Page 64 of Shephard
It was nothing I hadn’t thought about.
“I’ve always been alone and I’m not a fool. Whoever the asshole is wants to get under my skin.”
“Yeah, but you still had a team backing you. Right? I did. They were utilized many times. Maybe that reporter spouted off some shit to you?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
That was possible. I looked away and debated saying anything to him, but what else was family for anyway? “Did Pops ever say anything to you about his former life prior to bringing us to Montana?”
“Not really. Why?”
“Just curious.”
Jagger cocked his head. “Did the reporter insinuate something?”
“Just let it go.”
“No. If there’s something we don’t know about then open your damn mouth.”
Now I was getting angry. He was analyzing me when his past was as regimented and full of violence as mine had been? It was bullshit and I wasn’t going to allow it to continue. The text redrew my attention when the screen lit up for a second time.
Whoever had sent it had gone through major hoops to get my phone number. I would need to have another conversation with Russ. Maybe his line hadn’t been as secure as it should have been.
The security equipment hadn’t openly detected any breach in the phone’s systems either, but that might not mean anything.
I was pushing this too far, the asshole gleaning the number quite possibly from a normal encounter. Where didn’t matter.
It wasn’t about changing my number either. I wasn’t daunted or fearful of an asshole who hid behind a text.
Hiding the possible truth was something our entire family had done. It was time to break the cycle. “The reporter insinuated he had another life, a criminal life.”
Jagger opened his eyes wide, whistling at first. “I honestly suspected that.”
“Why?”
“Because Pops was always pushing us so hard to follow the rules. Plus, we never heard about family. Never. It was as if we didn’t have any.”
I nodded. “Bad timing to suddenly be thrown a curve ball.”
“Possibly a dangerous one. Just don’t go off halfcocked on your own.”
“Why are you telling me this, Jagger? I think I can handle my own shit.” My tone was becoming more aggravated. With good reason.
Jagger laughed. “Fine. All I was trying to say is that you do have a goddamn family. Maybe you don’t know this, but Hunter and I are just as qualified in terms of military operations and intelligence as you are.”
“Maybe so, but it’s all about whether I give a shit or not.”
“If our father has a criminal background and is running from some criminal element, they will hunt him down. You know that. That’s what we all did for a goddamn living.”
“Let it go!” I hissed and turned away.
“My God. What happened to you, brother? You were always reflective, not interested in having but so many friends, but at this point, you’re going to end up alone. Look at you. Up until a day ago you had a shaggy beard, Unruly hair. A goddamn mustache that made you look like some circus director. But suddenly, you meet a pretty girl I can tell you’re interested in and you almost allow yourself to feel something. Now, you’re right back in that prison you placed yourself in. Are you trying to alienate everyone you come into contact with?”
I slammed my phone down on the counter, heading around the corner without thinking what I was doing. Anyone else who talked to me this way would be hurting at the end. I almost had my hand wrapped around his throat when he stood up to me. He never used to do that. Of course, he’d been almost twenty when he’d grown five inches in less than a year. Now we almost stood eye to eye.
And Jagger wasn’t going to allow me to forget it.
“Go ahead, brother,” he said through clenched teeth. “You’ve been wanting to do that for as long as I can fucking remember. So take a shot. But it’ll be the last one you get.”
A part of me wanted to. Damn it. I backed away, hissing under my breath. Trying to control my labored breathing was more difficult than I cared to admit. “Just go, Jagger. I appreciate the information you gave me. I really do. We’ll find the asshole responsible.” As far as our father, I’d talk to him.