Page 17 of Mac's Vow

“And the other part?”

“I want you away from the Reece brothers,” he said, his voice low and edged with steel.

That surprised her. “Why?”

“They’re totally taken with you. It makes me want to take a swing at the both of them.”

She shook her head. “Be serious, Mac. I’ve known them forever and they’ve never once hit on me.”

“Yeah, because Jimmy put the fear of God in them.”

“That’s not true.” Mac crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her. The truth sank in. “Jesus, just how many men has my brother warned away from me?”

He shrugged. “Beats me. I’m glad he did though.”

She swatted his upper arm. “Don’t get smug or I’ll ask Brad and Cole to guard me tonight instead.”

His gaze roamed over her and he lifted his hand to smooth over her hip to her ass where he fondled her. That quickly her body went boneless. Damn him. “No refunds, no returns. Remember, little baby?”

She rolled her eyes and stepped around him. “Jerk,” she muttered. She heard him chuckle and it irritated her further. They’d be alone soon and she vowed to get even with him. She wasn’t without her own bag of tricks.

When Alyssa stepped back into the room, she noticed the coffee table first. All the papers that were scattered about were gone. Brad sat with his one leg crossed at the knee tapping on a thick file folder, while Cole stared at his cell phone. Jimmy was talking to someone on his own phone. Her brother glanced at her, then held a finger in the air as he finished up his conversation. When he hung up, he was smiling.

“What’s going on?” Mac asked, as he moved to stand beside her, his arm wrapping around her waist in a comforting show of strength.

“That was Mason. I have an appointment with him at three this afternoon to discuss the case.”

Alyssa tried to think who her brother was talking about, but the name didn’t ring any bells.

“Mason LaFayette. He went to high school with us, remember?”

“Oh, he’s a police detective now. Married Aubrey, his high school sweetheart.”

“That’s the one. Turns out, there’s been an internal investigation going on concerning the honorable Judge Grady Mitchell. They’ve been onto him for months only they couldn’t find enough evidence to make a case.”

Alyssa’s heart sped up. “That’s good news, right? You guys did find evidence. A lot of it from the appearance of that thick file Brad’s holding.”

Jimmy shoved his phone into his pocket, then stood. “We did, but some of it was obtained illegally.” Her hopes plummeted. Her brother crossed the room and pulled her into a hug. “Mason and I will compare notes and see what we’ve got. I’m hopeful, Lissy. I have a good feeling about this.”

She buried her face against his t-shirt for a moment, soaking up his strength. He’d always been her rock. Ever since their parents’ death. “Then I’m hopeful too,” she replied.

Jimmy stepped back and shot a look toward Mac. “I’m going to need those pictures. We’ll need all the evidence we can get.” At Mac’s nod, Jimmy turned his attention to her again. “Mason will probably need a statement from you.”

“Just let me know when and where.” She crossed her arms over her chest. It was really happening. God willing, The Judge and his son would both be behind bars soon.

Brad and Cole both stood next. Brad winked at her and Cole smiled. Mac dragged her closer to his side and glared at the pair. It was Cole that spoke up first, breaking the tense silence. “Take good care of her or we’ll use our mad skills on you, Braden.” It wasn’t so much the words, as the way Cole said them that sent a shaft of fear up Alyssa’s spine.

Mac smiled down at her, then murmured, “I love her. I’ll do whatever it takes to make her happy.”

Unable to help herself, Alyssa lifted up on her toes and kissed Mac’s grinning lips. God, he tasted good. Like coffee and man. Potent as hell. He deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue over her bottom lip as he pulled her in close. She heard a curse and a few groans. She ended the kiss, albeit reluctantly. Jimmy, Brad, Cole, and Mac all stared at her. These men were working tirelessly to help her. Had they even slept? Considering the size of that file they couldn’t have. They were determined to help all those young girls who’d been abused by Cameron and his father. Tears filled her eyes. “I’m so lucky to have you guys in my life. Thank you.”

Brad and Cole merely nodded before they quietly walked out the front door. Jimmy smiled at her. “They have a hard time seeing a woman’s tears,” he explained. “I’ll call you after the meeting with Mason.”

“Okay.” She kissed his cheek. “Love you, big brother.”

He patted her on the back. “Love you, too, little sister,” he replied as he motioned for Mac to follow him out.

Alone and feeling restless after so much had happened, Alyssa headed to the kitchen. It was nearly lunchtime and Mac would be hungry. She searched in the cupboard and found a box of bow tie noodles. “Pasta and alfredo it is.”

---