Page 54 of Junkyard Dog

The rush of fury that had overtaken him hours earlier returned with a vengeance. He turned off the water and snatched a towel from the floor, wrapping it around his hips and slamming the bathroom door closed.

“You’re a real prick,” he snarled, booting Bo’s leg and jostling him from his drunken sleep.

Bo’s eyes fluttered open and he squinted up at him. “The hell’s your problem?”

Alex stormed into his bedroom and yanked his closet open, tossing clean clothes onto his bed. “Stay away from Charlotte. Fuck whoever you want around here, drink yourself stupid as much as you want until we’re done here, but stay. The fuck. Away from her.” He tugged his shorts over his hips and turned to his brother. “And if I catch you anywhere near her in hound form again, I swear I’ll kill you.”

Bo snorted, rising up onto his elbows and arching his neck back to look at him. “You know how this ends.”

“Yeah, I know how this ends.”

Groaning as he sat up, Bo stood and stretched, scratching at the healing wounds covering his torso. “Okay then. You show me where the Pirithous is holed up, and I’ll buy you a few days to nest with your little girlfriend before Ryan arrives.” He narrowed his eyes at Alex, using the tiny counter for support. “You know he’s going to kill again soon. No pussy is worth what that bloodline is going to do.”

“Don’t use that word when you’re talking about her,” he snarled, shoving Bo’s shoulders back against the sofa.

He stepped past Bo and watched his brother disappear behind the bathroom door, the shower turning on. Going outside to wait, he pulled out his phone and called Charlotte. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

Exhaling loudly, he sat on the step. “I should probably start the groveling early.” She remained silent. “This is all kinds of screwed up,” he mumbled, trying to formulate his thoughts into something that sounded less caveman than the mess running through his head. “I didn’t cheat on you,” he opened. “I drank a ton of tequila, and I’m pretty sure I threw half of it up in an alley north of you, but I swear I didn’t cheat.”

She was quiet for a moment. “It’s so weird how often I’ve heard that exact line.”

He ran his hand through his hair, digging his fingers into the back of his skull. “I’m sorry, baby. I swear I’m not that guy,” he said weakly as he listened for Bo, relieved to hear the shower still running. “I blocked the girl this morning, if that counts for anything. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the one who gave her my number.”

She hummed, whether in agreement or disbelief, he couldn’t tell. He waved at his neighbor as she walked by with her dog. “I know I messed up,” he said quietly, giving the woman a thumbs-up when she passed, politely inquiring about his evening. “The only thing that really stands out from last night is how bad I wanted to see you.”

“You said as much when you got here,” she replied, the resignation in her voice slicing him. “Look, I’m just on my way out to grab a coffee with Max. Are you coming by later or can we just count this call as the discussion you wanted to have?”

He gritted his teeth. “I’m coming by.”

The shower turned off as she disconnected the call, leaving him to stare absently toward Joshua Tree until Bo joined him, his long hair dripping down his black shirt.

“All right, troll, show me where this asshole is staying,” he called to Alex, getting into the SUV and grabbing Alex’s sunglasses from the dash.

He rolled his eyes and got in, pulling onto the highway. “How’s Ryan doing anyway?”

“Working too much, fucking too little.” Bo grinned, aiming the air vents at his face and scanning his phone. “This won’t take long, will it? Allison and Carrie want to meet up at that bar again.”

Hiding the swell of relief that washed over him, he shook his head. “It’s a twenty-minute drive.” He ventured a glance at Bo. “I’ll drop you at the bar before I head out.”

Bo sneered, his mouth opening for a moment, then snapping shut. He cranked the music up, staring out the window until Alex pulled into the small parking lot where the sedan sat. The pair got out of the SUV and circled the car, Bo crouching down to examine what was left of the damage. “He clipped you pretty good. Amazed I didn’t feel that one.”

He rubbed his ribs and snorted, ignoring the obvious. “Whatever shop he had do the repair did a poor job. I’m guessing the rental company doesn’t even know.”

Bo wedged his finger into the grille and pulled out a small tuft of fur. He blew it in Alex’s direction. “Soft like a little bunny.”

“Whatever,” he grunted, leading Bo around the complex and pointing to a window. “Far as I can tell, that’s his suite.”

Bo flicked his phone on and snapped a picture of the window, the complex, and the street signs. “I got all I need for now. I’ll report back to Ryan that we caught the scent in the next town over.” He got back in the SUV and cranked the air-conditioning up. “You aren’t serious-serious about this chick, are you?”

He shrugged, locking his eyes on the road.

“And how much does she know?”

Turning back onto the highway, he sped up. “I told her we were bounty hunters.”

Bo settled back in his seat, his attention wholly on reading Alex’s every involuntary reaction. “How long has this been going on?” When he hesitated before opening his mouth, Bo grunted. “Your nose twitched, man. Don’t lie.”

---