“Yeah, that’s the one.”
“Not a hell of a lot,” Jake shrugged. “Joined up right after high-school. Came home a couple of years ago sliced and diced up pretty good, but he was luckier than most. No one else in his unit did. Most of them came home in pieces with a flag draped over the box that held them; a couple are still MIA, from what I hear.”
Ian emerged from the back, carrying several stacked trays of clean glasses. “I heard about that. Total ass fuck all around.”
“What are we talking about?” asked Michael, emerging from the private living quarters where he had just left his wife Maggie and their son Ryan with the other wives and kids. Jake poured him a beer. Shane felt a familiar humming in the pit of his stomach. Unless he was mistaken, and he rarely was, his brothers would be coming together instinctively as they always somehow managed when they were needed.
“The shit storm that took a couple of local boys down a couple of years ago,” Ian told him.
Michael’s brows drew together. “Lone survivor, right? Craig something.”
“Davidson,” Shane supplied. “Craig Davidson.”
“Yeah, that guy was a mess,” Michael confirmed. “Demolitions man. One of his own detonations blew him clear of the zone, tearing him up pretty good in the process.”
“Ended up saving his life though, didn’t it,” Jake commented. Something in Jake’s tone had Shane looking up sharply. “Why the sudden interest in Davidson, Shane?”
“Davidson?” Kieran piped up, joining them as he tossed his bag behind the bar, returning from his latest mission. The humming in Shane’s gut increased in pitch. “Craig Davidson?” When Shane nodded, Kieran said. “The guy’s a total douchebag.”
“You know him?”
“Yeah, he comes into the gym every day. I’m thinking of cancelling his membership; he’s an asshole. Why?”
“Friend of a friend.”
“A female friend, by any chance?” Jake asked knowingly.
“Maybe.”
Kieran leaned forward in interest. As Shane was the only other unclaimed Callaghan male, he was intrigued. “Do tell.”
“Fuck off.”
Kieran laughed. Ian looked at Shane long and hard. “Wouldn’t be Lacie McCain by any chance, would it?” he asked quietly.
“Might be. Why?”
“Lacie McCain. She’s that cute little schoolteacher, right?” Sean asked, striding across the bar. At his twin’s arched brow he added, “What? She brings her Passat into the shop for maintenance. She’s nice. Nicki said she helps out at the shelter a lot, donates a lot of books and stuff, has crafts and activities she does with the smaller kids.”
Shane had no trouble believing that. Lacie was meant to be around kids. If he had his way, he’d give her a houseful. The very thought had him throbbing painfully again. Thankfully, no one else seemed to notice.
“McCain. Why does that name sound familiar?” Kane added, startling everyone. For as huge as he was, he moved as silently as the grave. The fact that they had all gathered here without premeditation was not lost on any of them. They sensed a mission.
“Brian McCain is one of those still listed as missing,” Sean said soberly. As men who had spent time in hell, they knew more than most what that probably meant.
“Lacie’s brother,” Kieran nodded. “I remember him. He’s a good guy.”
“And Davidson’s best friend. At least in theory,” Ian mused.
Shane’s spine stiffened. “What does that mean?”
Ian leaned in closer. “It means that McCain and Davidson were tight until Davidson started getting a hard-on for McCain’s little sister. Big brother wasn’t too keen on the idea, apparently.”
“Wait,” Shane said, shaking his head. “Davidson was married, has a kid.”
“Ever hear of a shotgun wedding?” Ian smirked. “Davidson wanted McCain’s sister, but that didn’t stop him from fucking other women, especially those that bore a striking resemblance to her. Word is that while Lacie McCain wasn’t interested, her best friend was, and Davidson took advantage of that. Got her pregnant. Her daddy – Pine Ridge’s very own Mayor Daniels – wasn’t happy. He forced them to get married.”
“Wasn’t she killed in a car accident a couple of years ago?” Michael asked.
“She was killed in a car crash,” Sean corrected, “not too long after Davidson left the service and was home for good.”
The silence was thick and heavy, until Shane asked the question they were all thinking. “You don’t think it was an accident?”
“Didn’t say that, did I?” Sean shrugged, but Shane knew his identical twin well enough to know that was exactly what he thought. It did absolutely nothing to soothe Shane’s worry that Craig Davidson was too close to Lacie.