Deploy, Part One (Rawlings #1)(7)

He had no idea how she did it, how when she locked their gaze she opened up this secret moment they had, a moment that helped shape their every day, but he loved it.

He saw sadness in her gaze then. He wasn’t sure what kind, though, only that lately, with each day the emotion deepened in her.

“You need to make sure she’s all right,” Declan said.

“Me?”

“Yeah, y’all are tight.” Declan drew his brow together. “What did Murdock say to you? Why did you hit him?”

“I don’t even really know. She was crying and he was telling her to be quiet. I asked if she was all right and the f*cker pointed at me and said, ‘you *s can’t leave town fast enough.’ So I hit em.”

“She never told you what it was about?”

He pursed his lips and shook his head, like he hadn’t thought to ask which was typical. Unless it was in his way, in his face, it was not an issue Nolan cared to give any emotion to that would weigh him down.

Right as Nolan glanced over his shoulder at Justice to question if he should’ve asked, Declan caught yet another fast ball thrown in their direction. This one he had to reach a bit for—and he grasped it two inches before it would’ve slammed into Nolan’s head.

Declan’s hand was on fire, telling him that ball would have delivered some serious damage to his brother.

Tobias dropped his phone and barely caught both Boon and Nolan as they strapped a ‘let’s do this shit’ expression across their face and charged forward.

Boon hollered every swear word he could think of at the field, and before anyone could do anything else the Sheriff flicked the lights on his cruiser then moved his ride to block the Rawlings’ boys.

“Don’t you boys know it’s sacrilegious to disturb a baseball game with a brawl?”

Asshole, Declan thought.

“You acting like you didn’t see that?” Tobias asked with a lift of his chin, not showing any strain as he held Boon back with his grasp and Nolan with a hard glance. Declan stayed back a few feet, knowing if he came any closer to that old, fat, sweaty f*cker he’d lose every ounce of his calm.

He knew that man had turned his head a million times over when Justice’s dad had had one too many; he’d acted like he never saw the bruises. He didn’t deserve his badge as far as Declan was concerned, and he sure as hell could not be trusted.

“I saw it, this wind’s a bitch, might as well call the game,” he said, with a slow smile as the ump did just that.

Tobias narrowed his stare. “Those players are lucky to have you looking out for them, bet you make ‘em feel safe.”

The Sheriff’s grin was slick. He’d read right through Tobias’s seemingly innocent comment that basically said his son needed him to fight his battles. An insult, no matter what family you came from. Around there you were as strong as your youth.

The Sheriff glanced to the field, to the retreating players then to the boys. “The lot of you need to learn to pick your fights, and when.” He nodded at Declan. “Finish up and get on home, the storm’s coming.”

Tobias turned Boon and Nolan back toward the flower beds. The Sheriff watched from his cruiser for a good while, long enough for the teams and the crowd to leave the field before he pulled away.

“Come on now. Dad wants us at the bar, like five minutes ago,” Tobias said.

Declan was covered in mulch, head to toe, ringing with sweat—he wasn’t about to be the foul smelling SOB in the bar’s cellar; there was no telling how long they’d be down there or who would be there with them.

“I’ll clean up and be there,” he said, knowing he could at least rinse off in the locker room, and he was sure he had a shirt in his truck.

Nolan reached in his pocket, pulled out his keys, and tossed them to Declan. “You’ll need these.”

“Right—tires,” he said as he realized one of his brothers had to have jacked his truck sometime that day to put his graduation gift on.

“My hurricane survival kit bag is on the front seat. I have some clothes in there too, if you want ‘em.” He hooked his thumb toward Tobias. “I’ll hitch a ride with them.”

Tobias glanced at the dugout that lead underground to the boy’s locker room. “You don’t need to be out numbered. We best wait on you anyhow.”

“Fuck ‘em,” Declan said with a stiff nod to Tobias, clearly stating he wasn’t worried about Murdock, of all people, and was insulted Tobias thought he needed his back.

Tobias went to argue but Nolan spoke up, “Hurry your ass up, then. Might as well have some fun while you can.”

A lazy grin spread across Declan’s lips. After the day he’d had, being stuck in a shelter stocked to the brim with beer and liquor with family and friends was exactly what he needed. “Right behind you,” he said as he started to jog toward Nolan’s truck.





Two


Instead of just rinsing the dirt off Declan took a long, hot shower. He was sore from the brutal workout Tobias had put him through long before the sun ever rose. Six days, and you’re out. Six days, Declan thought to himself each time his mind tried to pull him back into the high school slash small town drama.

Tobias had said the sooner he got his head in the corps the better, no strings, no bullshit, which is exactly what Declan was aimed to do. Nolan was his only constant hang up on the matter. This was going to be the first time either of them had not been hip-to-hip. Worrying about Nolan’s ass while going through this major life shift was not easy.