspicious.
When they were done, James unpacked the fresh hotdogs, buns, and condiments they’d brought, and proceeded to start roasting them over the open barrel fires.
The men living there were naturally suspicious of the new invaders, but hunger and need had them warming up relatively quickly. Within a few hours, the men were sharing stories and jokes.