I was not having an easy time pulling my panties on under the sheets as I heard Brock snap the cell closed then, “Wait here, buddy, I’ll be right back.”

I got my panties up and watched Brock prowl, face set in stone, to the nightstand. He turned on the light, grabbed his cell off the nightstand and I rolled off the bed.

Then I went to the door.

I got to it and opened it further to see a pale-faced, scared-looking Joel standing in the hall.

The bad news was, Joey looked scared. The good news was, Joey didn’t look psychologically damaged at possibly hearing his father ha**ng s*x with his girlfriend.

Immediately, I put my hand to his neck and whispered, “It’s gonna be all right, baby, come on in,” and I guided him in as Brock spoke.

“Yeah, this is Detective Lucas, homicide. My ex-wife just called, worried there’s an intruder at her home. Can you send a unit…?”

He gave the address as I guided Joel to the bed and sat him on the edge of it, me sitting close to his side and wrapping an arm around his waist.

His eyes were glued to his Dad.

“Appreciate it,” Brock stated. “Can you give me a callback, let me know the state of play?” He nodded. “Thanks.”

Then he flipped his phone shut, opened it again, hit buttons and put it to his ear.

Then he said, “Just called dispatch, a unit is gonna swing by. Hold tight, they should be there in around five.”

Then he didn’t wait for an answer and flipped his phone closed.

Finally, his eyes went to his son, “Everything’s gonna be all right, Joey. Unit will be there soon.”

Joel nodded.

“Your brother sleepin’?” Brock asked.

Joel shrugged. “I guess.”

“Well, if he is, don’t wake him but go down, be quiet, find his cell and bring it up to me, yeah?”

Joel nodded again then jumped from the bed and took off.

The minute he left, the room filled with the harsh sandpaper of Brock’s extremely pissed off mood.

“Cells?” I asked cautiously.

“Found out durin’ our talk that Olivia bought them both cells yesterday, said they were New Year’s sales treats. What it was was preparation for a middle of the night stealth attack.”

I bit my lip and nodded.

Then, still cautious, I queried, “Um… why didn’t she call the cops?”

“Said if it wasn’t an intruder, she didn’t want to look like an idiot or waste their time.”

Hmm. Seems she didn’t mind wasting Brock’s time. Or waking him up. Or Joel for that matter.

Again cautious, I asked, “Did she honestly think you were going to get up in the middle of the night, go to her house and check?”

He gave me a look. That look told me exactly how Olivia had made Brock’s life miserable in the years they were divorced but she was not married to Dade.

I decided to stop asking questions.

Brock opened Joel’s new phone, hit some buttons which I suspected powered it down, closed it, opened his nightstand drawer, dropped it in with a clatter then shoved the drawer closed so violently, his lamp wobbled on top.

Oh man.

“Honey,” I whispered.

“I got it in check, babe,” he rumbled and I shut up because he did but I could tell only barely.

Joel came back and the instant he hit the room, the atmosphere changed though it only became non-abrasive. The spark and flash of electricity still filled the air. He gave his Dad his brother’s phone, Brock did a repeat of the power down, drawer thing but without the lamp wobble and Joel watched him do it.

Then his eyes lifted to his father’s.

“Dad –”

“Benefit of the doubt, Joey,” Brock cut him off to say. “Yeah?”

I didn’t get this but Joel did because he nodded. Then he shuffled his feet and his eyes moved to glue themselves to the cell in his father’s hand.

It came to me in that moment that I should have asked my drowsy bad boy about the important talk he had with his sons rather than jumped his bones.

Alas, I did not.

Very long seconds ticked by in silence then I broke it with, “Joey, honey, you want me to make you some hot cocoa?”

Joel tore his eyes from his father’s phone and looked at me.

“No, thanks, Tess,” he mumbled.

“You want to come over here and sit down with me?” I asked.

“I…” he hesitated, looked to his Dad then walked over to me and sat down but not close.

I pulled in a light breath and looked to Brock and saw his eyes on his son and his jaw so hard, a muscle was jumping in his cheek.

Then he started pacing.

I got up, went to the bathroom and belatedly took out contacts that had been in way too long. Then I left the bathroom and grabbed one of his flannels, pulling it on to cover my nightie thinking I might need either to break my vow not to go to the mall or hit a computer to buy a robe to leave at Brock’s since the only one I owned at home was warm, fluffy, I’d had it since before Damian and therefore it was ratty-assed.

I needed a Brock’s Place Robe.

Then I dashed downstairs, dug my glasses out of my purse, slid them on my nose, ran back upstairs and sat down on the bed closer to Joel than he sat by me and I let out a silent sigh when he didn’t move away.

Then we waited for a decade (slight exaggeration) while Brock paced or, more aptly, prowled the room, his pissed off energy filling the air.

Joel and I both jumped when Brock’s cell rang.

Instantly, he flipped it open and put it to his ear.

“Detective Lucas,” he answered then, “Yeah.” Then a pause before another, “Yeah.” Then more listening then scarily a, “No shit, this is my life.” Another pause then, “Yeah, cryin’

wolf, won’t happen again.” Then, finally, “Yeah, thanks,” and he flipped his phone shut.

Then he turned to Joel. “No sign of intruders, buddy. Your mother is perfectly fine and the officer reports Dade answered the door. Dade reported his alarm system is comprehensive, inside and out and it was set. Anyone gets within two feet of the perimeter of an entry into the house, including a window, a signal sounds inside the house, goes to the security company and if one of the windows or doors are breached, a message is sent direct to police dispatch.

Did you know that?”

Head tipped back to look at his Dad, Joel shook it slowly while his lip trembled.

God, God, God, I f**king hated Olivia McManus-soon-to-be-whatever-the-fuck.

“The alarm did not signal,” Brock told him.