Deploy by Jamie Magee Read Free Book Online

do. Out of all the Rawlings’ boys he seemed to have the best sense of humor, which helped him get out of more than one conflict at school. His charm didn’t hurt matters either.
    Justice was dreading Nolan leaving, too. He was the breath of fresh air she took in every day. Declan was the dream that never left her thoughts.
    Declan held the radio to his ear to hear the warning that had just come in. He didn’t want her to know how close the storm was. From how fidgety her hands were he was sure she didn’t handle these things well.
    Once the radio was quiet, he dug in his bag for a shirt. He almost pulled out another one of Nolan’s t-shirts, but he spotted his hoodie, the one Nolan liked to jack on the regular, and handed it to her.
    “It’s clean, I swear. You’re freezing, so put it on.”
    Clean or dirty was not what was causing her to hesitate. It was the realism that he was taking care of her, that he offered a sweet gesture, thoughtlessly.
    Pick a signal, Declan. You’re making my head spin. Slowly, she pulled the cloth over her shoulders as she breathed in the aroma—a deep, demanding spice.
    In truth, she was in awe that he’d noticed she was trembling. He hadn’t looked her in the eye yet, and he made it a point to keep his distance. Even though he’d guided her by the small of her back and held her hand, his touch was guarded.
    “Did they just say Bradyville?” she asked, nodding at the radio.
    “They did, but the streets they said were a good half mile away. They’re more worried about flash flooding. Stay put is what they’re all saying.”
    She let out a deep breath as she dug in her bag for her phone; just to make sure no one had called her.
    “Service sucks down here. It’s better by the lockers, but I’m betting the lines are down.” He nodded to her. “Your dad not done yelling at you or somethin’?”
    She held his stare longer than she wanted to. Justice wanted to see him, his demons, but wasn’t ready for him to see hers, to understand the storm below her calm surface.
    “He likes the sound of his voice,” she said, finally moving her gaze from him.
    It was tense for a second, but finally he spoke. “Would you tell somebody if it was too bad?”
    She bit her lip, telling somebody anything was a fool’s errand. The Sheriff was one of her dad’s best friends. And her father all but ran the mayor’s campaign. His real-estate business had him connected to almost every walk of life in or around Bradyville, and those were just his public friends, not the ones he drank with, or played cards with or whatever he did when he’d disappear at night.
    Brent Rose was furious Justice’s grandfather had stepped in at all when it came to Justice, and the moment he died he made moves to control everything he had, including the church and the home Justice lived in.
    Brent Rose found a loophole, everything was left to Justice, and she was a minor. Even when her grandmother tried to say she was a guardian, too, it came down to what kind of one she was, and he split enough hairs to where it came out she had no financial say. After Brent Rose had all but robbed her grandmother, he moved under her roof. And now here they were. Waiting for the right way to get back what was theirs.
    “I know how to deal,” she said, flinching a smile. She didn’t want this, for him to look at her like a charity case—to remember her as some poor girl with a sordid father.
    Declan clenched his fist and told himself to calm down. “That’s not an answer. Murdock know it’s bad at home?”
    Murdock did. He’d heard about and he’d seen it. How he felt about it seemed to vary. Murdock liked how overprotective her dad was, and felt privileged her dad let her leave with him. Murdock liked the version of her dad who worked on cars in his shop, or watched the game.
    Other times when Murdock was around and her dad lost his mind, he’d either make an excuse or tell her it was the bottle talking.
    Murdock Souter had