Play It Safe

But it was the backdoor opening that caught my attention, made my breath clean leave me, my stomach hollow out and my heart stop beating.

Because out of that door came my brother Casey.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Talk

I was in the kitchen, shaking.

Gray was standing in the doorway with Lash.

Macy was in the kitchen with me and she was crowding me.

“Tell me why you brought that motherfucker here?” Gray growled, keeping his distance from Lash and visibly keeping his body in check. They were close, the door not affording them much room and Gray was pissed beyond any kind of pissed I’d seen Gray be.

And I’d seen Gray be really, freaking pissed.

The Brothers Cody, Brutus and Lenny, who had wisely taken one look at Casey, undoubtedly remembered him and decided to stay, were all in the living room with Casey.

Casey!

Oh God.

“Because I know what he has to say, the Mustang police should know and hear it from him and, last, she deserves this, Cody, and you do too,” Lash replied, he was alert but calm and holding Gray’s eyes.

“Maybe but you could have called,” Gray returned and this was true. So, so true. “You did, you’d know the barn burned down last night and we got seven horses dead. Ivey was in that barn with me savin’ the thirteen we got left.”

Lash’s face got hard and his eyes sliced to me.

“Look at me, Caldiwell,” Gray rumbled and Lash’s eyes cut back to Gray. “Why didn’t you call?”

“Because I thought if I did, you’d protect Ivey by not giving her what Casey has to give.”

Gray’s body straightened and seemed to expand, such was his increased anger but Lash shook his head.

“Calm, my man, that guy in there has not pulled one over on me. I’m not here to orchestrate a family reunion. What he’s got to give is no good. It’s just truth. Ugly truth. And I read from you right now and read it the same seein’ you with her before that you’d protect her from that shit and that is not your call. It’s not mine. It’s Ivey’s. I’m giving her that call.”

“You don’t know me enough to know I wouldn’t give her the same,” Gray clipped out.

“You’re right but I also wasn’t going to take any chances,” Lash fired back, his eyes slid to me then back to Gray. “Timing sucks but better to get this shit over with and do with that guy whatever you decide you want done with him. Deal with him or cut him loose. One way or another, I want shot of him. Filth stinks and I’m really not fond of his smell.”

Lash, a man I loved, a man who looked out for me, a man who took care of me, a man who out-and-out spoiled me was talking about my brother that way.

Pure Casey.

Obviously he hadn’t changed.

“Ivey, you okay?” Macy asked softly, still crowding me.

No, I wasn’t.

I didn’t answer her.

I spoke to Lash.

“I know why,” I said softly and both Gray and Lash’s eyes came to me. When I got Lash’s attention, I continued, “If you gave Gray the info and he chose not to tell me, you thought, if Casey made his way back to me, whenever and for whatever reason, because, being Casey, even though it’s been years, he’d eventually need me, you thought I’d buckle.”

Lash gave it to me straight with his prompt answer of, “Yes.”

I studied him knowing he was right.

I loved my brother.

It was a failing.

I looked to Gray then to Macy then to my feet as they moved me through the kitchen and I muttered, “Let’s get this done.”

Gray and Lash separated so I could squeeze through them. I led and, with Macy, they followed.

Casey’s eyes came to me the minute I hit the living room. I took two steps in and stopped, feeling Lash and Gray position themselves behind me.

Brutus was standing behind and beside the armchair in which Casey was lounging negligently, even belligerently. The Brothers Cody and Lenny were positioned around the room, all standing. Macy went to Olly.

Casey didn’t tear his gaze from me.

“Looks like you landed on your feet, sis,” he remarked and I felt the heavy atmosphere in the room get even heavier.

I took in my brother.

He’d lost weight. He had a scar I knew came from a deep cut on his cheek, another one from a shallow cut curving up from the collar of his tee by his collarbone. His hair was a mess and, even though he was only thirty-four, it had already started to go gray. There were lines around his eyes and mouth that didn’t come from work in the sun or laughter but hard living and a lifetime of worry. His tee, jeans and boots weren’t dirty or tatty but they weren’t good quality and he’d had them awhile.

He looked ten years older than he was. He looked angry. And he looked beaten but even so, he was trying to hide it behind hostility.

When I made no response, his eyes moved over my shoulder to Gray then back to me.

“See you and your cowboy again aren’t gonna offer me hospitality.” His brows went up. “No cool, refreshing glass of homemade lemonade on the farm? Not an offer of a nice, cold bottle of brew?”

Jeez.

Casey.

Finally, I spoke. “Lash says you have something to say to me.”

“Got a lotta things be happy to say to you,” Casey replied and I heard Gray draw in breath.

“Casey, be smart, just tell me what happened, what you did seven years ago so you can be on your way to continue to do whatever you’ve been doing,” I urged softly, hating this and wanting it done.

“Seven years ago, my sister upped, stole a wad of my cash, my car and took off on me,” Casey returned.

“Cash you were given to take me away from Gray, from Mustang,” I reminded him, it was a guess but I knew it was the right one when Casey’s eyes flashed. But he didn’t confirm this information.

Instead, he noted, “Car was mine, sis. You left me high and dry with no wheels.”

It was my turn to remind my brother of something. “If I remember, I won the pinks to that car in a game of pool.”

Casey’s face got hard and he inched up a bit in his chair. “I primed that mark.”

“We both know,” I said quietly, “that I didn’t need you to prime anything.”

“Jesus, f**k, yeah,” he spit, eyes narrowing, “you didn’t need me, right? Fuck, Ivey, you got a selective memory.”

Pain ripped through me.

He was very right at the same time being pitifully wrong.

At this point, Gray entered the conversation. “This is not why you’re here. We’re not goin’ over the history of Casey and Ivey Bailey. You’re gonna talk about what you did seven years ago.”