Hank thought about Jane. Quiet. Always working. Most of the time there, but always on the cusp. He’d known her since he was a kid and she’d always been the same. It wasn’t that she kept herself removed. Hank reckoned it had more to do with the fact she didn’t quite know how to get involved.

And Roxie had read the book. Hank had heard her laughing through the whole fucking thing. She knew Hank was pissed about it and didn’t say anything to him, but he also knew, if she found out it was Jane, she wouldn’t give a single shit.

“My thought is,” Lee carried on and Hank focused on him. “I tell the men. They tell their women. I’m not gonna say shit about how they react, seein’ as they can react however the fuck they want. I’ll wait ‘til Indy’s in a good spot and tell her, and same goes for her. Jane did what she did, the chips will fall as they fall.”

“Not thinkin’ any of the women will have an issue with it,” Hank noted.

“Seems the case,” Lee agreed.

“But even one of those guys loses it and gets in Jane’s face, how’s that gonna go down?” Hank asked.

The look on Lee’s face said precisely how it was going to go down. Jane barely had the courage to live her life. One of the men got in her shit about those books, she could break. Which could mean she’d leave the store. Which would mean Indy would lose her.

Which would not be good.

Just like her grandmother, Indy regarded everyone who walked in that store on a regular basis like blood family. Grandma Ellen had looked after Jane. Indy did in her way, too.

She’d lose her mind if one of the men lost it with Jane.

“My guess,” Lee started, “is that those men will also think about how that’d go down. And if they do confront her, they’ll have a mind to that.”

That, fortunately, was true.

“They also have a right to know,” Lee continued.

Hank nodded and sipped more coffee.

“You gonna tell Roxie?” Lee asked.

Hank’s brows went up. “The Rock Chicks knowin’ something she doesn’t know? And then her knowin’ I knew and didn’t tell her?” Hank shook his head. “She’d have a fuckin’ conniption. She rode my ass half our honeymoon about Ally and Zano.”

Lee grinned, but Hank didn’t find it funny. Ally making a scene with Zano at their wedding reception, clueing the Rock Chicks in to something the men already knew, was not taken kindly by his then-brand new wife.

Luckily, he was able to be creative in getting her to shut up about it.

“Darius says Zano is lookin’ into those books, too. You have a sit down with Ally, will you give her that heads up?” Lee asked.

“Yeah,” Hank answered. “And since I’m out, that’s up next.”

He took his last sip of coffee, rinsed the mug and put in the dishwasher.

Lee walked with him to the door.

At the door, Hank brought up their earlier conversation. “You’ll think about Ally?”

“Said I would,” Lee replied.

“She’s got what it takes, Lee,” Hank pointed out.

“She’s also got no fear,” Lee returned. “Never has. And sometimes that’s not a good thing.”

“You get scared before you do a job or do you just know you can get it done?” Hank asked.

Lee again said nothing.

“You’re measuring her by another yardstick, brother,” Hank noted quietly. “Careful of doing that. It’s not only not fair, she’ll cotton on and the results of that will not be pretty. But, I’ll point out, you’re holdin’ the key to her dreams. Our sister is the kind of girl who’ll bust the door down anyway. And she’s doin’ that. But it’d make it easier, you just hand her that key.”

For long moments, Hank withstood his brother’s intense stare before Lee lifted his chin.

Again, point taken.

There was no more he could do, so Hank opened the door.

“You leaving, Hank?” he heard Indy call from upstairs.

“Yeah, Indy. Got shit to do,” Hank called back.

“Sorry I couldn’t come down,” she yelled.

“Understandable. Another time,” Hank yelled back.

“Later,” she kept at it.

“Later,” Hank replied.

When he was done, he caught Lee smiling.

His smile died when they both heard more retching.

“Seven months, man, and you’re a dad,” Hank pointed out.

That did it.

And what it did was get him another smile.

* * *

Ally

“Babe.”

I snuggled into the pillows.

“Ally.”

I batted around my head like an annoying gnat was there.

The hand warm on my back slid to my hip and gave me a squeeze. “Baby, wake up. It’s nearly noon.”

My eyes fluttered open. I turned my head and saw Ren sitting on the side of the bed wearing jeans and a tee and looming over me.

His eyebrows went up and his tone was teasing when he asked, “Sleep is overrated?”

“Whatever,” I muttered, looking away and snuggling back into the pillows.

I heard his chuckle before, “Honey, your phone is buzzing with texts and Hank called. He’s on his way over.”

Shit.

I rolled from my side to my back and asked, “Why is Hank on his way over?”

“He didn’t say. He called me when he couldn’t get you and just said he was comin’ over.”

Interesting.

“And Eddie brought your stuff,” Ren went on.

Interesting.

Time to check for Firefly DVDs.

Also time to haul my ass out of bed.

I threw the covers back, leaned into him, touched my mouth to his then jumped out of bed and headed to the bathroom.

I was brushing my teeth when Ren walked in and slid a mug of coffee beside the sink. He looked into my eyes in the mirror, his smiling, before I watched him dip his head and kiss my shoulder.

Nice.

Then he left me to it.

I was in running clothes by the time I made it downstairs. I also had my phone in my hand and saw that I had texts from various Rock Chicks (Roxie asking me if I wanted to go shopping; Jules telling me her Uncle Nick was going to look after Max, Vance was on the path of some dude who skipped bond, so she asked if I wanted to go to a movie; and Daisy asking if I wanted to come over and do home facials).

I also had a text from my ex-landlord.

