Trudy was Natches’s modified rifle, the same one he’d used to kill the cousin who’d threatened them all. With the additional threat Lyrica was facing, Natches may not keep his promise to keep his first instincts in check.
“I’ll let Trudy sleep,” Natches assured him with a grin. “For now.”
Rowdy breathed out at the statement, relieved, then turned at the sound of the door opening again.
Dawg stepped inside, a scowl on his face as he tromped over to the coffeepot and poured his own mug.
None of them mentioned the fact that no one knocked before entering the house. They did that at one another’s homes, just as their wives did. They were home, no matter which house they sat in, and that was how they liked it. Sometimes, it was as though they were triplets rather than first cousins.
Rowdy watched both of them with narrowed eyes. “I’m going to assume Graham Brock made the same visit to you two that he made to me this morning?”
Dawg made a sound somewhere between a growl and a snarl.
Natches crossed his arms over his chest and grunted in irritation.
Rowdy breathed out heavily. Lyrica had missed Graham by only moments when she’d arrived at Timothy’s office earlier.
“Suggestions?” he asked when neither of them commented.
“Shoot him!” Natches and Dawg spoke at once.
“We have a plan, remember?” Rowdy growled, then he glanced at them both thoughtfully. “How long would she grieve for him, do you think?” Rowdy asked as though he were actually considering the prospect.
“Would the three of you really like a suggestion or are you just considering it for appearance’s sake?” Chaya asked as she, Christa, and Kelly stepped into the room.
Rowdy bit back his grin as the other two gave him a long-suffering look.
“A suggestion we could live with would be nice.” Dawg was the one who answered, his voice morose as he lifted his coffee to his lips.
“Do what you always do,” his wife said softly as she bent to kiss the top of his head lovingly. “Track the danger, keep a close eye on it, intercede if you have to, torture the hell out of Graham, and keep to the original plan. Just make sure he realizes the future discomfort he’ll face if he breaks her heart. But let Lyrica make the choice, and if the fall hurts, then let her hurt, Dawg. Let her live.”
“Or she’ll hate all three of you.” Mercedes Mackay stepped into the room then, with Timothy close behind her.
“Geez, Timothy, we didn’t invite your ass,” Natches snarled, though with a lack of heat that actually indicated his respect for the other man.
“Nice to see you, too, Natches,” the other man said with a grunt. “And as always, your hospitality overwhelms me.”
Moving to Christa and Chaya, Mercedes hugged them briefly, thankfully, then gave each man a hard, firm look. “She’s your sister—cousins or not, I count each of you her brother, not just Dawg. But she is my daughter. If I can bear her broken heart, then so can you.”
“Who called them?” Natches muttered, despite the affection in his gaze as he glanced at the dark-haired beauty Timothy Cranston had managed to fall in love with.
“Rowdy invited me before he left the office,” Timothy answered. “It seems Graham’s made a point to come to each of us to protest his lack of involvement in the investigation concerning the attack on Lyrica.” Timothy’s face held no evil smile, no wicked anticipation. He was far too somber. “Which, coincidentally, gave me an idea.”
“Oh Lord.”
“God save us.”
“What did we do to deserve this?” Natches groaned as though in pain.
Timothy grunted humorlessly.
“Tell us and get it the hell over with.” Dawg sighed.
“Why, we let him become part of the investigation,” Timothy replied instantly. “A very intricate part. The attack on her doesn’t sit well with any of us, especially considering that we all suspect the poor girl who actually died was no more than an attempt to allay our suspicions.”
Rowdy watched him speculatively now, as did Dawg and Natches.
“The attempt was too professional,” Timothy explained. “Especially for such sloppy execution. Either we’re being played with, or, according to the call I received just after Rowdy left, Graham is the least of our worries. We’re looking at something potentially more dangerous to her than we first imagined.”