Claiming the Enemy: Dustin (Porter Brothers Trilogy 3)

“I can go … now,” he said, trying not to laugh.

Greer didn’t bother, snickering at his side.

“Now is good.” Asher’s head was practically bobbing on his shoulders.

Greer peered at them through narrowed eyes. “You sure this isn’t an ambush?”

“It’s not an ambush,” Asher answered testily. “Just trying to be neighborly. Told you we’re going to let bygones be bygones.”

“You keep saying that, yet somehow, Greer and I are having trouble believing it.” Ironically, Dustin didn’t believe the Hayeses as far as he could throw them. Somehow, Asher’s sincerity didn’t ring true.

“It’s true. Neighbors need to come together in their time of need.”

When Greer made a retching sound, Dustin gave him a speaking glance to make him stop.

“You must need us pretty damn bad to come here like this, eating crow, just to get me to visit Jessie. I told you I wasn’t the one who hurt her.”

“We know that. You, Tate, and Greer were the first ones in line when Knox asked the men in town to volunteer to give DNA samples,” Holt magnanimously admitted with an arrogant tilt of his head.

“I’m surprised you didn’t wait for the results—”

“We did. If we waited for Frankfort to send the information to Knox and the state police, we’d be old and gray.”

“How’d you find out?”

“That’s for us to know.”

“What happened to letting bygones be bygones?”

“That doesn’t mean we’re family, and only family needs to know.”

Dustin wanted to kick Holt in the ass for being an arrogant prick, but he was used to dealing with the biggest pricks in Kentucky, so he let it slide off his back.

Holt had turned to go back to the truck while Asher remained unmoving, staring him dead in the eyes. “I never meant for your boy to get hurt, Dustin. Said a lot of prayers that he didn’t. Any help you give to Jessie, we don’t deserve, but it would be much appreciated.”

For the first time, Dustin felt that Asher was sincere in his apology.

He and Greer watched as Asher walked to the truck, where Holt was waiting inside. Lifting himself into the cab, he poked his head up so he could be seen.

“By the way, make damn sure you’re careful when you go on the porch to knock. Jess is dying to shoot someone’s dick off.”

“You believe that?” Greer grunted.

Dustin knew Greer meant that the Hayes brothers had brought the pot back and asked for help. Deliberately misunderstanding him, though, Dustin reached to take Greer’s gun away. “I believe it. Bliss said she used to threaten to shoot you at least ten times a day in the balls.”

“Why? What’d I ever do to her?” Greer looked as if he was truly puzzled

“I don’t know, Greer. You’d have to ask her. Why don’t we take a stroll to her house and ask?”

12

After her brothers left, Jessie rewound her movie to the part she had missed while laying her head on the arm of the couch. She didn’t even know why she was rewinding the movie. She hadn’t been paying attention to it before they left. All she wanted to do was remember the night that had irrevocably changed her life.

Every minute and second of her time that she had spent since waking up in her hospital room had been centered on the elusive memories that remained out of reach. That another woman’s murderer was getting away because she couldn’t remember was like a festering sore.

It had her temper soaring that she was taking it out on her brothers. She hated herself when she did, which added another layer of guilt, overwhelming her to the point that she had asked Bliss if she wanted to buy the daycare. Mentally, she was on overload. It wasn’t fair to Bliss that she was managing the daycare smoothly without Jessie able to compensate her for the extra time she was working.

Feeling listless, she took a shower after the movie ended. Putting on a pair of loose navy sweatpants and one of Holt’s overlarge shirts, she sat on the end of her bed, lost in thought, when she heard a ping against the window behind her.

Startled, she went to the window and looked out, seeing Dustin mischievously grinning at her. She lifted the window open.

“Huh? What are you doing?”

“Trying to get your attention. It took four rocks to get you to come to the window.”

“You could have just come to the door.”

“That’s no fun. You want to go for a walk?”

“I haven’t seen you since I was in the emergency room, and suddenly you’re showing up here to ask me to go for a walk?”

“Yeah. You want to go?”

“No.” Jessie started to push the window back down.

“Come on, Jess. Walk with me.”

Jessie released a huff of air. “Fine.”

Closing and locking the window, she put on her tennis shoes before going to the front door.