Ambrose shook his head. “No. Travis is perfect. Look at him.”
Dax growled. “I will not let him put himself in that kind of danger.”
“But I want to help,” Travis said.
“See?” Ambrose gestured toward him.
“No.”
“I agree with Dax,” Beau said. “We can find someone else.”
“Who? Which of our employees is going to look like someone who would be upset, someone who would need to be calmed down, someone who would need a ride?”
“We’ll find someone. What about Corbin?”
Beau snarled. “No way.”
Ambrose huffed. “Y’all are getting too soft. Travis wants to help, and he’s perfect for the role. Do we have a plan?”
“Not until we find someone else,” I said.
Travis blew out a long breath. “Dax, I got myself into this shit. I want to help get myself out. I need that. I need to know I can do things for myself.”
“There’s no reason for you to do this. I’m here to take care of you.”
“But you’re not always going to be there,” Ambrose said.
“The hell I’m not.”
Ambrose rolled his eyes. “If he doesn’t come with us, then you’re going to have to leave him here.”
“Then Beau or Lance or Corbin or someone else can watch over him.”
“You know you want to be the one to do it. Bring him with us, then he’ll be right there under your watchful eye.”
This was spinning out of control way too fast.
“Travis,” Beau said. “You don’t need to do this. You don’t need to prove anything.”
“Maybe not to you, but I need to prove it to myself.”
“You may have gotten pretty damn far in the world of organized crime,” Ambrose said, “but you still make assumptions and refuse to see people’s potential if they don’t fit into the box you think they should fit in.”
I studied my brother, then looked at Travis. I knew he wasn’t weak. He wasn’t defenseless. He’d fought like hell today, and thank God he had. He’d also stayed sane through all Rob had put him through. He’d gotten sober on his own, and he’d been surviving on his own for years before Beau intervened.
But I also knew how vulnerable he was, how fragile. I’d seen him doubting himself, and I didn’t want to put him through anything that might make that worse. I wasn’t concerned about the sheriff or any of his deputies, but we didn’t know who might be watching us. Ambrose was damn good at scouting, and most likely he’d find anyone who was out there, but if we ended up in a fight with LePlatt’s men, Travis would be right in the middle of it.
Travis glared at me as if reading my thoughts. “If I’m going to be with you, if I’m going to truly be part of your life, I’m going to be in dangerous situations a lot. You can’t shelter me from everything.”
I could damn well try.
27
Travis
I pushed away from the table and stood. I wished my brother was sitting down like Dax and Ambrose. I hated how all of them towered over me, but I’d feel even more ridiculous if I stood up on my chair.
“I appreciate all that you two have done for me,” I said, looking back and forth between Beau and Dax. “But I’m tired of you talking about me like I’m not here. I’m not a child.”
Beau started to speak, but I cut him off. “Yes, I know I’ll always be your little brother, but the days of you having to take care of me are over. I’ve grown up. I chose to walk away from everything you did for me. I’m sorry for that, but it doesn’t mean I need you doing that now.”
Beau nodded, and I turned to Dax. “I know you want to keep me safe. I know you want to protect me, but if this is going to work between us, I have to be able to do what I need to do for myself.”
I held Dax’s gaze as I said the last statement. I saw the moment he realized I was right. He slumped forward and let himself lean against the counter.
“As long as you’re never out of my sight, then fine, we have a plan.”
I looked at my brother. “Beau?”
“For so many years, I wasn’t there to protect you. Now that I can be, I hate the idea of sending you into danger, but you’ll be with two men I trust more than anyone else. Yes, we have a plan.”
Ambrose grinned at me. “In case you’re wondering, they are always this difficult.”
By the next morning, we were ready to put our plan into action. Blackjack had come through with information we could use against Winston. He’d been the lead on a murder investigation that gained national attention when the police were accused of a cover-up. The primary suspect was a friend of the chief, and a reporter uncovered evidence against the suspect that should easily have been found by the police.