I quickly look up to Trouble. “It’s the picture from Lynn.”
I hit the file and wait as the little arrow icon at the top of the screen starts to flash.
Trouble walks to the kitchen doorway and hands Elijah to Jamie. “Burp him for me, will you?”
With Elijah tucked against her shoulder, Jamie goes back to the living room. My phone dings again, and I bring up the image. I hate the very sight of the man staring back at me. It’s a candid shot of him turned to the side, but his face is twisted toward the camera. I’m not sure how old the picture is, but it’s not one that was taken within the last couple of years. His blond hair is too long. It was thinning on the top and he used to do a comb over. A couple of years ago, he gave it up and just kept his hair cut close to his head.
“What the hell?” a growl comes from behind me before my phone is snatched from my hand.
I whip around to find Trouble gripping my phone, his face red with rage as he stares heatedly down at the screen. He glances at Judge, and even from a couple feet away, I can see his pulse beating wildly in his neck.
“It’s Leland,” he snarls. “Phillip is motherfuckin’ Leland.”
TROUBLE
I STARE DOWN AT THE PICTURE of one of the men I’ve been hunting for years. Murderous rage fills my veins and my hands shake with the violent need to find this bastard and rid the world of him in the most gruesome way possible. The plastic on the phone creaks under my grip, and I force my fingers to relax before I crush the device. Knowing he’s put his vile hands on Remi only amplifies my fury.
Judge and JW walk over, and I hand the phone over to Judge. He lets out a muttered curse, and I can feel JW’s anger radiating off his body.
“Who’s Leland?”
My eyes flick to her. “One of the adults from Sweet Haven.”
She sucks in a startled breath, shock making her eyes big.
“How can Leland be Phillip?” Judge asks, his voice vibrating with his own anger. He turns to Remi. “How old are you?”
She steps closer to me at Judge’s hard baritone. I put my arm around her and pull her closer to me. Shooting my eyes in his direction, I pin him with my harsh glare. His acrimony isn’t toward Remi, he’s just having a hard time controlling his temper, the same as the rest of us, but he still needs to tone it down when he’s addressing her.
Noticing my glare, he forcefully relaxes his features so it doesn’t look like he’s on the verge of slaughtering anything he can get his hands on.
“Twenty-six,” Remi answers gingerly.
Judge scowls. “That can’t be right. That’s definitely Michael Leland in that picture, but you would have been three when Sweet Haven was taken down. Trouble says you met your friend when you were eight. You both should be no older than twenty-three.”
Remi’s shaking her head before Judge finishes. “I’m twenty-six. Lynn is twenty-three.” She stiffens against me and her eyes shoot up to lock on mine. “Damn,” she breathes. “I didn’t think.” She looks back at Judge. “He’s not her biological father. Beverly, Lynn’s mother, met Phillip, or whatever his name is, when Lynn was two.”
“Goddamn it,” I rumble sharply.
“I’m sorry.” Remi tries to pull away from me. “I didn’t—”
I yank her back into my side. “Don’t,” I bark. She flinches, so I soften my voice. “This isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known.”
She still looks remorseful when she nods.
“If we were unsure before if he would come after Elijah, we damn sure know he will now. He won’t be able to resist coming back to his roots, especially because it’s his son he’s coming after.”
My brothers nod in agreement.
“Question is, does he know we’re here?” JW adds.
“If he’s as smart as he seems to be, I’m sure he’ll check out Malus before he steps foot here,” Judge gives his guess, which is a pretty good one.
“But what do we do if he does show up here?” Remi asks. “If there’s no record of the court proceedings and conviction, can they legally put him in prison? If there are no records, there’s no proof, right?”
“He’s not going to prison.”
I dart my eyes to the right. “Emo,” I warn sharply.