bags in the car. When we are finished here, you can take him to the front door.”
Turning to Reed, he murmured, “If she sees your bags, our goose is cooked.”
They ambled into the lounge. No one was around. “You want some coffee?”
Reed shook his head. “No, but thanks. The past seventy-two hours have been rough. Too much Jack and coffee—not enough food or sleep.”
Knowing what it was like to manage tension with Tennessee whiskey and caffeine, he felt for the guy.
“How bad was it?” he asked and waved Reed to grab a seat.
There was a long silence. Arnie let him take all the time he needed. Finally, Reed exhaled and sat back.
“The important part is this—she won’t be bothering Summer. Not now, not ever.”
Arnie let Reed see his surprise. Then he responded to something he heard in the guy’s voice.
“You don’t sound happy about it.”
Reed grimaced. “I know. Shit. It’s just that even though I know my mother is a bitch, I expected her to put up resistance.” He scowled and narrowed his eyes. “She didn’t care about Summer or her granddaughter. All she cared about was the money your stepmother offered. It makes me physically sick. Ari deserves better.”
“Did you lay out what happens if she sticks her nose above the water line?”
“Oh, fuck yeah. And I did it with relish. Watching her nearly shit when I showed her the preliminary report on the trafficking ring was oddly satisfying. You were spot-on, man. She had no idea what was going on. All she cared about was the payday potential. When I explained what would happen if she got dragged into the trafficking investigation, she shut up. If she makes a move on Summer or Ari, she can kiss her freedom goodbye.”
Arnie kind of liked it when bad people got a karmic pimp slap, and in this instance, he was glad Reed got to administer the hefty wallop.
With a knowing smirk, he asked, “Full uniform?”
“Fuck, yeah.” Reed snickered. “And I used a military car, complete with a driver.”
They chuckled in unison. Throwing one’s weight around even on a pretense was all kinds of fun.
“Hey, look,” he muttered when the laughing stopped. “I’m new to this, so bear with me, okay?”
Reed made a face. “What the hell does that mean?”
He sighed and gave his soon-to-be brother-in-law a wry look. “It means your sister expects me to do her bidding. Carry the water, so to speak. She wants me to convince you to come into the light.”
“Oh god. You’re talking about her insistence I take off the uniform.”
“We’ll be heading east after the wedding.”
They stared at each other in silence.
“Fuck,” Reed mumbled.
Arnie knew what he was going to do next was uncool, but he didn’t care. If taking care of his girls and seeing to Summer’s happiness meant he helped shoot Reed’s career in the chest, so be it.
“Check this out,” he enthusiastically chortled in a complete change of subject and tone. He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through the eight hundred pictures he had of his baby.
“We went for a walk and Ari saw her first peacock. A neighbor of my grandfather’s has a pair.”
“What a lucky shot,” Reed exclaimed. “Taken at the perfect moment.”
“Oh, and here she is rocking on her butt. She’s trying to turn over, but it hasn’t happened yet.”
Reed’s happiness turned to agitation. Arnie was well aware that the baby was changing how all of them looked at life.
Reed complained. “You don’t play fair, do you?”
Arnie rolled a shoulder. “Define fair.” He paused for a few beats before picking up. “Reed, you and I are not so very different. Both of us were blessed with awesome dads and rock-solid siblings. Though our circumstances were opposites, we also know what it’s like to grow up without a mother. I see what’s in Summer’s heart. She yearns for normal. Boring normal as she puts it. Family birthdays, Thanksgiving get-togethers, shared vacations. I intend to move heaven and earth to give her what she wants, and she wants you to be a part of this boring normal. To do that, a change of zip code is necessary. I wasn’t born yesterday. I know it’s asking a lot, but I hope you’ll give serious thought to making a change.”
Reed harrumphed but didn’t push back.
“You know,” Arnie murmured with a sly smirk. “NIGHTWIND is always looking for more shitheads.” He grinned. “I hear there’s a killer benefit package. Oh, and we have a ball team. Summer told me to throw