Free Say Uncle by C.M. Steele

Chapter 1
    “Hey, what’s up, bro?” I said as I answered my cell after my shower. Damn, I didn’t know if I was getting old or it was from getting hit with the ball, but I felt like shit. I grabbed some pills from my medicine cabinet and a glass of water, downing them while I waited for him to respond.
    “I wanted to tell you that I’m getting married,” Ted muttered on the phone, almost incoherently.
    “Quit fucking with me, Ted. I’ve got a headache and a bad bruise on my collarbone,” I barked.
    “Did someone resist arrest?” he asked anxiously. Which was a normal question to ask since I was one of Boston’s finest, but I didn’t really arrest people like I used to; I was a detective now, working cold cases. My big brother still worried about me all the time since we only had each other, but I hardly came into contact with any killers—mostly just dusty files.
    “Not today, but I was playing baseball for the MDA against the fire department, and I caught a line drive to the neck area. I didn’t realize how slow my ass was getting.”
    “Damn, that really sucks, but I wasn’t fucking with you. I’m getting married this weekend,” he said, then he started to talk to someone else in the background, the future Mrs. Evans, I’m assuming. “No, Candy. He’s just in shock that I’m getting married.”
    Candy? Please tell me that’s her pet name or some shit. “Who is she? You haven’t been dating anyone,” I accused as I dried my body. With my phone tucked on the good shoulder and ear, I dropped my towel and walked to get some boxers out.
    “Her name is Candy. We met here in Vegas and instantly fell in love.” I almost dropped my phone when I heard him say that. I smelled bullshit. Something was up, and I didn’t care for it.
    I just laughed and said, “Fell in love in Vegas. That’s like saying candy is good for you. Pun intended.”
    “Stop being a dick, Dean.” I was starting to get on his nerves. It seemed to be my specialty with my big brother. It wasn’t going to stop me from going down there to stop him. He should’ve waited until he tied the knot before he told me. Now his ass was going to have to deal with me.
    As I listened to him halfheartedly, I was on my laptop looking for a flight to Vegas. There was one leaving at seven the next morning. That worked for me. It would give me some time to sleep and for some of this pain to go away.
    ~~~~~
    I was up and out of my house before the sun was up. I was just about to pack my truck when I saw my neighbor getting ready for a jog.
    “Hey, Dean. How’s the bruise?” My neighbor and colleague, Lester, was out already going for a run before the sun was even all the way up.
    I caught a line drive to the neck, but it only looked like a big-ass hickey. “It’s good, Lester. It’s not as big as I thought it would be.” He was a health nut. Lifting was my thing. A light jog to warm up the body was all I ever did for cardio—well, except for sex. That was a great cardio workout I’d been neglecting for a while now.
    “Hell, you must be getting old if you didn’t get out of the way soon enough. Maybe you should try running more,” he said with a chuckle. Since he was one of the guys playing, he saw the whole thing.
    “Fuck off, asshole,” I shouted as I put my suitcase in the back of my Rover.
    “Where are you headed?” he asked curiously. I didn’t know about Ted’s ridiculous plan to marry before I got home, so no one else had a clue either. I only managed to inform my supervisor that I was going to need more than the few days they gave me for the injury yesterday.
    “Vegas. It’s an emergency,” I said as opened my driver side door.
    “Emergency? What—to find some easy ass or to spend all your money?” he joked.
    “Ha! I wish it was for that. My brother just told me he’s in love with some broad, and he’s marrying her this weekend. I’ve got to get down there before he goes through with it.”
    His face changed