Cal didn’t think anything was funny. Then again, Cal’s stepdaughter narrowly missed getting raped the night before. It was going to take awhile before Joe Callahan cracked a smile.

“We’re good, Sul, do your work,” Colt muttered, Sully studied Cal, must have read what he wanted to read, he nodded and walked out.

Cal turned to Layne. “You straight with your kid?”

“Yep,” Layne answered.

“You gonna share that shit?” he jerked a thumb at the observation window.

“Not sure about that,” Layne replied because he wasn’t sure. He shared what Tyler Berger and Adrian Cosgrove had planned, Jasper would be uncontrollable. He knew it because that shit happened to Layne, he’d be uncontrollable.

Cal nodded. “I’ll talk to Vi. Keira’s not only supposed to be off her phone but she’s also grounded until next Monday, no studyin’ at Jasper’s house, no visits from Jasper, no dates. I’m thinkin’ after what went down last night, it wouldn’t be good to keep her from Jasper or Jasper from her. I’ll talk Violet into lettin’ Jasper come over.”

Translation: I’ve been reminded my girl is vulnerable and it’s been proved your boy has her back so he’s just been recruited to keep having her back indefinitely.

“Be appreciated,” Layne murmured.

Cal nodded and walked to the door. Before he opened it, he turned back.

“Lotta boys would do different, they got a hot, unconscious piece in their car. Lotta boys wouldn’t even bother takin’ her to their car much less makin’ sure she’s safe.”

“Jasper’s not a lotta boys,” Layne replied.

Cal held Layne’s eyes. Then he nodded. Then he left.

“You gotta be all kinds of stupid to f**k with Joe Callahan.” Layne heard Colt mutter and he looked to him to see Colt staring into the interrogation room.

“He’s seventeen, Colt, his brain is in his dick and you’ve seen Keira. That kid had no shot and he’s not used to not havin’ what he wants and he’s got no qualms about doin’ whatever he feels like doin’ to get what he wants. Cosgrove knows this kid. Cosgrove knew exactly what he was doin’. And Cosgrove’s convinced himself after spendin’ years cowing his wife and son that his balls are big enough he could take on a badass like Joe Callahan. Bad luck that Tyler threw that party and Jasper and Keira gave him his shot.”

Colt turned to Layne. “You gotta be all kinds a stupid to f**k with Cal but Cal’s retribution would be swift and painful. Yours, man, slow and lasting.” When Layne’s eyes met his friend’s, Colt finished, “What I’m sayin’ is, you’re standin’ here, so I’m guessin’ you’re takin’ this a lot better than I expected.”

“I started my day with Gabby in my face, spent most the rest of it listenin’ to the masterminds behind a child prostitution ring havin’ a twenty minute conversation and then a lot of nothin’. I got a good kid and he made the right decisions last night which means right now we’re dealin’ with justice not tragedy. I’m feelin’ pretty good about that and I’ve gotta hold onto the good because f**k knows what’s gonna hit next.”

Colt grinned. “What’s next is, it all eventually goes away and you’re left with wakin’ up next to Raquel Merrick every day and goin’ to sleep next to her every night.”

Layne grinned back. “Yeah, that’s the plan, except she was there when Gabby came over to throw down this morning and Rocky wasn’t down with that. First time in two decades, brother, I took a moment to reflect on what it would be like to have a shy, retirin’ woman sharin’ my bed.”

“How long’d that moment last?” Colt asked.

“About a nanosecond,” Layne answered.

Colt’s grin got wider as he laughed softly.

Then Colt quit laughing and his face got serious. “I had shy and retiring. Trust me, brother, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

Layne wasn’t around when Colt was married to Melanie Seivers, who was painfully shy and retiring, but his mother was and the tragic, lost love of Alexander Colton and February Owens was ‘burg lore. That meant Vera Layne and her cronies had spent a lot of time chewing over the fact that Alec Colton and Melanie Seivers were not a match made in heaven. Layne knew this because Vera knew Colt was a friend and she repeatedly shared her cronies’ conclusions. No one was surprised by Colt and Melanie’s divorce. And no one was surprised when Colt hooked back up with February, a woman who was not shy and retiring by any stretch of the imagination.

“So you got yours, I got mine, what the f**k are we standin’ in a little room for?” Layne asked.

Colt’s grin came back. “Fuck if I know.”

“You got anything to brief me about that other shit?” Layne asked, moving toward the door.

“Nope,” Colt answered, following him and they stopped. “Same as this mornin’. We talked to IMPD and they know all about Nicolette Towers. What they don’t know is where she keeps her stable. We have boys on her tail at all times and she’s steerin’ clear of that location and Rutledge is steerin’ clear of her. He doesn’t leave the ‘burg and he’s been nowhere near her. We’ve clocked her with some of her muscle so we’re puttin’ names and faces to her crew but she’s not leadin’ us to her girls and neither are they.”

“She know she’s been made?” Layne asked even though she gave no indication of that during her conversation with Jeremy that day.

“Nope,” Colt shook his head. “Rutledge doesn’t either considering he visited a known prostitute last night, took his twenty minutes, got his blowjob and went.”

“Got a source that says she’s hands on,” Layne told him.

“Don’t know what to say, Tanner. We can pull her in on identity theft and hold Jeremy Goulding over her but she’s gonna have to roll over we do that and what I’ve read and what IMPD know, this bitch is made of steel. We’re not gonna break her. We need evidence. You said your man didn’t find the photo shoot photos at her apartment?”

“Dev found nothing. He had a good amount of time to look and it was clean so he planted the bugs and got out.”

“Even if he found ‘em, not against the law to take pictures of teenaged girls. It’s not cool but we got nothin’ messy to stick to her.”