Had to Be You: Bad Boys of Red Hook by Robin Kaye

have to step in soon because Logan’s inaction was just making matters worse.
    “That better not be a stogie I see in your pocket, Pete.”
    Bree. Damn the woman. She had amazingly bad timing. Where was she when he’d needed her? “Oh come on. Who died and left you my keeper? I’ve been doing the job long before you were born, young lady.”
    Marriage obviously agreed with Bree—she and Storm had spent the last month in New Zealand and Australia—much of that time on a boat or beach from the look of her tan, and he’d never seen either of them so happy. Bree was a redhead and it surprised the hell out of him to see her normally pale skin bronze. He couldn’t remember the girl ever having a tan before. “I’m glad you’re home, even if you are a royal pain in the ass.”
    Bree crossed her arms and tapped her toe. “I’m only a pain in your ass when I catch you. I swear, I’m going to every smoke shop in Brooklyn and will threaten the life of every store owner. If I can’t stop you from buying those foul things, I can do my best to keep the owners from selling them to you.”
    “You can try.” Pete couldn’t keep the smile off his face. He was glad that Bree and Storm were back home and happy. Things were just the way they should be. He only wished he could say the same for his other two sons.
    “Where’s Nicki? Rex said she seemed a little off after school. Is something really wrong or was Nicki just tugging on his heartstrings so she could wrangle a PB&B sandwich out of him?”
    “Both. Rocki had to take off for New Hampshire—her brother’s been in an accident—”
    “Whoa—Rocki has a brother? Since when?”
    Pete sat and rocked back on his chair. “Her whole life, since he’s three years older than she is.”
    “How could I not know this?” Bree sat down opposite him and shook her head, looking both hurt and bewildered. “Rocki’s my best friend.”
    “Bree, there are reasons people keep things to themselves. I’m sure Rocki has a good one.”
    “Is he . . . God, I don’t even know his name. . . .”
    “Jackson.”
    “Is Jackson going to be okay?”
    “We don’t know. He’s in a coma. From what I gather, he was in a skiing accident. Rocki was so upset, I could hardly understand her. I didn’t want her driving. Besides, I’m not even sure the girl has a license, so I gave Slater my car and told him to take care of her.”
    “Slater? What the hell were you thinking?”
    Pete smiled and stuck out his hand.
    Bree’s eyes rolled like a slot machine, and he just hit the jackpot. She stuffed her hand in her pocket, fished for a Lincoln, and slapped it onto his palm.
    He added it to the ten he’d taken from Slater earlier, making sure he didn’t expose his cigar. “Slater’s hardly hidden the fact that he’s interested in Rocki, and since he could use some breathing space, he might just find it and all the answers to his questions about Rocki in New Hampshire.” Pete leaned forward and put his elbows on the desk while surreptitiously closing the drawer, hopefully hiding the contraband. “It was like killing three birds with one stone. It was ingenious if I do say so myself.”
    “No wonder Nicki’s upset. Slater just got here, and now he left right after Skye took off. The poor kid doesn’t know who is coming and going. Her life’s been like a revolving door lately.”
    “I know, Bree, but both Logan and Slater were in such prickly moods, if the two of them stuck around, one of them would end up taking another swing at the other and I’d be forced to get the bat out again. How could I explain that to Nicki? I think ‘boys will be boys’ only works once. It’s definitely better this way.” Pete wished he could light up and follow it with a glass of scotch. “I think it will be good for Slater and Rocki to help each other deal with the changes they’re facing in their lives. And since you just returned, it’s not a good time for you to leave. Nicki’s been