Command and Control
causing her any more pain.
    The door to the bar swung open, sending blinding light into the dimness and Trevor squinted, glancing away with a scowl.
    “Hey, big bro.”
    For fuck’s sake. Really? Trevor bit back a sigh at the sound of Todd’s cheerful voice and turned on the stool to face the door.
    Only it wasn’t just Todd. It was Todd and Tyson. They stood in the doorway, arms folded over their chests, staring at him like they were about to stage an intervention.
    “Kind of early to be hitting the bar, don’t you think, boys?” he drawled with a slight smile.
    “Funny, I was just thinking the same thing,” Tyson said, striding across the bar and sitting to the left of him.
    Todd took the seat to Trevor’s right.
    “Megan called us,” Todd explained.
    Trevor’s mouth slipped from the forced smile back into a grim line and his chest tightened with regret. Had she told them about what had happened? That he’d damn near killed her?
    “Did she now?”
    “She’s worried about you. We all are,” Tyson said softly.
    Trevor gave a short, humorless laugh. “You’ve got a wedding coming up, Ty, the last thing you need to be worrying about is me.”
    “Yeah, well I don’t have a wedding coming up,” Todd said, his mouth curving into that wide smile that had probably charmed half the women in town out of their panties. “In fact I have no intention of ever marrying. So that leaves me plenty of free time to worry about my big brother.”
    “Good to know.” Had his brothers always been this determined to drive him nuts?
    Tyson leaned forward and grabbed his shot glass, setting it farther away. “You need to cut with the alcohol, Trev. You seem to be seeking out the tavern every time you have a problem.”
    The hell he did. He hadn’t turned into the soldier that turned to the bottle.
    Or have you?
    Anger and frustration brought a slow flush up his neck. His jaw flexed. “I won’t deny it. But I usually stop at a shot or two.”
    “Even a shot or two isn’t the way to deal with whatever the hell’s going on in your life,” Todd replied, siding with Tyson. “You’re better than this, Trevor. You know you are.”
    “How the fuck do you know I’m better?” Trevor finally snapped, letting all the anger at himself and his life explode. “Either of you? And what gives you the right to walk in here and tell me what I can and cannot do? If I want another shot of whiskey, who the hell’s going to stop me?”
    “I am.” Tyson replied matter-of-factly, cocking his head.
    “I’ll take that second shot now, Sam,” Trevor yelled, but kept his narrowed gaze on his middle brother.
    Sam idled over. “Jack Daniels?”
    “Actually, he’s going to pass,” Tyson said calmly. “And, yes, this time I am speaking as the sheriff.”
    The hell he was. Trevor turned to Sam and repeated his request for another drink.
    Sam’s gaze slipped between Tyson and Trevor and finally he sighed.
    “Sorry, son,” he muttered. “But like I said, I’m new in town. Last thing I’m gonna do is piss off the sheriff. Even if he is your brother.”
    Trevor saw red. Before he could think about what he was doing, he lurched off the chair at his brother, fists swinging. He got in one good punch before Todd jumped in, getting him in a headlock and pulling him off Tyson.
    “Fuck you both,” Trevor choked out, struggling in his brother’s hold. “You have no right. No right to come in here and try and control me. Control my life.”
    Tyson rubbed his jaw and glared at him. “We’re not trying to control your God damn life, Trevor, we’re trying to help save it.”
    “Sorry about this, Sam,” Todd called out. “We’ll take it outside.”
    Humiliation warred with the rage as Trevor was dragged outside by his youngest brother. Already he planned on getting in a punch on Todd the moment he let him go.
    A few minutes later they stopped on a path that led to the Pacific Ocean. The warm morning sun beat down on them and the only

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