“Brad? What are you—”
Ethan cut her off, holding Janie out to her. “Gracie, take the baby upstairs to Kelsey. She’s going to cry again and she can’t get overexcited, so get her to Kelsey as fast as you can.”
As Gracie took the baby, Ethan raised his hands away from his body.
Tyler turned around from the griddle. “Ethan, you sound so ser—Whoa! Brad, meet my brother, Ethan. I don’t know who you think you’re pointing that Glock at, but I assure you, he’s not who you think he is.”
Brad flicked his eyes to Tyler and back to Ethan again, but didn’t lower the gun. “Brothers?”
“As in the kind where we share a biological mother.” The note of laughter in Tyler’s voice was unmistakable, just as the hint of steel was.
“Brad’s my guest here,” he said to Ethan. Which Ethan knew was also designed to get Brad to mind his manners.
Ethan slowly lowered his hands. “Brad, you knew me as Connor Praytor. I was undercover with Raymond Jenks’s crew in Mobile. The things that you saw me do were in that context. I was a Fed.”
“Undercover?” Brad looked at Tyler for affirmation.
“He’s former FBI. I think somebody had too much coffee this morning. You know, you have to be careful with that Ethiopian blend.” Tyler walked between Ethan and Brad, nonchalantly putting himself in the line of fire. His voice turned cold as he spoke to Brad. “You should know that I wouldn’t let anyone into RecoveryCove who I didn’t vet completely. Put your weapon away.”
“Tyler, it’s fine.” Ethan didn’t hear screaming, so he figured that Gracie had gotten Janie settled with Kelsey. He took four steps to the coffeepot and poured himself a cup, loose and easy, as if no one was holding a gun on him. “Three, almost four years ago, I was undercover with Jenks for five months.”
He turned back to face Brad and took a sip of his coffee. “I can understand why you would be confused. And if you’re here at Recovery Cove, then I can understand why you would be a little jumpy.”
Brad holstered his weapon. “I wasn’t confused and I’m not jumpy. Last time I saw you, you were a criminal.”
“True.” Ethan shrugged. He couldn’t argue with that. “I don’t work in Mobile anymore, and I don’t work undercover anymore.”
He saw the light dawn in Brad’s eyes. “Oh, right. I remember when your—”
“Thanks for not shooting my brother in my kitchen, Brad.” Tyler slid a plate of pancakes onto a tray and added a small pitcher of syrup. “Here, Ethan. Take these up to Kelsey. Tell her I’ll send someone up with something to drink in a few minutes.”
Ethan took the tray and climbed the stairs. Having a gun held on him was old business. A crying baby with a heart condition, not so much. The whole time, he’d been waffling between wondering if Brad was reallygoing to shoot him and worrying that Janie was upstairs in some kind of crisis.
He guessed his priorities were in the right place.
FIVE
T he knock at the door caught Kelsey just as she was easing her feet into the pan of warm water that Gracie had brought in. She hissed out a breath, her eyes tearing up as the water seeped into the cuts on the bottom of her feet. Her feet hurt so badly, she couldn’t walk on them, not the way they were.
“I got it.” Gracie opened the door and Ethan walked in with a tray of food.
He raised his eyebrows at the water. She made a face. “I didn’t even notice last night that they were hurting. Adrenaline, I guess.”
“Some of Tyler’s pancakes ought to make you feel better.” He slid the tray onto her lap and smiled as Janie crawled on all fours to the couch, where she pulled up to investigate. “Hey, peanut, you already had breakfast. Let Kelsey have hers.”
“Ma-Ma.”
Ethan’s eyes shot to hers. “Did you hear that?”
“She definitely said Mama.” Gracie rolled a ball toward Janie, who got momentarily distracted and sat down again. “She’s really getting attached to
Ethan cut her off, holding Janie out to her. “Gracie, take the baby upstairs to Kelsey. She’s going to cry again and she can’t get overexcited, so get her to Kelsey as fast as you can.”
As Gracie took the baby, Ethan raised his hands away from his body.
Tyler turned around from the griddle. “Ethan, you sound so ser—Whoa! Brad, meet my brother, Ethan. I don’t know who you think you’re pointing that Glock at, but I assure you, he’s not who you think he is.”
Brad flicked his eyes to Tyler and back to Ethan again, but didn’t lower the gun. “Brothers?”
“As in the kind where we share a biological mother.” The note of laughter in Tyler’s voice was unmistakable, just as the hint of steel was.
“Brad’s my guest here,” he said to Ethan. Which Ethan knew was also designed to get Brad to mind his manners.
Ethan slowly lowered his hands. “Brad, you knew me as Connor Praytor. I was undercover with Raymond Jenks’s crew in Mobile. The things that you saw me do were in that context. I was a Fed.”
“Undercover?” Brad looked at Tyler for affirmation.
“He’s former FBI. I think somebody had too much coffee this morning. You know, you have to be careful with that Ethiopian blend.” Tyler walked between Ethan and Brad, nonchalantly putting himself in the line of fire. His voice turned cold as he spoke to Brad. “You should know that I wouldn’t let anyone into RecoveryCove who I didn’t vet completely. Put your weapon away.”
“Tyler, it’s fine.” Ethan didn’t hear screaming, so he figured that Gracie had gotten Janie settled with Kelsey. He took four steps to the coffeepot and poured himself a cup, loose and easy, as if no one was holding a gun on him. “Three, almost four years ago, I was undercover with Jenks for five months.”
He turned back to face Brad and took a sip of his coffee. “I can understand why you would be confused. And if you’re here at Recovery Cove, then I can understand why you would be a little jumpy.”
Brad holstered his weapon. “I wasn’t confused and I’m not jumpy. Last time I saw you, you were a criminal.”
“True.” Ethan shrugged. He couldn’t argue with that. “I don’t work in Mobile anymore, and I don’t work undercover anymore.”
He saw the light dawn in Brad’s eyes. “Oh, right. I remember when your—”
“Thanks for not shooting my brother in my kitchen, Brad.” Tyler slid a plate of pancakes onto a tray and added a small pitcher of syrup. “Here, Ethan. Take these up to Kelsey. Tell her I’ll send someone up with something to drink in a few minutes.”
Ethan took the tray and climbed the stairs. Having a gun held on him was old business. A crying baby with a heart condition, not so much. The whole time, he’d been waffling between wondering if Brad was reallygoing to shoot him and worrying that Janie was upstairs in some kind of crisis.
He guessed his priorities were in the right place.
FIVE
T he knock at the door caught Kelsey just as she was easing her feet into the pan of warm water that Gracie had brought in. She hissed out a breath, her eyes tearing up as the water seeped into the cuts on the bottom of her feet. Her feet hurt so badly, she couldn’t walk on them, not the way they were.
“I got it.” Gracie opened the door and Ethan walked in with a tray of food.
He raised his eyebrows at the water. She made a face. “I didn’t even notice last night that they were hurting. Adrenaline, I guess.”
“Some of Tyler’s pancakes ought to make you feel better.” He slid the tray onto her lap and smiled as Janie crawled on all fours to the couch, where she pulled up to investigate. “Hey, peanut, you already had breakfast. Let Kelsey have hers.”
“Ma-Ma.”
Ethan’s eyes shot to hers. “Did you hear that?”
“She definitely said Mama.” Gracie rolled a ball toward Janie, who got momentarily distracted and sat down again. “She’s really getting attached to
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