Ren came out of the kitchen when I stopped by the boxes on the floor in his living room and I looked up at him.

“Do you know Snookie Rivers?” I asked him.

“Who?” he asked back, coming to a stop by me.

“Snookie Rivers. I asked my landlord who lives in that apartment where you saw a dude looking out and he said his name is Snookie Rivers.”

Ren shook his head. “Never heard of him.”

I looked back at the phone, murmuring, “Me either.”

“Sounds like a drag name,” he commented.

I grinned and looked at my man.

My man looked down the length of me.

When I got his eyes back, they were burning. “You goin’ for a run?”

“After I talk to Hank.”

“Right,” he muttered, his mind, I could tell, on happy things.

My mind was on those same things when I dropped to my knees and started rooting through the boxes.

Ren crouched beside me.

“Anything good?” he asked.

No. There wasn’t anything good. Kitchen utensils. A lamp base without the shade. A picture frame, slightly scorched. But the picture was of the Rock Chicks at one of Stella’s gigs, standing with her and her band, The Blue Moon Gypsies, on the stage. All of us were doing devil’s horns (even the band, except her saxophonist, Hugo; he was checking out Ava’s ass). Every Rock Chick had one of those pictures so I could get another copy. Still, nice to have it.

And, in box two, although it needed soot cleaned off it, my Lelo Lily vibrator.

Righteous!

“What’s that?” Ren asked, and I looked at him to see him studying it.

“Pure goodness,” I answered.

“What?”

I tested it by hitting the on button.

It vibrated.

Perfect working condition (once the soot was cleaned off).

Ren’s eyes came to me and they were again burning.

A knock came at the door.

Ren stood from his crouch and headed to the door. I dropped my Lelo back in the box and straightened to see Ren letting Hank in.

“Yo,” I called to my brother.

“Ally,” Hank replied.

Ren looked between me and Hank, came to me and slid a hand along the back of my waist, leaning in.

“Goin’ to the store, you need anything?” he asked.

He was giving us time for whatever this was.

My man.

So cool.

“No, but do you want to wait and I’ll go with you?” I asked back.

“No. I want to have it done and be back when you get in from your run.”

I wanted that, too.

Big time.

“All right,” I said.

He gave me a touch on the lips and turned to Hank. “Hank.”

A chin lift, then, “Ren.”

Ren looked in my eyes again with a small smile before he sauntered out the front door.

“You want coffee?” I asked my brother.

“Hit Fortnum’s before hitting here. I’m juiced up,” he answered.

“And you didn’t bring me one?” I asked.

“Sorry, Ally. Didn’t think about it. Gotta have a word with you about a coupla things, then I gotta get back to Roxie.”

Hmm.

I was curious, so I decided not to give him shit about dissing me on the coffee.

I moved to a couch and sat with my leg tucked under me. I dipped my head to the other side and Hank moved there, settling in.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“We got a lock on who wrote that book,” he answered.

Oh shit.

“Honey, it’s Jane,” he finished.

I took in a breath and admitted, “I know.”

He did a slow blink. “You know?”

“I figured it out a few days ago. I’ve been trying to decide what to do with it.”

“You figured it out,” he stated.

“Uh… yeah,” I confirmed.

My brother stared at me.

Then he shook his head while looking away with a small smile playing at his lips.

That was weird so I called, “Hank?”

He looked back at me. “Mace phoned this morning.”

Here we go.

I was going to find out if I passed the Mace Test.

“And?” I prompted.

“And he said you were great last night, Ally.”

I passed.

So I smiled.

“I’ve asked Lee to train you,” Hank continued.

I stopped smiling and stared.

Then I asked, “What?”

“You need experience with a skilled investigator. The best in town is Lee. You need a license so you can charge enough to take care of you. He can help you get that. So I’ve asked him to train you.”

Oh my God!

I had Hank’s vote!

“And?” I said again.

“He’s thinking on it.”

Crap.

“Which means no,” I stated.

“It doesn’t mean no. It just doesn’t mean yes.”

Mm-hmm.

Whatever.

“I’m gonna tell him you figured it out about Jane,” Hank said. “And I’m gonna tell him you sat on that in order to figure out what to do, rather than reacted and fucked shit up. Even Lee didn’t know what to do. And you caught on before Brody. And as for me, through anything, I’ll have your back.”

I was beginning to get pissed-off.

Not about Hank having my back, I loved that. It felt great. He was an awesome brother and that was just one of the many ways he proved it.

I was pissed-off about Lee.

“I don’t actually have to have his blessing, Hank. This would be indicated by the fact I’m already taking cases.”

“He can teach you a lot,” Hank noted.

“So can Darius, who already has, Vance, who also already has, Hector, Bobby, Ike and Mace,” I returned.

“That’s correct,” he conceded.

“So you don’t have to convince him. You don’t have to do anything.” I reached out, grabbed his hand, gave it a squeeze and let it go. “And having your support is all I need from you.” My voice dropped quiet when I finished, “It means everything, honey.”

Suddenly, he reached out and caught me at the back of my neck. Pulling me forward, he leaned into me and rested our foreheads together. And his voice was quiet when he spoke too.

“My little sister, livin’ with a guy and bein’ a badass.”

Uh-oh.

My eyes were getting hot.

I lifted my hand to wrap my fingers around his forearm. “Hank—”

“You’ll never be a big brother, honey, so you’ll never understand how this feels. Lettin’ go. Givin’ care of the girl you love and looked after a long fuckin’ time to another guy. Seein’ her make her way in a world like that.”