Chapter 61

sixty-one

DYLAN

Going bowling with my brothers was supposed to make me feel better. And it was, but that didn’t mean I could tell them what had happened.

“Don’t worry about Alex.” Luke draped his arm around my shoulders. “We have each other, and that’s all that matters.”

“Oh, please,” Steve said. “That’s what everyone says, and it makes no difference.”

“Of course, it makes a difference. It’s good to know that someone cares.”

Steve picked up a bowling ball. “Talking about people caring, I saw your ex-fiancé last week. He looked remarkably unscathed for someone who was dumped at the altar.”

Luke sat ramrod straight. “I broke off our engagement the day before we got married.”

“The night before you got married.”

“It’s better than calling off the marriage on the day of the wedding,” Luke said with a sigh. “It wasn’t the best timing I’ve ever had, but at least I didn’t marry him for the wrong reasons. ”

“Exactly,” I said. “You made a decision and followed through. That’s all anyone can ask.”

Luke and Steve looked at each other.

“Is that what happened to you?” Steve asked.

I was paid to help Alex with his program, not tell my family what I was doing. “You’d better hit the pins,” I said to Steve. “Luke’s still ahead by four shots.”

My brothers were used to me not being able to answer their question, so they didn’t push to get more information.

With more skill than half the people around us, Steve pulled back his arm and fired the bowling ball down the alley.

Within seconds, the ball slammed into the front pin. Flashes of white filled the alley as all the pins flew into the air.

Luke’s eyes widened. “Where did you learn to do that?”

“Boyfriend number four. He was the state tenpin bowling champion three years in a row.”

I frowned. “I didn’t know you dated a bowler.”

Steve shrugged. “That’s because you were too busy building gadgets in your workshop. He was a nice guy, but he spent most of his life at the bowling alley. It’s hard to compete with a set of pins.”

“There are worse things in life,” Luke said dryly. “Try living up to your potential mother-in-law’s standards.”

I looked closely at Luke. “I didn’t know there were issues with Jarrod’s family.”

Luke picked up his ball. “She was only part of the problem. The biggest part was me.”

Steve patted Luke on the back. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting something more. Too many people settle for what’s comfortable. ”

I smiled at my brothers. “And the Holmes family doesn’t settle. Ever.”

Luke slid his fingers into the ball. “You might regret saying that.”

Steve groaned. “He’s going for a strike. You could have talked about settling when it was your turn, Dylan.”

“But it wouldn’t have had the same effect.”

Luke did his unique seven-step shuffle toward the alley, pulled back his arm, and gracefully spun the ball toward the pins.

Steve groaned. “There goes my winning meal at Dixie’s Bar and Grill.”

When the pins went flying, Luke threw his arms in the air. “I did it! That’s two games in a row. Who’s the champion?”

I dropped my head to my chest. “You’re the champion. But it wouldn’t hurt to have a little humility.”

“I agree,” Steve said. “Especially if your opponents are paying for your meal.”

“Brothers are never on the opposite team. They always have your back, even when you don’t think they’re there.”

I looked at Luke. Something I read in the report about the EMP project stuck in my mind. Richard Leigh, the chairperson of the project, has two young daughters. What if they’re the missing link?

“Are you okay?” Steve asked. “You’re a million miles away.”

I looked at the time. “I need to make a phone call.”

Luke sighed. “Why do I have a feeling we’ll be ordering takeout?”

“Because that’s what always happens,” Steve said unhappily. “The phone call turns into a quick meeting, and the quick meeting turns into a three-hour ordeal. By that time, no one wants to go anywhere.”

I studied my brothers’ disappointed faces. “Okay. I get it. None of us are settling for second best. But this is really important.”

Luke tapped on his watch. “You can make the call, but I’m timing you. You have two minutes.”

Two minutes was all it would take. I pulled out my cell phone and called Ryan’s number. He still had people he could speak to in the FBI. At least if I told someone, they could make sure Richard Leigh’s daughters weren’t in danger.

As it turned out, it took less than a minute to tell him what was worrying me.

After I ended the call, I smiled at my brothers. “I told you it wouldn’t take long.”

Steve frowned. “Why are you worried about someone’s daughters?”

My smile slipped. “It’s part of a case I was working on. Ryan will make sure they’re okay.”

“Are you sure?” Luke asked. “Because we could get takeout if you need more time.”

“They don’t live in Boulder, but thanks for understanding. Does anyone want to play another game?”

Steve’s worried frown turned into a grin. “No, but I know somewhere that sells the best spareribs in Colorado.”

Luke rubbed his hands together. “Dixie’s Bar and Grill, here we come!”