34. Family

Riggs

That night, Riggs was lounging on a blanket on the ground with his back to the blanket-covered log next to the fire he and Murphy had built, Nadia draped up his chest through his bent legs.

He'd spent an hour making a playlist, and it set the mood.

So right now, "Year of the Cat" was playing loud enough to be heard, but low enough people didn't have to shout at each other, and Riggs had noted earlier that none of his friends gave that first shit his music was setting the night to chill. They were just as good with mellowing out with some chips, dogs, beer, tequila shooters and pot as they were with loud and rowdy accompanied by chips, dogs, beer, tequila shooters and pot.

In fact, maybe more so, considering Easton was making out hot and heavy with Courtney across the fire from him and Nadia. His bud Jaeger was sitting close and deep in conversation with Ashley on the blanket to the west side of the fire. And Riggs had enough experience doing the same thing, he saw Storm, successfully on the make, sitting next to Lynne on a log.

By his estimation, those two would be leaving soon.

Harry, he knew, was behind him on his furniture, talking with Rus, something he could do every day at work, but also Murphy, something he couldn't.

He'd prefer Harry talking to Lynne, who was a fine woman Riggs sensed was looking for more than a good time, one reason why he and Lynne had always only been friends. But Storm was a good and decent man, so maybe that would take, and Viggo would have a fine woman in his life like Ledger now did.

But it was a minor victory Harry was there at all.

Step one, he'd taken off his wedding ring.

Step two, showing at Riggs's for a party.

And Riggs hoped step three would lead to good things.

Maribeth was standing off to his left with a huddle of his work crew, doubled over laughing, so he suspected they were entertaining her with stories of how he could be a detail-oriented hardass when they were on a job.

He'd called Hutch to ask how Gia would respond to this situation, and Hutch felt it was too soon to introduce her to thirty people and a party at Riggs's lake. So she was confined to the cabin.

Another reason to keep the noise down. If she heard it, she might not like it, and considering Nadia wasn't with her, they didn't know how she'd respond to that either.

"Brother, share," he heard from above him.

He looked up, and Murphy was standing there holding out his hand, the tip of his forefinger pressed to his thumb.

Riggs drew off the joint pinched in his fingers then handed it to his bud.

He held that smoke deep.

"Always been a weed hog," Murphy grumbled and strolled off.

Nadia giggled.

Riggs exhaled.

He hadn't put the pressure on, but he'd offered it, and she didn't hesitate taking it. He'd asked, and she told him that wasn't her first time smoking weed, and it wasn't Maribeth's either.

Riggs had noted there was one difference between the two outside the color of their skin.

Maribeth got high.

But Nadia got chill.

"Year of the Cat" slid into "Steal Away" as Riggs dragged her up his chest and kissed her.

When he ended it, she whispered, "Murphy just stole your marijuana."

"He's like that. He says I hog it, but he uses it as his excuse to be a mooch."

She giggled again.

"Having fun?" he asked softly.

She gave him a little shake with her arms around him. "You have good friends."

"Yeah."

"I really like Murphy," she said.

He grinned. "Me too."

"And he really loves you."

His grin died, but not for bad reasons, for the best ones.

"Yeah."

"Not to mess with the mood, but you should know, another reason, outside you and Ledger, why I was considering Misted Pines is that you have a big family. They're everywhere you turn."

He heard her, and he got it.

She'd lost the last of hers five months ago.

He slid his finger from her temple to behind her ear to slide her hair away from her face, then he tangled his fingers in it. "Maribeth is good family too."

She nodded and turned her head into his touch. "She totally is. But Chicago is big. You're always a bit alone in a big city. You can get lost in it. And after what happened, I knew it wasn't healthy to be lost. I think maybe I didn't realize it while I was doing it, but I picked somewhere like Misted Pines so I wouldn't be lost. But I got here, and I didn't know how to get found." She gave him another shake. "Until you found me."

"Princess," he murmured, curling his fingers around her head and feeling what she said heat his chest in a way he liked a fuckuva lot.

"Thank you, Riggs."

He pulled her to him again and kissed her.

They were straight up making out when "Steal Away" slid into, "Make It with You."

He'd been waiting for that song to come on, and he was glad it happened when they were right there, just as they were.

He slid his cheek against hers and said in her ear, "Picked this one just for you."

She stilled, listening to the song.

He tugged her head back so he could watch her face in the firelight while she did it, and he ran his thumb along her cheekbone and lips as the lyrics hit her, and they did this hard.

But that wasn't in a bad way either.

No, thank Christ, he could see it was really fucking good.

The song moved into, "You Make Lovin' Fun," when she said, "I wish they hadn't stolen that wine."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I think there might be reason I'd want to keep that bottle forever."

That made heat light up his chest too, and he was about to reply, but he heard a sharp, "Doc. Hup," coming from his right.

He looked that way to see Jaeger's eyes on him, and the man was taking his feet.

In fact, everyone was.

And they all had attention aimed in the same direction, at something happening behind his back.

He lifted up, taking Nadia with him, and turned to look over his shoulder.

And he saw Angelica bearing down on them, openly raring to go.

He hadn't heard a car pull up, not that there was much room with the vehicles in his drive and lining the lane, but they weren't so far back he wouldn't hear another one approaching. And other than the lights that illuminated the pier, only a few scattered camp lanterns and the fire were giving the space light, so he hadn't seen her headlights either.

Which probably meant she parked on the road and hoofed it so she could do this.

Take them unaware.

He pushed up to standing, again bringing Nadia with him, but he then moved her to his back as he watched Murphy try to head Angelica off.

