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The door closed and he was left alone with Grim and theirdads and a whole lot of questions.
“Joshua, we need to talk,” his dad began.
His pops shook his head. “Not yet we don’t.” He crossed overto Case’s desk and picked up the handset, bringing it to his ear. “Yeah,Taggart, go to bed. Drama’s over for you, old man. And try to send a womanguard, please. My sons do not need one of those playboy assholes you alwayshire as bodyguards. ’Night.” He hung up. “Case had Big Tag listening in onspeaker phone the whole time. And Big Tag’s wife called Serena Dean-Miles andkept her up to date. Serena called Lexi, and naturally Lexi then called hermomma. So you’re going to have to explain why you paid a private investigatorto ruin Nicole’s life and potentially get her thrown in the slammer for a crimeshe didn’t commit.”
He felt his jaw actually drop. “That is not what happened.”
Pops shrugged and found his way to the big couch, taking aseat. “Well, the story went through a bunch of people, and two of them wereromance writers. As a class of women goes, they do enjoy some embellishments.”
Grim shook his head, obviously as shocked as Josh was. “Howare you here? It’s a three-hour drive. How could you possibly know what washappening?”
Josh could answer that. “Uncle Chase called him. Or healready had plans to be here.”
“And it did not take three hours.” Pops was the only one inthe room who looked like he was enjoying himself. “Jack got us here in twohours and fifteen minutes flat.”
“I meant to come alone,” his dad said between clenchedteeth. “I certainly didn’t mean to turn this into a circus show.”
Frustration welled inside Josh. “No, you meant to quietlycome in and get rid of Nicole on the down-low, didn’t you? You meant for theDawson brothers to take her out of here, and then you were going to sit in onthe interrogation. Tell me something, Dad, were you going to turn her over orpay her off and send her out there all alone again?”
The thought made frustration turn to rage. She’d beenthrough so fucking much. He wasn’t about to let her face this alone, and hedidn’t care what his father thought.
Grim stood at his side. “We’re not going to let you get ridof her. I’ll leave with her if you can’t stand the thought of her beingaround.”
Pops suddenly didn’t look so amused. “I don’t think Jackknew what the hell he was doing, Josh. Though it sounds like you both had thesame idea, different Dawsons. So let’s take this down a notch and talk this outlike the family we are.”
Grim took a seat beside Pops. “I’m confused. So Dad calledChase and Ben and asked them to investigate. Meanwhile Josh called Harlow andasked her to do the same. Chase and Ben caught wind their daughter was lookinginto the situation, called her computer girl and convinced her to give them theinformation they found. They called you and… I’m still confused as to how yougot here so fast.”
It didn’t get past Josh that Grim had called Dad by hisproper name.
“They found out this afternoon and called me. I asked themto wait until I was close so I could be involved in talking to her,” his fatheradmitted, scrubbing a hand over his head. “And that’s all I wanted to do—talkto her.”
“Sure.” Josh didn’t buy it for a second. His father could bea ruthless bastard—a thing Josh admired him for. That side of Jack Barnes onlycame out when protecting the people he loved. “You find out the woman involvedwith your sons is wanted for murder but you weren’t going to do anything.”
Dad sighed. “Like I said, I was going to talk to her. I wasgoing to figure out what the situation is. I know you don’t believe it but thisisn’t my first rodeo. I know that all is not what it seems sometimes. I damnstraight know sometimes a person can get falsely accused. I came up the hardway, son.”
“He did,” Pops agreed. “It made him cranky.”
His father turned on Pops, frowning fiercely. “Do not forgetwhere we are, Samuel. We can go spend some time in the dungeon if you need to.”
Pops smiled, a brilliant expression. “I always need to.” Hestood, crossing the space between them and putting a hand on Dad’s neck. Theireasy affection was something Josh was not only used to but counted on. “I’mhere to take the testosterone level down a bit. It’s why I came along. So twoalpha males don’t tear each other up because they don’t know how to properlycommunicate. I knew you weren’t coming out here to meet with Chase on a bit ofbusiness. If you were going to meet Chase for business, you would be in Dallas.So much closer. I know you think this all went to hell because Lexi calledAbby, but it was always going to go to hell, Jack.”
His father lowered his head until it rested against Pops’s,and he took a moment to breathe as though the other man gave him strength andcalm.
Josh looked over and Grim was watching them with openaffection. Maybe Pops was right, and it was time to bring the heat level down.
But not before he made things plain to his father.
“I’m in love with Nicole, and there’s nothing you can saythat’s going to make me turn her away,” Josh stated plainly.
His pops mouthed the words told you before steppingback. “Grim, do you feel the same way?”
Grim stood, joining Josh. “I do.”
“Yeah, I get the feeling you’ll be saying those words soon,”Pops said under his breath. He returned to his seat. “I’m happy for you both. Ilook forward to some grandbabies. It’s been too long since I was around someoneon my intellectual level.”
Pops winked as Dad turned, pointing his way. “That’s a goodtwenty, Sam.”
“Let’s make it thirty,” Pops shot back.
