Tyler glanced at his sister. “Seriously? What the hell? Why didn’t I know about this?”
Scott wanted to know the same thing.
“Because of your reactions right now. She knew you’d go all big-brother-caveman on his ass.” Olivia patted Tyler’s cheek. “She asked me to go with her to the concert. We went, but then Dylan and I got the call about Meg being in the hospital. I offered to stay, but Avery swore she was fine to go backstage alone.”
“What happened between them?” Scott asked.
“She won’t talk about it,” Olivia said, her tone indicating how unhappy that made her.
Scott didn’t like it either. Avery and Olivia were close. If she wasn’t confiding in her sister, something big was going on.
“Do you think the bastard is pushing Lola toward my business to get back into Avery’s life somehow?” Tyler asked, shaking his head in disgust.
Olivia narrowed her eyes, remaining silent while she considered. Then she shook her head. “You’re the best there is. I honestly doubt it. She probably really does need your services.”
Tyler blew out a frustrated breath. “That’s what I wanted to talk about,” he said to Scott. “I need a second-in-command. Someone who can oversee everything that goes on. Actually, I need a partner. I need you,” he said.
“What?”
“You’re a damned good cop, and the beat is a waste of your talents. Not to mention you’re bored as shit. I want you to sign on as my partner.” Tyler pinned Scott with a look he’d never seen before. One that held admiration and something more.
“Cool!” Olivia said, clapping her hands. “That’s great for you, Scott, and he’s right. You need something more challenging, and this is it.”
“We all know you aren’t happy doing the cop thing. This will give you a chance to use your people skills and your training. Plus you can set your own hours, which has to be better than those night shifts you’ve been assigned.”
He couldn’t deny they were right. He wasn’t happy, and the thought of doing something different definitely appealed to him, as did working with his brother.
Scott ran a hand over his eyes. He’d never considered leaving the force. Never thought his older brother—by only two years, but still older—would want him on board. “You built your business yourself. Are you sure—”
“One hundred percent certain. You can buy in, and we can work out the details . . . I’d have asked you before, but I wanted you to get hands-on experience first. You deserved to follow your dream and see if it was for you before I asked you to leave it behind.”
Scott nodded slowly. “Let me give it some thought. But I’m interested.”
“Not too long. I’m going to take this job and with the business growing, I need you. As far as Greyson . . . If he shows up around Lola, we can tag-team him,” Tyler said, tacking it on as added incentive.
“Oh, you two better stay out of Avery’s business,” Olivia warned them.
They both shot her a look. If someone hurt either woman, they’d have to answer to a Dare brother.
“I’ve got to get going. Call me,” Tyler said to Scott. He paused to kiss Olivia on the cheek. “You feeling okay?” he asked their pregnant sister.
That was something Scott hadn’t wrapped his head around. His little sister married and expecting a baby. At least her husband, Dylan Rhodes, treated her right. Now to get someone decent for Avery.
Olivia poked Scott in the arm. “You and I need to talk. Come to my office?” she asked.
He rose and grinned. “Am I in trouble?”
She pinned him with a warning look. Uh-oh.
She waited until they were settled in her private office, she in the chair behind her desk, he in the one in front. “What’s up, Liv?”
“That’s what I want to know. I had dinner with Meg. I mentioned your name, and she said she ran into you at Mel’s this weekend.”
“And?” He stared at his sister, not knowing where she was going and not jumping in with anything more before he knew what had her so on edge.
“You spent the night with her!” Olivia said it like an accusation.
Scott folded his arms across his chest. “She told you that?” Because Meg didn’t strike him as the gossipy type.
Olivia blew out a long breath. “Not in so many words. But I could tell from the hemming and hawing she did . . . from the way she blushed and couldn’t look me in the eye, then asked selective questions . . . I just knew.”
He inclined his head. “And?” he asked his nosey sister.
“And what were you thinking? I know there were sparks when you met her, but she’s coming off a really shitty relationship, she’s pregnant and vulnerable, and you’re . . .” She trailed off, her gaze darting away from his.
He stiffened. “Don’t stop now,” he told her.
“You’re you! All controlling and alpha.”
“So you think I’d hurt her?” he asked, offended.
Olivia wrinkled her nose. “Of course not. Well, not on purpose, anyway.”
He frowned. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
She rose from her seat and came around her desk, sitting in the chair next to him and leaning in close. “Scott, do you remember what happened with Leah? She gutted you when she had that abortion. You haven’t had any kind of relationship with a woman since.” Olivia held up a hand to make sure he didn’t interrupt. “And I’m not talking about sex.”
“Me neither, and not with you,” Scott muttered. Nor did he need the reminder of how wrong he’d chosen when he’d married Leah Jerome.
Having seen firsthand what his father’s cheating had done—not only to his mother, but to him and his siblings—Scott hadn’t believed he wanted a family. Leah definitely hadn’t. And then she’d gotten pregnant . . . and the reality of a baby had changed his mind. He’d thought he could change hers. He’d been wrong. And Olivia was correct. He hadn’t trusted another woman since.
Then he’d met Meg. “I’m not going to hurt
