Deploy, Part One (Rawlings #1)(27)

Declan’s hard stare raced over Murdock. Murdock was actually smiling, even as blood drizzled from his lip.

In the background he could hear Nolan putting Jacks in the truck, Jacks yelling for Murdock to come on.

“Did you get a piece?” Murdock asked, licking the blood on his lip. “It’s sweet ain’t it?” He nodded his head toward him. “Have fun jacking off while I’m hitting that every time I f*cking feel like it.”

Declan reared back to hit him again but Nolan caught his arm. “He’s too shit faced to feel it or know what he’s sayin’.’’

“You f*cking making excuses for this worthless pile of shit?” Declan yelled.

“No. I’m telling you his daddy is a Sheriff. That you don’t want him making calls on your behalf, not where you’re going tomorrow—if we even get there. He can’t even fight back, one more punch and he’s going to be in the ER and you’re going to get locked up for assault.”

When Declan only kept his venomous stare on Murdock, Nolan kept on; he knew once you got Declan to listen to you, you just had to keep talking, keep giving him common sense. “When you show ‘em who’s boss you want him to remember it and you want to walk away clean, you know you do.” Nolan pushed him further back. “And you know he’s lying about Justice,” Nolan said in a lower tone.

Declan’s stare flew to Nolan’s, wondering how he knew.

“Let’s go,” Nolan said, ushering Declan to the truck and leaving Jacks and Murdock in the middle of the road.

At home Chasen Rawlings did his best to figure out why his boys were strung tight, and failed. Neither one of them were quick to say anything, meaning whatever it was—it was more than just a tiff. The rest of the night was spent with all of them staring at the crawling clock and barely sleeping.

Just before dawn, Declan got up for his workout. This time it was his dad who put him through it.

“Whose ass did you kick last night?” Chasen asked as Declan leaned forward panting for breath.

Declan shook his head, not denying it but not wanting to talk about it.

“It was about the Rose girl, right?”

It sure as hell turned into something about Justice. All night, every second in his head Declan kept hearing Murdock say he was going to be hitting it and the word wrath did not even come close to what Declan felt.

“I already told you once, son.”

Declan stood up straight. “I haven’t seen her since that night.”

“And you’re not going to see her for months to come.”

Declan shook his head and cussed under his breath. “She’s getting knocked around, Dad.”

Dad. Not daddy, not pops, which told Chasen his son was absolutely serious. “By Murdock?”

Declan shook his head. “He sure as hell knows how to look the other way, though.”

“So does his daddy,” Chasen said with a raised brow.

“I told Atticus to tell you if he saw something, but she won’t say either way. She’s too tough for her own good.”

“You listen to me,” Chasen said, getting in his face. “I don’t know what she told you, but you forget it.”

Declan jarred back and Chasen caught his arms and got in Declan’s face again. “Right now you forget it.”

“I wasn’t raised that way,” Declan spat.

Chasen jerked him back, and then got in his face again. “And you think the man who raised you, or your brothers, is going to let something like this go unchecked?”

Declan felt his entire body relax but then regret slammed into him. If Justice knew he had told anyone about her personal stuff, stuff everyone assumed but didn’t know for sure, she’d kick his ass.

“She can’t know.”

Chasen shook his head. “No one is going to cause any trouble.” He cursed. “Sometimes things like this go away with time.”

“A year before she’s eighteen, Dad. A day is too long.”

Chasen nodded. “You forget,” he said again. “And if you don’t. If you don’t trust us, I’ll take it as a direct insult and disappointment.”

All of Chasen’s boys would rather him beat them senseless than hear him say he was disappointed in them.

Declan nodded stiffly.

“Shower up, recruit.”

And he did.

By the time the sun was rising, turning the horizon into that dusky gray, him and Nolan were side by side in Declan’s truck driving toward town.

“Pull over up here,” Nolan said causally, right before they were passing the last gas station in town.

Declan did so without thought. He was in his own world, trying to do what his dad told him to do—forget it, trust his family to look out for Justice. Justice was the kind of girl who needed someone to stand up with her, not for her. He knew is his family could do that.

If the Rawlings’ knew how to do anything, it was to draw out the bravery in who they were with. They helped them see that sometimes, even if it sucked, ripped you to pieces, you needed to stand and fight for what matters. And sometimes what matters is nothing more than self-respect, fighting for the peace you deserve.

Nolan pointed for him to go into the side parking lot.

“What’s up?” Declan asked.

“Hungry. Be right back,” he said, bailing out the door before he even finished his words. A beat later her was jogging across the street to the diner.