Yeah, that was Bull, the most easy-going guy on the planet. Gabe glanced at Caz. “And you?”

“They had a health clinic there, once upon a time. I’m going to re-open it.”

“Sounds like you have it covered. Why are you here?” Gabe leaned back in his chair. The pleasure of seeing his brothers was fading. He needed to be alone, isolated, surrounded by forest.

Trees didn’t talk. Trees didn’t need him.

Caz studied him over the rim of his coffee cup. “We wanted you to know about Mako’s request.”

Bull snorted. “Request, my ass. Those are orders.”

“And, as it happens, we’re having problems in town,” Caz said.

Gabe stiffened. “And that applies to me…how?”

“The remodeling of the roadhouse is being sabotaged.” Bull scowled. “Equipment and materials have been stolen. Two days ago, someone busted all the new windows.”

Caz nodded. “Same with the health clinic.”

Concern sparked inside Gabe as quickly as he stamped it out. “What did the police do?”

“Rescue doesn’t have a police force.” Caz shrugged. “The state troopers are the only law enforcement available, but they’re not exactly on site. Or very interested. Since Rescue is still incorporated, we’re supposed to have our own police.”

Hell. “Is anyone else having trouble or just you two?”

Bull ran his fingers over his goatee. “I haven’t talked much with the locals. Been too busy. And my construction crew is from Soldotna since Rescue doesn’t have a general contractor.”

Caz shook his head. “I don’t know either. I’m buried in paperwork. And trying to get moved.”

“You figure someone is singling out the sarge’s kids?” Gabe asked. Fuck knew Mako wouldn’t have been polite if he took a dislike to someone.

“Doubtful,” Caz said. “Aside from Dante and a couple of others, no one in town even met Mako and no one besides them knows us.”

Gabe considered. Old sleepy town. Resort opens. Tourists. Bull and Caz opening businesses. “Could be that someone isn’t pleased with the changes happening. Maybe a back-to-the-land type.” Right now, Gabe was feeling more sympathy than not toward someone who wanted to avoid a bunch of noisy tourists. “You might…”

Gabe’s voice trailed off as he saw his brothers’ expectant looks. Yeah, they’d sucked him in. The assholes.

“We need someone to enforce the law in Rescue. We need you, viejo,” Caz said softly.

Old man. One of Gabe’s nicknames. Because he was all of a year older than Bull and Hawk and two years older than Caz. Because they’d heard the sarge affectionately refer to his company commander as the old man.

Because Gabe had always led, and his brothers had always followed.

He tried to thicken the ice around his soul and felt it thin instead, like river ice before break-up.