Tommy Sallow is onto better and brighter things. After working a small hometown beat in upstate New York, he's finally in sunny California. As expected, it's the same shit in a different town. Except, you know, now he's near the ocean and miserable...
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There's no answer on the other line and I'm getting irritated with every unanswered ring. I swear, if I have to call Austin because Sadie doesn't pick up the phone...
"Hello? Sadie's phone," an annoying male voice chirps at me.
Great. Austin answering Sadie's phone. This is a new version of the nightmare.
"Can you put my sister on the phone?"
"No-can-do, Sallow. She's a little busy right now."
"Busy doing what?"
There's a pause. "Trust me, you don't wanna know."
Fucking hell. He's got to be kidding.
"Austin, I swear... If you answered my sister's phone while she's giving you a–"
"Calm down, Tommy," he interrupts my dire thought with a fit of laughter. "We already finished. She's just cleaning up after the action." His foul smirk can practically be heard over the receiver and I'm about to puke.
"You're an asshole, I don't wanna know that shit."
"You literally asked though," he reminds me with confidence.
He's not wrong but I don't have to acknowledge that. I think he gets a little too arrogant from three thousand miles away. He's never so smug and sure of himself when we're standing in the same room together. He always looks like a pale, scared puppy.
"Can you just give her the phone when she's... done?"
Austin laughs again. "Sure. But you and I have some business to attend to."
"What business?"
"The business of when your flight comes in on Christmas Eve."
"And why the hell do you need that information?"
"Because bro-in-law..." He stretches out that title with an even bigger note of smug in his voice than before. "I'm the one who gets to pick you up."
Nope.
"Not a chance, Adler. I'm not getting in your shitty car."
"Low blow," he starts up, all offended. "Let me ask you something, man... why do you hate me? And don't even try that shit with me about not trusting the Adler brothers because you seem to get along just fine with Danny. So, what gives?"
Truthfully, I don't know why I'm still giving him shit. I think it's more fun than anything at this point. Apart from sneaking in and seducing my sister one Christmas break from college, the guy actually hasn't given me any issues. He's always taken care of my sister, he's a good dad. Not a bad cook either, to be honest.
His brother on the other hand? Now that kid was a piece of work when he was a teenager. I arrested Danny on more than one occasion back in my early days as a cop in Oakwood. But we ended up bonding over time and I still keep track of him, even though he's a grown ass man now. I don't know, maybe I've always seen a little of myself in him. In all fairness, maybe I have been playing at a little Adler brother favoritism.
