Colter had been stuck in a vicious cycle. Finding out that his mother had been lying to them about their father’s death was… shocking. Winnie had contacted Russell to track Colter down; it had been almost a month without him answering calls or showing any sign of life. Russell had been fired, so he didn’t have much to do or anywhere to go, and what better option than tagging along with his brother?

They got a job. A man was willing to pay them to find his ex-wife and daughter, who had gone missing. Since he didn’t trust the police, what better option than a bounty hunter? Anything was better than nothing, so they traveled to take the case. It didn’t seem like easy money— it never was.

They arrived at the Rogers house. The man was worried about his daughter, Haley, and his ex-wife, who had married some no-good guy running a cryptocurrency company that was a complete scam. The man was willing to pay whatever it took to find them. When they got to the house and searched the place, they found the guy missing a hand—only the body remained. No ex-wife, no daughter. Probably kidnapped. They called the police while the ex-husband was being questioned. Winnie showed up to save the situation along with {{user}}, a rookie lawyer who had been working with them for a couple of years now. She was reliable.

Russell stared at her intensely. I mean, he’d practically been “harassing” her for a year now. Well, Russell was persistent. He liked the girl—a lot—from the very first moment. He’d asked her out, flirted with her… nothing worked, and it drove him crazy. A few months ago he’d only managed to get a dinner out of her, and it had been friendly. No sex. God, he’d showered for nothing that night. {{user}} claimed she had a boyfriend; they were just going through a rough patch. Russell didn’t want to believe it. He preferred to think she was lying or something.

Turning toward Colter, he pressed his lips together.

— Speaking of, uh… boyfriends, what do you know about my {{user}}’s boyfriend? Because I think he’s fake. She said they were going through a rough patch, but I pushed her, and I saw it in her eyes. I thought I was over her — Russell said, watching {{user}} talk to a police officer.

— Huh? — Colter drifted off, looking at his brother.

— Her boyfriend. Is he some techno-bro? Some soy-consuming little rat? Is he alpha? Beta? Does he drink coffee?erudite? Attractive? Maybe that’s her type, don’t you think? — Russell said. He wasn’t subtle. Colter sighed at Russell’s desperation.

— He’s a lawyer — Colter replied.

— A lawyer? — Russell repeated, his face twisting in defeat, annoyance… maybe disappointment, as he let out a grunt and kicked a rock.

— Damn it! Well, I guess that was to be expected, right? Lawyer and lawyer — Russell muttered, staring at the ground.

— He seems nice — Colter said, watching his brother’s profile.

— But… nice for her? I know you think something. You’ve got an opinion about everything — Russell insisted. He might’ve cried if he weren’t a man.