Page 22 of Beautifully Broken Control

Walker grinned. “Welcome back to small-town life.”

It had been so long since I’d lived that life, I guessed I’d forgotten. “It’ll be a bit of an adjustment.”

Tuck let out a snort. “We’ll see how long you last, city boy.”

I glared in his direction. “I’ll last just fine.” I gestured to the space around me. “Especially with all this.”

Tuck stared out at the dock. “It’s not too shabby.”

My phone beeped from where it sat next to me on the deck. I swiped it up and tapped the notification. It was the camera I’d installed at the gate. I flipped it around so Walker could see the screen. “This your friend Liam?”

Walker nodded. “That’s him.”

Tuck dissolved into laughter. “Only you wouldn’t recognize a multi-platinum musician whose face has been plastered everywhere for almost the last decade.”

I hit the option to open the gate and set my phone down. “What can I say? I don’t keep up with the gossip magazines like you do.”

Tuck threw his beer cap at me, and I chuckled. The crunch of tires on gravel sounded, and then I heard a door opening and closing. Tuck cupped his hands around the sides of his mouth. “We’re back here, Hollywood.”

“On my way, asshole.” The voice sounded from the front of the house. In a few moments, a man appeared from the side of the house. He was casually dressed, but the way his hair was artfully disheveled screamedcreativeof some sort.

“Hey, man,” Walker greeted, holding out a hand for a slap but not rising to his feet. “Liam, this is our friend, Cain. Cain, Liam.”

I pushed to standing, holding out my hand for a shake. “Nice to meet you.”

Liam took my palm in a firm grip, one that held as he spoke. “You, too. Thank you for everything you did for Tessa and me. I’ll never be able to repay you.”

I shook my head. “No repayment necessary.” When Liam’s girlfriend, Tessa, had been kidnapped by her psycho ex, I’d been able to locate the house where he was holding her. And while I appreciated the gratitude, it wasn’t necessary.

Liam bent and picked up a beer. “Heard lots about you from these two, so it’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

“It was obviously all lies,” Tuck called as he lay back on the deck, hands laced behind his head.

I shook my head. “Better than all the truths I know about you.”

Tuck jolted back to sitting. “You keep your trap shut around Jensen.”

My grin was just a little bit evil. “I don’t know, I’ve got a couple of doozies she might be interested in.”

Tuck shot to his feet and dashed towards me, trying to get me in a headlock. Walker reached out and grabbed the back of Tuck’s shirt, yanking him back. “Enough already, children.”

Liam shook his head and looked out at the lake, taking it all in. “This place is amazing.”

“It doesn’t suck,” Walker said, following Liam’s gaze.

Tuck straightened his tee. “I know where we’ll be hanging out all summer.”

I flipped the ball cap off Tuck’s head. “Sure, just invite yourself.”

Tuck grinned. “Thank you. I will.”

Liam ignored the bickering, clearly already used to the dynamic that always seemed to surround Tuck. “What I want to know is who did your security system. That setup at the gate was great.”

A flicker of pride lanced through my chest. It had been too long since I was hands-on. I used to do that kind of stuff all the time, but as my company grew, I was no longer in charge of the minutia of gadgetry. I had to stay focused on the big-picture stuff. “I did.”

Liam’s brows rose. “Really?”

I nodded. “I used to do that kind of stuff a lot when I was just getting started. But my company grew, and then I didn’t have time for it as much. But I wanted a solid system here.” My gaze traveled over the land around us. “I’m only getting started. There’s a lot of ground to cover.”

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