Chapter 27

Brody got out of his car at the Circle Left with too many thoughts churning around inside his head. Melanie and her threats. Phoebe and her body, sweet face, and so much more.

He'd spent some time with Ally after he'd got home from the McAllisters. Then gone to his shed to draw when she'd fallen asleep again. Brody had picked up his pencil and created to work through things. Simplify the crazy mix of emotions swirling inside his head.

Jonathan had told him he held all the cards where Ally was concerned, and while he knew that for the truth, it still worried him. That kid was everything to Brody. Then there was Phoebe and how much he wanted her in his life. The more he saw her and thought about them together, the more he needed to make that happen. He just wasn't sure the next step to take and how to get her to see he'd changed.

Starting for the building before him, he pulled up short when he saw who was gathered outside.

"Was it necessary for you all to come?" Brody asked his brothers, sister, JD, and Birdie, who were all in a gaggle, clearly waiting for him.

"Yes," Sawyer said, taking Birdie's hand in his. "We won't butt in, but we're listening. I called Nancy, and she organized some tables close together. Besides, Mom's watching Ally so she made us promise to remember everything that's said."

"You know I'm a fucking adult, right?" Brody said.

"I'm glad you got his hair cut, JD. It makes him look less reckless, immature boy and more adult," Ryder added.

"It's not like I'm right here," Brody muttered.

"He looks good in that pale blue shirt too," Dan said with a smirk. "It suits his coloring."

"I will hurt you if you don't stop," Brody snarled.

"Dukes," Jonathan said, walking out of the shadows. "You're all here?"

"We are," Sawyer said. "And about to have a meal and listen to every word."

Jonathan wore a button-down like Brody and dress pants. After an hour spent running through everything with him in Phoebe's cottage, he'd soon realized the man was good at what he did, and Brody was glad to have him in his corner.

"I've heard you Dukes do most things as a pack," Jonathan added. "Now you all go in first, and we'll follow. Of course, the nefarious Melanie will probably recognize you all, but no matter. It might intimidate her if she tries anything."

"Nefarious means wicked or mean," Zoe added when Dan frowned. "Read a book occasionally."

"Not sure the books I read have words like that in them."

"Right, they're more a full-page nude lady kind of thing," Ryder added .

His family disappeared inside bickering, and Brody was left alone with Jonathan.

"So, I'm coming in as your special friend who just happens to be a family law attorney?" Jonathan asked.

"Right, a special friend," Brody said, looking at the doors. "Fuck Melanie," he muttered.

"I think that's what got you into this position," Jonathan said. "And just for the record, you hurt one of the people I love most in this world, but as she's moved on, I will too. With Caleb, however, you may have to try harder."

"I can't take back what happened, and I have apologized," Brody said. "Not sure what else I can do, and I'll be honest, I'm more worried about what Phoebe thinks of me than her overprotective brother."

Brody was subjected to a long look from Jonathan. The man wasn't tall, but he had a big personality, and those eyes made him feel exposed, like he could read every thought inside his head.

"You be careful with that girl, Brody. She's suffered a lot, and from more than just what you did to her, and while I can at least see she was in part to blame for what happened because of her obsessive devotion to you, we won't allow her to be hurt again."

"I would sooner hurt myself than her," Brody vowed. "And I know what happened in that classroom in New York."

"Well, if you do, then you also know why we're protective of her."

"I do. Tell me that bastard went away for a long time."

"Yes, our lawyer made sure of it," Jonathan added. "Now focus, Brody."

He did a mental headshake as they walked inside. The building was old, and there were still bullet holes from the days Circle Left had been a wild saloon in one of the upstairs window sashes, which had intrigued the Dukes as children.

The hum of voices greeted them. He found Melanie at a table off to the right. His family was all jammed around another one at her back. Chairs were being arranged so they could all fit, but as yet, Ally's mother hadn't seen them.

The man with her, he guessed, was Henry. He wore a suit with a button-down shirt and tie, which made him stand out, even if the jacket was hanging on the back of his chair. Blond hair was parted neatly down the middle and pushed back with a lot of product—at least, that was Brody's guess. He had a kind of slick sophistication that had Brody not trusting him, which wasn't fair because JD had that, and he trusted him with his life. Melanie wore a black dress and her hair up and bright red lipstick the color of blood.

"Brody." Melanie saw him first.