She purposefully slammed her shoulder into him as she walked by him, snapping, "Fuck off, Murphy." She stopped a few feet in front of Riggs, her gaze shot from him, to Nadia, to Storm, back to Riggs, then she announced, "You two, fathers of the year, so fuckin' high and mighty. Where's my kid at, Doc, while you get high and laid?"

Storm came up to his side. "Where's mine, Angelica?"

"Kiss my ass," she sniped at Storm.

"Thanks, no," Storm retorted. "Still have no clue why I went back three times. The first was tolerable, at best."

No warning, nails bared, she launched herself at him.

Riggs moved to intervene, but Harry got there first, catching her at the waist and pulling her away.

That was when Rus slid in at Harry's back.

"Let me go, Harry!" she shouted, fighting his hold.

"You either calm down right now, or you do it at the station," Harry warned, not letting her go.

She stopped fighting and aimed her glare at Storm, then moved it to Riggs. "Bubbles is a piece of shit liar. Everyone knows that."

"This isn't happening here, and it sure as fuck isn't happening now. Go home, Angelica," Riggs returned.

"Was minding my own business, having a drink at the Halfway—" she began.

"Which takes me back to my question," Storm cut in. "Where's my son, Angelica?"

She ignored him and kept at it, eyes to Riggs.

"—and Kimmy comes up to me. She fakes tearing something in half and setting it on fire, and she says, ‘That was your membership card to the sister club.' And walks away. I don't need that bullshit in my face when I'm kicking back, Doc."

Seemed word was getting around.

No surprise.

It was the way in MP.

And seriously, Storm had been ticked.

"Your bed," was all Riggs said.

"Was at Aromacobana the other day, and people were actually pointing at me," she bit out.

She was getting heated…again.

"Not sure why you're here telling me this crap," Riggs returned.

She leaned into him and shouted, "Because I'm your son's mother!"

Riggs sighed, too mellow from weed and Nadia and firelight to bite, and he repeated, "Go home, Angelica."

"You're not invited, means you're trespassing," Murphy put in.

Harry let her go, but moved to put himself between Angelica, Storm and Riggs.

Murphy moved up to his side, Easton to his other, and Jaeger was approaching.

"He's right. You need to be smart, Angie," Harry suggested calmly.

Arm straight, she pointed Riggs and Storm's way, and yelled, "They get off, there's consequences,"—she jerked her thumb to herself—"and I'm the bad guy?"

"Didn't happen exactly that way, woman," Easton growled. "And you fuckin' know that shit." He left his killshot for last. "You should change your name to Audrey."

Oh yeah.

Word had gotten around.

At raising the name of a woman who was well-known in those parts as having been single-minded in her determination to find a man, no matter the costs (and the costs turned out to be extreme), Angelica's mouth dropped open in offense.

She closed it, but immediately reopened it to say something, but someone behind him, a woman, he thought it was Lynne, hissed, "Sss."

"Sss," one of the other women joined in.

"Sss," more joined.

And they were moving, still hissing, closing in on Angelica.

Easton stepped back to give them room, Murphy did too, but Harry stood his ground. Rus shifted to his side, shielding Riggs and Storm even as Angelica started shuffling backward.

Harry finally pushed through the women, approached her, and they stopped hissing when he offered, "I'll walk you to the car."

"I can walk to my own fuckin' car, Harry."

"It's late, it's dark, and I can walk you to it, or I can follow you and make sure you get to it safely," Harry returned. "Half a dozen and six to me."

Angelica glowered at him, aimed this at Riggs and Storm, then she turned and stormed off.

Harry cocked his head side to side before he followed her.

Christ, Riggs didn't know how he faced it, day in and day out. Couldn't even kick back on a Saturday night with his buds without having to take care of business. His friend had the worst job in the world.

Rus moved to shadow Harry.

"Don't let her break the mood, man," Easton called to Riggs. "It's a good night. Let's just get back to it."

Riggs nodded to him but looked at Storm.

"Your lawyer contact her?" he asked.

"Yup," Storm answered. "I told him not to mess around. Probably should have given you that heads-up. Sorry about that."

"We gotta share every time she fucks with us, or forces us to fuck with her, I'd have to let you and Viggo move in so I don't have to bother hitting your name on my screen every five minutes."

"That's the fuckin' way of it," Storm said on a heavy breath.

Lynne approached and grabbed his hand. "C'mon, Stormy. Let's get another beer."

Storm and Riggs exchanged harassed glances before Storm threw his arm around Lynne's shoulders and led her to a cooler.

Riggs turned to Nadia.

"I'm not uncertain about Kimmy anymore," she declared.

He busted out laughing.

When he was done, she whispered, "Family," then got deep into his space and wrapped her arms around him.

He bent his head and put his face in her hair, smelled the beauty of it and instantly felt better.

Murphy was there.

"Hand me your stash, I'll roll another one. Because, as always with that woman…damn."

Again, Riggs took Nadia with him as he bent to the side and swiped the tin box he kept his weed and papers in off the blanket.

He handed it to Murphy.

Murphy wandered back to his chair with it.

"Did he just use Angelica being a bitch to steal all of your marijuana?" Nadia asked, her eyes aimed beyond him to Murphy.

"It's likely."

She collapsed in giggles against his chest.

"Jeez, Riggs." Maribeth was now there. "Nadia was right. More happens in Misted Pines in a day than an entire week in the Windy City."

This wasn't true, but he smiled at her anyway.

She smirked in return and explained it, saying, "‘Make It with You.' Smooth."

That was when Riggs started laughing again.

Nadia and Maribeth did it with him, but Nadia did it better, because she was squeezing him with her arms.

"Yo! MB! Got a fresh one!" Murphy called.

"Laterzzzzzzz," Maribeth said to them and took off toward Murphy.

Yeah.

Family.