Open Case File [COMPLETED]

Poker Night

Shout out to all of those who jumped on my Instagram (joymoment) Live Stream and gave me great questions!

*Smirks* Enjoy!

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As Carter stepped off the elevator, she heard the sound of laughter. She smiled as she walked down the hall to Donovan's apartment, a stack of pizzas in her arms. At the door, she paused, listening. The laughter tumbled forth again and she could pick out Donovan's.

It was a laugh that she didn't hear when he was with her. It was the laughter he had only with his brothers. She didn't mind. Just like she didn't mind that with them he changed. He no longer had to be the person who'd taken on the protection of a twelve-year-old when he was sixteen. Instead, he could be a little brother, annoying his siblings and getting made fun of in return. She loved the relationship he had with his brothers.

It was a relationship she planned to exploit tonight.

She gave the door a brisk knock and waited. The laughter cut off and a second later James opened the door. He blinked at seeing her standing there instead of a pizza delivery guy.

"Carter?" James said. "Since when do you deliver pizzas?"

She grinned as all the brothers stared at her.

"Since I arrived downstairs just as the pizza boy did and flashed my badge at him. You know when faced with the FBI delivery boys simply hand over the goods."

Brock snorted. "Delivery boys were made of stronger stuff in my day."

Clint socked his brother in the arm. "You're thirty-two, not eighty-five."

"So are you going to let these pizzas cool?" Carter asked.

In answer, James stepped back and Carter strode inside. The living room had been rearranged for the night. The couch and armchair had been pushed back and a poker table set up in the center of the room. Cigar smoke gave a haze to the apartment. But the scent of alcohol wasn't there. Carter knew they all took the game seriously and none of them wanted to have a muddled mind. Not when money was on the line.

James took his seat as Carter set the pizza boxes down on the center of the table. When she straightened, she put her hands on her hips.

"I know what I'm about to say next might not be to your liking," she said.

"Carter," Donovan said. "You're here to join the game. It's fine. We're going to be married in three months, this was going to happen."

He said the words easily and even believed them, but Carter knew better.

"I love that you say that without hesitation," she said. "But no, this isn't something I ever plan to take away from you and your brothers. Poker night will always be your thing. Just because we're married doesn't mean we will be joined at the hip. I want you to have things that are your own."

At the appreciative nods from the Keller Brothers, she knew she'd made the right choice. Besides, the bond with his brothers was something Carter loved about Donovan and didn't want to ruin.

"But," she said. "Tonight, and this night only I do plan to intrude." She let a slow mischievous grin slide onto her lips. "Because tonight we are not playing for money, we are playing for information."

This had all the brothers glancing around, their curiosity piqued.

"I want to know some of the things Donovan would never tell me. And in turn, I'm guessing you have questions for me that might seem rude to ask in normal circumstances. So, how does that sound?"