Chapter Two

Eagle

Taking the steps at a quick jog, Eagle stood on the porch of his aunt’s yellow, one-story home that sat in a quiet neighborhood only a few blocks from Ventura Beach.

He’d need to paint the white trim again. The Ventura fog and rain wore away at the paint. Right then, though, he didn’t worry about it because it would probably rain again. He gazed up at the cloudy March sky, maybe he’d tackle the house in June or July.

“Auntie?” he called out when he stepped inside. He closed and flipped the lock on the front door before he advanced into the living room.

“Shoes off!” his aunt Mary called from the kitchen, and Eagle stopped to untie and pull off his combat boots.

He quickly crossed the tapestry rug and skirted around the chestnut-colored couch. Knickknacks of everything imaginable covered every other surface in the living room from his aunt’s collection obsession, and it looked like she’d picked up a few more clowns.

When he entered the kitchen, his aunt turned from the back door and snapped it quickly shut. Her hair was in a messy bun at the back of her head, and her wrinkled face was wide with a smile. She came to about chest high on him, so it was funny she was trying to block the back door.

“What’s wrong?” He squinted over her shoulder, trying to see through the square window.

“Nothing. Are you hungry?” She stood firmly in front of the door as if her five-foot frame could keep him from finding out.

“Sure.” He smiled, and when she relaxed and headed to the pot of something that smelled deliciously like her famous chili, he stalked to the door and flung it open.

“Declan! Don’t you dare!” she cried, but he ignored her and advanced on the man sitting on his aunt’s back steps.

He gripped the older man by the back of his shirt and pulled him upright, marching him to the wide-open side gate. Alcohol reeked from the guy and Eagle’s ire grew.

“Declan!” Mary shouted, her voice growing closer.

He shoved the older man through the gate and the guy stumbled forward, crying out when his legs gave out. Eagle cursed and snatched the neighbor up by the arm before the guy could hit face-first on the ground.

God damn it! He gnashed his teeth and wrapped a gentle arm around Tim Schooler before lowering him down to sit on his own back porch.

“I’m going to a meeting, Declan. I swear.” Tim looked up at him with watery eyes.

Schooler’s back door popped open and the man’s daughter appeared on the porch. “Oh no! I’m so sorry.”

“Keep him under control. Or I will,” Eagle growled and turned to cup a hand beneath Mary’s elbow to escort her back to their side of the six-foot solid wood fence. He snapped the side gate closed and made a mental note to nail it shut.

“He wasn’t hurting anything.” Mary pulled away.

“He was drunk.” He scowled at her.

Mary rolled her eyes and walked calmly back up the steps and into the kitchen. Gritting his teeth, he followed her and closed and locked the back door.

“He’s grieving.”

“I don’t give a shit… er, I don’t care,” he amended when she shot him a blistering glare, but then her gaze softened and she motioned to the table.

“Sit down and tell me why you’re angry.”

“I’m not angry,” he said, frowning.

“I can tell. Is it Link? Why hasn’t he come to see me?”

Because he’s an asshole, that’s why, he wanted to shout, but held his tongue. Link may be an asshole, but the guy cared about Mary. And that was the problem…Link kept sticking his nose in business that he shouldn’t.

“He’s on a case.”

“And you’re not on it with him?” Her eyebrows lifted and tendrils of her bun fell loose from her light brown hair. He gazed back into eyes the color of his own. He saw so much of his mother when he looked at her.

“No. I’m not with him.”

He hadn’t been invited. Link had chosen other operatives to help on his latest case. And fuck if that hadn’t hurt like hell.

Link didn’t want him.

Not in his life and not on a case. Link didn’t want him, period.

That’s bullshit and you know it.Eagle shook off the irritating voice and took a seat at the table. Mary placed two bowls of chili and a plate filled with cornbread on the table and his stomach growled.

“You need to make up with him.”

Eagle took a bite of chili to avoid responding. Link was the one who had moved out.

Yeah, but you were the one who—

Mary reached across the table and covered his hand with one of her own—his eyes snapped up from his bowl.

“Make up.”

He gave her a tight smile and ducked his head.

Easier said than done.

Link didn’t want to talk to him right now. The guy was mad as all hell, and Eagle couldn’t even get close enough to make it right if he wanted.

He’d thought that giving Link time to cool down would bring the guy around, but time had only served to increase Link’s anger.

And Eagle suspected he was seriously fucked.

After helping his aunt clean up the kitchen, he headed down the hallway to his room. The door to Link’s old room was closed and Eagle paused there a moment, placing a palm on the wood, and then turned away. Entering his own room, he closed the door and fell back on the king-sized bed that took up most of the room. Gazing up at the fan spinning slowly overhead, he rubbed his fingers through his beard.

This wasn’t his fault.

Link had pushed him. Normally, Eagle was the one with the easygoing nature and Link was always the fiery one, but not on that day.

That day, Link had been a tsunami of fire with a smart ass attitude…and Eagle had put his foot down. It wasn’t his problem if Link didn’t like—

His cell phone buzzed, breaking his train of thought, and he answered his boss’ call.

“What’s up?”

“I need you to check on something for me,” Ace said.

“I need a few more days on the McCade case.” He sat up on the edge of the bed.

“All right, but after you wrap that up, I want you to head out to Bakersfield, California. Call when you’re on your way and someone will fill you in.”

“Will do.”

Eagle flopped back on the bed when Ace ended the call.

What the hell was in Bakersfield?