Nodding, he moved closer. "This is my friend Jonathan."

"Oh, I thought you'd come alone," Melanie said.

"No."

"Hi, I'm Henry, Melanie's husband," he said, rising to hold out his hand to Brody and Jonathan. "Why don't we all sit and get to know each other? I've taken the liberty of ordering a bottle of wine."

Brody sat beside Jonathan across from the couple. "I don't want to get to know you, Henry. I want to know why you're here in my town." He thought he heard Jonathan groan but couldn't be sure with the noise in here. Henry's smile didn't slip.

"Melanie wants to get to know her daughter, as does her family," Henry said. "We want to do this with minimal upset to Ally, of course, but it must happen."

"That sounds like a threat," Brody said. "I don't respond well to threats, Henry."

"No threat." Henry stuck his hands in the air. "But Melanie is Ally's mother and?—"

"I'll butt in here, if I may," Jonathan said. "Brody could easily have applied for abandonment at any stage after the first year Melanie walked out on him and Ally had he wanted to."

"Oh, but?—"

"He had no means to contact her," Jonathan continued as Melanie tried to cut in, "and she did not contact him. He chose not to apply."

Jonathan's words had Henry's eyebrows rising.

"Abandonment has to be proven in a court of law if a termination of parental rights is the end result," Jonathan continued. "Had he tried, he would have succeeded, considering you abandoned Ally ten years ago."

"Are you a lawyer?" Melanie demanded.

"I specialize in family law," Jonathan said with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"You brought a lawyer with you?" Melanie's voice rose.

"And you didn't?" Brody looked at Henry. "What I really want to know is why you want back into Ally's life now, because I don't buy that you're having regrets and maternal feelings after ten years, Melanie." If he hadn't been looking at her, he wouldn't have seen that flash of guilt. "How about you tell me the truth?"

"I told you why. I want to meet my daughter and believe we can offer her a great deal that you can't," Melanie snapped.

"How long have you and Henry been married?" Jonathan asked instead of answering her question .

"Six years," Henry said, his voice friendly.

Clearly he thought Jonathan was attempting to be civil, but Brody had a feeling he was leading somewhere with that question. Caleb had said his partner was a shark in gentleman's clothing when it came to protecting children.

"And do you have children?"

"Not yet." Henry's smile was gone now.

Something niggled in the back of Brody's head then about a conversation he'd had with Melanie one night about the expectations her parents had on both her and her brother.

"Does your brother have children yet, Melanie?"

"Wh-why would you ask me that?" She looked surprised by his words.

"Because you told me that any grandchild stands to inherit a great deal from your parents, and if there are no children, I'm guessing your parents are putting pressure on you to produce one. If you and your brother haven't, that leaves Ally."

"Brody, you have no idea what you're talking about," Melanie said, her tone high-pitched.

"Does your brother have children?" he said, more slowly this time.

She shook her head.

"So, you've decided that it's time to bring Ally into the family seeing as your parents are unhappy that no heirs are forthcoming?"

"My wife wants to reconnect with her child," Henry said. This time, the words weren't polite. "There doesn't need to be any other reason."

"Oh, but there is, especially as she hasn't wanted to reconnect for ten years." They glared at each other after that until Brody spoke again. "Here's how it's going to go. If you want to see Ally, that's up to her. I'll talk to her and let you know, but I'm not having her upset because you've decided she's suddenly useful to you."

Melanie looked guilty, and Henry angry that he'd realized their game. Obviously they'd come to Lyntacky expecting to get what they wanted from the simple country boy they clearly thought Brody was.

"When and if you meet her, it will be with me and on our terms," Brody added.

"And if you decide to go down the legal route," Jonathan added, "you'll be fighting me, and I always win. Believe me, you have no chance in this case due to the time it's taken you to wise up and understand you want your daughter in your life. For whatever the reason."

Henry rose with Melanie. He then placed a hand on the table and leaned forward, eyeballing first Jonathan and then Brody. "I'm not sure you realize who you're dealing with. You really don't want to threaten us." Clearly the nice-guy act had gone.

"We've learned you're protective of her, Brody, and know she's doing well at school but could do better," Melanie said, trying to defuse the situation. "But your reputation is not exactly a good one, and neither are some of your family members'. The fights and lawlessness in your past. She could have a better life with me… my family."

"And how did you learn these details about us, Melanie? You weren't living with us long enough to know," Brody asked, switching his gaze to her. He watched the color literally drain from her face.

"I, ah?—"

"Someone came to town recently and asked about Dukes. I sure hope that had nothing to do with you, or there is going to be a really big fucking problem." Brody's words came out coated in ice .

"Don't speak to my wife like that." Henry jabbed a finger in Brody's chest, which unfortunately for him, coupled with all the other shit he'd faced recently, had him seeing red.

"Fuck!"

He felt hands grab him as he lunged across the table at Henry, who yelped and leaped back.

"Get out of here now!" JD yelled.

He felt like a madman and needed a release. Brody wanted it really badly to be his fist connecting with Henry's face, but instead, he watched the man and Melanie sprinting through the door that would take them upstairs to their rooms. Brody was then forced back into his seat.

He heard the scrape of chairs, and soon he was surrounded by his family.

"Take a breath, Brody," Dan said. He listened to his youngest brother and breathed in and out until he felt himself calm.

"No one is taking her from me."

"Not a chance," Jonathan said. He seated himself across from Brody now. "I'll make sure of it."

"So, she just rocked back into town to plead her case?" Zoe asked. "Bitch."

Dan raised his glass to that.

"Did you hear everything that preceded me losing my shit?" Brody asked.

"We couldn't hear," Sawyer said. "I asked LouJean to keep it down, but you know how she is after a few drinks."

"Loud," a few of them said together.

He told them everything, and what he didn't remember, Jonathan filled in.

"So, you think this is all because neither Melanie nor her bro have had a child?" Dan asked.

"I do. "

"I want to slap that bitch!"

"Don't shriek, honey," JD said, shaking a finger in his left ear.

"I'm destroying anyone who tries anything to hurt our girl!" Sawyer got out of his seat looking mean.

"Sit." Birdie took his hand. "Now, Sawyer."

Sawyer's girl certainly had a way of controlling her big, grumpy man. He sat, but his expression didn't change.

"What are you going to tell Ally?" Ryder asked.

"I think it's time to talk to her about her mother. I've never bad-mouthed her. If she's asked questions, I've answered them truthfully, and she seemed happy with that. Ally has never asked me to make contact with Melanie, but I think she needs to know what has happened."

"They're not winning any legal battle," Ryder vowed.

"Agreed," everyone said as Dan's cell phone rang. "Hey, Uncle Asher."

Brody listened as Dan filled their uncle in. His frown then darkened at whatever Uncle Asher was saying.

"What's up other than the obvious?" Ryder asked when he cut the call.

"We've got problems with some squatters staying in the old Callahan place since they went on that overseas cruise," Dan said. "Tripp went to look in on it and saw a car there. He was smart enough not to enter but called us. I went to investigate and saw the place had been trashed."

"That's not good," Zoe said.

"I found plenty of signs that they weren't just drinking in there either. Drug paraphernalia all over the place," Dan added. "A few of the shop owners have noticed two men and a woman hanging around. Some goods have been stolen too. Leonard Calloway nearly came to blows with one of them when he tried to leave without paying, but the man pulled a knife. He'd fled before we could catch him. By the description Phoebe gave us, it could have been the woman that tried to take her bag at girls' night and punched her."

"What?" Brody had roared the word, and suddenly he was the focus of all eyes. "She told me she walked into a door!"

"That old story," JD said. "I've used that one before."

"Did you arrest whoever did it?"

"Calm the fuck down, Brody. We're trying to catch them, but it's not proving easy. Every time we close in, they get away."

"Sounds to me like you need to try harder," Brody snapped, "or you need our help." The thought of anyone hurting Phoebe again made him see red.

"This is a matter for the law." Dan glared at him. "That was Uncle Asher on the phone. Seems they broke into Calloway's storage room and helped themselves."

"Doesn't sound to me like the law is handling it," Sawyer snapped. JD and Birdie groaned.

"Seeing as your family is the law in this town, maybe you need to think before you speak," Dan snarled.

"Calm down." These words came from Nancy, who was carrying glasses in her saloon girl dress. "You Dukes"—she shook her head—"always firing up about something. Let your brother and uncle do their job, and if we see these rodents beforehand, we'll just be assisting them in bringing them in."

Everyone but Dan raised their drink to that.

"I love this town," Jonathan said.